Variety (October 1952)

26 TELEVISION REVIEWS PBSiffifr 'Wednesday, October 22, 1952 ABBOTT Sc COSTELLO SHOW (Cofcate Comedy Hour) With Llzabeth Scott, Giselle Mac- Kenzie, Les Dassie, Sid Fields, Joe Kirk, Bbbby Barbour Producer-director: Ed Sobol Writers: John Grant, Elwood Ull- man Music director: Al Goodman Sunday, 8 p.m., 60 Mins. COLGATE-PALMOLIVE-PEET NBC-TV, from Hollywood (Sherman & Marquette, Bates) Abbott & Costello in their first TV show of the season for Colgate offered a comedy show lacking in comedy. ^ There's little fault to be found with using old material, per se, since TV is certainly all-consum- ing in devouring material. It’s just that A&C, on their seasonal open- er, were not funny doing the old stuff. It was the old comedian- straightman format, and it was, unfortunately,, much too hack- neyed in the way A&C dished it out. For s.a., they added Lizabeth Scott, cinemactress, but she was un- able to add to the show. There were a few enchanting moments when Gisele MacKenzie sang a couple of pops with a rich voice, excellent for either rhythm or ballads. Les Dassie, male aero pair, had a few lively moments, the diminu- tive duo excelling with their spa- ghetti-like twists and leaps, plus the comedy stuff. As for the headlining pair, they had an able feed in Sid Fields in the sketches. Then there was the A&C bit in which Costello recommended an aspirin for Abbott’s ' headache. Whereupon the latter harangued Costello for having the gall “to practice medicine without a li- cense.” Miss Scott had her “big” moments during a sleeper-train bit, and also in the Daniel Boone sketch, both' unfunny and unflattering to her. UNION-RPI FOOTBALL "GAME With Bob Bender, BUI Carpenter, Ernie Tetrault 153 Mins.; Sat. (18), 2 p.m. GENERAL MOTORS YVRGB, Schenectady WRGB’s televising of the Unions Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute .traditional’game, as a substitute for the network Yale-Cornell contest— by permission pf the National Col- legiate Athletic Assn.—gave area viewers first' opportunity to see a local gridiron. origination. The General Electric Co. station capi- talized on it with a generally good technical pickup and a moderately fair commentary by sportscaster Bob Bender. Bill Carpenter, also of WGY, handled the color and re- cap; Ernie Tetrault, of WRGB, in- terviewed Presidents Livingston Houston, of RPI, and Carter David- son, of Union, on the field between halves. The presentation of the pair, and their emphasis on the fact the two institutions, maintaining high scholastic standards, keep athlet- ics in proper perspective—“with amateurs, not professionals, par- ticipating”—symbolized an obvious situation. This was football with- out the exteitement, showmanship and panoply of the Big Time brand in huge stadia. Two elevens who had not won a victory this season met for the 50th time. Union scored a decisive triumph, by 42 to 6, at Alexander Field in Schenec- tady. The cameras showed that it had only bleachers. One end sec- tion seemed to be empty—whether this was due to the telecast, an angle closely studied, could not be immediately determined. The orthicons demonstrate quickly and conclusively that thes were not two titans gripped i mortal combat, although Union di show to advantage after a furr bllng start. The camera work wa sound for the most part, vividl catching long Union runs, and nea the end, short but sure RPI passe: Bender started rather slow and ur certain, but improved as the gam progressed. He spoke quietly an easily, using plenty of * dead all Knowledge of football appeare adequate. The spotting was not to sharp in the early moments; sul stitutions were u nannouncei Weather and wind were peemingl ignored. Time checks were m aired until the second half. Carpenter sounded briskest i tabbing scores of other games. H; analysis, toward the finale, shari ened. Voice was a bit weak in sm eral commercials when crowd noi« overlapped. Tetrault registerc nicely in the interview. Cadilh was plugged in the first canter, an Chevrolet, in the second—liv filmed and super-imposition. G displayed a sound idea of publi service in arranging the telecast Jaco. INSIDE ISRAEL With Bartley C. Crum; Mrs. Elea* I nor Roosevelt, guest; Melvin El- liot, announcer Producer: Sam Elfert Director: Barry Shear Writer: Crum 15 Mins.; Sun., 1:30 p.m.. I SCRIP FOR ISRAEL WABD-DuMont, N. Y. “Inside Israel,” Bartley Crum’s commentary show on the new Mid- dle East nation, which formerly aired over a local N. Y. radio indie, has made the switch to television with virtually no change in format. Video version, which preemed Sunday (19) over DuMont’s N. Y. flagship, WABD, will probably play to a limited audience because of the limited appeal of its program content but should both please and inform those who tune in. Initialer showed a lack of suf- ficient preparation, which forced Crum to give almost a brushoff to Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, his guest. By the time, he outlined the show’s purpose and discoursed at length on the economic aspects of Israel (complete with a film clip of Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion), there was time for Mrs. Roosevelt to answer only two short questions. It left viewers feeling cheated that she could not have spoken more. Crum, a lawyer and author, is also a former appointee to the An- glo-Palestine Commission of In- quiry, so obviously knows whereof he speaks. He conducted himself learnedly on the preem. Show is bankrolled by Scrip for Israel, an outfit which arranges for Ameri- cans to send money certificates to friends and relatives in Israel for the purpose of buying food and other articles.* Announcer Melvin Elliot did an okay job on the blurbs, but they were too long for the quarter-hour show. Stal. ALL ABOARD With Skeets Minton, Junie Kee- gan; Eddie Bracken, guest Writers: Mort Lewis, Lawrence . Markes Producer: Lester Lewis Director: Frederic A. Carr 15 Mins.; Sun., 12:15 p.m. LIONEL CORP. CBS-TV, from New York .“All Aboard,” a 15-minute hodgepodge designed to plug Li- onel model trains, preemed on CBS-TV Sunday (19). In a case such as this the sponsor’s own product could easily carry the en- tertainment ball on its own. But for devious reasons the show’s pro- ducer has seen fit to throw in ven- triloquist Skeets Minton, the lat- ter’s dummy, teenage songstress Junie Keegan and film actor Eddie Bracken as guest. Contributions of Minton’s pup- pet were confined to fair imita- tions of Johnnie Ray ; Billy Eck- stine and Mario Lanza plus some weak patter about his school work. Minton was so busy getting in sun- dry plugs for Bracken’s “latest picture” etc., that the actor hardly had a chance to push in a word of his own. Miss Keegan warbled an acceptable “You Made Me Love You.” Primary market for toy trains are boys in the five to 15 age bracket. They want to watch the trains in action. Anything be- sides rolling stock is superfluous. Gilb. ANNIVERSARY FASHION SHOW With Livingston Gilbert, Ed Kal- lay, others Producer-writer: Dick Turpen Director: Burt Blackwell 30 Mins., Toes. (14), 8 p.m. LEVY BROS. WAVE-TV, Louisville (Boone) Commendable one-shot effort by the WAVE-TV staff for the town’s leading clothier highlighted lat- ter’s 91st anniversary. While the session could be rated as practi- cally 100% commercial, models, both adult and juve, made several changes of costume which cer- tainly must have been of interest to all ages of viewers. Sports clothes, business outfits and the like were well modeled by local amateurs. Half-hour came off in three se- quences, first a living room scene with models in conventional home outfits, and discussing the football game which they were ready to- at- tend. Football game then fol- lowed, with actors in the stands, attired in heavy outer clothes. Final sequence had the young adults at a dance following the game. This particular segment was too long drawn out, and had the participants obviously stalling for time. One interesting facet of the show was the exhibiting of old prints, showing styles of men and women, which appeared in the first edi- tion of Harper’s Bazaar. Copies were borrowed from the local pub- lic library, and were well described by Ed Kallay and Livingston Gil- iContinued on page 38) CHICAGO SYMPHONY POPS TV With George Schick, conducting; Ken Nordine, announcer Producer: W. G. T. Hyer Director: Barry McKinley 30 Mins.; Wed., 8:30 p.m. CHICAGO TITLE & TRUST WGN-TV, Chicago ( Buchen ) Here’s a rarity—a local offering that has the class to compete on equal terms with most network ventures. Now into its second sea- son, this TV-tailored pops concert featuring selected first-chair AFM- ers from the Chicago Symphony debuted the Hew series (15) in strictly top shelf fashion. Perhaps even more so than last year, thisj musical oasis seems destined to go over big with large segments of the Chi tele clientele. Symphony group is being ba- toned the first few .shows by asso- ciate conductor George Schick, with regular maestro Rafael Ku- belik coming aboard later. On this teeoff stanza, the program fea- tured slightly bobbed longhair, but of sufficient quality for b roa d ap- peal without alienating the “music lovers.” It was a neatly balanced package from the “Marriage of Figaro” Overture opener to the closing “Knightsbridge March.” An excellent spicer was Schick’s keyboarding of Morton Gould’s ar- rangement of Tchaikovsky’s “Oc- tober.” And the tele showcasing set up by producer W. G. T. (Bill) Hyer, of Television Airshows, and di- rector Barry McKinley. and his WGN-TV lensers did full justice to the lush musical assemblage. Call- ing for some fast cutting, the cam- eras roamed through the orchestra, picking up the featured sections and soloists highlighted by the par- ticular number. It was an unob- trusive yet effective video com- mentary to the music. * Ken Nordine again this year serves as host and does a fine job. He also does the spiels for Chicago I Title A Trust, with the ma^ • 'lug wisely spaced midway. Dave. MHMM » H - ffH - H - ff f ff H'M + M ♦MM »+ ■•*• ;; Tele Follow-Up Comment jj * L J v FRONTIERS OF FAITH (The Water) $ With Rev. Michael F. Mullen, Ann Sullivan, Billy Coleman, Joan Shea, Joseph Fallon, Patsy O’Shea, Leopold Badia Write: John Pinto Producers: Dean McCarthy, Doris Ann Director: Martin Hoade 30 Mins.; Sun., 1:30 p.m. NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CATHOLIC MEN NBC-TV, from New York As part of a series of religious dramas explaining the Sacramen- talsr the National— - Goun cff — e£- Catholic Men presented “The Water” via some 47 NBC-TV sta- tions Sunday (19). This half-hour playlet clarified the meaning and use of Holy Water as last week’s “The Sign” interpreted the sym- bolism of the Sign of the Cross. Last in the series is next Sunday’s (26) “The Medal” which concerns Medals and Images. • Written by John Pinto, “The Water” emerged as a moving por- trayal of how a. Catholic mother used Holy Water during a thunder- storm to dispel fears of her daugh- ter. The use of Holy Water, she pointed out, is an external sign of faith and “helps us to fulfill our duties of worship to God.” Fur- ther light is provided in a sequence where a priest tells a small boy that “reverent use of Holy Water is a prayer in action.” Major points brought out in the drama were summed up at the pro- gram’s close by narrator Rev. Michael F. Mullen. Headed by Leopold Badia as the priest, the cast contributed fine performances in keeping with the dignity of the subject. Withal, both the National Council of Catholic Men and NBC- TV are to be commended for their collaboration on a high type x'eli- gious airer. For its script was so devised that the subject undoubt- edly was of interest to all faiths. Gilb . IN THIS WE BELIEVE With Rabbi Martin M. Pcrley, Father J. Bernard Kieffer, Dr. J. King Vivion, Hughlctt Quartet Dircotor: Robert Brewer Writer: Robert Elverman 30 Mins., Sun., 5:30 p.m. Sustaining WAVE-TV. Louisville Ex-radio publicist Bob Elverman, now publicizing Community Chest activities, has the background to turn out topnotch scripts for the TV medium, an$ this one is one of his best. Program was -an ex- planation of how the viewer might shape the future of the child, whether from a broken home, or the child of an unwed mother. Panel of reps from various reli- gious faiths discussed this impor- tant subject, and each stressed how important Red Feather services are. Discussion was interspersed with Negro quartet, the Hughlefts. Sepia foursome showed nice vocal bal- NBC-TV’s nasal operations star- ring Jimmy Durante continue to provide sock entertainment. Satur- day’s (18) edition of “All Star Revue,” in which the Schnoz was abetted by Frank Sinatra and Fifi D’Orsay, in addition to his regular troupe, scored solidly. Durante got a topical flavor with his “If Washington Needs Me, I’ll Answer the Call” routine, which also involved some gals as his mock presidential cabinet. Sinatra showed that he’s a hep comic when paired with a funnyman of Du- rante’s ability. There was a strong sketch in which Durante and Sin- atra met in a barber shop, with the thin man switching off the radio when it played a disk by Frankie Laine; then it was Durante’s turn to dial out when the set gave forth with Jose Iturbi at the piano. Miss* D’Orsay also registered strongly in her role as a siren unable to lure Durante from his interest in his concerto. Entire segment spoofed Hollywood biopix deftly. Columnist Sheilah Graham, incidentally, play- ed herself in this section. Canter wound, per usual, with the Club Durant doings, featuring Eddie Jackson and other Durante regulars—Candy Candido, Jules Bufano and Jack Roth. Production, which originated from the web’s new Burbank studios, was topflight. Joseph Santley was producer-direc- tor, with Roy Bargy handling the musical chores, Charles Isaacs and Jack Elinson scripting, Jackie Bar- nett contributing the special lyrics, Aida Broadbent doing the chore- ography and Sid Smith as TV di- rector. Bril Elaine Carrington, most prolific of the radio soap opera scripters, turned her talents to TV Monday night (20) with an hour-long origi- nal play on NBC-TV’s Robert Montgomery show. Titled “Keane Vs. Keane,” the yam about a poor little rich girl marrying a poor boy made for absorbiifg. drama, with any soapera overtones dis- cernible only to those looking for them. Scripting finesse evidenced that Miss Carrington will be wel- come on TV any time, if she can take the time off from her radio writing chores. Story’s denouement was tele- graphed but events leading up to the final curtain sustained maxi- mum viewer interest, as delineated by a standout cast working under -the- -deft-direction-of -Norman-JPel*4 ton and producer Montgomery. Wanda Hendrix starred as the mil- lionairess who fell for and mar- ried the poor guy who stopped to aid her when her car stalled on a highway. James Daly etched a sen- sitive characterization as her hus- band, who naturally discovered he loved her after the judge had granted them a divorce. Barbara Baxley turned in a near-perfect carbon of a femme five-letter word, who persuaded Daly to marry Miss Hendrix for her dough, then divorce her so they could get to- gether. Tom Coley, as Miss Hen- drix’s friend in need, topped a good supporting cast, which in- cluded Jean Stapleton and Donald McKee. As usual on Montgomery’s shows, he backed the action with some lush-looking sets designed by Syrjala and his production tech- niques, including the camera work, use of rear-screen projection, etc., gave the show a major Hollywood film studio look. Montgomery again utilized doubles for the lead players, in conjunction with pre- recorded sound tracks, so that the stars could get more easily from one set to another, and the process came off without a hitch. Stal. CBS-TV’s “Toast of the Town” took an obvious breather Sunday night (19). Show had a fistful of acts, including some of top-name quality, but none to give the stanza any particular perk or sparkle. And, while it played comparatively well, the overall result was only an average affair, making for pleasant viewing at most. Maybe co-produ- ance in spirituals, and were a bright spot in an array of statistics anent the Community Chest serv- ices. Quartet made a nice impres- sion with their vocalizing of “I’ve Done My Work,” “Battle Hymn Of The Republic” and “Finlandia.” Show was an excellent example of cooperation among different faiths in a common cause, and also a fine job of placing the community effort before the public via the TV medium.. Production and scripting of shows seen locally during the current Red Feather campaign are much advanced in presentation over efforts last year, and should be productive of much good to the Community Chest effort. Wied. cers Ed Sullivan and Mario Lewis have conditioned viewers to some- thing better via their bio shows, “story” productions, etc., to a point where straight vaudeo presenta- tions no longer suffice. Show teed off with a funny sight gag, including orch leader Ray Bloch and Metopera soprano Hilde Gueden. Emcee Sullivan then brought back comic Harry Mimmo (he was on the preceding wt#.': as well) for an overlong skit about Mimmo’s not getting paid. Miss Gueden, in the big production number, impressed .with both her voice and looks on “One Night of Love” and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.” Arnell & Brask, unicycle act, scored with a series of difficult tricks, best of which had the gal spinning on a trapeze which was balanced on the shoulders of her male partner as he cycled around the stage. Sullivan teamed vocalist Pearl Bailey and her tapstering brother. Bill, for one of the session’s bright- er spots. Duo duetted a neat “Takes Two to Tango” and then worked solo, with Miss Bailey registering as usual with her fatigued mien and audience asides and her broth- er scoring with some tap takeoffs of the late Bill Robinson. Jay Sisler and his two dogs, imported from the Roy Rogers rodeo current at Madison Square Garden, must have pleased the kids, and Jay Marshall socked across his* standard magico- ventriloquist * routine. Ballerina Nanci Crompton and comic Will Mahoney teamed for a takeoff on “Cinderella,” which seemed rather pointless and which wasted Ma- honey’s talents. As usual on this show, the Lin- coln-Mercury commercials were tops. Stal. The Max Liebman - produced NBC-TV “Your Show of Show's” changed its pace somewhat last Saturday with the selection of ballerina Alicia Markova as the emcee of the session. Miss Mar- kova, one of the, more gifted pre- miere danseuses, projected a charming facade. Her introes were in a small, cultured voice. They lacked firm authority, but' didn’t intrude upon the performers and sketches that followed. In direct contrast to her emcee- ing was the sureriess of her ballet chores. Backed by a well-drilled chorus, Miss Markova negotiated excerpts fron^ “Les Sylphidcs” with~" Jametf otarbuck -assisting. Miss Markova started out slowly enough, but as she progressed into this number, her skill, charm and delicacy became more apparent. It was a rewarding interval on the show. < Rest of “Show of Shows” was in the usual groove. Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca were in good form in their various contributions. Topper of their collaboration was a takeoff on “High Noon” w'hich had some genuine? comedic mo- ments. Marguerite Piazza and Jack Russell hit it/well with their duetting of “Pagliacci” and Judy Johnson and Bill Hayes warbled in the pop vein acceptably. The Billy Williams Quartet similarly hit their mark with a pair of tunes. This stanza maintains its quality and style with virtually every ap- pearance. It’s true that many of its efforts look like they’ve been seen previously, but even at that, Liebman is helming a program that offers as high a quotient of variety entertainment as any show on the spectrum. Jose. Elmo Roper, in a provocative ad lib interview with James Fleming on “Today” over NBC-TV (15), listing his poll figures as 36% for Eisenhower, 33% for Stevenson, and 31% “conflicting forces” or “uncertain,” said that neither he nor any other pulse-taker could now predict what the election result would be on Nov. 4. Poll takers had corrected “some” of the’mistakes made in the 1948 presidential elec- tion, but Roper did “not know” whether “all” had beer*‘corrected. The election results will tell that. The 31% in the ' “conflicting forces” group “could swing back and forth in the remaining weeks of the campaign,” Roper observed. It principally comprises three cate- gories: young people, housewives and less-educated persons normal- ly voting the Democratic ticket “who do not know Stevenson, and do know Eisenhower.” Articulate, candid and direct, Roper listed six main issues (shown on a chart), three favoring the Democrats and three the Republicans. In answer to joking questions by Fleming and by Dave Garroway, the poll- taker-NBC radio broadcaster con- ceded that he could be classified in the “conflicting forces” division. Jaco.