Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1953)

4 Motion Picture Daily Thursday, January 22, 1953 1952 TV Poll (Continued from page 1) Television's Best of 1952 Sid Caesar Imogene Coca Lucille Ball Dinah Shore Groucho Marx Raymond Scott Perry Como Kate Smith Jack Webb Star of Dragnet John Daly Worthington Miner Producer Studio One Burr Tillstrom Producer Kukla, Fran &■ Ollic Martha Bountree Producer Meet the Press Howard Barlow Conductor Voice of Firestone J. C. Swayze Dennis James Wally Cox Maria Biva Mel AUen Dr. Roy K. Marshall Ford Theatre addition, Miss Ball was voted Best Television Performer (Champion of Champions) and TV's Best Comedienne of 1952. The single program thus accounted for three first places in the poll for CBS-TV, equalling the first place results rung up for NBC-TV by "Your Show of Shows" and its stars. Miss Ball obviously fulfilled in 1952 the expectations of the critics, who had voted her Television's Most Promising Female Star in the 1951 poll. While other programs and performers also maintained their popularity with the critics for another year, there were some notable TV names missing from the voters' list of favorites. For instance, Herb Shriner, who was voted Television's Most Promising Male Star of 1951, did not finish among the leaders of 1952, as the voting critics named them. Other toppers of earlier polls who dropped in the critics' favor included Milton Berle, Jimmy Powers and his Sports Show, and Red Skelton. 'Studio One' Repeats Among those continuing in voters' tavor are CBS-TV's "Studio One," which was voted Best Dramatic Program on TV for the third consecutive year ; Groucho Marx's NBC-TV Show, "You Bet Your Life ;" again voted Best Audience Participation Program ; the NBC-TV Kate Smith Show, Best Daytime Program; NBCTV's Kukla, Fran & Ollie, Best Children's Program; NBC-TV's "Voice of Firestone," Best Classical Musical Program ; NBC-TV's John Cameron Swayze, Best News Commentator ; CBS-TV's John Daly, Best Master of Ceremonies, and NBC-TV's "Meet the Press," Best Panel Discussion Program. Hit Parade Picked Among newcomers to critical favor in the 1952 poll are NBC-TV's "Your Hit Parade," presided over by Raymond Scott, which supplanted the Fred Waring Show as Best Popular Musical Show ; NBC-TV's Dinah Shore, voted Best Female Vocalist; CBSTV's Perry Como, Best Male Vocalist ; NBC-TV's "Dragnet," with Jack Webb, Best Mystery Program, replacing 1951's "Man Against Crime ;" CBS-TV's Mel Allen (also freelance) , Best Sportscaster, and Dennis James (NBC-TV, ABC-TV), Best Announcer. In classifications newly added to the poll, CBS-TV's "What's My Line?", with John Daly, was voted Best Panel Show, and "Midwestern Hayride" was voted Best Rural Musical Show. Wally Cox Liked NBC-TV's Wally Cox ("Mr. Peepers") won out over CBS-TV's Red Buttons in the critics' balloting for Most Promising Male Star in TV in 1952. CBS-TV's Maria Riva copped the vote in the Female category of that division, with Joan Davis and Rosemary Clooney finishing in ; that order in a closely contested race for the runner-up positions. Dr. Roy Marshall's announcements > for Ford Motors were designated : TV's Best Commercial Presentations ] of 1952. i Voting in the 1952 poll continued to increase, as it has in each of the four ; years that the poll has been conducted. • The trend reflects the steadily expanding national TV coverage and the attention given to it by newspapers and magazines. However, even as those periodic audience survey reports reveal that the average TV viewer after shutting himself up in his home with his new television set for six months to a year, eventually becomes sated and occasionally ventures outdoors again for his entertainment, even so is it with the critics. Those who have been at their jobs for several years in the older, well saturated-with-TV areas, display an impatience with what some describe as the sameness of TV programming that is absent from comments made by professional viewers who have been at their jobs for briefer periods. The latter are tolerant and hopeful ; the former, sometimes sharply critical and, when they encounter a rare program tidbit, more surprised than encouraged. Commercials Irk Television's commercials irk the critics even more, if that is possible, than radio's. There are too many of them, they say, they run too long, are too blatant and obvious, for the most part. Other criticisms are of shoddy and inadequate productions ; too many filmed programs and too many of inferior quality and entertainment value, and too little new talent and program ideas. On the plus side, the critics, or some of them, feel that television does a good job, when it has the opportunity to do so, on special events and local spot news. Many commended the thorough job done in covering the national political conventions in Chicago last summer and lauded much of TV's sports coverage.