NEXT WEEK’S RADIO

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25300, 27 September 1947, Page 7

NEXT WEEK’S RADIO

SERIES FOR FILM FANS

The first talk in 2YA’s Winter Course Series on Films was given last jflonday evening by W. J. Scott, whose subject was “The Film as a Social Force.” It is intended to have three talks in this series with a possible fourth Monday for discussion. The other speakers scheduled are A. Flett (“The Film as Entertainment”) next Monday, and Margaret Thomson (“The Film as Education”) the following Monday. Miss Thomson, a former graduate of Canterbury College, has worked on documentary educational films in England and is now with the National Film Unit in '.Veilington. Mr Scott appeared to me to change his ground somewhat. He seemed to begin by defending the film as an insignificant influence in important things (though significant in unimportant things) and finished by listing what he called negative good and positive good influences—but they both seemed to me pretty negative. He was most vulnerable, I thought, when he claimed that the cinema would influence young people (young women more than young men, he suggested) in superficial manners—hair styles, dress styles, speech, movements, and various social behaviours—but not in essential social codes; not when the film benaviour ran counter to “accepted moral codes.” To-day fades, tohrorrow looms; “accepted moral codes” ate not what they were and are not what they will be. The second and third talks in this series should be worth following; and the fourth Monday, October 13. should be worth reserving for the discussion that will probably round off the series. STAMP COLLECTORS AND OTHERS

, The happy few who began collecting health stamps in 1929 instead of 1939 will probably be sitting in the counting house counting out their money next Tuesday evening; or at least they will be busy addressing their first day covers for posting on Wednesday with the new health stamps. To tell listeners what the health stamp campaign is about Miss Mabel Howard, Minister of Health, will speak from the mam national stations in the evening after the news. . She probably hasn’t any better idea than I have why a small piece of printed paper costing three-halfpence should double, treble, or quadruple its value—or even turn its half pence into guineas—in a few years’ time. This is one of the mysteries of trade or barter, on which not only small boys thrive. And small boys and small girls who need to thrive are enabled to do so for a few weeks in the summer because of the operation of this mystery, and also because of the human kindness of those who buy health stamps purely to give the needy children a holiday. RECOMMENDED It’s a bold woman, I thought, who will set out on a course of talks called “The Way to Good Speech”; and I now find that it isn’t a bold one but a gifted one. She is Frances Fancourt, and her talks are heard from 3YA on Tuesday afternoons. The first in the series of six was excellently arranged and most pleasantly spoken. YOUR MONEY’S WORTH

Isaac Stern is the last of a line. Until next year the N.Z.B.S. will not bring any more oversea artists to broadcast in New Zealand. When I heard this I made a rough calculation and discovered that in the last 15 months I have had the chance to hear 75 concerts arranged by the N.Z.B.S. I should admit that I heard some imperfectly, but that is a technical story. Let it stand that I could have heard, if I had had a powerful enough set. 75 concerts arranged by the N.Z.B.S. The artists imported specially to perform at these concerts were, in order, Lili Kraus, Solomon, Joan Hammond, and Isaac Stern; and of the 75 concerts 29 were given by the National Orchestra, twice conducted by Eugene Goossens and seven times by Warwick Braithwaite. In the period I have paid the sum of 50s for radio licences—the second licence will carry me half way through next year, when I may hope to get some more concert value for it —which works out roughly at 8d a concert; call it lOd a concert to cover electric power charges, wear on armchair, firewood costs, etc. I can’t help thinking that this is pretty good value, even if I had heard nothing else during the two seasons. But as it is I have heard dozens of studio broadcasts by artists who came to New Zealand under their own management and made local arrangements with the N.Z.8.5.; and I have heard many broadcasts of parts of concerts given by these numerous visitors, including the Boyd Neel Orchestra. Since the end of its official season the National Orchestra has been rehearsing in its local sections. These will be heard for the next two months from the main stations. Next week the Dunedin string group will be heard in studio recitals from 4YA oh Monday evening and, with tl)e 4YA Concert Orchestra, on Thursday evening. The Christchurch string group will play from 3YA on Friday evening. and from 3YL on Saturday evening. And the centra] orchestra has played this week from 2YA. The N.B.S. suffers a variety of hard kicks. This happens to be one soft pat of appreciation. Without offering more arithmetical evidence, I claim to have had good value for my licence fees. BENEATH THE SKIN

The first talk in the series of six by Margaret, modiste, of Wellington, proved that Margaret is interested in a good deal more than the clothes women put upon themselves. She is interested in the shapes that those clothes are intended to fit. So her watchword-, in the first talk was, “Come out of the kitchen and spend some time thinking about what you are going to wear, when you are going to wear it, and how you are going to wear it.” This useful thinking, she indicates, will le=d women to recognise enemies in certain foods, friends in others. And that recognition is the first turn on the road to gentler curves and less acute angles, the admirable body to wear the carefully designed dress. It is safe to assume that Margaret has a pretty wide audience of afternoon listeners (Tuesdays, 2YA) and that her talks will be popular if the records later make the rounds of the stations. Next week’s talk for women and girls who have moved from the country to the city will doubtless attract the many who wish themselves also in that class.