SHORT WAVE CHANSON

From the early 1930s there were many claims made by radio stations about the clarity of international short wave broadcasts. A show from AWA’s Sydney station VK2ME to NBC’s WGY Schenectedy NY was hailed as coming through crystal clear. Special programs broadcasting shortwave on AM continued through the 1930s. We hear parts of one such broadcast on this week’s Phantom Dancer with Greg Poppleton.

PHANTOM DANCER

The Phantom Dancer is your non-stop swing and jazz mix of live 1920s-60s radio and TV every week. I’ve been bringing you The Phantom Dancer on Radio 2SER, and now online, since 1985.

Hear this week’s Phantom Dancer (after 18 Dec) and past Phantom Dancers at 2ser.com.
Hear the show live every Tuesday 12:04-2pm on 107.3 2SER Sydney

PARIS BY NIGHT

On 21 March 1939, NBC Blue New York City and Radio-diffusion PTT Paris transmitted a short wave variety show from Paris to New York called ‘Paris By Night’.

The short wave signal became too staticky part way through the broadcast, so in New York City, the orchestra of Norman Clouthier stepped in with a medley of Cole Porter tunes as the techs at RCA Communications worked on getting a clearer signal. They did. And so the broadcast ended with two songs by French ‘Music Hall’ singer Marcelle Bordas.

BORDAS

Marcelle Bordas, simply known as Bordas in French theatrical tradition, was a theatre milliner whose voice was discovered by French pop singer, Mistinguett.

She made her debut in 1933 at the Casino de Cabourg, went to the Folies Bergère with Jean Sablon, and records her first discs for DISCUM in November 1934.

The period 1935-1945 was her heyday making records, playing nightclubs and cabaret, broadcasting over Paris radio PTT and appearing in the 1937 film Radio Maurice Cloche alongside Damia, Marie Dubas and Fréhel.

During the phoney war she made many tours to French troops on the Maginot Line. She also took part in the great Franco-British gala of 16/04/1940 at the Paris Opera with Grace Field and Jack Hylton.

In 1941 she took over the cabaret, The Marquee, from her friend O’Dett, and lived above that cabaret for 20 years.

She continued singing in Parisan cabaret during the war, but after 1945 her star waned. Her repertoire in the 50s and 60s focused on party songs releasing albums of these songs on the Barclay label. She appeared on TV, toured with Gilbert Bécaud in 1956 and played the Olympia with Charles Aznavour and Dalida

VIDEO

This week’s Phantom Dancer video of the week is a 1935 commercial recording of Bordas singing the Rodgers-Hart song, Blue Moon.

22 JANUARY PLAY LIST