A Broadcast Programme of Thirty Years Ago
Written by Leslie W. A. Baily
Cast: Henry Bower, Franklyn Bellamy, Harold Scott, Harald Colonna, Cecil Parker, William Fazan, Fred Lewis, Ray Wallace, Dorothy Tetley, Fanny Wright, George Wood, Dora Gregory, Barbara Couper, Stuart Robertson, James Topping, Gladys Palmer,
The Revue Chorus
Music under the direction of Leslie Woodgate
Thirty years ago... August 8, 1902! The death of Queen Victoria had marked the close of an epoch and the postponed coronation of King Edward and Queen Alexandra that was to take place on the morrow seemed to promise the real beginning of the Twentieth Century. The war in South Africa had closed, but the country was still tingling with military and loyal fervour. Mr. Balfour had just succeeded his uncle, Lord Salisbury, as Prime Minister. Cecil Rhodes died this year. Mr. Joseph Chamberlain was blazing the trail that has led to Ottawa. 'As It Might Have Been', the broadcast programme for the evening, makes use of some of the favourite entertainers of the time, all of whom might well have broadcast on that day, and of some fictitious but typical artists. The news included is the actual news of the day, and many of the other items are based on fact. 'God Save the King,' the main feature of the programme, attempts to recapture the dominant spirit of the day, exultant patriotism and a deep, hopeful loyalty to the new rulers.
Time Signal, Greenwich, at 9.0