IN THE WAKE OF THE WEEK'S ...BROADCASTS...

Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 29, 30 December 1938, Page 9

IN THE WAKE OF THE WEEK'S ...BROADCASTS...

ALMOST A GARDEN OF EDEN

ment, in a plain, forthright manner that seemed to match his job, Mr. R. B. Cooper told a tale of ‘‘Christmas in with no adorn-

the Lighthouse’? in an interview from

, 2YA last weck. The interview was capably handled by an-interloeutor who did not obtrude, but just, as it were,, turned on. the: tap of Mr. Cooper’s reminiscences at the right times. The ex-lighthouse. man had- much that was curious and intriguing to tell of the life on places like the Brothers and Stephens Island; spoke of making Christmas toys from matchboxes when the Matai could not call in. time with gifts for the children; told listeners, too, about. the famous dry-land frogs of Stephens Island and the ancient. and honourable tuatara lizard that will nest in burrows with petrel doves and mutton birds, all parties being quite at home. There was almost a Garden. of Eden atmosphere about his stories of these places, se close to us and yet so far away. It was all most interesting, informative and unusual.

A TIE-UP WITH THE STORM

One of the heaviest spelis of rain, hail, thunder and lightning that have hit Christchurch for many years, made radio listeners tremble for the masts and equipment of the radio stations

last week, Enterprise was shown at 38ZB. Through . Ursula

Calson, the stat jon presented an excellent tie-up -a feature under the title "Through.a Window Pane." Starting with an organ solo, "The Storm,’ came recordings, ‘Stormy Weather," "Isn’t It a.Lovely Day?" ‘Riding’ Around in the Rain,’ "Raindrops," and "When Mother Nature Sings Her Lullaby." Whole feature was thoughtfully worked out and doubtless set at rest the mind of many a nervous child.

TUNES MOST OF US KNOW

Something -of a Kiplingesque touch was given by Major Lampen to his talk on "A Day in the Life of an Infantry Soldier," with its .bugie calls and army verses, and

all the detail so lovingly told by the man who is keen on his day’s work. The

major went through the day of an infantryman from Reveille tc. Last Post, the bugle calls were sounded in their appropriate places, and someone else sang the words the soldier puts to them. I found them singuarly and almost incredibly refined. Perhaps we heard the revised yersion! One hopes the talk has been recorded for other stations.

TWO MEN | SING SILENT NIGHT

I always feel grateful to 4ZD. on a Wednesday night when I am at home to listen-in. That station takes me away from YA and ZB serials, which it is rarely my: Inck to hear in

sequenee,. a nd gives me a "listener’s: night." For Wednesday is 4Z2D’s request

' night, and I have found that. station’s listeners lave ‘uncommonly good taste.-I had a very pleasant night, indeed; on their last broadcast, many of niy "star" items coming over, together with a recording

worth waiting for even if what had gone before had been dull. That was Paul Robeson singing "Silent Night." Robeson ranks high as a singer of popular songs, and after hearing him in this, he ranks higher still, I had not before heard Robeson in this number, but after having heard Bing Crosby sing it, I should say it’s anyoue'’s "game. " But whereas Bing should have left the carol alone, it would have been a shame for Robeson not to have sung it.

""CHINA?-IT WAS VERY BIG"

"Thirty minutes with Noel Coward" on 2YA’s programme last week made a bright patch, interesting none the less because one feels that Noel Coward’s genius, like many

bright flowers, was evatescent, a mood of the moment, and

will fade almost as quickly as it bloomed. Best part was the staccato expressed dia-

logue scene from "Private Lives" with Gertrude Lawrence, "How was China?’-‘Very big.’-"And Japan?"’-"Very smal." I could have wished that "Mad Dogs of Enzglishmen" had. been included.

TOPICAL TOUR OF HOLY CITY

"Impressions: of the Holy City," in Teddy Grundy’s travel session from 3ZB the other day, was one of the best. things this widely-travel-led announcer has yet done for the station:

Mz. Grundy took listeners from the gateway of the Promised

Land’ on a tour packed with interest; particularly at. this time: of the: year. Linked up with the session was a fine musical progranmme, complete with descriptive matter.

4ZM AIDS GAIETY OF NATIONS

For two Sunday nights running, 42M. has: contributed nobly to the gaiety of nations. On the first they gave a continuity programme from & till 10, "On the March," which . consisted of

marches, overtures and mus ieal selections Biayed by mass. ed and military

bands, wartime memories and patriotic songs, played and sung in stirring style, and a few miscellaneous pieces which just squeezed in under the heading. A thoroughly ~worth-while transmission to which I listened without interruption. Ditto’ the next Sunday, when the game period was occupied by Irish and Seottish music and vocal numbers, This was a very well’ arranged programme, Irish and Scot~tish being well blended throughout

the presentation, and consisting of modern and traditional items. Manner in which it was all put across — allowed for interesting comparisons to be made between the two national types of song and music, as well as humour.

MATERIAL FINE; VOICE POOR

I wonder how many young stamp collectors listen ii to the "Siamp Man," now appearing during the children’s session from al the commercial stations, Monday, Tuesday an 4

Wednesday. The | "Stamp Man" doesn’t just potter alone, ret

ting nowhere in particular, but he delves into the history behind stamps, tells why this or that design was chosen, and enlarges upon the repercussions that have sometimes followed the issue of certain stamps. I no longer save stamps, but I enjoy listening to the talks, and I am certain any philatelist, however long his )

beard may be, must learn things of real interest through listeningin. I have only one complaint, the speaker has a very dull, colouriess voice, and if his material wasn’t good, he’d be hard to listen. to..But one overlooks the voice in its revyealing utterances.

FAMILIAR IN MOsT LIVES

Many months ago "Darby and Joan" did. the rounds of the main stations of the NBS, and now the feature is reappearing on 4YO’s schedules. For some reason or other, I did not

hear a single present ation when 4Y¥A handied it: I

hed a_ ifeeling the title did not appeal to me. I have heard two broadcasts. from 4VO and have been quietly enter tained, Apart from George Bdwards’s remarkable skill in so readily assuming different voices. the playlets (each complete) do not possess any distinctive clever touches, but they cover incidents familiar in the lives of most of us, or the "lives of somebody Wwe know." There i§ no. greater enjoyment in life than observing the reactions of people caught up by the machinations of fate in interludes in which we ourselves have not shaped any too brilliantly when similarly entrapped, and because this seems to be the underlying theme of the "Darby and Joan" stories, it is not hard to understand why they were so generally popular when previously presented, nor why they have been resurrected.