... Hard Life IN Bed of Nails (Wingate, 15s.), 1 street entertainer Mike Blondini tells his story of strong-man feats, via the versatile pen of journalist Gordon Thomas Born into the business, Mike has lived in fair grounds most of his life, performing anywhere his manager could gather a pitch (crowd). In his search for fame, Mike has performed any sort of daring tricks. He has put a rope round ...

... FROM KITCHEN TO FOOTLIGHTS p* VERY OTHER SUNDAY, by Jean Rennie (Arthur Barker, 12s. 6d.), is the auto biography of a Scots girl with ambition, a good education, a voice and character, who warned to be a singer on the stage but was obliged by circumstances to spend years as a domestic. She confesses to being a sensitive, highly-strung girl, who was never allowed time to give way to shyness or ...

... SAVOYARD MEMORIES WINIFRED LAWSON, once Ieading soprano with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, has written a cheerful autobiography in A Song to Sing-O! (Michael Joseph, 21s.). Indeed, it abounds in merry anecdotes--many against herself--and all the while is redolent of a happy and good-natured personality. The book begins in 1922, on the first night of a revival of Princess Ida at the ...

... Year. She will continue to appear in The Remarkable Mr. Penny- packer at the New after the wed ding. I Maive Hewson is to produce 1 Wild Violets for the Biadford Players at the Alhambra, Bradford, in April. She recently undertook the production of Brigadoon for the Keighlcy Amateur Operatic Society. ...

... BRITISH EQUITY The following notes were received from the offices of British Equity this week:-- Televising of Current Productions There is at present no agreement permitting commercial television to film or transmit current productions before invited audiences, as exists with the BBC. The Equity Council has agreed in principle to make such agreement, but in the mean time a commercial ...

... DISENCHANTMENT COME ENCHANTED EVEN- INGS, the title of Deems Taylor's book on Rodgers and Hammerstein (Macdonald, 21s.), is misleading. It conjures up ideas of a colourful, personal story of these pundits of the musical play, whereas the book itself provides only a solid night's reading of production data and Press comments The first two sections deal with the separate careers of Rodgers and ...

... THE AITHOR OF 'BUNTY' CRAHAM MOFFAT, who is well remembered as the author of that succcssful play Bunty Pulls the Strings, had not quite finished his reminiscences when he died in 1951, so his daughter, Winifred, has written a final chapter and published the whole under the title Join Me in Remembering. It can be had from her at Cote d'Azur, 53. Camps Bay-drive. Camps Bay, Cape Town, ...

... ONE of the most sensational magic acts ever presented on the music hall stage took place at the Wood Green Empire on the evening of March 23, 1918. The great Chinese illusionist, Chung Ling Soo was doing his final trick after a superb performance of nearly two hours. In this trick, marked bullets were placed into two muzzle-loading guns, the guns fired at the magician, whereupon lie ...

... Zlown of thf. Gods. By Agatha Young. (Robert Hale. 12s. 6d.) Life b.h nd the scenes of a lead- ng ballet dancer's career forms the lubject of this dramatic and colour ful novel by one who studied ihe irt under a former member of the Diaghilev company. The authore s. who lives in the United States, has vritten much about the stage, and i convincing note of authent city is o be found in this ...

... Book Review FOR more than 60 years George Robey reigned supreme as a popular comedian. For generation upon generation his clerical dress and cane, his thick arched eyebrows and fruity voice were one of the delights of the halls. Equally celebrated were his character studies of a bride, a German music master, a district nurse, among others. He was the greatest dame after Dan Leno, and in his ...

... Shunting Thro' Life Book Review JACK TRAIN, lovable personality, always ready with a smile and a story, has had his autobiography. Up and Down the Line, published by Odhams Press at 15s. In the space of 258 pages. Jack has penned a straightforward life story, spiced with many amusing anecdotes, and in his modest way he minimises his triumphs and records his failures with a refreshing ...

... BOOK REVIEW Joan Miller on Acting JOAN MILLER'S lucid and precise description of the qualities of acting demanded by the exacting medium of television is one of the best chapters of a book by experts called Television in the Making (Focal Press. 25s.). Miss Miller compares the techniques of acting for stage, films and television and comes to these conclusions THAT the actor's succcss ...