WORKLESS MUSICIANS

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 September 1938, Page 5

WORKLESS MUSICIANS

A DEANNA DURBIN IDEA. | LONDON, July 28. London’s unemployed professional niuscians -have a champion in Afr Ronald V. Cawthorn©, of • road, St. Pancras, N.W. He saw the Deanna Durbin Hind “100 Men and a Girl”—the story of how a girl by a ruse brought fame to an orchestra of out-of-work musi cians. ■ ' The film gave Mr. Cawthorne an inspiration. j ’jt He searched for a large hall wherp he could “mobilise” the wprkless musicians and form a great symphony orchestra. Trustees of the Alexandra Palace immediately entertained his scheme. They offered the musicians thp great hall at the palace, which seats 8000 people. ?? The arrangement was that performers, numbering between 15( and 200, should share the proceeds of the symphony concerts equally: ‘ Mr. Cawthorne sent out the call to the musicians. They were jubilant. The scheme gave them a new outloolj: on life. The first concert was arrangi ed for September 4. • ’ Music and instruments were prepared for the. rehearsals. A romance of the musical world was Then that romance was wrecked. Mr. Cawthorne found that the self help venture broke a rule in the Musicians’ Union. Musicians: were not allowed by the union to perform, without a stipulated fee,' which would have to be guaranteed. Said Air. Cawthorne yesterday: “I cannot face all these unemployed men and tell them that their hopes are dashed, but I am helpless in this matter.” The film story started well—but it drifted into reality.