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

Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 35, 10 February 1939, Page 9

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

BUILDING TOUR | _ BY RADIO

known Christchureh architest, who had a great deal to do with the reconstruction of 3ZB, and the installation of many new features, 7 RANK WILLIS, well-

took listeners on a highly interesting tour round the building the

other night. Lhere was only one fault to find with this broadcast. The quarter of an hour allotted for the job was by no means adequate. While city people can make a personal inspection of the studios for themselves, there are thousands of country listeners who would welcome a fuller word picture by an expert. One might suggest that 3ZB present another session for country listeners, giving Mr. Willis, say, half an hour for the broadeast. It would be well worth while.

PASSING OF W. B. YEATS

Brief, and, I thought, rather inadequate, reference to W. B, Yeats, the great Irish poet, was made by 2YA’s "Coranto" in a "Ramble in the News" from that

station last week, "Coranto’s" remarks were distinctly dull, and might have been

culled from any newspaper obituary. He mentioned that Yeats was known for his. association with the famous Abbey Theatre as well as for poetry such as "Lake Isle of Innisfree," and "Silver Apples of the Moon" and then remarked that "by the way, to-day is ‘Candlemas,’," proceeding to outline the associations of the festival of Candlemass much more interestingly than he treated Mr Yeats. At the time of writing, I have heard of only one radio tribute to Yeats-from 2YA. It is a pity, because quite apart from his work for Irish literature in particular, much that Yeats wrote will pass-some of it has already passed-into the English language. The best of Yeats is to be found in his simple lyrics, which reveal a truly Celtic realisation of beauty, and of the "heartbreak in the heart of things." To anyone interested in glimpsing Yeats at his best I would suggest turning up, in any good modern anthology, three poems, "When You Are Old," "Dream of a Blessed Spirit," and, especially, "The Sorrow of Love."

MR. COLLINS WAS READING

Station 2ZB had an interesting personality before the microphone jast week in the person of Mr, J. W. Collins, O.B.E., former New Zealand Trade Commissioner in

Canada, who Was interviewed by 2ZB’s Gladstone Hill. Myr. Hill conducted the interview

well enough, edging in little observations about his own experiences in Canada at occasional intervals, but I am sorry to say that Mr. Collins was very obviously reading what he had to say. Maybe it is necessary for a person in Mr. Collins’s position to prepare carefully what he is going to say over the air, but careful reading of an interview completely destroys any attractiveness it would otherwise have. I imagine the ideal method must be fo. interviewer and: interviewee to prepare and rehearse the interview, and then for the interviewee to speak from notes, For a practised pyblic speaker like Mr. Collins this would have been a simple matter.

INSPECTOR SCOTT AGAIN

I listened in recently to the ubiquitous Inspector Scott getting yet another man from 2YD-‘Case of the Fordyce Vampire" it was. I hardly bothered following the

intricacies OL the plot, which was, I suppose, exciting enough in its way, as l was teo amused

by what the French would call the "naivete" of the whole thing. Inspector Scott is no doubt a very efficient sleuth, but it must be a great help to have the co-operation of a murderer who, when accused, confesses amiably, "Yes, I did it, Inspector. But please understand my feelings got the better of me.". Dashed nuisance, really, one’s feelings getting the better of one like that, and making one do ‘silly things like murders.

STAGE JOKES CAN MISFIRE

Curious how a stage comedian ean put over 2 joke and set a house roaring while that very same joke would be entirely unacceptable in 2a drawing-room.

Curious, too, how stage humour does not always create the intended impression when

put over the air. Sidelights from a visiting show, which presented a

benefit performance in aid of the funds of Christchurch health camps, had the folk in charge of the microphones "hopping about a bit" the other night, watching out for gags "not quite suitable." Several "cuts" were made, and rumour has it that more than one thin-skinned listener righteously rang the station with a complaint. Still, it takes all sorts to make a world.

"COME FAR TOO SELDOM"

Tt have never heard anything quite like the "Big Ben Looks Down" session put over 3ZB the other night by Les. Strachan, who was in the city for a short spell.

Aided by a painstaking selection of recordings, he traced events of musical and his-

torical importance through the years, bringing the session right up to date with Chamberlain. While hot jazz, swing and even "seat" music can be very clever and very bright, in its right place -and the B station seems to be the place for it-sessions of the type presented by Les. Strachan could be expanded a little by way of frequency, In other words, they come far too seldom.

‘GILBERT ‘AND SULLIVAN

Very enjoyable has been 2ZB’s series’ of programmes dealing with the immortal association of Gilbert and Sullivan. An episode I heard the other night

dealt very entertainingly with the period following "The Gondoliers," and told the story

of "Utopia, Ltd." Gilbert and Sullivan, the commentator recalled, sank their differences while "Utopia, Ltd.," that very pungent satire of a good many things which Gilbert didn’t like, was enjoying its .ong run; were once again rumourea to have quarrelled; appeared, indeed, before the curtain on the final night of "Utopia, Lid." on opposite sides of the stage, ignoring each other; but, to the accompaniment of a very gratifying emotional demonstration from the audience, made up again and shook hands. One phrase the commentator used, about the "oil of Sullivan’s music alleviating the asperity cf Gilbert’s vinegar," was ‘most descriptive and apt. I am wondering if ~ haven’t read it somewhere before. Lovers of Gilbert and Sullivan, by the way, will be interested to hear that recently, in Chicago I think it was, a Gilbert and Sullivan opera was ‘"hotted up" and swung in best jitterbug tempo.

SOMETHING WRONG SOMEWHERE?

I have bee: remarkably impressed with one aspeet of Professor Speedee’s General Kn-w-ledge Tests, presented by 428 every Thursdav nicht On ceveral

occasions, students, teachers, and high school boys have played leading parts in oneawerine

the questions, but in only rare instances have these people shaped more impressively than others whose general knowledge might reasonably be expected to be definitely less. In several cases teachers and students have fallen down on yery elementary questions, and their replies must have come as a surprise to most listeners [ don’t know whether some of the replies can be taken as a reflection upon our system of education or not, but I have heard that opinion advanced. There certainly does seem something wrong when a secondary school boy is unable to reply to "What is an equinox?" The one I heard didn’t know, yet that is a thing supposed to be known by boys ande girls in Standard III. I know it is one thing to assume a fireside profundity,- and another to’ answer questions in a few seconds before a soulless microphone, but, even so, there are questions asked every night the answers to which should come automatically. And they don’t. i

NEW RECORD BY SANDY

The advent of "Sandy Buys a House" marks another episode in the gramophone record life of Sandy Powell. I shouldn’t like to make a guess as to how many

Sandy records , there are. now, but it doesn’t seem to me that they improve greatly in qual-

ity. Sandy’s records are mainly indifferent; very few being good, and several being bad, but I suppose they serve their purpose as a light interlude on any programme. The trouble is, I think, that Sandy tries to overdo the humour, transporting it into the realms of the merely silly, and however well that sort of comedy may "go across" in a hall, over the air it misfires badly. Of all his records I think that "Sandy in Hospital," "The Window Cleaner," and "The Astrologer" are the pick, with a whole-hearted "Bronx cheer" for ‘Sandy’s Own Broadcasting Station." |