RADIO PICTORIAL, July 14, 1939. NORMANDY Registered At

July 14, 1939RADIO PICTORIALTHIS WEEK'S GOSSIPContinued from previous pageTWELVE thousand miles to see his favourite artiste in person has come ClemBertelsmeir, all the way from Australia toshake the hand personally of goo -goo -eyedHarry Roy, whose records- occupy a giantcabinet in his bedroom back home "downunder."ANEWCOMER to Midland musical pro"I have just arranged to broadcast for theductions is young Brenda Hart, who has Australian Corporation. I have a half-hour featurea leading part in "Going Up," on July 17 to myself, with orchestra and chorus. Then I go toand 19. Brenda is no stranger to the micro- Melbourne and do nine more-that's ten in fivephone though, for she has crooned withseveral dance bands, and was on the air forseveral broadcasts with Vincent Ladbrookeand his Orchestra.Martyn Webster had no idea of her actingcapabilities until he saw her in a stage production some time ago, and immediatelymade a note of her as a possible for his radioversions of musical comedies.If a go-ahead theatrical producer happensto hear this broadcast, don't be surprised ifClem told me all about it. He has followedthe fortunes of the comical band -leader since he gets Brenda to sign on the dotted line.his early days, and when this super -fanturned up in London he had no idea whereHarry could be found.Luckily, the Hotcha was only down at theBrixton Empress, so a letter went helterskelter through the post asking if Harrywould meet Clem and supply him withphotographs of his band and himself to takeback to Australia. He spent a whole weekseeing the show every night !In a month this enthusiast returns on hisastounding journey, and the one thing hewants to be able to tell his friends when hegets back is that he spent a few momentsalone with his idol. He will not be disappointed !"HOW do you dance The Beer Barrel Polka ?""Just a few hops."HAD a letter from Marie Burke, who sailed toAustralia just over a month ago." After a lovely trip, we are here in a flat overlooking the famous Sydney harbour," she writes."The weather since our arrival has been glorious,sunny and warm during the day, and lovely, crispmoonlit evenings. For Winter it is most helpful.weeks." I shall probably broadcast in ' Waltzes fromVienna' and, I hope, Wildflower,' then songs fromfilms with orchestra and ballad recitals and series ofthree of ' The Melody Lingers On,' which I did withthe B.B.C."Good luck, Marie, and please don't forget allabout us."HAVE you ever been troubled by dyspepsia ?""Only in a spelling -bee."LETTER from that charming singer ofsweet songs, Hildegarde, this week. Shehas been doing a new radio programme inAmerica entitled "99 Men and a Girl," inwhich she is the only representative of thefemale gender, supplying the vocals for thesymphonic music of Raymond Paige and hisorchestra of ninety-nine musicians."It is quite an experience being the onlygirl among ninety-nine men," she says. Itmust be.Hildegarde recently had a very nice comA most marvellous welcome awaited us from pliment paid her by an American columnist,friends, and, of course, the Press and photo- who said : "Hildegarde sings like Garbographers nearly killed us. I have been made guest looks." These American scribes do think upof honour on many occasions.some expressions.Ronald Frankau pre-pares himself for a kissfrom Tamara Desni inthe film they are mak-A FAN dance was performed before Americantelevision cameras, I read.listeners had to use fans too.It wa, soing together at Teddington, "Dressed tohot, theKiss"BLAIR, who brought Snooney toBARBARAthe B.B.C. after triumphs on the Americanair -waves, was seen buying an unpretentious"guinea gown" in Oxford Street recently. WasBabs economising? No, she's playing a typist in amovie with Stan Lupino at Elstree, wanted todress as a real hard-working typist dresses, infrocks becoming to a typist getting 2 a week.Incidentally, when Babs types in the film, shereally types. She was once a typist, but lost herjob after a short while through not knowing short-hand. Going on the New York stage and radio,Babs didn't have to learn shorthand after all.LEONARD HENRY, at Hastings this summer,thinks he must be popular there because they'vecalled one end of the place St. Leonard's.Vocalists enjoyed themselves at the recentNational Crooning Bee, judging fromthe smiles of (left to right) Pat O'Regan,Gwen Jones, Garry Gowan and AdelaideHall---THE GIRL ON THE COVERFRESH, young, and full of vitality, Eileenhas made a big name for herself inradio and television.Maybe listeners rememberher when she appeared in the Instant Postum" No. 7 Happiness Lane " programmes fromLuxembourg, and televiewers will recall thisnineteen -year -old star deputising forJasmine Bligh earlier this year.At the moment, Eileen is busy filming, but wehope it won't be long before we hear her on theair again.By the way, keep a special look -out for " RadioPictorial " next week, because it will have a new,modern cover which we are sure will appeal to you.blonde,5

RADIO PICTORIALJuly 14,1939Trained as a serious singer, ANNFROM CROONING TO BALLADS6CANNING has so far mostly beenheard crooning - to -night she sings" straight " with Alfredo Campoli'sOrchestra (National, July 14).

July 14, 1939RADIO PICTORIALCatching CrooksbyRADIOEVERY day, when Sir Norman Kendal,head of Scotland Yard's Detective Branch,is driven to his office through the tallgates of New Scotland Yard, he seesrapid progress being made on a big steel framework facing the Embankment.This is the skeleton of a huge new extensionto Scotland Yard-a " wing " of even greaterimportance than the grim old red stone buildingof the present " Yard."It will house all the Scotland Yard detectiveforce, from Sir Norman downwards; it will housethe finger -print bureau, the crime index-and itwill be the automatic dial and push-buttoncentre of the " Yard's" radio network.Radio is featuring in many murder huntsthese days. Radio-ed fingerprint details flashedto all regional police stations have been a greathelp during the hunt for the perpetrators of thelatest torso crime. An old " spark " transmitterwas used a few weeks ago in a Yorkshire murderhunt. Newcastle, Glasgow and other regionalpolice centres have short-wave (usually 120 -175 metre) telephony stations.Most police cars these days carry small transmitters which keep them in touch with Headquarters and alsoenable them to give loudspeaker instructions to traffic and crowds.By the end of 1937 the police had perfectedWhen the new Scotland Yard extension theirsecret plan for "regional" radio, remote is complete, by the end of the year, crime - controlledfrom the Yard.fighting facilities, including radio, will beThey have fitted a powerful receiving stationpepped up.at Denmark Hill, S.E., and have given oneBetter, facilities have been badly needed, foror an I.R.A. round -up. These keys are connectedby line with the West Wickham transmitters,as most routine police stuff is done in code.Press-button indicators or the automatic dial'phone put any C.I.D. men at once on to thecomplete floor of the West Wickham headquarters radio room, so that in less than a couple of secondsthe detective force have had little luck in recent over to a powerful group of short-wave broad- the messages from any C.I.D. section can bemurder hunts.casters." on the air."West Wickham looks like a miniature versionBoth the Denmark Hill and West WickhamEight Murderers Go Freeare connected by shrouded underground of the Daventry Empire station of the B.B.C. !the Scotland Yard books there are eight stationswith the Information Room at the Yard. It is a light, airy room with seven black -and -greyOnmurders in the past twelve months for which no cableAt the touch-button, or by panels, and a long bench carrying morse keys,killer has been brought to justice. Other unsolved dialling his automatic 'phone,of the teleprinters, press -buttons and tape -recorders.crimes on the Yard's books include the asylum C.I.D. chiefs can be put through toanyThe short-wave transmitters are of "open"the Informurder of Arthur Izzard, the killer of little mation room, and so can put a messageconstruction, and as the wavelengths are seldomPamela Coventry, the poison death of Lewis the air to all radio -equipped "Q" cars. on changed from the eight allotted to police use,Sandford, the girl strangled with the green scarfPolice plain vans carry small y2 -kilowatt there are no big steering -wheel controls, as atat Folkestone, and William Murfitt, wealthy transmitters,working, as a rule, around 150 B.B.C. transmitters.Norfolk farmer into whose morning tea somebody metres. Their signals are received atDenmarkRadio Round -upput poison.When a C.I.D. chief wants to pick up a-coated engineers, not uniformed policemen,Nobody suggests that lack of space and staff Hill.message from a van he plugs in to a switchboard Buffoperate the transmitters, but seldom do theycongestion in the present " Yard " building is at the Yard, just as though he were operating aresponsible for these killers not being brought to receiver-and by remote -control the distant know what is going out on the air, as the transmitter panels they control are connected by land justice, but obviously, when the new building and receiver is switched on in South London !line with the Yard.all its facilities are available to the police, crime These engineers watch aerial ammeters andfighting will be speeded up.generator -watt -meters; they aren't the least bitInto this new building will go the famousQCOTLANDYARD'SRadio is becominginterested in the text of these dramatic messages." crime -maps," the finger -print bureau, and theL-7 increasingly successful-no fewer than 103,130"M.O." (modus operandi) index that helps toTheir job is only to see that West Wickham getsmessages were flashed on the ether last year intrack criminals by listing their methods of doinga good aerial radiation.the great war against crime. Now the newa " job."The Yard's radio is being increasingly successextension to the Yard which is being built willful. When the new building is open, the greaterMr. W. Curtis Green, R.A., F.R.I.B.A., is theincrease the radio efficiency of the Police, asspeed obtained in handling the finger -print filesarchitect of the new " Yard," which will soon beRALPH GRAVES describes in this exclusive(in which as many as 2,000 inquiries a week are madea new London landmark (and which incidentallyinterview with a high official of New Scotlandwill be open in about the same month that the newYard." B.H." extension opens), and he hasarranged "press -button" radio facilities for SirB.B.C.radio. According to latest figures given me by ahigh official of Scotland Yard, the number ofBoth Denmark Hill and West Wickham are arrests made last year through the co-operation ofNorman, Chief -Constable A. Canning (SpecialBranch Chief, who went to America with theKing) and other C.T.D. executives.Two Snagswas decided not to house any radio apparatusIt actuallyin the new building. As a matter of fact,well out of the troublesome interference areas.The Yard's Information room, recently extendedwhen the " 999 " emergency 'phone system began,isthe radio headquarters, even though thereisn't a radio set on the premises !there never has been any radio apparatus atIn the middle of the room are four little tablesScotland Yard-in spite of romantic newspaper carrying maps of London streets. On these real stories about radio messages " flashed from the life dramas are played out as the movements ofYard.""Q" cars are traced out by radio signals received.There was a transmitter and anall -waveby 'phone and radio) will speed up crime -fighting.There is an amazing record already for the Yard'sIn one corner is the " 999 " indicator board,the Information Room at the Yard, and thearea radio scheme, was 3,131, as against 2,672the year before.No fewer than 103,130 messages wereflashed on the ether, and the arrests included565 car -stealing, house and shop -breaking270, suspected persons 422, and other offences1,874.The Yard's new radio facilities have been oftremendous benefit in the recent I.R.A. round -ups.next to it is a huge switchboard with ten When you 'phone " Whitehall 1212 " an indidoor to the Yard), but this was often used for operators to handle emergency calls. In cator in the Information Room flashes up, oneSecret Service and Naval reception and trans- the adjoining room are the teleprinters of the ten operators constantly on duty takes yourmission.(which flash "wanted" and S.O.S. messages messages, a C.I.D. official takes the case in hand,There were two snags about fitting radio gear by cable to all police stations) while high- and urgent inquiries are flashed by morse keyin the Yard itself. One is that the Westminster pressure pneumatic tubes send radio and out from the West Wickham broadcaster.Chief -Constable Canning, who met plentyUnderground station is almost directly beneath cable messages throughout Scotland Yardthe foundations, and interference from the electric for the Information Room "nerve centre."of G-men when he was on duty guarding thetrains is impossible to avoid. The other is thatAt the other end of the room is a bench with King in Canada and America, says thatL.C.C. restrictions make it impossible to get a two morse keys. One operator is always on duty : the Yard can now learn nothing about radiogood aerial.sometimes two, when there is a big murder -hunt from the U.S. police.receiver some years ago at Scotland House (next7

RADIO PICTORIALJuly14,1939Stars and SummerSO THIS ISCRICKET!ICKET is the joy of my life ! "I must admit, I found this a ratheramazing statement, coming, as itdid, from a brilliant musician. ButSid Phillips, crack arranger of Ambrose'sband, qualified it with, " After music, ofcourse."Over a cup of tea he revealed more, and toldme how, as a young boy, he'd always had twoloves-music and cricket, and how he'd alwaystreated music as a profession and cricket as ahobby.Unfortunately Ambrose's band haven't theirown cricket team, so Sid is a sort of free-lancecricketer, turning out for any band that mayLancashire's comedienne, Betty Driver, puts in a spot of practicewicket -keeperIfbe garden, with her cousin asneed an extra player.Most frequently he plays for Harry Roy'steam, which, as far as dance bands go, is theby -word in cricket. Harry himself is an excellentplayer and encourages it in his boys, who are onthe field as much as possible during the summermonths. Sid, who plays for Wembley nearly everyweek in the summer, knocked up a century thefirst time he played for Harry Roy.Another time, he achieved a century in thefirst innings, and on turning out for the second,was regarded with some apprehension by theaopposing team.Imagine Sid's disgust, and the other team'sdelight, when not only did his bails fall at thefirst ball, but his middle stump was smashed intwo!Sid told me of a funny incident when a friendtook him to Lord's to see the Australians play.During the interval the friend took Sid into thepavilion, and Sid became once more the school-boy and gazed with reverent awe at these mogulsof the cricket field.Then someone let out to the Aussies thatthe shy person in the corner was Sid Phillips,of Ambrose's band. It was their turn toEvery year CarrollGibbons captains ateam against that of afriend of his, and ourphotographer caughthim in that excitingmoment when he wasputting on his padsjust before going in tobatstare IThere isone match due to be played thissummer, the result of which is awaited withgreat rivalry and anticipation. Every year CarrollGibbons takes a team down to Rudgwick to playa team organised by friends of his. It is a grandsocial occasion, and this will be the third year ofrivalry. Each team has won one of the previousmatches-hence the great excitement about theforthcoming battle.Beatrice Lillie getsready to knock one forsix in a match betweenactresses and authors

RADIO PICTORIALJuly 14, 1939Sportdescribed byMARTA KENNEDYCricket is a serious business forsome radio stars but many ofthem take it light-heartedly, asyou can see from these pictures!Carroll, who holds his cricket bat rather asthough he were playing baseball, takes the verynecessary precaution of wearing baseball glovesto protect his hands.He was coached by that grand cricketer, Andy.Ducat, who also plays for Carroll's team in thesematches. Andy can usually manage to knock- upa century or so, st let's hope he's in good formthis year.Another outsider who is enlisted to swell theranks of Carroll's team is Gordon Little, who hasbeen a'cricket enthusiast since schooldays. Gordonhas played for the Gentlemen of Essex, and usedto play for his regiment.George Melachrino performed a great feat inlast year's match by taking four wickets forthirteen runs !There'll be plenty of excitement round Rudgwick this year for the third reckoning, but withAndy Ducat to hit boundaries, Carroll-who is avery fast runner-and Gordon Little to pick upruns, and George Melachrino to "bowl 'em out,"I should think Carroll stands an excellent chanceof coming out on top-as usual !Billy Cotton's band are very keen cricketers,and captained by Billy himself, have rompedhome to victory in many matches arranged withlocal teams when on tour.Billy is very justly proud of his boys' team.Eddie Pullen, his guitarist, is a brilliant batsmanand bowler, and has had a trial for Nottingham.Their enthusiasm for cricket nearly meant ashow minus a trumpeter once. They were playinga local team, and half an hour before the showwas due to start, Ernie Fern, Billy's trumpeter,received a whacking ball in the chest.It was a very nasty accident, but with typicalpluck Ernie went on for the evening's show.Two other bands with enthusiastic teams areJack Payne's and Henry Hall's.Jack Payne's band is captained by CharlieAsplin, and Jack himself frequently plays inHarry Roy is an ex-matches.Of course, the biggest disadvantage about beingword in cricket, so fara bandsman and a cricketer is that you can veryseldom show the rival bandsmen how muchcellent cricket playerand his team is the by-u dancebandsgobetter your team is, because if one band isn'ton tour, the other is, and they just can't manageto meet !business whena grim" Duggie " Wakefield plays SandyCricket's'owed and the girls in one of theBlackpool shows!

JulyRADIO PICTORIAL14,1939JOHN LISTENER'S RADIO DIARY--1YDNEY LIPTON, whose fine band issuch an attraction at the GrosvenorHouse Hotel, gave a grand performance again on July 1.Hearing Celia, Sydney's sixteen -year -old daugh-ter, for the first time, I was tremendously impressed. She certainly deserves her place asA weekly commentary onavariety of broadcastprogrammes, written bya Regular Listenerlittle programme and was appropriately titled"Grave an Gay."My personal preferences leant towards the gayitems.The medley introducing many popular numbersillustrated the clever balancing whereby neitherartiste outplayed the other.In a special arrangement of "The UmbrellaMan," by Arthur Sandford, played by him as aresonance.In " Sequels" Reginald Trowman introduced piano solo, the pitter-patter of the rain wasThe brass section is on the strong side through- records of what might be called Successors to rather more conspicuous than the general melodyout in this band. The trumpets nearly gave me Successes. These were some of the former-the of the tune, and again, in his special arrangementvocalist in her father's band, on her own merits.Her singing has a most attractive, clear, bell -likeearache in "Ain't You Comin' Out ? "Celia's singing of "Angels Never Leave Heaven"was outstanding. This seems to be a difficultsong, judging by some croonettes' rendering of it.I thought the lively effort made by Celia, IvorDavis, and pianist Billy Munn to put over " ThreeLittle Fishes" was worthy of better things.The band put great gusto into their playing ofsuccesses which they followed will be obvious." I'm Looking for the Sheik of Araby."" Alexander's Got a Swing Band Now."" Oh, Capri, What Have You Done to Me ? "(Incidentally, this is rather good jazz, despitefrivolous words and scat singing.)In the other programme we were told by StanPatchett how three well-known tunes came to bea new arrangement of an old song, '' Farewell written.Blues." So much so that it even evoked a few" Star Dust," by an undergrad. visiting hishandclaps from the not -often -heard dancers.college in vacation time." John Henry," the story of the introduction ofFADE OUTto U.S.A., and "Sad Night in Harlem,"POOR H. B. Elliston ! He only gets five machineryby the coloured Duke Ellington on theminutes, allotted to him for his weekly talk, writtenMax Schmelling beat Louis." Business Outlook from America," and then they night whendevices used to make these records interestgo and cut him off in the middle of a sentence to ingThesucceededadmirably. If we must havetake us over to Lords.Mr. Elliston, with his attractive American records, this is the way to serve them.accent, makes exceedingly interesting what mightARE CROONERS DUMB ?at first sight seem a dull subject. But lately thebusiness outlook in U.S.A. has been so over-of the old favourite, " Cheek -So -Cheek," I lostthe thread of the tune once or twice, but I enjoyedit all, none the less.THE AFTERNOON REVUEHELEN CLARE sang as charmingly as usualin a recent Tea -Time Show-a neat littlehalf-hour broadcast every Tuesday.The other artistes included Caratino who playeda clever medley of up-to-date tunes on his accordion, Lymberg and Buck in an amusing nauticalsketch, and Fred Lake with jokes who asks fortrouble by calling himself the Chestnut Vendor-but I'll refrain from the obvious.All these artistes worked hard and were good inpatches, but it was Helen Clare who ran awaywith the show. Her enchanting singing of "Tonight's the Night" and " Wisbing Will Make ItSo," made the half-hour very much worth while.I notice I haven't mentioned Alan Paul and IvorDennis, the pianists who accompany this show.THIS question seems to have prompted the They played up to their usual standard-in otherNational Crooning Bee, or so the announcershadowed by events in Europe that the talk oftencontains an outside view from far enough away said.Eight crooners in one programme "singingto see things in their right perspective.He was about to tell us how the political situa- separately and then all together." Oh, boy !tion over here was depressing business when he And a brains test thrown in.I found this quite a tasty dish, bu

RADIO PICTORIAL July 14, 1939 "GAMES" A NEW department will open up at Broadcast-ing House soon : it will be the Paper and Pencil Games Department. Following the success of the Sunday parlour -game experiment, the B.B.C. has decided to devote some time every day