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

PEER WITH MIND OF HIS OWN

Oppositions are less retieent than all Government members (but it is a long time since New Zealand has had a British MP. who Pp ER HAPS all members of

gaye his opinion on foreign affairs so vigorously and whole-hearted-

ly as Lord Strabolgi. He baulked at nothing in giving them, spoke on the air with the forthright vigour of a born fighter First he was interviewed rather indifferently on Centennial affairs by 2ZB and later the same evening spoke on foreign affairs from 2YA. He did far better with a free hand on a subject that he knew intimately. Slight and almost traditional difficulty with his r’s (e.f., Wodehouse characters), gave piguancy to his remarks. Curious and unjustified rumour that he had been cut off was due to well-known NBS tendeney to wait for the chimes without filling in gaps after items.

FIRST SHE WAS FUNEREAL

Station SYA gave a fine coverage of the New Zealand Lawn Tennis championships at Wilding Park, keeping listeners in close touch with general progress, and broad-

casting many of the later games, through _ the voices of promjnent tennis players. Fea-

ture of the tennis programme was a description of the women’s matches by Miss Margaret Beverley, ex-champion of New Zealand, who, through an accident while in Christchurch, was unable to take part. She performed nobly at the microphone, however, even if at first her yoice was funereali and, in fact, she intoned! This was due to lack of exneri-

ence. No doubt the broadcast was perfectly correct in a _ technical sense, but, oh, at first, it was mournful. In the end, she warmed up in spite of herself, and turned on all the excitement of a racing announcer as the horses go past the post.

MR. WELLS AS HE SAW HIM

Waiting up to hear the NBS rebroadeast from Australia between 11.15 and 1.85 pm. of the H. G. Wells talk on "The: World As tf See It," I was not over-impressed.

Mr. Wells dealt with his childhood, his adolescence and so on -a sort of radio

&2UUTO DIOBTADPIY. Better title for the talk might have been, "Mr. H. G. Wells, As I See Him." It is a pity that reaily eminent men rarely live up to listeners’ expectations. But that may be a penalty of being great.

iia J ------ MAORI CHOIR ON |. THE MAP

Suceess story of the week from 1Z2B was the recorded broadcast of the WHiruharama Native School Choir at 8.15 last Thursday night. Totally wnnerecompanied. they sane

Gruber’s "Silent Night" with a delicacy and precision of time and attack that T have i only

heard bettered by the Comedy Harmonists. And yet, as the announcer of the continuity told me, they are a choir of 30 Maori boys and girls ali between the ages of 10 and 15. They were trained by Mr. * King, headmaster of the school at Ruatoria, on the East Coast near Gisborne. The choir also sang in

parts, the English folk song, ‘‘No John," and concluded with what was perhaps the gem of the whole performance-a Macri lullaby, "He Popo Ara He Oriori." I hadn’t heard this particular lullaby before, but from the lucid continuity that went with the broadcast, was interested to learn that it is an ancient lullaby well known to the Maoris who arrived in the Horouta and Takitimu canoes. If this broadcast was the first time people not in the immediate district had heard the names of Hiruharama and Hiruharaha, which are both somewhere out of Gisborne, this school choir certainly looks like putting both of them on the map of the world.

HOUSEBOY HAD NOTORIETY

News that the adventures of "The Japanese Houseboy" and his employer, the Hon. Archie, will terminate from 4YA on February 10 will doubtless be received with

mixed feelings by listeners. One of the long-est-lived serials given from any station, "The

Japanese Houseboy" has also been one of the most abused. At the same time the feature has had a very big following, and although there may be more rejoicing than regrets, it is certain there will be

ADELINE McGRATH.-She has been 4YA’s programme organiser for the past five years, has now resigned from the NBS te get married. many regrets. "The Japanese Houseboy" will be superseded by "The Rich Uncle From Fiji." 4YA has several interesting serials listed for presentation in the near future. On February i, the first instalment of "Westward Ho!" will be heard; February 15 will introduce "The Strange Adventures of Mr. Penny," while "The Life of Emile Zola" will begin on March 22.

ee SONGS OF ALL NATIONS

Particularly enjoyed a half-hour I tuned into 2ZB the other Sunday night, At about 6.30 came the first session of a new feature which will be presented reeculariv bv

Barend Harris (bass) and Reg Morgan (baritone). They gall it "Songs of All Nations,"

and they began with songs of Russia. For the most part they were simple folk songs, but they all had the irresistible appeal Russian music has had for me ever since I first heard a record of the Don Cossacks. Barend Harris sang the beautiful "Black Eyes," Glinka’s "Midnight Revue" (which is not, as I hope you do not imagine, the theme song of 2 motion picture, but a very dramatic description of the parade of a ghostly army); and finally, ~the’"hatknéyed © "Volga Boatman." ‘Reg Morgan sang "My Dearest" and a ballad abeut the

brown eyes of his DousLka. [I particularly enjoye¢ Mr. Harris’s fine bass voice, of which we haar ali too little. This programme was followed a little later by a short piano recital by Eric Bell. The pieces he played were all light and ‘modern, ranging from a little Finnish folk song to a waltz from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." I would like to reiterate what I said about Mr. Bell’s talent being wasted on stuff of this sort, but I am glad to say he is varying his programmes considerably and giving us something better every now and then. In fact, from the way he switches from jazz to classics, I imagine Mr. Bell must be that almost fabulous person, a middlebrow.

DECEIVED MANY LISTENERS

A good many listeners to 3YA recently have fallen into a trap certainly not set by the station, but by an artist-Jack Freeny (Irish tenor) in his series of "Songs of Ould Ireland."

Quite a big fanmail has arisen, listeners being unaware that Freeny’s work is

recorded, that he does not make a personal appearance at the studio. So faithful are his reproductions that I, too, was certain the other night that the-tenor was in the studio, and being accompanied by the Christchurch pianist, M. T. Dixon. The station authorities will send on all fan letters to the gramophone company in the hope that they will reach the artist.

iT ALMOST PASSED MY BELIEF

I could hardly believe my ears the other day when I heard a 2ZB ‘announcer lending a vocal refrain to records he was playing. In my opinion this is never very desirable,

and when the announcer has an execrable voice, as this particular one had. it is unpar-

donable. Iam always in a quandary when I hear something over the air which I object to strongly. My first inclination is to hurl something at the radio, my second to rush to the phone, ask for the announcer urgently, and proceed to tell him what I think of him. I usually curb both, but in future I think I shall count a hundred, and if I still feel mad, then rush to the phone. In the meantime,. I shall add announcers singing with records to the aversion I have to people barking and bullying me at the opening of radio serials.

WE CAN’T ALL BE RIGHT

Listening in to Win and Windle, | radio entertainers from Australia, who opened their NBS tour at 2YA last week, I remembered all the anguished cries of radio men

that humour’ on the air is the hardest thing to get in the world. And to my mind, althourch thay

had their. moments, Win and Windle didn’t quite get it. On the other hand, I have no doubt many listeners loved it all, and will be very busy next week writing in to tell me I am wrong. Or am I not?

THEY FOOL. TO PERFECTION

The Hulberts-Jack, Claude, and Cicely (Courtneidge)-entertained in 30 minutes of delectable foolery from 4YO recently, and I sat back with my feet on the chiming clock, antiaging mwvonalt

aa Ve ee eS nen I admit it-I do enjoy the Hulberts; they are all three bright

and breezy, and | such a contrast to the nasal "wit" of so many American comedians. And when two or more Hulberts appear together, I revel in those little side "digs" all through the item. The Hulberts are more ically English ‘than any other English comedians: and -eyen better, they know what to sell the public and how to sell it.

This article text was automatically generated and may include errors. View the full page to see article in its original form.I whakaputaina aunoatia ēnei kuputuhi tuhinga, e kitea ai pea ētahi hapa i roto. Tirohia te whārangi katoa kia kitea te āhuatanga taketake o te tuhinga.
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/RADREC19390120.2.35

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 32, 20 January 1939, Page 11

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,511

IN THE WAKE OF THE WEEK'S ...BROADCASTS... Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 32, 20 January 1939, Page 11

IN THE WAKE OF THE WEEK'S ...BROADCASTS... Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 32, 20 January 1939, Page 11

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