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Show f" When We See by Radio 1 . r. vLD P. T. Barnum must have turned over In his jrave the other night when a dress rehearsal of one of the biff circuses was ; broadcast by radio. Not that the show wasn't any food. The circus itself was as jood as ever they average abput the same, year after year. But the broadcasting was disappointing, for the very simple reason that the circus is an "eye show." It appeals by glitter and swift movement and rapid changes. We never realized how little there is in a circus, appealing appeal-ing to the ear, until we picked it up by radio. Hearing a circus that you can't see Is tike eating eat-ing a meal without a sense of smell. Women's voices do not broadcast as clearly and appealingly as men's. Probably this is because a considerable part of the charm of a woman's voice Is in seeing the singer. Her looks and her voice may be charming Individually and separately, but we are accustomed to a blended harmony of the two. When the singer is invisible and her voice suffering by mechanical reproduction, something is lacking. Maybe this is also true of male voices. But the audience is not accustomed to enjoy the personal beauty of male lingers as a necessary Siamese twin of their 'vocal work. . So imagination is not ftrained vhen listening to male voices by radio. The appeal of singing, acting and other theatricals is two ways by eye and by ear. When there is an intellectual as well as an emotional appeal, there's apt to be a ant audience, the appeal to the eye is se'veral times more vital than the appeal to the ear. This has been demonstrated by the success of the silent form of entertainment, movies, though even In this field the effect is enriched en-riched by skilful orchestral aid. But radio, now appealing strictly to the ear, faces a more difficult problem. Radio will not be ill round satisfactory until the radio bug is able to see as well as .hear the entertainers. The Inventors are hot on the trail now. It probably will not be many years. until the radio bug may have an attachment by which he will see what 'he is hearing. Radio has eliminated space as far as hearing is concerned, con-cerned, and the chances are that it will also eliminate distance in the matter' of eyesight. A fascinating prospect, even for the doubters. |