Anne and Webster settled in South Africa in mid-July 1956. I compiled the following list from newspapers, magazines and personal diaries. Contact me if you can add more information.
MOBILGAS MELODY WORLD 16 February 1956/57?
Springbok Radio
Anne and Webster in a programme compèred by Michael Drinn.
LIGHT UP AND LAUGH - ITMA, December1956
Thirteen-week series on Springbok Radio, recorded at the Brooke Theatre. Webster (rather incongruously!) took Tommy Handley part in South African presentation of ITMA scripts.
ELDORADO, (Ralph Trewhela) 1957
Anne and Webster in leading roles, directed by Frank Douglass, SABC Theatre Orchestra, conducted by Jeremy Schulman. Work commissioned by SABC for 21st anniversary programme.
AT HOME WITH ANNE, commenced on 21 January 1958
Anne presented this series on Springbok Radio. The programme was still running in July 1959.
DO YOU REMEMBER? 1959 to 24April 1960
Anne and Webster presented weekly music programme about their careers and the people with whom they worked on Springbok Radio on Sunday afternoons.
Anne in Broadcast at SABC, 1963 CONCERT HOUR 1960
English programme. SABC Concert Orchestra, Rita Roberts, Webster, Asaf and Philharmonic Choirs, conducted by Anton Hartman.
DOUGLAS LAWS Record show, 4 October 1960
Anne and Webster appeared as guest artistes.
MESSIAH 8 December 1960
Webster sang tenor solos in Port Elizabeth's Oratorio Festival, conducted by Robert Selley.
TEST YOURSELF 1960
Anne and Webster presented this quiz show together on Springbok Radio.
OPERA, ORATORIO AND OPERETTA (ON WINGS OF SONG) Wednesdays at
8.30 pm, later Thursday, 9.20 pm, 1961
Webster presented a weekly programme of recordings (including some of their own) on the English Service.
DREAM OF GERONTIUS, MESSIAH, 27 November 1961
Port Elizabeth Oratorio Festival broadcast Monday and Wednesday at 8pm
Webster with Emelie Hooke, Joyce Scotcher, Harold Hart, Port Elizabeth Orchestra, directed by Robert Selley.
GILBERT AND SULLIVAN 1962, 1963
When the copyright on Gilbert's words ended, Webster presented a weekly programme on the G&S operettas on the English Service. During his illness, Paddy O'Byrne read the scripts of this programme.
DRAWING ROOM, April 1962
Webster presented a short series of drawing room concerts before a studio audience on the English Service. He and Anne sang in this series and a number of guest artistes took part. He also sang duets with the bass, Graham Burns. The guest artistes were Doris Brasch, Rita Roberts, Gert Potgieter, Gé Korsten, Graham Burns, Jean Gluckman, Kathleen Allister and Walter Mony The accompanist was Anna Bender.
MUSIC FOR ROMANCE, August1962
Anne presented a programme of recordings and reminisced about her life and career in England.
PORT ELIZABETH ORATORIO FESTIVAL, November 1962
Elijah and Messiah
Webster, Monica Hunter, Joyce Scotcher, and Graham Burns, conducted by Robert Selley.
The complete oratorios were broadcast locally in the Eastern Cape. Excerpts were broadcast nationally later, but strangely none of Webster's recordings were used in the national broadcast.
RECITAL WITH ORCHESTRA 8 April1963
Anne and Webster sang a programme of duets, with orchestra conducted by Edgar Cree, on English service.
BALLADS OLD AND NEW, October 1963
Webster presented this short series on the English Service towards the end of 1963.
SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE PALACE, November 1963
A short series, which attempted to recreate the atmosphere of the Music Hall on the English Service. Anne and Webster were guest artistes on this programme.
GREAT VOICES, 1963-1964
Webster presented this series on the English Service. He was criticised by the critic Jon Sylvester of The Star for including some of his own recordings, yet most people expected to hear Webster Booth the singer as well as Webster Booth, lately-turned broadcaster.
SUNDAY AT HOME 1963
Paddy O'Byrne conducted a fifteen minute interview with Anne and Webster at their home in Craighall Park.
OPERA AND OPERETTA, July 1964, Monday, 7.35 pm
Webster returned to the English Service with this series.
IF THE SHOE FITS, Christmas 1964
Webster and Anne starred in this Christmas pantomime.
CHILDREN'S PROGRAMME 1965 (Programme name?)
Anne and Webster presented a series of childrens programmes, directed by Kathleen Davydd.
TEN OCLOCK AND ALL'S WELL, September 1966
Webster was guest presenter for a week in this short series on the English Service.
ORCHESTRAL CONCERT (FOR JOHANNESBURG EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY)
2 October 1966
CITY HALL, JOHANNESBURG
Anne and Webster were soloists, with the SABC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Edgar Cree.
O lovely night (Anne and Webster)
Drink to me only with thine eyes (Anne)
Lehar medley (Anne and Webster)
The Holy City (Webster)
Loves old sweet song (Anne and Webster)
Well gather lilacs (Anne and Webster)
Selection from Bitter Sweet (Anne and Webster)
MELODY MARKET, May 1967
Webster presented this programme in the early morning A sort of housewife's choice, was how he described it. It was the last programme for the SABC before leaving Johannesburg for Knysna a month or so later.
SOUTH AFRICA A TOUCH OF THE BRITISH, 29 May 1973
BBC TV
Documentary. Anne and Webster appeared in this documentary. Anne said that she had had enough of South Africa and wanted to go home to die. The programme ended with Anne and Webster singing We'll gather lilacs.
PETER BROOMFIELD OPEN HOUSE, 20 March 1975
Anne and Webster were guests of Peter Broomfield on his morning programme, broadcast from Cape Town, on the English Service. Anne's friend, Babs Wilson-Hill (Marie Thompson) who was on a visit from the UK and Anne and Webster's singing dog, Silva were also present in the studio. Silva 'sang' along to a Harry Lauder record.
A MUSICIAN REMEMBERS, 19 and 26 October 1975
English Service.
Webster reminisced about his career in the theatre.
A MUSICIAN REMEMBERS, 2 and 9 November 1975.
English Service.
Anne reminisced about her career in the theatre.
WOMENS WORLD, 1975
Pamela Deal, who had conducted the first interview with Anne and Webster when they stopped off briefly on their way to Australia in 1948, interviewed them again when they decided to stop singing in public. This decision was rescinded when they moved back to the UK in early 1978 and found that people remembered them and wanted to see and hear them once again.
CLASSIC GOLD1485 (formerly RADIO TODAY)
When Anne and Webster left South Africa their voices were rarely heard on South African radio. Ronald Charles, the broadcaster and musician who had been the musical director at Michaelhouse in the sixties, played several of Webster's oratorio recordings from his personal collection on his classical request programme. As far as I know most of the 78s in the SABC record library were discarded, but as time passed, a number of their recordings were released on CD. Occasionally a recording is played on Uit Vergange se Dae on Radio Pretoria.
Paddy O'Byrne was always happy to play a recording when he was with the SABC and later at Radio Today, although his access to their recordings was extremely limited. Clare Marshall, on her Sunday morning programme, Morning Star on Classic Gold 1485, is about the only broadcaster in South Africa to feature their recordings regularly.
JEANNIE C copyright 2005
