Variety (Aug 1939)

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Wedneflday, August 2, 1939 TELEVISION REVIEWS VARIETY 41 ?„t^dy if«h Isobel Bison, DennU *^"Hoey^ Mint«.mery Cllft. Virginia Campbell, Florence Ednty, Carl Sarbord. Nancy Sheridan, Bar- Sia Leids, Lowell Gllmore 80 Mlns. 8:30 p.m. NBC-BCA, New Tork Full length play running an hour and 20 minutes seemed too much lor fhis type of telecast. It was the first nrAsion that the usual NBC-RCA S'our was considerably exceeded <Televised plays m entirety are not Kuent in London over fhe BBC). Program was mildly diverting and that's about the rating 'Hay/ever' always had, the Noel Coward trifle however being used considerably in Vtock: although it was hardly a Broadway success. For the vislp nresentation there was an all legit fet-up cast coming from Broadway, while'the director, Eddie Sobol, is of Max Gordon's legit staff. Evidently there wa:i little or no attempt to cut the script. Perform: ance was in three acts, a three min- ute intermission between each be- ing announced by screen. Only one player erred in the lines but all are doubtless familiar with the piece which is localled in an English coun- try home, that of an actress, her novelist husband and their grown children. x,. • • 'Fever' is a satire on the impolite- ness of hosts towards their guests. Perhaps something was missed in the transition of the play to television useage for that point hardly got over. At intermissions there was music from 'Bittersweet' and 'The Cat and the Fiddle.' One glaring defect was the dress Ing. It is expected that of a morn ing, the family and guests would as- semble in flannels and such, yet everyone had the same duds then as on the evening before and none went in for. dinner jackets, manda- tory in English homes of this class. Possibly the time between acts did not permit of costume changes or there arie not requisite dressing rooms but if new stage plays are to be televised, as proposed, that prob- lem should be solved for the bene- fit of television and illusion. Seemed, too, that some form of descriptive matter should accompany telecast drama. There was opportunity when the intermissions were flashed and could easily be shown before the performance. 'Fever' was under a partial handicap because one of the three cameras required was out of order. Hesult was some too-.sharp lighting contrasts and one of the men's attire looked much more wrinkled than it probably was. Isobel Elson formerly a regular, in A. H. Woods casts did very well as Judith Bliss self-centered actress of the play, who strikes the keynote of her family. Dennis Hoey as the au- thor, Montgomery Clift as the son and Virginia Campbell the daughter are the ill-mannered family, each of whom invites a guest to whom none pays much attention. While the family are" engrossed with them- selves, the exit of the guests was none too well arranged, a likely de- feet blamable on the limited visio space. Florence Edney, another familiar legiter, played the maid, while Nancy Sheridan, Barbara Leeds, Lowell Gilmore and Carl Harbord completed the cast. Ibee. LUCY MONROE Singer Friday, July 28 NBC-RCA, New Tort Lucy Monroe registered a clear- cut click on television. She looked extremely good; her smile and per- sonality matched a voice that was distinctly something. A solitary flaw was that nobody told her to wear a gown that would contrast with the background. Her dress did not stand out. This same condition was also noted when the ballroom dancer, Jo Butler, did her stuff later. The close-up at the end was a bit of a triumph both for Miss Monroe and for NBC. Negatively, however, it may be asked if any singer should be asked to skip from one song to an other in rapid suggestion without change of pace. The policy of using talent as separate vaudeville acts and then getting on to the next turn is not the best kind of routining. Mix ing up the specialties and the people seems in order. On the high notes, the vibration from Miss Monroe's power-backed tonsils shook the 441 lines on the soreen. Notable that the throat muscles and mouth formations were free of any tightness or strain under the close scrutiny. She was plenty pear-shaped. Land. ALBERT and JOSEPHINE BL'TLER Rhumba Friday, July 28 NBC-RCA, New York Man and wife dance instructors broke down the rhumba to give a squirm - by - squirm idea of what makes it dancing. Butler himself kept up a running commentary on the main points. He showed a con^ siderable talent for clarity and ex- planation, essentials of good peda gogy in any field. All in all it was engrossing and a provocative suggestion of television possibilities. Land. N. Y. (NBC) Television Aug. 2 12:00 Noon—The Storytone, new musical instrument. 12:15—Films, Chevrolet News. 12:45—George Ross, Broadway columnist. 12:55-1:00—Newscast 4:00-5:00 p.m.—Life paving Demonstration. • Aug. 3 . 12:00 Noon—Arnold Constable Fashion Show. 12:15—Films, Chevrolet News. 12:45—'Correct coiffures.' 12:55-1:00—Newscast. 8:30-9:30 p.m.—Feature film, 'Edge of the World.' Aug. 4 12:00 Noon—Bcrnice Allstock, songs. 12:15—Film, 'Precisely So.' 12:45—To be announced. 12:55-1:00—Newscast. 4:00-5:00 p.m.—An outside pick-up. 8:30-9:30 p.m.—Feature film, 'My Heart Is Calling,' with Jan Kiepura. Aug. 5 4:00-5:00 p.m.—Water Ballet at Manhattan Beach. IREENE WICKER . Songolog Friday, July 28 NBC-RCA, New York Radio's 'singing lady' tele-photo- graphs well. She happens, too, to be an okay performer. So her debut got over despite the deep corn payoff line when the immigrant girl on Ellis Island discovers, after singing sev- eral lullabys, that she's on the tele vision. And is she surprised! The general lack of stage manage- ment in these NBC tra-Ia-las also is something. La Wicker sat on one end of the bench. A long wooden affair. On the other end, looking as unnecessary as he must have felt, was her supposed husband, Guiseppe, an honest guitar-player to whom his wife never spoke. Nor did she look in his direction. The NBC producer apparently didn't notice him, either. But the audience was painfully aware that the poor guy was stranded and uncomfortable. Land. LELAND STOWE Commentator 18 Mlns. Friday, July 28 NBC-RCA, New York Stowe is a foreign correspondent and probably a good one. But as handled before the television icono- scope he served not to prove any- thing concerning his own value as a commentator, but- rather to prove that exaggerated 'informality' can be more stiff and unnatural than just standing up before the lights in the orthodox spieling style and talking. Stowe had a divan to sit upon, a table for his notes, a tray for his pipe. And he settled down to amble along and chat liesurely about Dan- zig. That was the main trouble—too much relaxation. Public appearances differ from a few friends hashing things over. Stowe acted as if he hadn't any place to go and was willing to spend the evening. His intermittent nervous fooling with the pipes and matches aggravated the feeling of unneces- sary delay and dawdling in getting to the point. When after some 16 min- utes he finally completed a some- what labored examination of the background facts on the Polish cor- ridor, he then said: 'Surely I shall not be expected to venture a predic- tion on the outcome.' It was a case of building up to a letdown. Stowe is photogenic and looked good on the RCA mirror as received. He opened the Friday night hour. He never did get his pipe ignited, but in another few minutes under those scorching television lichts it would probably have burst into flame. Land. PINKY LEE AND CO. (2) Hokum Friday, July 28 NBC-RCA, New York It appears that television, like the early cinema, has an affinity for slapstick. The rough - and - ready knockabout of Pinky Lee (girl and man assist him) proved quite amus- ing as painted upon the business end of a cathode ray tube. He registered most of his standard stage points with pretty steady accuracy in the new medium. Noticeable that the crazy changes of pace and quick, unrelated transi- tions from one nut bit of biz to an- other did hot create the confusion that might be expected. Rough- house may be the belly laugh modus operandi of telecasting,.as elsewhere. Some things may not.be promising for the sky-pictures, but custard pie seems to lose nothing in the transfer. Land. •ME AND MY GIRL' With Lupino Lane, Teddy St. Denia and entire Victoria Palace com- pany Monday, July 17 BBC, London This was second time the long-run show had been picked up, but the first attempt to put it over from first curtain to last. Setting aside the show itself (just passing its 1,000th performance), it was admittedly an entertaining television item. But with several buts. To begin with, the screen never picks up a thoroughly clear impresi- sion of the stage setting, and all ele- ment of spectacle or color is lacking. Again, the lighting, as needs must be from an actual theatre, is spotty, and the only way to maintain a reason- ably even illumination is to fiddle with the knbbs of the set, which is a distraction, if nothing worse. Sound is also sub-normal, as presumably it is impossible to lay a network of mikes all around the stage so as to even out between footlights and up- stage; consequence of this is the average set must be turned up to an overloud pitch tf the viewer wants to catch all the dialog. Same criticism still remains of a full-length show as was noted when first experiment was made last year from St. Martin's theatre—it is too long and wearying. Great concen- tration is needed to keep the eyes glued for two and a half hours on a 10 by 8-inch picture. Not only do the eyes tend to become physically tired and sore, but attention is apt to wander in the later scenes. Shows in this category are praise- worthy, but television can perhaps never be expected to go ahead with a bang so long as monopoly is vested in BBC hands. There is no prospect, as things are in the .U. K., of any competitive program being forth- coming for many years, and the prospect of only being able to get a single station is insufficient induce- ment to sell a $150 set to the average individual. With radio it's different; not only does BBC itself offer some degree of choice, but the whole of Europe and some from the U. S. A. is available for any listener, who can therefore always expect to oick up something entertaining. With tele- vision, the viewer has to talte it and like it, and BBC. is under no obliga- tion to strain. It couldn't, anyway, even if it wanted to, because there's never likely to be more than a mea- ger bankroll. John Conrad in and out of WIRE^ Indianapolis. NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR LOCAL SPONSORSHIP BOAKE CARTER Radioes Columnist It ELUCIDATES AND ANALYZES THE NEWS % Swiftly-sent transcriptions available for local use on 3-time or 5-time weekly basis. Sustaining or commercial. Write Boake Carter. 1622 Chestnut Street. Philadelphia, Pa.