Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1955)

Television Today Monday, November 14, 1955 Passing in Review A SECOND LOOK LAST WEEK at Harriet Van Home's "The Other Side of the Set" (WABC-TV, Saturday, October 5) gave further evidence that the television critic of the New York World Telegram & Sun is as honest and attractive on-screen as she is in writing about it. Miss Van Home, whose newspaper copy works that difficult and healthy middle road between pompous pronouncement and pained wit, presides over an "inside TV" show that is bright, informative and at the same time good public relations. NBC-TV's Opera Theatre returned to the air Sunday (November 6) afternoon with the world premiere of "Griffelkin" by Lukas Foss and with libretto by Alastair Reid. It was an extremely ornate and busy production (even a street corner letter box came alive for ballet purposes), at the heart of which was a simple and appealing tale of the evolution of a 10-year-old devil into an ordinary little boy. In the absence of Television Today's regular opera critic, who was taking an inopportune sabbatical, another local man asks simply, "Is this recitatif necessary?" In opera, it is. Mark Stevens, triple-threat producer-director-star of NBC-TV's "Big Town," last Tuesday night (November 8) — offered a continuing good, workman-like job. Lillian Roth, whose autobigaphy, "I'll Cry Tomorrow," will shortly be released by MGM, got in some indirect plugs for the film as well as an acclaimed performance in the U.S. Steel Hour's production of "Outcast" on CBS-TV Wednesday night. Also Wednesday night, a glance at ABC-TV's popular "Break the Bank" revealed Bert Parks still to be the kind of emcee you either like or you don't, and no point in arguing the matter. Elsewhere in the week: TV READER'S DIGEST, ABC-TV, November 7, 1955. Film, debaker -Packard. For Stu The potential drama in the story of an American Protestant clergyman, who withstood Chinese Communist efforts to brain-wash him, was never realized in this chapter of the TV Reader's Digest series. Vincent Price's earnest performance as the clergyman, John Hayes, was constantly limited by the script, which was little more than a series of duologues between captive and hard-headed captor. The personal drama in turn was lost in flights of abstract rhetoric — noble, over-simplified and completely undramatic in the visual sense. Even the musical background, composed of the kind of themes which used to accompany Charlie Chan's initial appearance at the scene of a crime, was out of keeping. Chester Erskine is producer and he has done better. MAX LIEBMAN PRESENTS, "The Great Waltz." NBC-TV, P/i Hours, 9 P.M., EST, Saturday, November 5, 1955. For Oldsmobile. To paraphrase an historic and notable remark, it might well be said of Max Liebman and his associates at NBC Television, "this was SHOWMANSHIP From this corner an appreciative nod to the corner where sat Harry Coyle, the director handling the NBC telecast of the Notre DamePennsylvania game Saturday, November 5. In the closing moments of that Notre Dame walkaway, a young and eager substitute came off the bench to play end for Notre Dame. Very few minutes later the quarterback dropped a pass into his hands for a touchdown. Thereupon the youngster proceeded to go slightly ecstatic for sheer, unbelieving joy at his accomplishment. The director at this point, instead of the usual camera-switch for the following play, held camera full on the young man as he cavorted, waved his arms and expressed his unbounded happiness. It was a fine, comealive touch reflecting heads-up showmanship on the part of the director. Nice going, in fact, by all concerned. their finest hour (and a half)." The Liebman production for TV of that happy operetta was done with skill, taste, musical integrity and artistry. Here was a Color Spectacular which came through in black and white most entertainingly. No little of the responsibility for the engaging result was due to the cast, with Patrice Munsel as the Viennese singer, Keith Andes as Johann Strauss, Jr., Jarmila Novotna as the "patroness" of the arts, and Bert Lahr, quite happy as the singer's father and pastry shop owner. The Strauss music was BABNETT INTERNATIONAL FORWARDERS, INC. 723 7th AVE., N.Y.C., CI 5-6080 • 6364 SANTA MONICA BLVD., L. A., HO 4-6221 • CABLE BARINTFOR /fi^W The OLDEST (est. 1887) yet MOST MODERN and EXPERIENCED ({•{I SHIPPERS and CUSTOMS BROKERS for MOTION PICTURE and TELEVISION distributors and producers throughout the WORLD, Motion Picture Daiu| beautifully rendered, Mia Slaveni-J ska offered a ballet moment, thsj supporting cast was highly satis; factory. Based on the Moss Har American adaptation of the orig inal operetta, this version wait written by William Friedberg anrf * Neil Simon. It was, in every sens| of the word, a fine television proi I1 duction, with ample credit for alii! m. The father-son Strauss musicaj rivalry, and its surrounding ro mantic story is old and ever-new ftef and the music, of course, can nevei grow old. if siii TEX McCRARY'S M.I. P., WARD 10 Minutes, 7:15 P.M., EST, Mon day through Friday. Live, from New York. For Emerson. Tex McCrary, who for some time now has been drawing the biggest names from all walks of life to his WRCA radio show, has come uj with a pleasantly informal formal for a foreshortened video interview program for local New York consumption. The only trouble — and e major one — is that it's too short. Because Mr. McCrary is about as able and articulate a reporter as any now working the airways, thi brevity is all the more apparent as he digs into his Most Important Person. The night he was caughl by this reviewer (November 8) he1 had New York's Sanitation Com missioner on the carpet, but per haps only a 90-minute spectacular could do full justice to the whys and wherefores of the city's state of disrepair. Mr. McCrary, incidentally, has a particular gift foj getting the best from political figures of all degrees of importance. BIG STORY. NBC -TV, 9 P.M., EST, Friday, November 4, 1955. Film and live. For American, Tobacco (Pall Mall) and Simonf Company. Dipping into the "Big Storj file at a chance moment, so I speak, we came up last Tw.ek with story, which was not quite typical of the general run, but was perhaps the more interesting for that reason. With Ben Grauer as usual in the role of host and editor, this item carries the viewer to San Francisco and the local Chronicle, whose Bruce Benedict, the reporterhero of the moment, came by chance upon his "big story." A young cadet was unceremoniously discharged from the local Merchant Marine academy for an alleged theft when an article of clothing belonging to another was found in his possession. A martinet commandant was following rules "to the letter," while justice languished. The reporter clarioned a drive to clear the boy, successfully completing his story. It was effectively done all around, interesting and significant. Leonard Valenta directed for Pyramid Productions. TELEVISION TODAY— Editorial Director: Charles S. Aaronson; Eastern Editor: Pinky Herman, Vincent Canby; Hollywood: William R. Weaver, Samuel D. Berns; Washington: J. A. Otten; London: Peter Burnup; Photo Editor: Floyd E. Stone. tie iat ifj nit iicei ad law fV's 12