12 APRIL 1940, Page 21

BURLESQUING HAW-HAW

SIR,—There is probably a much better way to meet Lord Haw- Haw than, as Miss Byrne suggests, by factual refutation, and that is by burlesque. Already, of course, Haw-Haw is a popular impersonation for the variety entertainer, and I have latterly seen a quite brilliant satire on the screen. But the ideal medium is the radio itself, and I commend to the B.B.C. —who in pre-war days often burlesqued Radio Luxemburg and similar Continental stations—that perhaps they might con- sider a series of outrageous performances in which the extrava- gances of our Hamburg friend might be capped by more garish ones yet.

Best of all would it be if they could time their performance to follow Haw-Haw immediately, and on the same wave- length. Directly he had finished (he signs off, as we know, with an announcement of the time of his next broadcast) a plaintive voice would be heard saying that there were a few

things he had forgotten to tell us cads, and then the Western Brothers would go on for a few minutes of wild parody—finish- ing, perhaps, with a change to other voices which told us musically that they were ours very sincerely Flotsam and Jet- sam. With such artists in foolery and mimicry as Ralph Lynn, Charles Heslop, Ronald Frankau, Vic Oliver, Florence Desmond, Leonard Henry, Leslie Henson and " Hubert " of the Nosmo King duo, the "entertainment value" of which Miss Byrne speaks would be very high.—Yours very truly,

CHARLES W. STOKES.

33 Riddlesdoum Road, Purley.