Keen Regret At Passing Of "One Man's Family"

Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 30, 6 January 1939, Page 3

Keen Regret At Passing Of "One Man's Family"

Popular Serial Goes Off The Air

EEN disappointment has been. expressed in many quarters at the sudden stopping of the popular radio serial, ‘One Man’s Family,’’ over 2ZB Wellington. Interviewed by the "Record," Mr. Victor Lloyd, who is responsible for this feature, and who also plays the part of Henry Barbour each week, said that he had merely received a letter from the National Commercial Broadcasting Service saying that the ZB stations would not require ‘One Man’s Family" in the future. The Controller (Mr. C. G. Scrimgeour) explained that he was acting on instructions from the Ministry of Broadcasting. Since this neat little feature has ceased from 2ZB, the various members of the cast and the station itself have had many letters from people who deeply regret the passing of a family that has become a part of the lives of many thousands of listeners. Typical of the letters is this one received from Hawera: Dear Henry Barbour, For we always think of you with affection as Henry, the father of that famous family. You have all become part of our lives to such an extent that to hear of the sudden termination of your family experiences was nothing short of a bombshell. Cold common sense assures me that to feel in such a way about a number

of imaginary people is ridiculous, and yet, here is my wife in tears over your farewell, and I must perforce write and beg you to continue the series if at all possible. lf this be not possible, yet I must still write and thank you for the hours of pleasant entertainment that you have given us.in the past. The ~ extraordinary realism that you have all rendered to this feature makes it in my opinion the most outstanding radio series that we have ever heard, superior, we feel as English people, to anything that we ever heard at home from the British Broadcasting Corporation. Probably the full extent of the interest taken by listeners in "One Man’s Family" has not been realised even by you as players, but the Barbour. family have caused ourselves and many of our friends never to stir away from home on Friday nights ever since the series commenced, It seems to me that in no sphere of art does naturalmess and avoidance of exaggeration appear so important as in radio drama, and that is where you have scored over other radio productions. In "Klondike" you were hampered by a sense of unreality suggested py the script and by a multiplicity of

characters, but in ‘One Man's ¥oanily"’ you found the ideal radio glay in which your talents as actor and producer undoubtedly reached their zenith, . And so, from my family and myself, please accept our grateful thanks for the pleasure that all of you have given us.