Variety (June 1949)

W^neMlay, June 1, 1919 TKI.I-:VISIO.\ REVlKWi; ss Tele Follow-up Commeiit | John M. Murtach, New York City lommissioner of investiga- tion, provided a moderately inter- esting interview Saturday night <28) as guest on John Crosson’s “City Hall” series on WPIX, New York. Since Murtagh is a forth- right speaker and a vigorous offi- cial in a key position, he was obvi- ously a natural interview subject for the N. Y. Daily New"s political reporter's program. However, the script glibly fkimmed the surface of Murtagh’s activities without penetrating to the meat of any of his current in- quiries, so the questions and answers lacked impact. Also, the occasional attempts to make the confab seem extemporaneous were go transparent that the whole show geemed stilted. Incidentally, Cros- son called him “John” throughout the stanzaf so anyone tuning In after the intro would not have known his name or who he was. The device of having the inter- vi,ew take place casually on a bench in City Hall park should be effective if skillfully used, al- though it has seasonal and weather complications. But Crosson’s questions tend to be innocuous and he repeats complimentary generalities ion this case he told the investigations official, “You’re doing a swell Job,” several limes without explaining his grounds for the statement). Murtagh, on the other hand, was generally terse and foreeful, and some of his remarks indicated an apparent willingness to make provocative statements if searchingly ques- tioned. One of the attempts at spon- taneity showed shockingly bad Judgment. That was during the discu.s.*Jon of Murtagh’s current probe of ticket scalping on Broad- way. In an elaborately casual gesture the commissioner took a pair of tickets from his pocket and gave them to Crosson, remarking that they were for “South Pacific” and that he had paid the regula- tion price for them. Perhaps it seemed a “cute” idea in the stu- dio, but to the home viewer, al- ready justifiably suspicious of both public officials and theatre ticket distribution. understudy role when a screen ac- tress'was first mulled tor her part. She also discussed the need some- time of “Salesman’s” actors having to play down their roles, when audiences got too emotional. Bloomgarten talked very frankly and cogently on the current scalp- ing mess; defended theatre parties as necessary insurance to pro- ducers in these days of high pro- duction costs, and advocated the return of brokers’ buys. Discus- sion may have been a little too technical sometimes for the lay public, but it was tied up with the headlines. “Broadway in Heview,” as a 15-minute show, still suffers from an old fault—its shortness. Chapman picks his guests wisely, and all come with .something to say. For variety, or brevity. Chap- man keeps cutting a guest off from going too fully into one subject, in his desire to get on to another topic. Skipping so fast from subject to subject gives the program a skimpy, incomplete feeling. Show ought to be stretched to a half-hour. With heightened interest in the theatre, nationally as w'ell as on Broadway, 30 minutes isn’t too long a stretch for the intelligent, pointed discus- sions that come out of this gram. LORRY RAINE Lillian Roth imparted a nice touch to the Milton Berle Texaco show last week, the singer doing several tunes w ith which she’s been associated, and clicking. The old- time Roth voice, naturally, wasn’t as ringing as formerly, but .Miss Roth still retains much of her .salesmanship. The show also fea- tured disk Jockey Jack Eigen, who. in a jockey stint with Berle and Haymes— ‘from the Copacabana”— did his usual gabfest, etc. In spin- ning records of varied stars iCorno. Merman, etc.), performers such as George DeWitt and Miss Roth did impressions of them. The idea was better than the technical ex- ecution. This was typical of most of the show', which saw a series of productional misfires. “Can’t Sleep”—Oecca Original record, “It's Too Late Now” Lorry' 8 ,record, iiu lmlinic "It's Too I.aie Xow." whi' h .she introiliioed, are arnonx most played, She’s had kudos of sucli national radio joeke.vs as Martin Mloi k, Ted llus- iiiK. Jack the Bellboy, Leonard Feather, et al. Radio appearan<*08 include Mark ppQ^-r Warnow’s “.Sotind Off,” "Suminer- tUdd Randsta ml," "t'otuniand I’er- formanee.” ■■California .Melodies." •■.Make Way For Y<Mitli” and other top sliou s. TIM GAYLE Hotel Sheraton, Detroit ART FORD SHOW With Joe Bushkin's I.awrence, Richard Indig, guests Producer: Ernest Anderson Orch, Hayes, Baby Joyce “Leave It to the Girls” moved Into the NBC 8 p.m. Sunday eve- ning slot vacated by the LaniHs Gambol show (29) and in its bet- ter position seems a likely op- ponent for Ed Sullivan’s ‘"Toast of the Town.” This is a lively discus- alon session, made so by the sharp and nimble tongues of the four women and one man guest board, under Maggi McNellis, moderator. That it often sjnks into a confus- ing kaleidoscope of opinions and counter-opinions in no way reduces the bite of what it has to sa.v gen- erally. On this broadcast, Kilty Carli.sle, Binnie Barnes. Nancy Kelly and Florence I’ritniott hail commentator Ted Malone on Ibe hook and while he occasionally stopped them could he was a pretty badly mauled male when the pro- gram closed. Program accepts var\ ing ques- tions from women listeners for “S guests to chew over and very often queries of a similar nature *re used. For example. Sunday eve- ning’s program asked once “why cant a gal with brains, beauty, etc., get a man?’’ and another wanted to know “do men marry smart wom- en. Apparently, the queries were selected deliberately, but the re- sulting dog-fight between the four RsIs and Malone made the entire program seem narrow-minded and somew'hat reduced its impact. After all, it’s tough for a male to near his sex booted for 30 minutes. General Foods sponsors in bc- nalf of Maxwell House cofTce. Plugs for the .stuff that’s said to be good to the last drqp were nicely handled. But by the closing one, one would have thought the gals male *^ “^**"* poison — for the “The Mikado” was given an un- even workout on NBC’s “Drama Theatre” la.st Sunday '29) by the Gilbert and Sullivan Choral group of .New York. This is a semi-pro- fessional outfit, which tells the whole story. Some of the voices, notably Florence Sprout as Yuin- Yum, were firslrate, but a couple of central roles were handled by markedly inadequate singers. Co.s- tuines and settings were good. The video production was severe- ly limited by a rigid conformity to conventional theatre stagings of the operetta. The TV sets were jammed by the chorus. Ihree-ouar- ters of which should have been kept in the wings to be heard and not seen. Some of the mass choral movements tended to induce dizzi- ness in their swoop to and away from the camera lens. On the credit side, however, was the pro- duction’s successful accent on in- telligibility of lyrics. Director: (Tay 60 Mins.; Sat., Participating WPIX, N. Y. Radio’s likely to television presentation It is fairly pilot shows proposition of using an Yurdin 11 p.m. .IITNIOR JAMBOREE With Bill Nimmo, Fred Parsons. .AI Page. Rudy Prihoda Producer: Gene Walz Writer; Chet Behrman 45 Mins.; Mon. through Fri., 5:15 p.m. Participating WLW-T, Cincinnati This juve series, on since the station’s commercial preem early last year, enjoys the highest rating i of locally produced afternoon : shows. Flesh faro, plenty varied and , juicy with drawing prizes, give- aways and other gimmicks, is pre- faced by 20 minutes of a kid movie. and Fred Parsons emcee chores on Al Page, magician, feature and Rudy a .spe- Tuesday disk-jockey format is have hard-sledding on unless some dra.stic changes are made, evident that platter- will be an expensive because of necessity orch plus show regu- lars who mu.st be called on while celebs file into the studio. Re- sults as were evident on the Art Ford show preem '28) stack up as an inexpertly produced vaudeo layout, even though it is granted that any rehearsal and fancy pro- duction would put this kind of program in direct competition with variety shows. The saving factors with Ford’s display is the jock’s own glib line of chatter. Ford, fortunately, spiels well, makes sense, and has a good video personality. He was also fortunate in getting a good variety of guesters, among whom were Fran Warren. Rose Murphy. Leo De Lyon, Mel Tonne, and Bill Lawrence, who after a talk- over rehearsal let out with a num- ber. Inasmuch as disk-joekeys generally consort with bandleaders and singers only, they’ll now have to widen acquaintance to dancers, novelty acts, acrobats, etc., in order to get the needed \ariety into their shows. Regulars on tlie^ program are Baby Lawrence, a good Negro dancer; Richard Hayes and .Joyce Indig. a pair of competent singers, and Joe Bushkin’s band which has such gifted sidemen as Chubby Jackson at the bass and Bobby Haekett on the trumpet. The regulars are ca])able of a quarter hour’s good themselves. Ford has an effort to viewing. He screen which wired to him entertainment in Bill Nimmo do smoothie .separate days, is a Monday Prihoda, cartoonist, fills cialty spot on Thursday. for school, groups, and take over on badges are Switching to a new night., Fri- fn p’ Y., ‘’Broadway n Review continues to be a very V®’ 'iterate program about thl 1 iT; thanks largely to e skillful handling and ea.sy style emcee John Chapman, Daily Lit ® critic. Friday;s (27) IITT’ Ruests Mildred Dun- Kcrmit Bloomgarten, co-producer, re- of “Death of a Sale.s- man. Discu.ssion was unusually TN, resting and informative. .AIlss ‘'ovealed how she had herself on the manage- oieni, even being willing to take the ' ' • t I ... 1 and Wednesday are Boy and Girl Scout games and inlervicws Friday, Birthday pas.sed out daily. Participating spon.sors are Pepsi- Cola. Velva-Shcen shirts, Fritos and Tech-Art Co. Besides offering the kind of en- tertainment that holds general appeal for the small fry, the old- sters in charge impress them with the daily good deed theory. Koll. severa'I stunts in provide interesting has a travelling projects messages (unfortunately cam- serial I eras couldn’t pick up wordage on show caught), and gifts for those who send in messages. He al.so has the usual telephone calls. At one point Ford held onto the line for three numbers at the be- hest of the operator, but then Danny Kaye got on the phone from London. Ford has indicated that there are po.ssibilities in the deejay format, but there’s work to be done on it. Jose. .Anne Riis- 2 p.m. MARKET MELODIE.S With Walter llerlihy, sell; guests Prods: Art .Modell, .Milton Roberts Director: Bob Doyle 120 Mins.; Tues. thru Fri, Participating WJZ-TV. ABC. N. Y. “Market Melodies.” ABC Mole- vision’s entry in the daytime video sweepstakes, is just th.at—merely another entrj-. Two-hour .strip, comprising the standard how-to-do demonstrations and musical inter- ludes, will probably corral sonic of the soiight-four housewife audi- ences. especially since some of tlie other local N. Y. stations formerly catering to domestic femmes are now carrying baseball pickups. Program, however, offers nothing new' in the way of format, and. w'ith its concentration on amateur or semi-pro guest talent, very little in the way of entertainment. Waller Herlihy and .\nne Rus- sell are eo-erneees of tlu* daily ses- sions and. on the show caugiit Miss Russell seemed to have the best of it. Herlihy handled his in- terview chores okay w hen he was talking to another man. such as tlie doctor who gave hints on accident- prevention, but appeared ill at ease in the presence of the usual bevy of women. Miss Russell, an attrac- tive and obviously-intelligcnt gal, did her best to keep the conversa- tion from lagging in her interviews and often succeeded. Two of them complemented each other when both were on camera and might lend the show to better things, given a format twist and more ex- perience at this t.\ pe of program. Talent, tossed in sporadically in an apparent effort to change the pact*, consi.sted of performers like a 17-ycar-old gal singer from a music .school and a colored blues thrush introduced by ex-band leader Noble Sissle. Neither had much to otfer and both were on too l(»ng. other pace-changer, .some selected recordings were over title cards on the which carried some too-cute verse. Cost-saving idea behind the device was more obvious than its success. Commercials plugged products sold at the Grand Union food stores and. as presented by the two emcees, were okay. Format, if nothing else, offered plenty of op- portunities for integration of the plugs and they should do an ac- ceptable selling job. .Stal. For an- poorly- playcd screen. PAR. BIRDIES AND EAGLES With Jimmy Hines, Johnny Re- volta, Joe Jemsek. Charlie Nash: Bob McKee, emcee Producer: Herbert Laufman 30 Mins., Mon., 9 p.m. ST. ANDREWS. MISSION HILLS GOLF COURSES WGN-TV, Chicago (Herbert S. Lniifotan) This show is billed as one to “take 10 strokes off one's game’’ and under the mellow tutelage of competent golf pros Jimmy Hines and Johnny Rcvolta. it might well do just that for duffers. Program idea is to cover basic golf instruction over a 13-week series, and incidentally attract a raft of divot enthusia.sts out to the sponsoring clubs. Prizes are offci cd to viewers sending in questions that c;<n be demonstrated. Along with instructions, rules ex- perts Joe Jemsek and Charlie Nash explain with sketches just how to keep it a gentleman’s game. Emeec Bob McKee is helpful with queries and suggestions. Pros Hines and Rcvolta provide a literate exposition of proper stance, swing, wrist action and chipping. Program winds up with McKee making a first class commercial pitch that scores a hole-in-one f(>r sincerity. Camera on preem lagged in spots and raced in others, but the net screening was worthwhile for viewers. Backdrop of golf course helped create an outdoor illusion. Mart. CANDID CAMERA With Allen Funt, others Producer; Funt 3U .Mins., Sun., 7:30 p.m. Sustaining NBC-TV, from New York When .ABC, at the end of last season, dropped .Allen Flint's “Candid .Mike” show after a .m .-ir's unsuccc.ssful effort to snare a s . n- ^or. it was generally mourned liy tlic radio fraternity. It was rccog- nrzed as one of the more provoca- tive and stimulating of the new ra- dio programs. Flint has now’ gone a step fur- tlur and has revamped the stanza for television. His “Candid Cam- era." which preemed Sundav '29) night on NBC-TV in the 7:30‘-8 pe- riod. is even better as a sight-and- .soiind pic.scntation than it was as an .AM attraction. The idea of sneaking up on un- suspecting persons within rye and car shot of hidden camera and mike and watching and hearing them react to Funl’s “planted” in- terx iews comes off as a natural for video. The po.ssibilities arc limit- Ics.s. Certainly on the initial pro- gram the unguarded participants and “xictims” of I'unt’s assorted roving assignments “wrote the .script.” bringing to “Candid Cam- era” the sought-for informality and unpredictable quality that ma<le "Candid Mike” interesting listen- ing. Obviously edited down to elim- inate the dull stretches and "stage waits," Flint's initial series of se- oiiences moved merrily along. These indiided interviews with a couple of five-year-old kids on the subject of how to prevent wars; I lint installing himself as a riMiind clerk at S. Klein’s bargain - base- ment department store in N. Y. to pick up the conversation pieces of tlircc dames returning im rchan- (lisc: the reaction of a crowd to the supposed arrival^of a film star on a resident street, and sounding out an 86-yeai-old woman on what she’d do with a pockethook found on the sidewalk containing $17,000. It’s to Flint's credit and alertiicsi that he didn’t miss a trick. The “candid” stuff, of course. Is filmed, and .screened in full view of a small, select audience 'also visible to the televiewers), with in- terspersed studio .shots. It’s in the “live” segments, however, that Flint’s format falls short. .Aside from giving him an opportunity to introduce audience celebs (John Garfield. Margo, Norman Corwin and his wife, Katharine Locke, among others, on the first show), and bringing in a couple of the "candid” victims for prize payoffs, the studio hits .serve no useful pur- pose. Ratker, they disrupt the in- formal and spontaneous atmos- phere achieved by the candid cam- era shots. In the overall picture, the fault IS not a major one. Experimenta- tion should produce a more natural dovetailing of live and filmed episodes. Funt. actually, has a w in- ning presentation. Rose. Omaha—WOW has set a tenta- tive date. Sept. 1. for opening of telcvi.sion operations locally. KMA is ofTering no guess as to >vhen set- up will .start to function. Both practically have towers up and buildings being readied. ( • » » J KSD-TV’s Wide Range St. Louis, May 31, Television programs broadcast by KSD-TV have been received frequently in Phoenix. Ariz., 1.300 air miles away, according to a let- ter received from 1. W. Brayer. owner of a radio-record appliance shop there. On May 4 Brayer wrote the local station that the video and aural signal had been re- ceived on Idioenix sets. Programs have been received six times .since .May 4. Delta Ditching ‘O’Toole’; ‘House’ Due for Renewal i Chicago, May 31. Delta Manufacturing will drop ABC-TV’s "That’s O’Toolo'* June 5. Chi-originated 15 minute handi- craft show, with little possibility that Delta will renew the bankroll j come fall. .Agency is Hoffman & York. Milwaukee. ^ WI^NR-TV’s local scrooner, “At Our Hou.se.’’ is getting its final tele- cast June 3, but sponsor Hoover Vacuum Cleaners is reported satis- fied with the commercial impact of program, and is huddling with Leo Burnett agency with an eye to a .September revival. Bob Elson will start a 15-minute sports comment show on WENR- TV June 6. five a week, to replace "Uncle .Mistletoe,” which the Mar- sh.'ill Field store will drop June 3. The Elson show has no sponsor in , sight. i. I . ^ FARM PICTURE With Rill Givens. Guests 15 .Mins., Tue., 6:35 p.m. Sustaining W RGB-TV, Schenectady Program features WGY’s f.-irm director and leading agriculturists in a video version of longtime broadcasts presented by General Electric Co. It carries over, and in some cases notably expands, angle.s of the radio shows. Two, presented sometime ago with Ed. W. Mitehell. veteran WGY farm adviser, con- eerned pruning and grafting. Both demonstrated the advantages which television holds over radio. Mitchell not only told how the op- erations should be performed but did them himself. He revealed that he possesses an effective video per- sonality for rural educationals. When the farmer audience in- creases, he could be featured on a weekly telecast. Several originations dealing with landscaping and lawn planning— handled by men from a New Jer- sey agricultural college—revealed imagination in the use of video to project instruction. They had ap- peal to city viewers, too. The I roundtables and discussion panels are not as impressive, one rca.son i being that many of the, participants I are amateurs in television. They ; incline to stiffness. Presumably, development • of techniques by j WRGB and added video experience by the experts are necessary. The .Schenectady County Farm Bureau ; agent proved an exception. He photographed well and talked flu- ently, while illustrating one simple method of testing soil. Chap rates a repeat date. Bill Givens is the slickest looking WGY personality to work on WR(JB. He appears a trifle too citi- fied for a farm director, but GE oi* ficials say tillers of the soil recog- nize he knows the business. Good- hjoking voung man is modi.‘;hIy dressed and carefully made up. t Jaco.