TV Guide (March 26, 1954)

Record Details:

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which also employs museum settings. TELEVISION controversy, most of natural science is controversial. “We only say, ‘This is what the best minds in science have to report about this subject,’ ” science reporter Robert Northshield, one of Wolff’s aides, declared. “Possibly someone will take offense at the idea that anthropoids and man had a com¬ mon ancestor, but how can he argue with the facts lined up for it?” Although a scientific show pri¬ marily, some of Adventure’s subject matter falls into the whodunit and science fiction class. One chilling con¬ jecture recently was that insects, not man, may someday inherit the earth. “There are 300,000 species of beetles alone,” Wolff pointed out, “and 800,- 000 different kinds of insects. Some lay almost a million eggs at a time. “Consider this: the reptiles ruled the earth for something like 100 mil¬ lion years. Mammals were around during the heyday of the dinosaurs, waiting. When dinosaurs died out (no one knows why) mammals took over.” In preparation for a show, Wolff and staff view 75,000 feet of film a week— “about 15 miles’ worth.” For the final result, the staff cuts, splices, and sub¬ stitutes the live voice of Charles Col- lingwood or the guest scientist for the original soundtrack. Only The Dinosaur Is Stuffy The American Museum of Natural History (in conjunction with the net¬ work) provides offices for the show, much of the film, a few of the scien¬ tists and some of the materials—in¬ cluding dinosaurs. This could lead to some very stuffy television except for the fact that Wolff, Northshield, and narrator Charles Collingwood are nei¬ ther historians nor dyed-in-the-wool scientists. “We’re all TV people and we’re showmen,” explains Wolff, twice winner of the Peabody Award in radio. Wolff, who sees drama in almost every aspect of life, is particularly an¬ noyed with “those who are so busy sniping at TV, they forget the tremen¬ dous amount of worthwhile things coming off their sets. We have done underwater life, the art of jaguar hunting, a trip to the moon. We’re even planning to project into the fu¬ ture and tell how man will look a half million years from now.” Four-Toed Superman? How? “We are certain the cephalic index of his skull will increase (this should make him smarter), he’ll probably be four-toed, without toe nails. His in¬ testinal tract probably won’t change.” Do they expect any adverse re¬ action to this show? “No,” Wolff said. “But maybe we won’t do this until we’re ready to go off for our summer vacation.” 21