Variety (July 1949)

^rJnreday, July 27, 1949 TKI>:VISIO.\ KEVIKW^ 99 I Tele Follow-Up Comment A pl*y passed up by Broadway audiences can be suitable tor fine tele presentation as is evidenced in the Philco Summer theatre’s produrlion of "You Touched jVle " This Tennessee Williams effort had a short-lived Broadway run but on video, this work served to bring back the quality of this series to its wintertime level. The necessary elements of a worthy adaptation for this medium and an excellent cast gave this play a suitable base for an hour-long display. Dennis King, as the hard-drinking. former sea captain gave a particularly good account of himself in this play in which he and an adopted son cut off his daughtm’s retreat from the world. William Prince as the adopted son. Mary McCord as the daughter and Margaret Bannerman as the captain s shrewish sister, contribute good overall enactments. Neil F'itzgerald. vho enacted the role of the parish rector in the Broadway leqit(‘r re peated the lole in this session with equally go(»d effect. Adaptors ran headlong into a risque situation in this play. In one sequence, the captain starts telling of a female porpoise who fell in love with him while marooned on an island, .hist as the dissertation starts getting s|)icy. tlure’s a dissolve into the next scene. This bit could have Ix'cn left out of the video version without harming the play. It would have been better than having this episode dangle mid-air. since it had no relevant connection with the r( st of the play. Fred Coe a.s producer, (lordon Dulfs direction, and Samuel Carter’s adaptation contributed etl<‘ctively to the satisfactory performance. f-reciuent use of organ music heightened the mood. to solution, and choice of video material seems to be improved considerably over previous displays. 'I'heir fourth show il9> had the zanies doing their rest-home bit. which seems an ideal sketch for their particular type of lunacy. The wealth of incident and hoke were delivered with precision, and gags were pointed up in a manner that indicated that there's a deser\ing spot on the video spectrum foi' their particular type of humor .Another impro\'ement registered on this show is the manner in which outside acts are being introduced. The Kanerald Sisters’ turn served as a respite from the violent pacing of the rest of the show while giving them a more effective setting for tluur act Marty Ma\ trotted out more of his vaudeville bits to register effect ive1\ . The college medley bit. however. didn’t measure up to ttie rest of llie show. "Cartoon Tele-Tales,” half-hour kids' show aired Sunday «‘venings via ABCNTV, is going into its second straight year as one of the better programs for moppets. In addition to being entertaining, this one has the added advantage of including a drawing lesson for the pint-sized viewers, capably explained and demonstrated by cartoonist Chuck Luchsinger His brother, .lack, has a neat flair for reading fairy-tales to the kids, which are illustrated in a sort i)f running commentary by the cartoonist at his drawing board. On Sunday’s (24i program, the cameras were put to good advantage in picking up the rapt faces of four moppets brought in as studio guests as they, listened to the story. Brothers then displayed their "art gallery.” featuring the best pictures sent in by home viewers. each of whom gets a drawing kit as a prize. Program, which is good enough to rate sponsorsliip. Is packaged by indie producer Bane Shlaes. Carry >loore. estwhile quizma.ster on the .\BC-.A.M "'lake It Or Lea\e It" show, subbed for l.anny Ross on .\BC-TV’s "Swift .Sliow” last 'riuiisday night <21 » and demonstrated he might go okay on \ideo with the rigid maUuial. But he didn’t have it that night. With his crew-cut for appearance and experienced deliveiy for talent. Moore displa\ed an infectious T\' personality and his rubber-legged dame for the finale showed he can do more than toss a gag. But the material handed him was either slanted for radio or else too stilted for either medium. 'I'hat monolog about example. w«uild have moie effective as an Watching him do it on 'I'V. w’ith a couple of twigs stuck behind his ears for dressing, ruined its impact. Post-office skit with the show’s regular comics. Bernie West and Mickey Boss was from nowhere. Show in otlier respects failed to measure up to the high standards usually associated with it. Martha Wright, femme vocalist, looked better than she sounded on a couple of tunes and the camera work, usually the. highlight of the stanza, was lacklustre. Singer Don Richards projected well in a guest spot, being the program’s standout. Ross will be back this week, after an intervening vaude date at the Steel Pier, .Atlantic C'ity. a tree, for been much .\M piece. THE SrOLEN PRINC E With Ernest ('ussart, Shirley Bale. Ivan MacDonald. Collins Bain, Dave Quinlan, Robbie .Nick. Vaughn I'aylor. Bruce Taylor, I'lary .4nn Reeve. Charles McClelland. Reginald Roland, Ralph Congley, Pad Mosel. Robert I'aylor Producer: Curtis Canfield Director: Mark Hawley Writer: Dan 'I'otheioh SO Mins., Mon. ti.'it, 8 p.ni. Sustaining NBC-TV from N. Y. 'I’he .‘\cademy Theatre offered a Chinese romantic fantas.x. "The Stolen Prince ” on .NBC Monday <28<. as the first of a stuies of experimental pla\s. If the play had l)een done straight, it would have been a sueees.'-ful e\()eiimeiit Beeaiise. for some unaccountaf)le reason, the pri'siutat itm vsas gagged un it failt'd. Production was a simple tale of a Chinese monarch>. a stolen fieir to the throne, and his eventual return to high «‘state The lo^tuim's. the <‘xpiisilory figure acting as Chorus, the props m..n rt'presc'nling all (iguies and suli.jecls. tlie {|uaini orchestra on the sidelim's. the gentle pertormances h\’ most of Ihe aitors — tliest* made for (•h.inu, almospluMe and illusion But tor some rejisoii the scriptt'r found It necessar.x to kid the whole i(h‘a, to have .Mr. IMatps a t)urlcsf|ue rather than a sti .aif lit or sv nipaihetie figuriv and to ha\e otiu'r coiiu(l\ inliodiuad when it wasn’t needed S(» illusion was htst. and a gentle fantas.v rohhed of appeal. Rohei I Coss.irt. as tiu* ('horns, wasn't always eonvincing as u Cliimse sa\ani Other performers were (x casional l.\ we.ak. .'sound v^asn't always r<*liable; the vitiees of the Nouiig prince, as wadi as others, wi'ien t aiwavs clear, f’re.s(mtation showed that there is a definite place for .simple productions of fantasy: it sluiwcd tliis clearly despite its own defudem ies. Urdu. Buddy Rogers, subbing for the vacationing F.d Sullivan on CBS1 V "s “Toast of the ’I'own" Sunday night '241. brought a new and welcome personality to eastern televiewing. In addition to Ids lengthy experience in films and as a handleader. he also has emceed an audience participation 'I'V show' on the Coast for .some time and the parlay of bis talents inn)ressed as knowing showmanship. (Ireving hair lends a distinctive note to his st ill-hand.some appearance, whicdi should make him a good txd for distalf viewers particulai d,\'. Besides introducing the acts (•apal)ly. he demonstrated his own talents ''dh a neat piano stint and socked across the final production number. In which he performed his (*rs|while. versatile band-fronting routine of playing every instrument. With many of the name acts unavaiiyhle during the summer. Sunday night's program relied on lesser-known talent, most of w hom showed extremely well \ ia their video freshness. Leading the' |)arade was magician R(»y Benstm soeko with some fine prestidigitation hacked by funny palter. F'.ugenie Baird piped a couple of tunes •n good style and Duke .Mden Snowed .some new tiicks in a standard puppet act. Aecoidion group of 17 high-seh«x>lers. <''ideneed it's lough to gel good pro acts in the summer hut Bomon Baine were okay w ith a < oiiP ♦' of terp routines. Sunny llowrd. inserting a new angle into im|v ' ions, did a fine job on eoncrooners, Ray Riot h s Cl and the six-girl line added to Dick Kollmar, radio actor and (piondam legit producer, is displaying solid telex’ision talents on NBCTVs Sunday night "Broadway Spotlight." .As emt ee of the halfhour vaudeo sustainer. Kidimar presents a pleasant personality. tiKM red only slightly by a tendency towards gushiness. On the show caught (24). he al.so kidded through moderatelx’ funnv graveyard skit with sepian eomtuiian Mantan Moreland, which leaned towards qu(*sl ionahle taste h\' easting MtireUiiul in the stereotyped role of a Negro friglitened of ghosts. .Sunday night's stanza hit another low in the woik ot comedian (Jene Ba\ los. who must have roused the sensitivities of manx xiewers xvith his routine on the dt'af who are forced to xxfar hearing aids Indie producer Martin .limes, who packages Ihe shoxv. and .NBC director Douglas Rodgers should haxe known lx*ltcr. It’s stuff like this that makes llial industry self-regulatory eixle a ueeessily. Otherwise the shoxx was gxiod. with Maitez& Lm ia soiking acioss a dillicult balancing act to Latin tempos and the Kontose Bros. <21 impressing xxilh a tast-pae(*d taj) routine. .lories mounted the shoxx with neat production xaUi»*s. making especiall.x' good use ot tlie >;i^‘ girl .lime 'l ax lor line and \ ing Merlin's music. in bis for I .oIhe apthe show ine tlie the St udio found there is with tlli^ little fault to be product ion. Piogiam's production xalues. A Johnson hilling ihrir series The appear to he stride in the Buiek major problem of pick'PK »'P the O&J gags by the "ilh the necessary spliton the vxa> TALENT JACKPOT With Vinton Ereedley, yer. others Piodueer: Ed Wolfe Din'etors: Jack Rubin. 80 .Mins., Tues., 9 p.in. Dll Mont W.ABD, from New York Du Mon'l just anotlier xvhieh a set of exhibited for audiences, some angle Bud Coll Roh Loewi “Talent .laekpot" is xaudeo ruitry in professional acts aie apiuaisal by studio 'I'liere's atiparently in xxbieh this sliow hoped to differentiate itself from other straight act displaxs. l)ut it failed to come off, despite produeir Vinton Freedle.x's piesem-e. 'riiere’s a sei'iiiing contradiction in presenting a name legit producer on a program of this kind, .lust w lix' a pei’son of Freedley's at lainmerits in the entiutainment field sfioiild liaxe to defer to the xvisbes of a studio audience is somexxhat bex’ond eomiireliension He's a producer witli a siring of sueeessful slioxcs to ms credit and apparently knows more about talent than the general run of studio audience. In that way bis presence on the show seemed illogical. Freedlex flidn't have too mueli to do except cnee to the slioxx' cier Bud Collx i r JOHN J. ANTHONY With John 'rtllman Producer: Chick Vincent A Jerry Law Director: Cledge Roberts. .Assoc. Director: Peggy (iaiinon 30 !Mins., Sun., 8:30 p m. Sustaining WPIX. New York .luhii .1 .Anihoiix’s miubid mulling and maslei nnnding ot the "iliffieult" problems of that portion of the masses \x ho apparently cannot figure their xxax out of a paper bag. (loesn’t have mui li for x iih<o under the format ot the first shoxx presented Sunday '24 r .Anilionv’s idea, successful on radio, presented bole-full entertammciit on x idco and a lot of it was liis nw n »»i producer's f;mll Firstly, in a balf-bour .Anilionv XX as able to li'-ten to onlx two socalled "petitioners" .Sccomllx, since it figures that be seU-ils ih<-m in adxanee. the Ixxo probli'in-adults weie badly pared Tlicx prcsciilcd the same prolilems the mabililx to procuri* proper living (pi, liters 'I’liiidly. Antlioiix xva^irs a lot ot lime xxitli Ids "Jurx" idea lie has eii’lit pi'ople, appaia'iilly from the audience, sit in a jury box. iii \ icxx of the c.imer.a retire to (Iclibe'ale xxhen the prolilein is fin, ally pres«'nlid. and foiaii their own con elusions as to xxliat should be done fur till' ixMiiioiier Mi'.anwldlc An Ihony himself proeeix’s wi'li i ohm selling and the opinions .arrixcd at bx the jury do not disliirh or alter Ids own ideas. 'I'licy Mipplci" nl .Anlliotiy « out that how close agree on ously a I iiiie-\x ;e t ing thought and lu* li.ardlx can point out to the juiy that its eonelusioiis m;i\ hr poor On the first show, holli striir’s of tlioiighi K'tnriicd h\ the ( iglit he lalx'lled "('xcrllent." One xxas pretty silly. 'I’imi' take'll lip by .Anthony's inI laxluct ion of e.aeli im*mher of llu' iiiry. Ilu'ir xvork. baekeroimd, »'le.. and Ids reeatiping to them Hie stdient iioinis of a problem tlx'x c.in hear as xxell as he, as out lim'd In each "petitioner." could helli'r he used to six'cd up the slioxx. Plus xvhieh. belxxi'i'ii ( ases lie droos jiaragraplis of wisdom-reading fiom a script teameraman xxasn’l fast enoueh gel' ing in for a e'osrooi xxhieh hardly gives the idea the proper ad lib effectiveness. Anthony doi'sii t reveal the names or the faces of his "petitioners” Thi'y're ld(tden iM'hind a screen in a xx ay that he can see the person hut the e:um'ia eaiiiiol Oe casionally. tliere's a hack vi»''v of Ihe one sei'king advice, but it rex i'al.s nothing. On this shoxx ing. • no. .Anthony had trouble g('lting the txvo tieople to s|)eak ufi so they could be heard. .All told, a xxrak leeoff on x id^o of a shoxx that Ix'came lo|»ra'r(t ■AM program due to the morhid (uriosily of lliose wit ft little or no Iiroblems and the inahiliiv of others to < (»pe with lixe onr< Wood. BBC prodiulion of .loliii Oalsworlliy's "Old English" was a personal triumph for Rax moiid \rll. whose performance .stellar role necessitated pcarame on tlie screen eiiiire Ixxo hours of Hie ■I'lirougbout lids period be had a complete grasp of Hie doddermg shipowner who drinks bimsell to death to axiud a personal scandal ’I'liis is tlie t> pe of draiiialie I'nlerlammenl at which the London TV serxiee exeel.v and appredallimitatioiis of seici'ii and cameras ond timing appears Seattle — Bill Ward wlio has been doing all-niglH disk shoxx on KINC; here, has gone to .San 1 lanciMo where be will write and broadcast a morning record show for KCBS Mike Rhodes replaces Ward on the owl show on Kl.Nii. 'xpL liris it by po'o' 'Mg t he piocess i s to s<>«* he and Hie JillX ( '1 one prolilcm It' id'X' CDl.GATE THEATRE M’lth Brrnardine Flynn. Frank Dane. Dirk (' o n a n, Eleanor Engle. Hope Summers, Norman C.ottsrhalk, Beverly Younger, ('liff Soiibler I'rodurer-dlreetor: Norman E'elton U ritrr: Haul Rhymer 30 !\lins.: Mon., 8 p.m, COI (LATE NBCI'V, from Chicago (18 stations) (Ksty) 'I'lie (look family of radio — Vie, Sade and Rush— made their lelexision debut this month with three xxer'kiy shoxx s in the "Colgate Thealie" s|)ol. with Ihe proviso that a fax oi able viewer rtsponse will tiling a fall reappearance under Colg.ite sponsorship, although not in Ihe "'I'iiealre" time slot. \ le and Sade, by which they XX ('re known best to I'adio listrmers. ccriainlv did not snl'fr'r in the t»‘le swilehoxer Nexveonu'rs Frank Dane as \ ie, Jind Dick Conan as Riisli. plaxw'd IlK'ir I'oh'.s ade(|nale1> . whih' Bei'nadine Flynn looked .111(1 acted about as the radio S.ide soomti'd The m'i,ehhors fitted in W('ll. too Mr and Mrs. Starhcighl. the roaiiK'i's, .Mrs Call and Mrs. Cook, iii'ighhors, and Mr Kneesuffei. the salesm.ui It xxas like xxeleommg hack old fiiends. Tt'le format was the same type that \ ic and Sad(' h.ive been harid\'. ringing on radio for 10 years In this ease. \'ic xxas Ix'ing sent out of town on .1 husini'ss trip the same (lax .'^a(l(' had pl.iriiK'd a big supp«‘r p.'ilx Tlie {•lisis, eonsider.ihjy .'lielted hx Hie oxa'i'-fric'iidly tieighho" got ste.ulily worse until the Iasi minute solution. Situations \x('re as gi nuine as Hie ax ('rage small-town Vie and S uh' live in 'I'he eonstanl parade ot snoopx well-xvislK'rs and guileh'ss extroverts through Ihe (look household xxas Siriet .Americana. Like the (loldlx'rgs. the Cooks are so close to the average IL .S. I(*levi('wer that it is only with great restraint Hud he holds himself hack Irorn chiming right in with a helpful hand in the latest crisis. Mart. U'nd his presCo-conferenx\ork('(l xxilh Freedlex in presenting Hie xarious acts. Formid calls for a five-act pri's('iitalion. xxilh allotted to each turn. An applause im I* r registers the amount earned by I'aeh act. If mel('r rales an act at .$100, Ihe remaining Sl.'SO is h'ft in Ihe iarkpot which is cleaned old by I he w iiuu'i Initial shoxx h.id scxcral acts of lU'omise. Dancc^rs Larry lloxxard .111(1 Irene Rc'V indicated Hud they would have fared heller had they been midwax in Hu* bill rather than operu'i's V('rne Hutchinson, a .N'egid sinei'i', xx ho xxon the evening's si'.Nsion. had a good harilone xoice. Jo.se. COMHO.SER'.S CORNER With N'i(k Krnny. .Alan Dale. Four Top Hatters: \V. C. Iland.x, (>u.> l.nmbardo, guests Hrodiicers: (icorge .Sehrek, Lou Dahlmari, .Albert Black Director: .Marshall Diskin Writers: Black, .less .4larks 1.5 Mins.: Wed., 7:3(1 p.m. .MONARCH-.SAHHIN CO. W.IZ-TV— ABC. \. Y. Ilere'.s anoHu'c good program idea gone had. "Compo-er's Corner.” xvhieh pr('( med Wr'dnesday night <20t xia W.I/.-TV. gax c preprodiKtiun promise (d' being an intert'sting little show storit'S behind famous enu'iged. hoxxevi'r, as pr(*sented vari«'ty xxhieh the guests w* ( LA.'^SIFIEI) con M.V With F’aiil de Fur Director: Frances Buss 1.5 Mins.; Mon.-thni-Eri.. .5:1.5 p.m. i'articipaling (’B.‘s-|'V. from .N. V. 'I'liis L5-miniile fi (> xx pai ks plenty of practical suggestions for the hoiiiemakr'i'. (•adgel'^ and time‘■axi'is are (h'liionsi rail'd liy I’aul de Fur His (lex ices on tiu* initial s('s-mn .Monday '2.5' iiicludi d a coat hanger for hells, a garlic coni roller, homemade beer can luiiriel and other pro.|('cls to ease one s liousehold ( holes I)«* Fur •'lioxxed his i rix i id ions to xiexxei’s on a table Balance of his |;ai aiiiiernaiia was slac ked on a caliinel to his rear Opciation of the gadgets xxas pick* d up xxell bx the (•.iiiu ra and de Fui s conversational sixle xxas a hel|) Nnwers were ui ged to send in ^uggcsiions with the best idea r.ding a $87 .50 (iruen iimepicie Ills plug for Ward s Ti|)-Top bread lo(>k an ob\ ious .ippi o.ich. (tiJb. LKHIT.S OUT W’ith Frances Reid. Phil .Arthur, .Anita , Anton, (lladc’s (’'ark, James Van Dyke, Richard Karroxvs Producer: Fred Coe Director: Kingman T. Moore Writer; Wilson I.ehr 30 .Alins.; 'I’lies., 9 p. m. .*siis(ainfug NBC. from New York 'I'liis new series of "Lights ('Ini’' bnxxc'd xxitli a liigh-caiibie production of a loxx-poxver('d script. 'I'be story was that of a jealousycrazed. ()V('r-p()s.s»'.ssive wife who suspects her husband of pbilandc'iiiig Moved by liei’ ni'iirotic imagination I'aflii'r Hum any evi(leticc' (d' iirifait lifulnc'-s. she decides to do away xvith her siippieed rival Her method, like her mind, is reptilian — she lures the l<nime to fu'r country borne and sits hack coldly snake striki's and Wlien h('r husband truth, she commits by boiling miirdc rc'r aliout tlie time' It a poorlyprogram. on 1 (■ brought on merely as window-trimming for ( (dunmist-emcee .Nick Kc'iiny and singer .Alan Dale. Basie foi mat idea xx as a good one. since Hie stories behind sucli songs as W. C. Handy’s “.St I.oiiis BUk's" could jirobablv have iu'i'n diamatizi (I with top results. As it (ame out. Handy xxas on band xxitli his tiiimpet to (ome in on the last couple of bars of the sotig and then answered a couple of innocuous qiK'stions put to him by Kenny •Maestro (luy Lombardo came in for a brief walk-on. to take some comfilimcntary icmarks from Kenny and pass them on in turn to Handy. .As little u-e as possible. ( ons(*(nieril lx . xxas m.ide id the guests’ talents Kenny, as an emcee, made a fair (^)lumnist. .A profi'ssional nexxs(lapcr man. he shoxx(*d little .iptitude for interxicvxmg his 'jiic'is That sxxeetncss-;,nd-ligld stiilT in Ids \ V. \lirroi c(dumn seemed merely light when transposed ut video. Dale, handling all tlie xocals, displayed a good xcuce and a pleasant tirrsonaiilv but bis (•r('(lit iblr* work was ox c rbal.im cd by the show's dt'hits Four I'op ((’ontimied on page lOd ’ while a rattlekills tlie gal. discovers the suicide, thereto implicate him a.s her Mid she botches the job and. if xve can believe her lorli'ii'd xoice 'on liltc'c), Miners horribly in the bere:iftrr. I'lie e|)isode was intended as an ( S' ay in pure terror. But the h'dv xxas so obviously looney, hr'r si'spii ions so patently unfounded and her pi'isonalify so negative, that tlie stanza failed to invoke si'spi'nse or raise even a mild case of goose-pimples. .Most of the time Hie viewi'r was merely watching a i-epulsive paramdc, who could haxe been interesting only if the drama explained how she got that xxay. It achieved a menacing (|ualiiy just once, when the rattler was coiled to strike. And on y in the effective scene of the bi'shand xxalking out on his spouse, xxas thiTO any real drama. Product ion-wisc the show was -lick Film was effect ively used in the snake sequence and unspoken thoughts were proji'cted x'a xctice recordings, a technique that is now enioying a vogue on many video drjimas Frances Reiii turned in an excellent portrayal of Ihe overwrought wife, x'hile Phil A.-'hiir xv.is good as the liusbarid 'I’hc mu'-ical background cmploxi'd the eleitrleal instrument. Ihe thi'ramin. to midei score a siipei nal ural effect Mid neither » ei !(• xxhi>-lles nor sp-ike« (mi celluloid can make an I'ffcelixe thriller out of a basically un»’onxincing tale Bril. Kansas (’itv First radio station in .lohnsori (’oiinty Nansa*:. went on Hie air Let Friday '22* at ()l;dl)e Kan*; KPlfS powi red at 5(ip walls at L5‘)0 ke, (1:1x111110 cmly Station is property of 'he .lohnsori Connly Broadcast in'* Corn . local\ oxxned oii'fil eatii'.ilized at $.50 000 I. H '"rex" Wit lu'rspoon is pi* vi(h rd and gencr.d manager.