David Jacobs

Speaker 10:01

BBC Sounds, Music, Radio Podcasts. Hello, I'm Lauren Laverne, and this is the Desert Island Discs podcast. For rights reasons, the music is shorter than on the original broadcast. The presenter is Roy Plomley. I hope you enjoy listening.

David Jacobs0:26

Uh

Presenter0:30

How do you do, ladies and gentlemen? Our Castaway this week is a very well-known broadcaster, both on sound and vision.

Presenter0:36

He's a compere, a chairman, and presenter of disc shows. It's David Jacobs.

Presenter0:41

David, could you endure loneliness over a long time? I don't really think I could, quickly thinking about it, because I like to talk to people. I'm known for chatting up people all the time, so I don't think I could. I'd have to learn to.

Presenter0:55

Anything apart from the loneliness that you'll be particularly frightened of?

Presenter0:59

i suppose i'm a bit of a hypochondriac at heart i'd be frightened a bit of getting terribly sick you know and not being able to look after myself and probably terrified of things that go bump in the night and might crawl over me wherever it is i'm going to sleep

Presenter1:11

In picking these eight records to take with you, did you have any plan in mind? You looking backwards?

Presenter1:17

Well, I'm sort of looking all around the time that I've been playing and listening to records and finding records that I want to live with.

Presenter1:24

Ones that will bring back lovely, happy memories. Basically, yes, what's the first one? The first one is my introduction to big band sounds. I've always loved big bands and probably Duke Ellington is my all-time favourite.

Presenter1:37

And this is probably my all-time favourite Duke Ellington number. It's called Satin Doll.

Presenter2:13

Duke Ellington's satin doll with Ray Nance on the trumpet.

Presenter2:18

Oh, what's your second choice, David? My second choice is a record by Judy Garland. I've been devoted to her for years. In fact, I think I grew up with her. I mean, I didn't really grow up with her, but I was watching her in the films when I was a boy, and she was the girl next door or singing about the boy next door, and I always hoped that she was singing to me. I love her songs, particularly that wonderful thing.

Speaker 12:37

Um

Presenter2:39

Patrolling some

David Jacobs2:42

The Tommy

David Jacobs2:44

Ding, ding with the bell Sing, sing, sing with my heartstrings. From the moment I saw him, I fell.

David Jacobs2:55

Chuck, chuck, chuck went the motor. Bump, bump, bump went the brake. Thump, thump, thump went my heartstrings. When he smiled, I could feel the car shake.

Presenter3:09

Jody Garland.

Presenter3:10

David, are you a Londoner? Yes, I am, born in Streatham. Any precedent in the family for music or the entertainment business? Only that a great-aunt of mine was a music hall star called Lena Verdi. I never met her, unfortunately. What was it your ambition to be as a boy?

Presenter3:27

Well, first off, I wanted to be a farmer.

Presenter3:31

That didn't work out and I wanted to be a professional ice skater. I did become a bit of a professional ice skater.

Presenter3:37

Then I really wanted to be a famous something or other. I wasn't quite sure what. I think an actor or something. What did you in fact do when you left school?

Speaker 13:43

Yeah.

Presenter3:45

Well, when I left school, I did a series of jobs. I worked

Presenter3:50

In an outfitter shop, as a groom in a riding stable. I worked on a farm.

Presenter3:54

And I worked for a tobacco company to learn the tobacco industry. Well, I gather so far you haven't found your feet.

Presenter4:02

Were you doing any amateur theatre work at the stage? Yes, I was. I appeared in several plays. One particular one was called Murder on the Second Floor, in which I played the lead, I might tell you. And unfortunately, I did the first act very well. Very well indeed. But the second act, I went completely to PCs and skipped most of it and went straight into the third. Pity, because there's some good stuff in the second act. Yes, that always was a good act. What was the next important thing to happen? Well, I think it was because I went into the Navy. And what did they do with you there? Well, I learned to become a sailor.

Presenter4:34

And whilst learning to become a sailor, I met a very charming young lady, sweet girl she was, who was what was called a Jeep, a junior program engineer at the BBC. And she was working on a program called Navy Mixture. And she said to me, because she knew I did impersonations.

Presenter4:50

I'm going to fix you up with an audition with a producer, Charles Maxwell, which he did.

Presenter4:55

And I got a broadcast. Charles Maxwell incidentally told me that he quite liked my impersonations, but he thought I introduced them very badly, and I'd have to do something about that. Well, I worked on it.

Presenter5:05

And after the broadcast, which I did,

Presenter5:07

Well there was a commander there from the Admiralty.

Presenter5:10

Commander Kim Peacock.

Presenter5:12

who said that he thought that my impersonations were flat from

Presenter5:15

But did I introduce them rather well?

Presenter5:17

And they were looking for a naval representative on the Forces Broadcasting Service. Would I like to be an announcer? Of course, I jumped at it.

Speaker 15:23

Yeah, that's all.

Presenter5:25

Two marvelous words. Where did that take you?

Presenter5:28

Well, I worked in London announcing programmes and working with a fellow called John Pertwee, who is my immediate superior officer. I've heard of him. Yes. Then I went out of salon onto Radio Siac. There were quite a number of people whose names we'd know who were working on Radio Siac. Oh, yes, indeed. Charles Chilton, who was the BBC producer who wrote...

Presenter5:48

That Journey of the Space series, and he taught me an awful lot. Tito Burns, Ross Parker, Desmond Carrington. Who is my roommate in fact, and uh MacDonald Hoeblin.

David Jacobs5:53

Yeah.

Presenter5:57

From whom I took over as chief announcer. Yes, Netforce's broadcasting was wonderful training. Marvelous, because you could practice on the listeners.

Presenter6:04

Which was splendid. A captive audience. Yes, they could switch off, but they couldn't really get anything else. Except Japanese stuff.

Speaker 16:06

Uh

David Jacobs6:06

Yeah. Uh

Presenter6:11

How long were you in Ceylon? About two years, writing, producing, acting, announcing.

Presenter6:17

Everything. Yes. And when you return to England?

Presenter6:20

I came straight back in the Navy and was seconded to the BBC as a newsreader on the General Overseas Service.

Presenter6:26

Well at this point I think we might break off your third record. What next?

Presenter6:29

Well, my third record will show me up as being a pop fan in all walks of music, as it were, because it's my only sortie into the classical world.

Presenter6:39

And it proves that I'm an incurable romantic. That's the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture by Tchaikovsky. And if you wouldn't mind playing, just that particular romantic piece that everybody seems to ask for.

Presenter7:49

An excerpt from Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet, Carrie Ann conducting the Viana Philharmonic Orchestra.

Presenter7:54

So you are in London as a BBC announcer on the Overseas Service. How long did that last? About nine months.

Presenter8:01

Why did you give up the dog? I didn't actually give this up. It gave me up. I uh

Presenter8:05

Was known for being a chap who was easily made to laugh. And I used to have some dreadful fellows around me who were other announcers who used to make me laugh in the middle of the news. So I was asked to leave. They thought it was best for both of us. I mean, the BBC and me. So what did you become? I became a freelance broadcaster. That most hazardous of occupations. Yes. Were producers queuing up for your services right away? No, they weren't. But I did do one or two quite long series. John R. Lott gave me a series, a book of verse. You also did quite a lot of acting. Oh, yes, I did. Yes, I was in Journey into Space. I was in feature after feature. Charles Chiltern was very kind to me.

Presenter8:41

Lots of programmes, in fact, did come along.

Presenter8:44

And I became very, very busy because I became available. I was known to be always available for radio news, real odd voices and things like that. What was the first important thing? I think really important when I got a proper credit, as opposed to being other parts played by, was when I got Housewife's Choice in about 1949. Yes, the first of countless disc programmes. When did you start on television?

Speaker 19:03

Mm.

Presenter9:05

Started about the same time with Pertwee, John Pertwee, in a thing called The Amazing Adventures of Commander High Price.

Presenter9:12

What was your first panel show, David? It was called Music, Music, Music, and it lasted one terrible half hour, and that was the end of it. It was dreadful.

Presenter9:22

You're one of the busiest freelancers in the business. How many shows are you doing at the moment, David? At the moment, I do six regular shows every week. Which are there? Well, I do four programs for a commercial company.

Speaker 19:36

Uh

Presenter9:37

I do my 12 o'clock spin on Thursdays for BBC, Sound Radio. I do jukebox Jerry on Saturdays.

Presenter9:44

And then I once a month do a couple of the pops on television and there's always another show somewhere in the week like a song contest or something.

Speaker 19:52

Yeah.

Presenter9:53

As well as the the fashion shows and the film commentaries and everything else that turns up.

Speaker 19:56

Yeah, everything else.

Presenter9:58

Right, let's have a record number four now.

Presenter10:00

I don't know what sort of desert island this is you're putting me on.

Presenter10:03

But those chaps, those beetles, have undoubtedly charmed at least two-thirds of the world. So I reckon if there are any...

Presenter10:10

Chaps on this island, I could just put on this record, which I absolutely love, and they might go berserk with pleasure and create me their king immediately. So I'd be king of wherever it is you're sending me to, because...

David Jacobs10:36

You'll think you've lost your love when I saw her yesterday

Speaker 110:41

Aye!

David Jacobs10:43

It's you she's thinking of And she told me what to say She said she loves you

Presenter10:53

The Beatles, as if you didn't know.

Presenter10:56

David, much of your work is devoted to pop records. This means you have to listen to them all. Yes, I do. How many are there a week?

Speaker 111:01

How many others?

Presenter11:02

Well, I I suppose there are about 40 records issued every week, but that means listening to 80 thides. Yes. To what age group are pop records directed now?

Presenter11:11

I'm never sure about what age the commercial market is direct to, but I do know that pop music today is acceptable to all ages. Everybody seems to like pop music now. It is a gigantic business, the production of pop records. Oh, yes, enormous.

Presenter11:26

A disk jockey, as he's called, is a very influential person in the park business.

Presenter11:31

Well you say so, lots of people do say so. I say no, for example.

Presenter11:37

I mean, I have one half hour a week on.

Speaker 111:37

Naya

Presenter11:39

PBC sound when I have a record program.

Presenter11:42

And that would mean that I'll play 11 records, say. And if I play a record once in that half hour, people aren't going to rush out and say, oh, David Jacobs just played that record. I must go and buy it because he said it's the best record possible. People never buy records that they don't actually like to listen to. Yes.

Presenter11:58

You're you're very busy and and very successful in and this rather ephemeral kind of

Presenter12:04

We're working with the funeral music. Do you find this satisfying, David? Have you any other ambitions outside this field? Oh, I've got lots of ambitions, but I'm very satisfied by it because I often feel a little like a...

Speaker 112:08

Oh bad.

Presenter12:16

Presenter of shows, producer of shows.

Presenter12:18

Each program that I present.

Presenter12:21

I work out very carefully if I'm asked to provide a half hour's entertainment for people using grammar phone records.

Presenter12:29

Then I shall make absolutely sure that to the best of my ability I will do it from the second it starts to the second it finishes.

Presenter12:36

These ambitions you were talking about.

Presenter12:39

Well, once an actor, always an actor, you know, I'm still longing for the day when somebody will say, God, that's just the chap we want. Why don't we use him in some super play or film?

Presenter12:51

Right, number five dog.

Presenter12:53

Well, I'm not a

Presenter12:55

A man who goes to a place of worship to pray. I never have done.

Presenter13:00

In fact, I think I've probably been a little careless through my life, as far as religion is concerned.

Presenter13:06

We often people say they like to go into a field and they get quite near to God. But there's one prayer which has been set to music, most beautifully, by Walther Davis, which I absolutely adore.

Presenter13:17

And it's called God Be in My Head.

David Jacobs13:26

And beyond those friends.

Speaker 213:27

And

David Jacobs13:31

Hold in thy heart and in my love.

Speaker 113:35

I mean boy.

David Jacobs13:44

And in my screen

David Jacobs13:51

What in my heart and in my sleep

Speaker 113:58

And good boys.

David Jacobs14:04

Lord be blessed by name.

David Jacobs14:11

And that's my deep wall.

Speaker 114:12

And that's why

Presenter14:23

God be in my head by the Temple Church Choir

Presenter14:26

Which brings us now to number six.

Presenter14:29

There was a long period of my life, up until about two years ago, in fact, when I longed to go to America. I'd never been.

Presenter14:36

And there was one song which seemed to sum up New York for me. It made it the most romantic city in the world.

Presenter14:42

Sung by my favourite singer, Ella Fitzgerald.

Presenter14:45

It's called Manhattan. It really, for me as always, set the scene and made the picture almost complete.

Speaker 214:54

We'll go to Yonkers, where true love conquers in the wilds And starve together dear in child We'll go to Coney and eat bologna on the road In Central Park we'll stroll

Presenter15:22

Ella Fitzgerald Things, Manhattan by Rogers and Hart. Do you think your two years in Southeast Asia will have helped you towards being a successful desert island castaway? I suppose it'll help a bit because, I mean, I will know what it's like to get septic prickly heat, to get dobey itch, to get all of it. Great help. Lovely things, you know, and I won't worry too much about it because I'm worried about my health.

Speaker 115:37

It's great help. Lovely thing.

Presenter15:42

So if I see that happen, I'll think, oh, well I never

Presenter15:45

Any hobbies that might be useful.

Presenter15:47

No, none at all. I'm uh not a hobby man. You're not good with your hands. No, I'm not. Um in fact, I'm quite dreadful with them.

Presenter15:56

I once had some marvellous cupboards fitted in a dressing-room at home.

Presenter16:01

And I thought, no, I've just got to get a mirror inside one of these cupboards, and I put it up.

Presenter16:05

And it was a great sort of joy to me. I did it magnificently and I stood back, admired my work, and it was perfect. It was absolutely square and right.

Presenter16:13

I shut the door.

Presenter16:15

and the screw points were sticking out the other side.

Presenter16:21

Yeah.

Presenter16:21

Now, I'm not going to suggest that you could build a craft, but if you acquired a craft of some sort, if one was washed up, as an ex-Navy man, how's your navigation? Well, I did learn navigation. I've forgotten most of it, but I learnt a lot of it from a most marvellous man called A.P. Herbert, who said he had a splendid system because he learned his navigation.

Presenter16:41

On the River Thames, and his system was to count the bridges as he went under them. Would you try to escape?

Presenter16:49

Well, I don't know. I might like it so much that I might want to stay. I'm not going to tell you till I've been there. All right, let's have record number seven. Tell me about that instead. Well, record number seven is just a piece of piano music by just one of the most marvellous pianists in the world, I think. In the jazz world, really, I should say.

Presenter17:06

Uh it's mister Errol Garner, the talk of the town.

Presenter17:40

Erogana, it's the talk of the town. And now we've come to your last one.

Presenter17:44

For several years, now, about six I think, I've used as a as the closing music to my programmes.

Presenter17:50

I love you, Samantha, from High Society, and I don't think I could go anywhere without that.

Presenter17:55

And I think when we play it, we play the part I never hear. I always come up on the orchestral part and fade out before Mr Crosby comes in with the words. So I think I'd like to have that.

David Jacobs18:11

Da da da da

David Jacobs18:14

What are you?

David Jacobs18:17

Nahada, I love you.

David Jacobs18:27

Some other

David Jacobs18:31

And m

David Jacobs18:34

We'll never

Presenter18:37

Bing Crosby and Samantha. We've heard your eight records, David. If you would only take one, which would it be? Having listened to all eight together.

Presenter18:45

I think uh God be in my head.

Presenter18:48

And you're allowed to take one luxury with you. Ah, well, I'm going to take a piano. Right, do you play? No, I don't, but I'd like to learn. I think that might be a good opportunity. Right.

Presenter18:58

Better have some music as well. If I may, and if you could possibly just slip in the lid a photograph of my family, I'd like to...

Presenter19:04

Well, it's not really in the rules, but all right. And and one book.

Presenter19:08

I'm going to take a book called 101 Things a Girl Can Do. I saw it on one of my daughter's bookshelves the other day. I thought, you know, I know what boys can do.

Presenter19:18

Uh it might be a help. Here's.

Presenter19:21

Yes, it might. Well, thank you, David Jacobs, for letting us hear your choice of Desert Island Disc. Thank you for asking, ma'am. Goodbye, everyone.

David Jacobs19:33

Yeah.