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

Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 36, 17 February 1939, Page 9

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

SIDELIGHTS ON WAITANGI

PETER O place in New Zealand has a more varied and picturesque past than Waitangi, according to Te Ari Pitama, whose broadcast from 3ZB on the famous Treaty, and

all that led up to it, was one of the finest radio items of the week. Elliott Lloyd was

in charge of the production side. Jucidental records brought a touch of distinctive realism into the word picture, by way of booming guns, mob effects and Maori themes. The whole broadeast was notable for its accuracy of detail, for Pitama possesses origina] seripts, both in Maori and English, and had obviously been at great pains to present an authentic word picture. This half. hour session could have been considerably lengthened without losing any of its appeal.

ELLSWORTH "AND ANTARCTICA

By far the most interesting talk last week, in my opinion, was the one given by Commander Lincoln Elisworth, famous Antarctic explorer, and whieh I heard rebroad-

cast from Australia by 2YA. The subject of Commander Ellsworth’s talk was "My Wour Ant.

arctic Expeditions," and the amount of interest he packed into the short time he was on the air was an object lesson to radio speakers. No orator-adventurers and men of action of his calibre seldom arehis voice was strongly individual and pleasant enough to listen to. A certain amount of derision has been directed at the practice of some well-publicised explorers of travelling to Antarctica and sitting by themselves in lonely snowburied huts for long periods, but Ellsworth stoutly defended the work he had done. "After the explorer," he said, "comes the man with the pick and shovel." But he confessed, too, that the lure of the great white spaces of the last continent on the globe to be investigated by man had got into his blood, and probably that has a lot to do with it.

MEET JAMES

New Friday night session from 4ZB, "Meet the Major," is meeting with Dunedin listeners’ approval. This is a session more in the interests of men than women, but

JUasing trom some of the comments I have overheard, it is just as popular with women.

"he Major’ is none other than Mr. Percy James, beloved as "Uncle Percy" of the Sunday night children’s half-hour. Unele Percy’s friendly, persuasive yoice is ideally Suited to a session of this type, and he can infuse interest into every subject he brings up. And the Subjects are many, for Uncle Percy has had considerable experience, knows what will interest men, knows, moreover, how to convey that interest.

ANNOUNCER HAD A "HANGOVER"

I was amused to hear the other night from the Berlin shortwave station one of Dr. Goebbels’s bright young announcers apologising for Speaking so carefully and slowly.

"i have what you call a hangover," he explained, "and if I did not speak carefully I would fall over

my tongue. The reason it is that we have been celebrating carnival here, and it means dancing and

TED reer rer & drinking in plenty, and it is always a job to get to work in the morning. For you must remember it is only eight o’clock in the morning here." The news session wi. .4 followed this frank apology was devoted to an exceedingly clever and subtly-worded exposition of the official German reaction to President Roosevelt's declaration concerning America’s "Rhine-frontier." The ridicule heaped on him must have made the President’s ears burn, and the whole tone of the session gave a contradiction direct to the theory I have heard advanced that Dr. Goebbéls’s shortwave announcers aim at nothing more than amiably expounding German righteousness to the world. Perhaps Dr. Goebbels’s boys do do that, but they do a lot more besides. No sooner, incidentally, was scathing reference made to President Roosevelt’s alleged association with world Jewry than a most effective interference commenced and reception was completely spoiled. It may not have been intentional, but the possibility that it was brought dramatically to my fireside the

reality of to-day’s clash of ideologies. In imagination I could not help picturing a secret radio station somewhere in Germany, operated by dark, furtive agents of world Jewry, jamming away like anything.

SIDELIGHTS ON THE JUNGLE

If, in the slowness of the development of crucial situations, there was ever a serial more tantalising than "Black Flame of the Amazon," I cannot recall it. Some-

times it tales several nights to dispose of a2 crisis whieh could easily be "washed up" in

a few minutes. Yet this is not as annoying as it might seem-to me at any rate. Some of the action is delayed to permit Harold Noice explain to the two children under his command, details of the jungle, the habits of beasts, fish, and insects. And Noice comes to light with some wonderfully interesting material, so interesting, in fact, that one completely forgets the peril of the moment. And, when the instalment ends and the action has not advanced one step farther, any feeling of annoyancc is offset by the realisation that a little knowledge has been gained. Although the actual production strikes me as being a trifle rough at times, I am not at all sure that very nearly the ideal way of spreading knowledge has not been found, especially as the serial has a pronounced juvenile appeal. TI honestly believe Noice’s dissertation on soldier ants to be one of the most interesting natural history talks I have heard over the air, and I listen to the serial for the sake of these side issues more than I do for the story itself,

BANGING OF GONGS

AER q I don’t know whether 4ZB is out to make nervous wrecks of its listeners, but the station certainly has the proper technique. Periodically throughout the day the even-

ness of 44B's programme is broken by a shouting voice: *Let’s Build a Nation!" Im-

mediately there follows a terrific bang, like the beginning of an air raid. Actually it is only someone striking the studio gong, but do they strike it, or throw a chair at it? Things have reached a stage now where as soon as I hear the first utterance of the war cry, I. make a fiying leap at the radio in an endeavour to drown out the reverberating explosion which I know will ensue. I nearly always reach the set just in time to achieve my object-but it’s all horribly unnerving. )

PASSING OF W. B. YEATS

Some of the good folk at 2YA_ misinterpreted-and have taken) me gently to task-the paragraph I wrote last week about "Coranto’s" reference to the passing

of the Irish poet, W. zB. Yeats. Now, it was the briefness of * Coranto’s" reMarks that T

compiained OL, and i did Make mention of the fact that 2YA was presenting a tribute to Yeats’s memory. This. tribute, which was specially written, was presented on the Friday night following Yeats’s death, and concluded with a rendering by Wellington tenor, Roy Hill, of "The Lake Isle of Innisfree." But I am still sorry that "Coranto" paid more attention to Candlemas than he did to W. B. Veats.

A CAMEO . FROM DICKENS

On Tuesday night of last week I listened to a particularly fine 1ZB production. It was labelled "Cameo from the Classics" and was, I understand, the first of a

serieS OL such cameos. It was a short-all too short — excerpt from "Oliver Toist"? — ner.

formed to mark the 127th annives sary of the birth of ,Dickens. dealt with the episode where Bill Sykes kills Nancy. The whole thing was admirably done, and it was a vividly condensed example of the radio playwright’s ability to bring home the message and appeal of a great classical writer. The feature was adapted, produced and acted by members of 1ZB’s staff, and was locally recorded. If the rest of the series are as good as this one, listeners are going to enjoy them.

PROFESSOR AT THE PICTURES

4ZB’s Professor Speedee and his general knowledge class went to the pictures recently. They deseried‘ the studio for the stage of the Empire Theatre, where they pro-

vided a novelty turn. The theatre was well filled and the audience thoroughly = enjoyed the reac-

tions of the four "pupils" to the unusual questions they were asked. Whether or not it was because the performers knew they. must have friends watching and listening, the surprising fact emerged that these four students acquitted themselves exceptionally well, and high marks were scored. The session ‘was broadcast as usual, and the goodnatured laughter of the audience gave listeners a better idea of the reaction of the students to the various questions. Similar sessions may be arranged at a later date.