Pago-14
THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, MARCH
'Humph and Lord Curzon sat
his starting decision
By JOHNNY DANKWORTH
the entertainment world the rule is: If you have a
Ithe optronium, stick to it. Most artists play ev
on whatever they get most applause-or money-for.
The comedian sticks to his catch-phrase, the film star appears year in year out in one type of part. Generally speaking it's the safest and most sensible thing to So most of them do it.
Not so bandleader Hum- phrey Lyttelton. In the last year or so Ilumph has turn- ed a Nelson-like blind eye to the fact that he was firmly established as a New Orleans jazz man.
transparently As soon us he found that his interess were extending to other Gelds of jazz. he quit the ranks of the tred-rounding traditional bands.
He has been honest with himself.
Ile picked his new musicians according to their ability rather fun by the camp they followed. Gradually the saxophones-- previously tabou crept in, the Prangements acquired a certain
harmonies slickness, the certain thickness.
There was
H
risk involved, an inevitably, he lost some of is more diehard supporters. I Imagine that he has found more then enough New ones to re- place them, and I admire his courage in following his own musical conscience rather than the dictates of his public.
real.
The band is a very very swinging unit, in which
on his sword
Tom do.
to take it easy at Court
By John Wingate. 253.
THE "OFFICE."
Connell. 367 pages. [HE Ofeo is the Foreign a building of confused architectural splendour in which men of membership and refused to join, ability, the products of our MU. member of 14 years' stand-best schools, pursue equally
The confused purposes, belag dealt
Pursue, but never
For it achieve.
Is essence of foreign policy that it is a journey without u torminus.
I think she was right. As an
ing object strongly to run "musician" with lightly,
ould
Cleo Laine, as it happens, has musical talents which anhatica our membership.
But how many present-day pop singers could lay claim to' being n musicion in even the broadest sense of the word?
The overwhelming majorliy ere musical iterates who are a disgrace to our profession. Even to Invite them to join would be santamount to an in- sult to thousands of musicians who have spent years studying
their instruments.
union evi- The strike? The
thoughts on dently, had accond the matter. There was no sign of an
M.U. offlelal at the
concert.
And all that the musicians interested in was the
were music.
His career
WHEN is n Jawyer not
everybody is obviously enjoying WHE
himself. And none then a leader,
morc so
FOOTNOTE: A few yours nga Humph stounded the diehards by employing a saxophone player. Now he has titree and sometimes four, Which bodes well for the fulure for the
Saxophonists!
Her card
1
WHEN is a musician not
came up last week,
WHE intelan? The question
The B.B.C. was warned that If singer Cleo Laine did not get herself a Musicians' Union card a strike would be called at the "Jazz Saturday" concert at the Albert Hall.
Cleo replied that she did not consider herself eligible for
now
મ
George Malcolm Thomson
the BOOK PAGE
Sally is so sophisticated
but in a very
innocent way
THE DUD AVOCADO. By
Elaine Dundy.
15s. 272 pages.
Gollancz.
FICTION SHELF
| IMPRESSIONS OF LONDON, playing oft his illegitimate By *Sorgol Obraxtiov. daughter by a half-mad peasant- woman against his own servilo Sidgwick and Jackson.
unlovely family, out to got the 10. 6d. 135 pages. oki man's money. As a picture of greed and egoilam it is power- GENIAL Russian ful but shallow and weak on
A visits England, uning mutives. Atmosphere of sleazy Henderson said genially! "Not Teennial comedy figure, away a picture of Flemish Baling-port well caught.
me. And not this Government. The
THE innocent abroad is a
the
Prime. Minister's and Miss Dundy's novel British which is sometimes Presbyterian and I'm
about a young American amusing and always good- Wesleyan."
AND PART-
girl in post-war Paris plays natured. If the Party Line Gollantz
and enter-is warmer to us at present. NERB. By Naomi Jacob. Hutokio- The religious principles of a scandalous
Obraztsov is non, 15. Yet another novel In Ernest Bevin were different. taining variation on this Comrade
toeing it with zeal, bon- the saga of the Gollantz fandly, theme,
Antique denters. Meandoring was brought up by my "I mother as a Ranter, the very
Sally Jay's Innocence extends homie and every sign of tale of young Mr Charles, come of Methodism, to everything except sex, and sincerity. He was plagued by a painful strictest kind
Now, when I am tired, I usually turn to Confucius,"
back. So he put a blunt ferrule on the point of his court sword and had the hilt re-designed ad
on
form- pro-
that it divided into
sext. Thus during quite loured attendances royal
the the personages
resplendent Foreign Secretary could un obtrusively take his age.
It
And John Connell's book? seems to be infected a little by the confusion that dwells in s subject. From its title, it ought to be an account of the inside of the "Omce," the atmosphere, The men who spend their ives there; the way the place works; the manner in which British policy is spun out of the deileate fibres of illusion and fact, calcu- lation and prejudice,
Idiosyncrasias
In a graver mood, Connell describes how Sir Thomas Horder told Beaverbrook that Bonar Law, whom they had just cancer. dying of lett, WA
addressed himself Beaverbrook to a task calling for all his humanity and skill-to hide the truth from Bonar Law.
It was all the more difficult in that
Beaverbrook had been
pressing Bonar Law to go on in the premiership, and must now reverse his arguments without arousing the suspicion of his friend.
emerges from
Puzzled men
even there she is only techni-
cally unvirtuous-and those who
an
LAST CONTINENT. By Douglas Livarsidge. Jarrolds. 27. 248. pagos..
to join the Old Flem, and his wicked half-brother, Max, who is not above a little hurst doping. Romantic, very pure and full of old-world courtesies. In fact, the mixture as before.
do not allow such distinctions | THE had better not try this novel; they will only be shocked. Wide- eyed, chattering like a starling. The Confucian was the out- carelessly scattering hor betong-THE last continent is the best- standing Socialist politician of ings wherever she goes, the has his time but not the best of pitched herself into the left- Foreign Secretaries. He had a bank world, avid for experience. quick-moving mind-hence the We find her first at the finish Marshall Plan and a
with Italian vein of of an affair obtuse stubbornness hence his diplomat, whose main attraction mishandling of the Middle East.
was that he already had a wife and a mistress. What could be At the end of his book more sophisticated than that7 Connell turns from the suc-
From there she falls headlong of puzzled cession
men who into the arms of the handsome bove sat in the Foreign crooked Larry, who is just Secretary's chair and deals more starting up an American reper- specifically with the "Office." tory theatre. Sally joins it and THE ADOPTED CHILD. By bitious tale.
makes quite a hit. But not with LOTTY,
Two members of the "Office" onc a bright, particular star, betrayed It Burgess and Maclean. Full justice is done to the shocking ineldent-the scars of which remain,
After a grandee ke Curzon, Whatever may have been his the Foreign Office adjusted itself With the fight of the sorry original motive, Connell swiftly with
The spy remarkable case to a pair, on era ended: and agreeably settles for some- Socialist like Arthur Henderson, end the traiter had made each thing a good deal less dimcult He
Connell's man, in that closely-knit society. for himself and his readers: un
study 08
of the best n spy on his brothers and a Zalth in anecdotal account of Foreign recent Foreign Secretaries, a traitor to his own Secretaries during the last 30 man of character and conviction, them... The old days were
better, far beter.” years. They are a varied lot and Connell does justleo to their idiosyncrasies.
Curzon, an odd mixture of Lawyer? Thirty-four-year-
great nobleman and clown, is old planist Pat Smyth,
his must
pre- playing the jazz haunts in Lon-exhibited at
posterous. clan with Britain's top jazzmen, has long been known as a top class musician-among musí- cians.
But his law studies have up to now stopped him from be- coming a professional.
Now Pat has passed his final exams. And he has
thrown up career for the moment- give himself a six-month trial
as a jazzman in London,
he Ukes it, and satisfies himself that he can make the grade, he'll stay there.
If not, back to the office settle legal wrangles.
TO
I hope he decides to stay. There are thousands of lawyers in Britain, but very few juzz planists as good as Pat Smyth.
If
you hear him you'll probably be hoping the same.
1
NOV 24
FUCKS LEFT SNADALETON BASE
DEC 3
TOTAN ADING- MEAR DILASTER WHEN FUCKE'S SLEDGETM FALLE ISTO CREVASSE
ono
When it was suggested to him that he should congratulate the
Pope on the conclusion of the Lateran Treaty, which ended
long quarrel
between the
Church and State Italy,
in
JAN 3
DEC 26 LEFT SOUTH KÍ HILLARY REACHED ICE DEPOT-POLE AFTER THRIE 330 MILES MONTH TREK FROM BENIND THEM SCOTT DABE S
Connell explains the full tragedy of the affair to the "Office." Thus his readable book closes on a sombre note.
(London Express Service).
JAN 20 [FUCHS ARRIVES
AT. SOUTH FOLE-STALL
1200 MILES
JAN 29 CEOFFREY PRATT
TAKER ILL-OXYGEN FLOWN IN
TO BO
DEPOT 70000
SOUTH POLE QUEEN MALD
He
is one
By
MENAGERIE. defended, Antarctica, six THE
Catherine Cookson. Macdonald. of ky million square miles waste. Or is it waste? Liversidge 1x. 6d. The loves and tragedies describes the continent se it is of a mining family in post-war Durham. Larry Broadhurst seeks arid Bs it probably was. The
of escape from the mine but cun- mage he leaves variety, wealth and potentiality not find It; drops his sweetheart the incredibly 10- for a girl with her, eye on the bencalli
of the severest money and Ands his own way back to his true love on the last bidding visage region in the world
page. Authentic atmosphere, at- tractive warm sentiment, good ★
sense of values add up to a good
Mary Ellison. 16s. 175 pages.
Gollanex.
@
She consoles herself with an Intense but sweet little abstract
• NO
ONE WILL EVER in England dealing KNOW. lished painter until she gets bored with HERE is the first book pub-
- Mottram. Br E. H. the simple life. All that cooking with a social and human prob- Hutchinson. 150. Painstaking If only he could afford the lem which grows mora Im- bright lights sometimes.
portant every day-the children quest for Gregory Wantage,
artist of integrity, Commercial could, as it turns out, for he is who, because they are unwant His home town is the author's
His life is slowly very rich. But what's the pointed, are adopted. Mies Ellison, a Norwich, of the rich, however sweet, if state registered nurse, writes
by Interviews pieced together warmly, wisely and comprehen- with those who knew him. But they don't spend?
alvely of a subject she knows.
the final picture is still ebadowy. Old-fashioned, reflective writ- Ing, marred by fitating asides and invocations to the "gentle reader."
Larry reappears and carries her off to make up a quartet in a villa near Biarritz, and there she nds out just how crooked her handsome Larry is. Her disillusion is complete. She has had "abroad",
RICHARD LISTER -London Express Service).
MARCH 2 ARRIVED AT SCOTT BABE
FEB 10 JOINED BY HILLARY TO GUIDE FUCHS FROM DEPOT 700
DEPOT 480;
DEPOX
SCOTT
BASE
2150 MILES IN 99 DAYS
BASE
•
OF LIES.
• HOUSE
Br Francoise Mallet-Jorls. W. H. Allen. 16. Careful credible por trait of ugelng possessive brewer.
IVAN YATES -(London Express Service).
COMMONWEALTH TRANSANTARCTIC EXPEDITION
THE team has teak to Scott Base
HE team has reached the Plateau Depot, last stage but
Now comes the perilous 100-mile journey down Skeleton glacier to the Ross ice shelf,
They drop 8,000 ft. to sea level. The rest should be If not, there is the easy, if the weather holds good. prospect for expedition members of a winter in Antarctica. In places the party had been hindered for days by difficult weather conditions. At times their vehicles were slowed to walking pace,
Supplies were laid down at the Plateau Depot by Sir Edmund Hillary, who covered the route in the opposits direction on his trek to the South Pole.
Now Hillary guides Dr Fuchs back over the same route.
Out from Scott Base on Sunday night went two little planes to meet the Fuchs team. Aboard were 13 steaks (one for each expedition member), 26 fresh eggs, savon tins of powdered cream, freshly-baked bread, cold sliced ham and beef, and seven tins of fruit, and the camera that took these pictures.
An aerial view of the US icebreaker... Clacier, left, and the New Zealand ship Endeavour. If the Expedition does not make Scott Base before the big freeze sets In (which means the-ships would have to leave), they will be stranded at the base until next November.
Dr. Vivian Fuchs giving a Press Conference at the South Pole. On left is Major Palle Mogensen, scientific chief at the US South Pole Station,
Flags flying one of Dr. Fuchs's Snócats is seen on the traif"
A Scott Base tractor tugs
a Beaver aeroplane free from the ice to fly. Sir Edmund Hillary out to Depot 700 to Join Fuchs. The plane, akla were frozen fast to snow and Ice and its engine was not powerful enough to break it
·loose,