Evening star., 1936-03-08

wasn't more anxious to get pub
ltcity from the court case than to
win the dubious right to sign such
q name to his nice weekly pay check.
THERE'S drama in the air. For the
turning of dial the listener-and
millions Of his fellow listeners-may
enter the land Of make-believe or hear
the re-enactment of gripping events.
1t is comparatively new form of
drama that the listener now may enjoy
daily, even hourly, in the privacy OF
his home. And 1t is type Of enter
tainment that has drawn so heavily
on the skill and pocketbooks of those
who supply entertainment via the air
waves that the radio drama now COM
mands the respect-and literary ef-
forts-of the worlds finest writer's.
Extremely rapid has been the growth
of the radio drama. Somewhat crude
and timid at first, this form of en-
tertainment and instruction has pro-
gressed rapidly despite the lack of
visual settings, contagious crowd re-
actions, and actual view of the actors.
So well have those responsible for
the radio drama learned their lessons
that recently published book, THE
Psychology of Radio" based on an
exhaustive series of studies at Har-
ward University, stated that this form
of air entertainment lis universally
rHAR c of raliAfc
ising children, and has been acclaimed
as the new art that will guarantee the
survival of broadcasting. The book
points out that the radio drama is in
fact one of the most fourishing forms
of entertainment on the air ranking
sixth in popularity among ~ types of
programs.
THE stage-trained actor, the back
bone Of the radio drama, has
had to learn lot of new tricks to sue
ceed at broadcasting. The gestures
on which he relies so strongly on the
stage are of no value before the
microphone, being hindrance, as a
matter of fact. Although these ges-
lures will not be transmitted over the
air, nontheless many radio actors ges-
ticulate in various restrained ways
in their effort to put all possible con-
viction into the vocal rendition.
While the props" of the stage are
lacking the radio stage has developed
its own technique, based on sound
effects which add uncanny realism
to the air drama. The novel deceits
that the sound effects engineer en-
ploys-such as the dropping of bird
seed on snare drum to simulate a
rainstorr-have been publcized fire.
quently for the information of the
public.
This barring of behind the scenes
methods of the broadcaster may be
instructive and interesting, but it has
recently aroused the anxiety of a
prominent British radio dramatist,
Val Gielgud, who is drama director
for the British Broadcasting Corp.
Writing in the Radio Times of Lon
don, Mr.. Gielgud expresses his belief
that the radio drama has suffered
from such exposure of its technique.
For the publicizing of technical ma
chinery there never was any rational
excuse" he writes, "and it is my own
belief that, just as the theater itself
has destroyed its qualities of illusion.
alcng with its glamour, by throwing
a searchlight on to the private lives
of performers and revealing the
secrets behind the curtain, so over
emphasis upon the secrets of the
effects studio and the wonders of the
dramatic control panel have done in
finite harm to the radio play. The
would-be author has been alarmed,
the producer has been encouraged in
the overexploitation of technical in
genuity at the expense Of simple
competence"