Screenland Plus TV-Land (Nov 1952 - Oct 1953)

Crosby foursome operating a large ranchhouse with visiting "tourists" entertaining informally. Pop would be earmarked as the show's first "guest star," with Uncle Bob Crosby to follow subsequently . . . Eve Arden's husband, actor Brooks West, is rumored about set to replace Bob Rockwell as "Our Miss Brooks" hero when the popular TV show begins its second year . . . Rather than have their old "Thin Man" films released for TV, William Powell and Myrna Loy have approved the plan to produce an entirely new series of the comedy-dramas in which they would costar as of yore. The new telefilms will feature stars of the past in major roles in an endeavor to find employment for former Hollywood greats . . . George Raft's telefilm series, "I Am The Law," has renewed interest in his screen career to the extent he once again commands top salary and the right to approve his scripts . . . If Hollywood's Collier Young has his way, he'll co-star his current wife, Joan Fontaine, in a dramatic TV series with Ida Lupino, his ex-wife . . . John Agar's career was at its most promising best when he had his second brush with the law. His own thirteen weeks series was being lined up by his agent, and six guest shots on shows such as the Ford Theatre had to be cancelled . . . THOUGHTS WHILE DIALING: Everytime I see Dave Garroway I'm amazed at his relaxed manner and the energy with which he bounds about town. I'm sure his must be the roughest daily schedule in TV circles, yet he's forever calm, never disheveled and as easy-going as you please. I know he must be a constant source of wonder to his harried fellowworkers inasmuch as a typical Garroway day goes something like this: — He starts with breakfast at 3 a.m. and rehearses for his NBC-TV network show, "Today," from 4 a.m. until 7 a.m.. The two-hour program ends at 9 a.m. and from then until noon he attends staff meetings and answers his fan mail. After lunch he rehearses and broadcasts an afternoon radio show ("Dial Dave Garroway") which invariably is followed by more meetings with agency and sponsor representatives of his "Today" telecast until dinner at 7 p.m. Agency and sponsor meetings, incidentally, like TV rehearsals, are as time-consuming for every TV performer as they are essential to the sustained success of any TV show. Dave gets to bed each weekday night at 8 p.m. (when most of his fans are comfortably settled at home watching their TV sets for hours to come) and sets his alarm for 3 a.m. His topsy-turvy life begins again at the sound of the alarm and he finds he has too little time for the pursuit of his pet hobbies — sports car racing, hot jazz and golfing. Of all his hobbies, his favorite form of relaxation is stargazing. He's interested in astrology and 72 Nina Foch has been working hard for the Cancer Society and urges all to donate. although as he says, "the stars are just coming out when I'm going in to sleep," he makes up for it on weekends by staying up as late as midnight, on Saturdays. That's his big treat of the week. CALLING CUPID: Piper Laurie appeared on "The Stork Club Show," "Toast Of The Town" and "Do You Want To Be A Star" during her recent Gotham visit in order to help promote "Mississippi Gambler." When she wasn't racing to and from TV stations, she'd relax at "21" while being interviewed by newspaper and magazine editors. Not once during her stay in New York did she have a real date. Rock Hudson came to town for a twenty-four hour visit and took her out for breakfast, lunch, dinner, theatre, and supper, with cocktail parties and dancing in-between times. They had a great around-the-clock fun time together, but despite reports elsewhere, this is NOT a "romance." As Piper said to me at "21," "I wish I did have a real honest-to-goodness boy friend in New York. Rock and I are having a 'studio romance,' thatfs all!" John ("The Lone Ranger") Hart and Vera-Ellen made Valentine's Day their own by virtue of a two-hour long distance telephone call Coast-to-Coast . . . NOW IT CAN BE TOLD: That stunning crystal mink stole Mrs. Sandra Berle wears is another gift from her son Milton Berle. Knowing that Sandra must have every type of precious fur imaginable, a friend inquired as to the how and why of her newest pelt. The explanation was simple, "Years ago Milton ruined a fur piece of mine and ever since he's been doing everything he can to replace it. Just like he promised." On the surface, that's the story, but the crystal mink, along with all the other furs Milton Berle has given the mother he loves so much, is symbolic of something that happened years ago and few of his friends and fans know the meaning. Berle, who has been in show business thirty-nine of his forty-four years, made his first stage appearance at the age of five. This occurrence took place in Mount Vernon, N. Y., at an amateur contest, when he dressed up as Charliz Chaplin for Hallowe'en. In order to make an authentic moustache, the five-year-old took a tuft from his mother's only fur piece. He took many tufts until he was satisfied with the one he wanted. The ruined fur couldn't be repaired and Sandra Berle, who always encouraged her young son in his theatrical ambitions, decided his aspirations were more important than her astrakan fur cape. Realizing what he had done, young Milton promised his mother he'd make it up to her "later on." He has. That very Hallowe'en night, his mother spent $1.35 taking him up to Mount Vernon from their apartment in the Bronx, in order for Milton to win a $2.00 cup. But win it he did, astrakan moustache and all, and it gave Mama Berle an idea. A week later, he was given a job in one of the Pearl White thrillers, "The Perils Of Pauline." He's worked ever since. AUSPICIOUS OCCASION: Night club history was made the night Anne Jeffreys and husband Robert Sterling began their joint supper club debuts in the Empire Room of the Hotel Waldorf-Astoria. Beautiful Anne and handsome Bob had every topflight celebrity in town out for the auspicious occasion. Great names from stage, screen and TV applauded Anne and Bob and among those we spotted at ringside tables were Jane Froman, Walter Winchell, Frank Fontaine, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Sarah Churchill, Victor Borge, Faye Emerson, Bud Collyer, Roxanne and Jackie Gleason. Anne, who has been wooed on the screen by Frank Sinatra, Robert Mitchum, Pat O'Brien, Robert Ryan and Randolph Scott, talked her husband into teaming up with her. While Bob was busy with his TV assignments, the beautiful Mrs. Sterling was turning down lucrative night club engagements because she didn't want to be separated from Bob and hated to leave New York and not make her TV guest shots, too. On a dare, Bob, who has made love on the movie screens to Greta Garbo, Lana Turner, Claudette Colbert, June Allyson, Gloria Grahame and Ava Gardner, brushed up on his singing lessons and the rest has become what we told you in the beginning— night club history in New York. No easy feat that. You've got to have talent in order to make Gotham cafe critics toss their napkins into the air, which is just what they did for Anne and Bob at the Waldorf. An exciting night it was, too. TV AND MOVIE GET-TOGETHER: It would be hard to imagine how anyone can ever duplicate the glamour and excitement of the recent New York premiere of "The Jazz Singer" held at the famous Paramount Theatre in Times Square. It was a glittering event for the thousands of fans who jammed Broadway outside, and it was thrilling for the thirty-seven hundred people indoors who, collectively, had paid out $40,000 for the privilege of witnessing the first screen performance of the film starring Danny Thomas and Peggy Lee. Before Dennis James and I introduced the arriving celebrities in the Paramount