Fascinac Shoe Lacquer

Loading the player...

This spoken advertisement by an unidentifed female announcer is taken from a "Women's Hour" radio broadcast. From the 1930s up until the late 1960s, most commercial radio stations in New Zealand programmed a timeslot dedicated to female listeners. This was often between 9am and midday, when husbands and children had left the house for the day and it was felt the housewife was in need of some entertainment and education via the radio. It was also the ideal time for advertisers to reach their female customers.

In the early years, this was often the only time women announcers were heard on the air. The queen of the Women's Hour was Maud Basham, better known by her on-air name, "Aunt Daisy." For several decades she was a national institution with thousands of male as well as female listeners tuning in for her nationwide half-hour of advertorial chat and recipes.

The unidentified female announcer here also follows Aunt Daisy's conversational style, offering friendly advice on how to use the advertiser's product to save money: "I've been telling you we must practice economy – now those shoes of yours – perhaps they're looking shabby? But there's quite a lot of wear in them yet..."

With the Great Depression a recent memory and war on the horizon, products that could extend the life of expensive items – such as leather shoes – would have had great appeal to budget-conscious listeners.

Image: Hutt News, 14 May 1939 (courtesy of Papers Past).