Variety (April 1961)

Wednesday, April 5, 1961 ‘Twentieth Century | ‘Tele Follow-Up Comment was a big. irimense. subject out of 44|THE REAL WEST VARIETY: TELEVISION REVIEWS 35 MARINELAND CIRCUS ; THE ASPHALT JUNGLE With Lloyd Bridges; Buster Crabbe: ‘(The Burglary Ring)“Rosemary Clooney, hostess; Judy ,With Jack Warden, Arch Johnson, Joye, Mary Anne ‘Hollingsworth, Bill Smith, Eric Berry, James Marine Maids, Aquamaniacs,' Westerfield, Linda Watkitis, Paul (Project 20) | With: Garry Cooper. narrator Producer-Director: Donald B. Hyatt. '{ Writer: Philip Reisman. Jr.. _ 1 Mus‘e: Robert Russell Bennett | 60. Mins.; Wed, (29), 7:30 p.m.: SAVINGS & LOAN ASSN. A fleeting, peephole view’ recap-; all proportion to the. storied: tight. NBC-TV. (film) ‘turing New York in the 720s, when | little island,.yet what emerged was |. creativity was in full bloom, made "for a fascinating, if all too brief, half-hour on the “Twentieth Cen“tury”. Sunday night: (2), It was.a fit ing. | “Blood | as provocative as it was enlighten . Sweat and Tears Plus 20. (MceCann-Erickson }. | Writers: Mort ' others Producer: Ed Pierce ’ Hackady, Dor Epstein Director: Sid Smith t Another’ “Project 20" event, this : 60 Mins., Sun., 8 p.m. stanza scored with a brilliant doc 00d, \ na it . _ument on. the American west in ils «. | Xears” was the. awkward handle ‘untamed years between the end of WARE NBC-TY, from “ting companion piece to “Paris in; put on: it, but little’ else in this ‘the C'vil Wee and the turn of the: (tape) “the 20's” which was one of the : highlight installment’ of -last season's series, both of them, incidentally, scripted by. ex-News“weeker, Marvin Barrett. With swift, ‘pungent observation and’ reminiscence by Mare Con nelly, Stanley Walker (ex-city edi ‘tor of the N.Y. Herald-Tribune). | j compelling . documentary. production suggested awkwardness. At fimes it was done. with a twinkle, | but ‘mostly with. dead seriousness. as it sought out all strata.of society ° j for reaction to the profound transi | eration since. the -war:. Clearly and. concisely (made all. tion that's taken place in the gen-_ century. Here was the frontier as! it really was before the myth makers took over and glamorized : it in numberless dime novels, Hol| Iywood epics and half-hour vido shows: Perhaps’ this show will touch off.a new cycle of authentic westerns -because the. raw facls . proved to have more dramatic. kick publisher -Alfred A. Knopf .and:the more ciear ‘and. concise by* narrator Walter Cronkite, this look-; Severeid) it: conveyed the senti-. fast-or-yau'll-miss-it . recap’ of a; ments of a people, sometimes. baffascinating era. notably in {ts ref-, fled and confused ‘as evidenced by erence to the literary lights of the} Contradictory. _summation', yet day, had-the benefit of authentic | more often triggered to the more film clips and stills. abundant: life as the laboring class It was, of course, :the. period of!inches. into..a middle-class . con; the storied Algonquin.Round Table | Sciousmess and a car & candy-crazy _ lunch & gabfests which numbered | People (with bad teeth) -hug “the: Alex Woollcott, Edna Ferber, Dor-{tele” and other encroachments. from America,.It explored the man and: woman'in the -pub, the eéccentric, the “hard and angry” pro othy Parker, FPA,: Bob Reneen,| ‘Charles MacArthur, Harold Ross, Robert Sherwood, George S. Kauf-' c€niric, at ( ry, Pro a tests of the new young playwrights, | man, Heywood Broun. among @thers, vividly recreated .1n Marc Connelly’s. .delightful_ commentary: dt was the period of Eugene O'Neill: .and the Pravincetown Playhouse, George Jean Nathan and H. L. Mencken, Clark :. &. McCullough, Jimmy Walker, ‘Texas Guinan ‘and Helen. Morgan, of Willa Cather and Edna ' St.. Vincent Millay, and it was quite astonishing what. flavor and color. were jampacked into the brief 30 minutes of retelling... _ “Twentieth Century” -continues as the most authentic, entertaining and enlightening of. the..week-to-: week historical recaps on tv. Prudential never had it:so good. . , Rose, . Phe Play of The Week .When Samuel Beckett's “Waiting for Godot” was. first weighed as a ‘property for’ “The .Play of The .Week,” National. Telefilm Associ‘ates execs wondered aloud wheth er it “would. go: over in: Kansas, “whether the farmers would under. §tand it, too. Some of the despair inherent in such a question is reflected-in the play, currently. being telecast. by The. marvel 'of:the play. and its fascination is that. most. anything ‘about the terror of the human situation. can. be read into it. The. maddening. thing ‘about the. Beck ett excursion is its amorphous quality, its failure to-particularize, its repetitiousness. For. those wanting an adventure in the. theatre, for. of George Gershwin, Fannie Brice arid the Follies, of. WNTA-TV, Newark-.! “the barriers ‘toa fuller education, Britain's self-imposed economic: Strains by shutting herself out. of the. Comnion Market, the’ security than the souped-up legends... . “This show told its story by com: -bining a-superb narration, written ; “by Philip Reisman Jr. with a poet's sensitivity for the precise colloquial phrase, and a series of still (Ted ‘Bates: BBDO) NBC-TV came up with a fascinating hour-long basket of Easter Sunday entertainment in “Marine Circus.” For this taped excursion into the aquatic wonders at the Marine Studios on Florida’s Atlantic coast added up to enjoyable view , ing, particularly for the youngsters. picttires and paintings. Via close-. ups on the antique photos, the’ show. managed ‘to evoke the full measure: of the -heroism, folly and -violence that characterized the far ‘west when its promise of riches beckoned the adventurers and the hamesleaders. This hour depicted the gradual conguest -of the frontier through the successive migratory waves of ‘system and ‘the Downing St.-White.: House link: the exodus to Australia and. the influx of Jamaicans; the pro & con contradictions. of anti _at-jet-speed. . , " It, was goad. ..exciting matched by: equally effective pictorial documentation. Oo Bell Telephone Hour. _ To-catl the NBC-Bell Telephone musical hour wholesome family. entertainnient in its mene ee” } bit demeaning. especialy since. the Friday (31:..outing .ended. with a “Americanism -feeling. capped by a fascinating trip across the Channel.. any =. “Signs. . of: Spring” salute: to, the séason. 1s. a _tiersnian, talk. ' “Rose. .. | ‘of. western «heroes serious and musically: exceptional seg: featuring the Met's ascending ‘dramati¢ soprano,. Birgit Nilsson. : ¢ Backed by the.Schola Cantorum. ‘and -Donald Voorhees conducting the Bell Orchestra. ‘Miss Nilsson wound the: show. including a‘brilli Mater.” . It. provided a-nice.dramatic switch from the preceeding light ‘terp and.song routines. © numbers keyed to --Easter. and ant excerpt from. Rossini's “‘Sabat: was. Vivid through — the gold prospectors, cattle ranchers, With “Sea Hunt’s” Lloyd Bridges on hand to explain the underwater mysteries plus Buster-Crabbe and Rosemary Clooney as host and hostess, the coler special had some well cast principals. There were the typical “danger of the deep’ scenes with copious-views of menacing moray eelJs, octopi and other deepwater denizens. But producer Ed Pierce went ‘beyond the: typical to toss in some imaginative sequences: that included an underwater version of “The Shooting of Dan McGrew” and a baseball game in which four ‘Los Angeles Dodgers were matched railroad builders: and farmers. It. history wonderfully rugged told. mainly:. and expressive faces. of the fron- And, as an aside, the against a porpoise. Among other highlights was a corking good exhibition of fancy diving. by six-male stars. | Miss Clooney :proved an affable hostess documentary, was studded with de, bunkine shafts at the western gous . and goddesses, including Kit: Car ‘son, Wyatt Earp. Bat Masterson, lamity: Jane. .The retelling of the. “white man’s defeat of the Indians sequence of the show. -Having Garry Cooper handle the narration. was a perfect piece of Who not only guided around the tanks and pools but ‘found time to warble a flock of an. ‘tunes in keeping with the surBilly The Kid, E-Ne Starr and Ca-. roundings. Her “Ride a Blue Dol :phin” and “Porpy the Porpoise’”’ ans hada delightful, spirited quality. was the most powerful and moving. Crabbe took part in a water bal ‘Jet which featured Mary Anne Hol type-casting. .The veteran plaver : was shown against: the background of a ghost town, delivering the script in his flavorsome style. An excellent score impact. Herm. THE STORY OF WILL ROGERS i (Project 20) ! With: Bob Hope . On. that-lighter ‘side, show fea-! Prod.-Dir.: Donald B. Hyatt ‘tured: musicomedy singers Martha: Writers: Richard Hanser, Rod Reed ! Wright and. John Raitt (who also! Musi¢; Robert Russell Bennett hosted!, dancers Tommy Rall and ! 60 Mins. Tues. (28), 9 p.m. Melissa. Hayden, . vet mime. Paul! PUREX CORP, — ‘Hartman and The Brothers Four in‘ NBC-TV (film) Edward H. Weiss & Co.) lingsworth and the Marine Maids. But the years seem to be catching up with him for he was puffing .during his lead-in to the Minute : Maid juice plug. Judy Jove gave a Spring. ‘Brothers Four, folk group |. The Will Rogers legend.remains : {that has come into prominence via; intact. Through deft manipulation | ,the unusual expedient of talent as . of film ‘clips and an affectionate: NOT IN VAIN {opposed to the big beat in the disk . script:narrated by. Bob Hope, Rog-' (American Heritage) line, were given.a good showcasing.: ers was brought to life in sharp With: Raymond Massey, ‘those willing to give up traditional theatrical forms, there: are many. compensating ‘moments, wild,: or with: fourappearances. | Hartman, ! pictorial and visual terms. | in-a circus routine with Miss ‘Hay-!'' The “Project 20” people are to dginal, baffling. — *. _ ‘Time and again,. though; even from. the viewpoint of a fresh ad-. venture, the play loses ground. and its. strings of tragic, simple. music. loses ‘the’ echoes upon, echoes it: ‘seeks to.rumble within ‘the ‘chords |. of its audience. It is then, that the “performances seem like a madden-. ing trick ..being played on stage.. . The. small cast: was fine, capturing: and projecting the. spell of their roles. Burgess Meredith and Zero. Mostel as two lost. vagrant souls had moments: of. humor,. and low . comedy. : Kurt. Pathos, ‘Kasznar, who played the Pozzo role on Broadway; was excellent in the vidtaped version.~ His was a miserable ego, full of spite, scorn and evil,.and he succeéded in lay-: Most ing all.those qualities bare, pitable and frightening. was the role of Lucky, his slave, portrayed “with. fine style ‘by Alvin Epstein, |. another recruit.from-the Broadway version. Direction by Alan Schneider helped translate the Beckett experience. . Who. is Godot? characters waiting for him? These are the questions among the many! comedy. that should give him a1 raised and’.never. fully «answered. ‘The’ only response.-that cam be . Made, as is. made -by one. of. the ‘lost ‘souls, is a low groanas an explanation. | 7 Horo. _ CBS. Reports ‘An absorbing and: fascinating updating of the social, moral and economic. fiber tI Britain. today. was the offering on last . Thursday's.” (30). “CBS: Re: |. den: and Rall, was rot up to his: be commended for portraying Rog , Why are -the . that . constitutes | generally poignant miming. _ f-ers as a full-dimensional character Fred Heider. produced with Sid. without going overboard in any! Producer: Mildred Freed Alberg characteristically. underplayed. but i slick exhibition of skin diving in a bit with Bridges. Comedy diving by... Robe:t’ Russell Bennett con; Was provided by the Aquamaniacs. ‘tributed importantly to the show's. .The taped color was a mite fuzzy on conventional black-and-white sets but not enough to mar the overall image. The Mort Silverstein, Hal Hackady, Don Epstein ably caught the water circus flavor while the original. music of Charles Naylor and-, Harkady was also an asset. Sid Smith's direction was good in the many action sequences. Plugs for Minute Maid and Tupperware Home Parties Inc. were ‘} neatly integrated in the continuity. Gilb. Royal Beal, Harrison Dowd, Gerald Hiken, Joseph Maccauley, Paul Tripp, others; Lowell Thomas, narrator Smith’ directing the. Henry Jaffe; sentimental directions. Producer-} Director: Jack Smight ‘Enterprises production. ~ Bill. __ Dobie Gillis. Long on.title (“I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be aSoldier, Sailor ‘or .|Marine”) but.‘short on laughs, this juvenile. edition . of : Phil Silvers’ lamented Sgt. Bilko played on two of creator Max Shulman. ‘producerdirector Rod-Amateau and scripter Joel Kane took more out of. it than its: inherent. worth: Opposites _attract to give a spread of comedy the bounce-off quality but here it {seemed to be overdone: on the high inteNect plane to the sacrifice more elemental humor. : -it was a struggle to rise above the overpowering. role ‘of Stephen ? Franken as. the rookie with an IQ ‘higher than.:Shasta. He’ gave the ;shaw . most of. its verve’ and ‘chuckles: and displayed: a flair. for Preferred position in.the casting joffices. Hickman played along _Mostly as a straight for. Franken fand his beatnik friend, Bob. Den ver. Taggart Casey as the roaring! process of purification and abse Sergeant and. Frank Faylen, Dobie’s _Lpater, pulled. their. own weight in keeping the mood spirited. ic a Close-Up! contrived situations that have: insured. values: mixed identitiés and boot tamp.. The combined talents. | director Donald B.. Hyatt lett |: Writer: Richard Goldhurst Rogers on his own and let him bea | 30 Mins.; Sat. (1), 9:30 p.m. clips that brought the cowboy-com-!NBC-TY, from N.Y. (tape) edian into clear focus. Rogers’ comments on the depression, Presidents Coolidge, Hoover and Roose _ (Foote, Cone & Belding) This show mastered the trick of viewers | | Genge, John Duke, others ‘Producer: Arthur Lewis Silverstein, . Hal Assoc. Producer: Mel Epstein’ : Director: Herman Hoffman Writers: George Bellak, Joseph Petrzcca “MINUTE MAID CORP., TUPPER60 Mins.; Sun., 9:30 p.m. ‘PARTICIPATING Marineland, Fla. A8C-TV (film) 3 This new entry from the MGM{TV shop is one of those series that no one will like except the audirence. ABC brought in the hour iskein as a replacement for “The iIslanders” (Sunday, 9:30 p.m.) and:-While the cops-and-robbers format ‘is nothing new to network tv, the :production values and dramatic ‘quality of the preem episode augur iwell for the series’ future. ; i Initialer concerned itself with the doings of a “Rififi’-type group of burglers who knocked off banks .With gay abandon and unques; tioned style. The city police. force .was the adversary and also supiplied the stet characters that will ‘continue the sleuthing on % weekto-week basis. | Jack Warden, as a deputy police -comnissioner, played his role in the best lowercase style demwwi.stratirig a rare sense of compassion and understanding for a tv cop. iArch Johnson as his captain was competent although not given much _latitude by the script. James West‘erfield, as the veteran chief of the burglary detail. had the standout tole in this stanza and carried off his duties with true professional ability. Eric Berry played the . English mastermind of the aforesaid criiminal elements with elan and dash, his superb casing of the jobs being :the key to success for the rin«’s ; continued operation. The hoods j were eventually nabbed, of course, but not before they had turned the police inside out and the dawnfall was really due to the expertenced observation of the aged lieutenant who solved the crimes froni his hospital bed. ‘He'd been shot in an earlier attempt to grab the -heavies). The script by George Beilak and Joseph Petracca was above average, maintaining interest over the 60-minute span. Character lines, were clearly drawn and motivatiors spelled-out with little confusion. Direction by Herman Hoffman vas good. maintaining the pace, with -cuts swift and to the point. Only discordant note was the Duke Ellington score which ws ‘too brassy and loud to wear well. sud. THE OTHER ADOLF . With: Bill Shadel, Robert Lindley, George Bailey, Sidney Darion, others Producers: Darion, Vincent Demp : sey Director: Jack Sameth 30 Mins., Sun., (2), 3:30 p.m. ABC-TV (film, tape) It was not until ABC let the Story tell itself. in the last 10 nine ; utes or so, that “The Other Adolf” : gained stature or value. This ABC-TV pubaffairs entry was better than some in the past, { spokesman, via a collection of film; EQUITABLE LIFE ASSURANCE | but the sum total rates as ordinary. Web served up this half-hour documentary and news program Sunday (2: as preface to the Adolf Fichin Israel latec this mann trial velt came across as barbed and: handling Civil War theme without | month. pointed. witticisms. ‘Many of the ; Offending any section of the coun-; | While the ABC staffers may have ‘topical:comics of today could.take lessons. from Rogers’ style. Clips ‘from his films, as in a try. “Not In Vain,” which gave the background of Abe Lineoin’s Gettysburg Address, was a piece of ‘scene with Fifi D'Orsay, and shots sentimental and innocuous history, ikicked away the economic re{straints which, in some measure, i has beleaguered them in the past, | this time they permitted trivia to lof his last airplane trip with Wiley | adding very little to the popular! hamper the unfolding. F’rinstance, Post, ‘blended hilarity and poign legends surrounding that event. ‘ancy in vivid terms. Working with Since this show focussed on the a tasteful. script, penned by RichNorth, it seemed to be particularly ard: Hanser and: Rod. Reed, Bob] Sensitive about Southern sensiHope delivered a commentary that j bilities. It will be interesting to see For Dwayne. Hickman, the titlist, |. a 4 . i ! j 1 . of / served as an excellent supplement to the stock footage. ‘orable tribute. Gros. j SEVEN KEYS With Jack Narz, others Producer: Bobbie John Director: Johnny Stearns. 30: Mins., Mon.-Fri., 2:39 p.m. PARTICIPATING ABC-TV, from H’wood’ “Giveaways, having undergone the | lution. haye seemingly come back ports,” with. Eric Severeid’s han-' say of the new Kennedy Adminis: dling of the narration. as. one of the program's superior attainments, ko. (Continued on ‘Page 54) {tration was offered in Tuesday's to network tv in full force. New gadgets and gimmicks have. been developed to remove all stigma of the fix, and the air of largesse and benefaction spreads throughout-the A loosely-knit photographic es‘land. “Seyen Keys,” which bowed j Monday (3: on ABC-TY, is an in (Continued on page 54) if the favor is returned in this series stanza devoted to the Seuth’s ° Robert Russell. Bennett's music! Robert E. Lee later this month. 1 also helped to solidify this. mem-. The sole dramatic question involved in this half-hour was whether Lincoln would or would | not make the speech at Gettys-: burgh. The plea of a mother, whose ' .| son died in the battie there, for the return of another son persuaded | Lincoln to make the speech where he laid the stress on the idea of the nation as against the northern advocates of state sovereignty. Raymond Massey, playing Lin Robert Lindley, recent Latino cor‘resnondent acquisition bh» ABC, wasted footage with a discou -e outside the Argentine’ home where Eiehmann lived incognito ‘until spirited back to Israel, Ti:e palaver was trifling and the ini on‘sequentiais were heightened when commentator Lindley made much _of such talk as Mrs. Eichmann setting the dogs on him. Meantin:e, back in the German terrain Georee Bailey, who reminds too stranely of the Ed Murrow technique, inte: ,viewed Reich nationals on the > Eichmann = situation. The program did not come off in its attempt at a study of Fichmann the man. or of German reaction to the forthcoming trial, or of the coln for the umpteenth time,| trial itself. -In short, it cover: -1 brought an appropriate solemnity ' everything—and little—in its 30and simplicity to the role and re-' minute time span. . cited the Gettysburg address with-| Plus values included Juck Samout making it a cliche. Others in: eth’s direction. Cuts and faces the cast played competently, but’ were better than usual, but there the whole stanza was burdened by still remained a lack of coorcivaself-consciousness as it reenacted tion between the few snod irathe history. of a great event. ments of sound and the larger segHerm. ments of film, .