We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.
Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.
TV GUIDE Congratulations are in order for Jimmy Durante, Martha Raye, Milton Berle and Jackie Gleason. The first three have been using plots in their shows to achieve a feeling of conti¬ nuity between musical numbers and comedy sketches. More recently Jackie Gleason has experimented with the musical comedy form. We believe it was Jack Carson, on the old All-Star Review, who first tried a full hour music and comedy show that told a story. Carson’s writers, however, weren’t quite up to the task, and none of the other com¬ ics was encouraged to try the plot technique. Jimmy Durante apparently wan¬ dered into the format by building his shows around one guest star. Martha Raye, who started her TV career on the old Milton Berle show, went in for a musical story as soon as she landed her own program. Berle adopted the style when he went out of the custard pie business. Many observers found Jackie Gleason’s recent hour-long Honey- mooner sketch, with music and dance interludes, his finest program to date. Musical comedies are obviously more difficult to produce than variety or review-type shows. But, more often than not, the musical comedy comes over as mature, polished en¬ tertainment, if only because so much effort has gone into it. The review, lacking continuity or suspense, sel¬ dom is as satisfying for the audience. Perhaps the day will come when all comedians of any stature will in¬ sist on fewer appearances, more preparation, and better writing. Per¬ haps then we would have a Musical Comedy Hour instead of a Comedy Hour. Until then, we offer sincere con¬ gratulations to the comedians who are breaking from vaudeville tra¬ dition and designing their shows to meet television’s requirements. Contents December II, 1953 • Vol. 1, No. 37 LOCAL PROGRAM GUIDE Week of December 11-17 Opens Opposite Page 12 TELETYPE New York .13 Hollywood .14 ARTICLES Dragnet For Sale? . 5 Ramar of the Jungle . 7 Kate Smith's Mail .10 Do ug Edwards And The News ..22 In The Cast: Fontane Sisters .... 12 CLOSE-UP Elaine Carrington: Soap Opera Queen .17 REVIEWS Joseph Schildkraut .15 Circle Theater .16 WOMEN IN TV Pat Benoit's Last Minute Christmas Gift Tips .20 COLUMN Fine Tuning . 16 Walter H. Annenberg, Editor Merrill Panitt, National Managing Editor Harold B. Ctemenko, Regional Managing Editor Michael J. O’Neill, Advertising Director James T. Quirk, Publisher TV GUIDE is published weekly by Triangle Publications, Inc., 333 South Broad Street. Philadelphia 7, Pa. Kingsley 6-0807. National Advertising Office. 488 Mauison Ave., New York 22, N.V. Entered as second class matter at the Post Office at Philadelphia. Pa. Subscription Rates: in the United States 1 year $5.00, 2 years $8.00, 3 years $11.00, single copy 15c: in Canada I year $6.00. 2 years $10.00. 3 years $14.00: in Pan- American Countries 1 year $7.00. 2 years $12.00. 3 years $17.00; in other Foreign Countries t year $8.00. 2 years S14.00. 3 years $20.00. Copyright 1953 by Triangle Publications. Inc.