Sir Compton Mackenzie recalls songs, shows, dances and personalities of Edwardian days
His guest: Muriel George
The Singers :
Gwen Catley
Billie Baker
Thomas Round
Dudley Rolph
Pianists :
Ivor Dennis and Alan Paul
BBC Chorus
(Chorus-Master, Leslie Woodgate )
BBC Concert Orchestra
(Leader, John Sharpe )
Conductor, Gilbert Vinter
Produced by Harold Neden
In tonight's Beaux and Belles, the but of the present series. Sir Compton Mackenzie recalls that famous company of pierrots The Follies, with whom he was so closely associated as a writer of lyrics and of their ' potted plays.' He has invited that charming Folly, Muriel George. who sang so many of H. G. Pelissier 's tuneful numbers, to talk over old times and listen to some of the old songs.
At the end of the Edwardian era,
Viennese musical comedy was firmly established, and tonight you hear songs from Oscar Straus ' A Waltz Dream and Leo Fall 's The Dollar Princess. But an English musical comedy had a longer run than either of these pieces — longer, indeed, than that of The Merry Widow, as Sir Compton wild remind us when he talks about The Arcadians. Harold Neden