Recently while I was researching the historical
significance of Radio Luxembourg’s broadcasts in the 1950’s on Irish listeners.
The Irish public had their radio tuners firmly on Radio Eireann for a quarter
of a century but as Radio Luxembourg changed their focus to become a dedicated
pop and rock and roll station in the early 1950’s, the Irish youth had found a
new listen. As I researched, I found this unusual advert in the ‘personals’ of
the Irish Independent on September 8th 1955,
‘George, please come home on Saturday night and listen to Wally
Petersen in ‘By Candleglow’ on Radio Luxembourg at 10pm, Janet.’
It seemed very random, who were George and
Janet? In keeping with the era, was this a cold war secret message aimed at
spies in Ireland? Where was Wally? Lots of questions with very few answers.
The following day, Friday September 9th,
in the Derry Journal in the ‘Personal’ section the same advert appeared. Was it
inserted both North and South of the border to ensure that a spy saw it? Meanwhile
the following weekend in the Belfast Telegraph personals the following wording,
‘Babs, I heard Wally Petersen on Radio Luxembourg last Saturday at
10pm. He’s great! Don’t miss him next Saturday at 10, 208 metres, Alan.’
One week later, once again in the ‘Personal’
section of the Irish Independent was
‘Ronald, come around and listen to Wally Petersen’s wonderful
programme next Saturday from Radio Luxembourg at 10pm, signed Margaret’
If this was a spy ring, there were a lot of
random people involved. While we complain today about clickbait on social
media, and even ads as you swipe left or right on dating apps, these were ads
for a radio programme dressed up in personal ads, lending a certain humanity to
an invitation to listen. In the 1950s the personal ads section in the
newspapers were often used to seek out pen pals or even a bachelor seeking a
spinster for the prospect of marriage.
There was probably never any Ronald or Babs or
George but there was a Wally and he was easily found. Wally Petersen was an
American born actor, writer, singer and musician who in 1955 joined the staff
at Radio Luxembourg in the Grand Duchy. His show ‘By Candlelight’ aired at 10pm
directly as the Irish Requests Show that was hosted then by David Gell. Strangely
when the Irish show ended on Luxembourg, the personal ads ended. It appeared to
be an expensive way to advertise a show that was only fifteen minutes in
length.
In a career that began in the 1930s and
occupied seven decades, Wally Peterson filled an extraordinary number of roles
in the theatre and on radio — actor, singer, musician, writer and stage
manager. Born in Boston in 1917, his first broadcast was for a local radio
station at the age of 15 when he sang Blue Moon.
In the 1930s, he was a member of the famous Barter Theatre in Virginia, a
collective created in the depression that paid its company in food received
from the audience.
He continued broadcasting on radio until he
joined the Army in 1943, and produced a number of variety performances for the
USO, showing his versatility by also singing, playing piano, writing songs and
sketches and acting. By 1944, he was in Europe presenting shows and displaying
a talent for improvisation by draping curtain material over trees and setting
up pianos and music stands in clearings.
After the war, Peterson auditioned for a role
in the London company of Oklahoma,
which opened in 1947. He would five years in the show at the Drury Lane
Theatre. In 1948 Peterson met the Australian singer and actress, Joy Nichols,
who was the female star of the new hit radio programme, Take it From Here on Radio Luxembourg. They married in 1949 and
Peterson moved into radio, writing and performing shows for the BBC and Radio
Luxembourg, where at the time he was the only American presenter. His show on
Luxembourg was a massive hit but television beckoned where initially he worked
as a producer of the independent television company Associated Broadcasting but
following the success of his wife’s role in the West End’s ‘Pyjama Game’, the
Petersen family now with daughter Roberta moved to New York. While working at
the commercial Luxembourg, he was presenting a weekend show on the BBC’s Light
service ‘Down Memory Lane’ aired at the same time as his weekday Luxembourg
show.
There was some confusion in the entertainment
pages of newspapers and magazines in 1955 as there was another Wally Petersen.
According to the BBC obituary to Betty Driver, famous to many viewers as Betty
Turpin the landlady of the Rovers Return on Coronation Street,
‘In 1953 Driver married Wally Petersen, a South African
singer who had guested on one of her shows, but the union was not a success,
Peterson was a serial womaniser and made free with Driver's money. The couple
parted in 1960’.
