Variety (April 1953)

TELEVISION REVIEWS PSsSiEf? Wednesday, April 1, 1953 H I I n H Ml Mt tt u mt u t t t t H I M M n H I H M H tt l M HtttttttfHtt-H t f t * f t ( >4 Television Followup Comment tf t ntM ' i ' t **** > > * 4 * t **U*** A M * t I t ti i < H I jl £»* ♦+ f t t »»♦ ♦♦♦♦ t »*♦♦»»!»♦«♦♦♦»»•»»♦♦♦♦+ Qnnrtav’s 1*91 edition of the CBS-, tion’s spiritual beginnings, “a I trade Lawrence singing ‘‘Whistle i P^jjmime TV ■•Omnibus" had »U the ton .layout were .par-, L°? *»«*research experts tat roents of pre-telecast time excite- ? an5 j no ted that our material | and I,** in whi created session. excellent»port on cancer research prepped I by an “Inventory” unit. With five r i uoi iur iu>cn uui im acititx tu a Tennessee Williams one-act ma niri nd,** with the ends to be “Lord Bvron’s Love Letter,” adapt- s human dignity, human freedom, i taken from a ed for television (from a collection \ liberation of man’s mind and hu- “27 Wagon-Loads Full of Cotton’ )* jj man brotherhood. In this revolu- with Ethel Barrymore as the star, i tarn he foresaw.the speaker asked The other was a heretofore un- for ap end of the great national staged George Gershwin one-act 5 sin” of existing second-class citi- opera. “135th Street” with an all-^enship for Negroes, a self indul- Negro cast that provided, at least. | § ence America can t afford, some vibrant staging by Valerie jj Although a great peril faces cer Society, serving as narrator airer proved a fascinating as well as significant half-hour. which she was starring ticularly good. The opener where- j mg part, ana another. Dr. Charles ment but.' like many another in ? abundance frees us to enjoy things! at the time of her death. sin Hooney and Biuehide^ scripts j the Ford Foundation series, came; of the Spirit. Our future, he said clips me rmu ru lies m spiritual goals, and thisl^ueQt off as a frustrating, tantax S s means a spiritual revolution to fol-1 ^fiev weren't ot top numoers m me showcase that failed to match the • j ow the accomplished materialistic, s p j c ' an( j there wasn’t enough of expectations. T\vo diverse but or industrial, revolution j them itwo'dips ran about seven p^on^lv awaited segments shared “America has been ealled to minutes). Miss Merman, of course, * q nf thp. ui»ek One was greatness,” Dr. Finkelstein said, was socko. Black and white prints top honors of the week. One was for itseU but Ior t0 color , were crystal-clear. “ Kinnie of Miss Lawrence was ‘Rodgers & Ham- us. from “Madam” were ex-jin various parts of the set was a witli only complaint being! howler Miss Haines aiding m this bit also helped the comedy i total. The night court bit is an A normally sensitive if not dis- oldie that’s been around for a long tasteful subject was treated cen- time, but Blue made it count, ously but not dully, to remove all Blue’s panto was again telling in objections. A literate but not the Easter Parade session in which pedagogic script; a lucid, attrac- ts Chaplinesque tramp character tive narrator, and vital subject put over a wistful and warming matter, absorbed the layman. mP rctpin TttograDhv” show on Period. Viewer interest was further re- Film had R & H onstage Miss Haines and Rooney made tamed by visual aids—charts JttMi^liOTenceon oneofthe ■ good in their individual slots. Foi> X-ray pix, microscopes, mice, rab- Sj£l£? ^ Bodgero a^om-1 «•»« “ ? ™ d “anner « **»! »“?• . with patients- nanvino her on niano Star's per- • occasions, showing good projec- and by shifts from one lab and panying ner on piano, oxars per . . hiahlv amnop-lm^ rn tn nthpre Bettis. s Dr. Finkelstein said, we mustn’t Camera would interrupted his u k n reprise » —, — - __ .- , ... . . ; uiuu i detract from The Williams play, set in the 1 forget that those who don'tbelieve | wasithe UO>«nni a'gTOd'coiMiSSal 1 ’^. C °He prob- «r relSSIh ?rmaUng^g£!£' French quarter of New Orleans in: as we do are stalli our Show had Meto^rastaro i b y |d mate good on the cir- thou£ proble^“em^n HereSm! hergrandmo^hS iMiS E^^more) -towin our enemiesto love^us j but it was ***erestin& :to note that^ u ^ elements in the show , we °e di^ed ^^i^ingre* vtaose most prized possesion is aS IS t0 ™ the real battle and ful-f none, for some strange reason. — 44 *. j k.. «.rwv_) r. - uaacu * ' eaQU1 8 re Setter supposedly written to herf;®^ ourselves, bv Lord Bvron. There was no| Our country cannot escape mistaking the Williams trademark § responsibility, as Moses wis ion a minor key! in this one-a and Jonah attempted. Dr. Finkel-(«“«“•! -if t personnel made everyone connect sad. pitiful saga of two women stein maintained, for “we «chiw J d n ? k with the layout look good. _ , living in n^lalgic memory on real greatness or we perish." ^1 Jose - “Broadway TV Theatre's” pre- wfcteh they exist. It is two trag- In posing questions to the then- St I , n ^ A “ y on WOR-TV last week (23-29) t_ ^ i Monaco retains his operatic style: - » ^ pOSIDJ qU0StlOCL^ to IDG tuGO*: •*. xx*ac tKat Ka rhAQP edies in one—the escape from real- j logian, Ed\ronl Stanley, manager * « Some Enchanted Evening ” which ^\ °j 5: arn ^S hr^rM^n?! public service prograins,; mos t easily to his strenuous on television lately — from the and dai y sustenance by reading \ was commendably unobtrusive. ‘are ou^^to^a^d I > ‘'^^“entertaining seg-, w^ e, ^eit Wa ^ie 0 t5krly Ut m H hS ♦E? ^ ! xf^- 0 Kf * 0 ^ 1 ^ 0 ?. : ments, program had much this ' standup and give sessions alone, 0 ^ Clty ’ was : stanza on the debit side. Some ! and he didn’t suffer from further and flights into romanticism as she!produced by Doris Ann. reads from the diary—her vicari-j fSe SP Sffie ^ho had 5 1“ a courageous spirit of experi- muchthe wShUer^rt Slutted ? ment » far to ° much lackin S in tele- her^ If Well, b^t neiSer laterals \ *?“»■ Armstrong’s^Circie whom hehad pre^ous- f which is i nf a Rarrvmorp vphfdp nr a«i rrp- * Theatre last Tuesdaj’ (24) stuck ? 1> , as a closer. Timing was also off | romance to ative scriS^did^R offer muA^to \ its enterprising neck out with “The I in showing of slides during a Sul- s Dosedlv behi the viewer S Parrot, first opera commissioned TKa ^ f • by a commercial TV sponsor. The The one-act opera (with a book t ; n u m rt; nA „.„n Some Enchanted Evening ” which ; There has been a lot of Bob Hope : shouI(i ^ a lot of wonde ^: ing about Broadway legit and what it has to take to make one show a hit and another a flop. The Ed Beloin-Henry Garson comedy opened to a flock of negative notices last October and shuttered after 45 performances. In its tele- version, however, the spoof on Italian film-making emerged as a hit-stature comedy with script, thesps and production coming in for a simultaneous score. Could be that as a theatre-piece, Language” was a bit too flimsy \ for the $4.80 trade? No such flaw in construction and content, al- though “The Blue Monday Blues” and some other early Gershwin ex- cursions into the jazz idiom stand out. George Bassman is credited with orchestrating the work from the original piano score. As an “Omnibus” eontrib, it was more stimulating to Gershwiniana “stu- dents” than to the average viewer. The controversial question of the historical relationship between Abraham Lincoln and Ann Rut- ledge. brought together writer who gave the bird to three close relatives by leaving them a total of $2 as an inheritance and giving the bulk of her fortune to her pai> rot, Benjamin. If the well-feath- ered macaw (expected to live an- other 90 years) is done in by' a relative, the estate goes to the Royal Ornithological Society. Natu- rally the bird meets an untimely end. Whodunit? The butler! And he, a tipsy old gent, turns out to on carry the ball with savvy and * . * f ’ I • 1 •_ * _ a • * • « be—in the author’s sleight-of- hand—a distant kin. poor timing left an anti-climactic; exposure on “Colgate Comedy quality to the show, with Sullivan j Hour” Sunday (29). His sketches, interviewing Branch McCracken, j however, were an out-and-out plug U. of Indiana basketball coach. \ for his new picture, “Off Limits,” pushing the film-tele the limit. One sup- in showing of slides during a Sul- 5 posedly behind-scenes skit from the livan commercial for Mercury, giv- s picture, involving a director, an ing it a rather sloppy quality. ! Army major technical adviser and Opener was the Harlem Globe- \ Hope, fell flat, and another—a trotters giving an exhibition of [Mata Hari spy sequence — was their hoop antics. It was a trifle jj pretty old hat. ringing in Mickey \ was apparent in the 90-minute TV adaption. It came across as a brisk romp that made for good viewing. Much of the credit belongs to Audrey Christie (in the role created on Broadwav by Uia Georgie Tapps did a solid job on | through most of her warbling of “I} Hagen) as a Hollywood song-and- his “Birth of the Blues” song-and- > Haven’t Got a Worry to My Name.” [ dance queen in Rome to tackle dance routine, and Will Jordan J Otherwise the singer was attractive. ’ tragic drama via Italian pix. Miss pleased with his impression of Sul-1 in good form, and appropriately jj Christie's comedic savvy kept the livan. Gae Foster girls executed 3 ' broken up by Hope’s straying from | session moving at a bright pace nifty precision routine to tune of : the script The program, which in-.. and she dominated each scene with “American PatroL” Usual top-- eluded a. Hope Navy skit too, was j the mastery of a pro. Mischa Auer notch musical backing was sup-, aimed at a serviceman audience. * * ’ plied by Ray Bloch orch. Chun. : Incidentally, the picture fadeout on Miss Clooney was the second time in two nights that an NBC-TV show was interrupted. The night before, a late NBC news flash cut Ronald Cohn an can be depended suavity. This he does in his wl style in “The Man Who Walked Jame^gee emc^ A^^Cooke j ___ For aroude opera, the proceed-1 SSeffii^SShr rabWe^tele^ic and Prof. Allan Nevins for some j mgs were entirely too grim, with ] 5i^?cS b p? a v£!?nS^ interesting pro-and-con documen- composer-conductor Darrell Peter’s; seriefeiven la^Thu^^Hfi^^r tation to supplement another in [ music (played on two pianos by ; senes ipven last Thursday (26. oxer the “Abe Lincoln” film series. j Beniart Gabriel and Marion Mach- f ^ a virtual one-man affair of f °k i ^ ™^ an * * direct voicing and recorded soldo- 5SL“f". £££ TO Cotoan display a shrewd During his discussion last Sun- i s P here °f a r ? < ^ eni T ?. ea ^ hardly [ facility in building the Milton day (29> of the spiritual challenge S a cu . e , for gaiety Highlights were Merlin storv to half-hour propor- r, i* a ^ 5-. A.i a il 1 in tna tfvfF-A^mAr^ etnermer r a * . * . T r „ r 1 film series. Rose. costarring with Miss Christie, was effectively ludicrous as the brilli- ant but broke pic director. He was a firstrate foil. Supporting players also were standout. Jody Drew did an ex- tinction to “Hit Parade” with latest word on the ammunition train wreck. ’X2£ *S?Ji5?2»S5 S2 SSK, «*5«t m kTan' IWtostar and John McQuade was properly blustering and devoted as Miss j Christie’s estranged spouse. Bev- ! eriy Roberts. Bartlett Robinson. CBS-l’V’s “You Are There” last | Joe Verdi and Effie Afton also Sunday (29> presented a powerful | rate nods for their effective contri- documentary for our times in its ■. buttons. reenactment of the Salem Witch [ Warren Wade’s topnotch pro- Trials of 1692. Based on the same ■ duction and Martin Jones’ lively [ material as Arthur Miller’s stage i directorial touches helped bring ' T ' , ' ST % “The Crucible,” this stanza j the show home a winner. Gras. erlined in strikingly dramatic ; . . ns the lethal threat of false j «... ... oung lady t and contemplating another marital accusations and mass hysteria. It; Tianger, whicn seems to have civilization. Dr. Louis Finkelstein. chancellor of the Jewish Theologi- sung by Jo Schillig. as one of the ‘ u^4lf 'of ttdTSirS^re ££ri<£ w^Tn'obvio^V^TeftV ranter^ ‘ trademarked the solid psychologi- cal Seminary of America, recalled “ relatives. i : out via phone conversations with : porary events and more effective | ca ^ suspense dramatic show, had how he had been told as. a boy, ■ The genuinely comic parts were 1 the never seen principals and in : because of the stanza’s avoidance' ? ne ^ flood ones on CBS-TV entering the Seminary in 1911. limi ted to two: Robert Holland, as heart-to-heart fallen with himself. . of spelling out the similarities. . Tuesday (24). The play “Car- that he was there not so much to" a large-mustached ornithologist, j In the process of making up his The production was flawless, one f pool*” a Jeremy Darnel original. study as to associate with great ^ an d the parrot, which didn’t miss 1 mind about these domestic matters of the best since this firstrate series l unleashed a c hillin g tale of an un- men * | a cue of Garry Simpson’s fine di- ‘ while in a room of his club, he started a couple of months ago. In ; balanced gent (W illi a m Prince) thGOlO ^j^n ll3,VG I «..l* An/v —— • *«■ f K A fMAliv S talking about the notable series. For these half-hour ^ versations with the world’s cul- 1 enough, and a nice ending gag. the tura! leaders—a more worthy her-j parrot’s agent, Henrv Trefflich. itage to leave posterity than many» bad ^ na me and address listed of the time capsules blined under t handsomely in the tail credits. Producer Hudson Faussett is to our real estate—provide th xision audience with free usswi-r^ ation with the thinking of some { ^ rtf Amr m^n a U DO* IOF tliG fi li a l fl^WGu F0Stilt. of our time’s great men. In Ber view the state of poetry and the poet. ^ r*. t . r* it a » . . _ [decision to go back to his wife j headed by Walter Cronkite. picking parallels the return of the image, up the coverage from courtroom. It’s not much to go on, and some where one trial was in progress, of the narrative is vague, but Col- and a jail where a group of other man gives the piece an aura of accused persons were in shackles, credibility and realism under Rob- ► The setting of the stage for the ert Florey’s direction. Only other trial, the introduction of the lead- c j character, in two brief scenes, is i iufl personalities via face-to-camera : m,. kAiik.n j v.. * *v. i-'.i :* su.di.er tARTvtv ana me poei. r _ ina niniov ivix- Pqmn. pi_. _____ sequences in which a group of girls (ing his death and his wife from icd Car. Sqidborg of America .h. ‘ h ^ e madli- hallucinated with I “fate worse than. haKads. with to own guitar ac-^i to Sthtolitre £ Be^r'’ «H id “» f 1 Prtore^d ^excellent job as «tn P anunent. and AtaSum Lin- !e - P^red m ^^tnreon ^UJtoBe^ JtaetWa^ ajjthe^ccnsed.j^ ( the j^ychopath. whom the rtewer Ey bickering married couple (Hildy Parks and Richard McMurray). Story unfolded a neat study of the odd character who, obsessed by the tragic quarreling of his parents, takes to befriending the girl and plotting to kill her husbaxid. The plan is spiked When the husband, as usual slightly jealous, does not enter a tampered car but returns to spy on Ms wife* thereby avert- co:n. In “A Conversation With Dr. Louis Finkelstein.” as might be [ With the combined talents of i jHckev^ • Saturdav »2«i nvpr NTIP-TV rr-fHn .. . . — «<v wv.uo.w. ua u- mc vmum tat: . excScW suDMrt too Dcrthv ‘ h , er «“*> .s 2115 '- got to know and pity, while Mis* S™ cS HSnes -5 i ^ TltT - K “V haTe b ? en » Parte and McMuiray were skill; Connie Rooney. and ; f however, to have such a goodlooker expected from an eminent Ameri-1 Irving Berlin and team of Richard j slated a *comie of^nKtitnSon^ S ibisrolesince the predicament ^ 1 g?S*«A2E>E «i Tune slotwalPorigtoalfc aBotted to i JSSL^eSPHii *5 plied himself to American moral t hand, it’s difficult to go wrong, Ed Martha Rave andPaulette God issues. The camera work, under Sullivan’s “Toast of the Town” on S ^Sed for tL Martin Hoades direction was as CBS-XV Sunday togWighted somefby Slto SiouT SS it should be—simple and direct* of their work* and these portions t Goddard that th<* mitin* ^wasn’t up to her standard, but^as . 9*t tfV l * . ^ _ ^ shots and doseups on the eloquent r viewing. face of the speaker. Dr. Fihkel stein, whose long, lean face is adorned with graying beard and topped by black hair, has expres- Best segments, in fact, were on' and sounded ; it came off Miss Lamour looked win viewers’ sympathy. The rest of the large cast." headed by Joseph Anthony. Vinton Hayworth and Milton Delzer, was uniformly ex- McMurray fully natural as the loving and quarrelsome couple. Unusual mo- tion. lifting the play out of the studio, was provided by film in- serts of a road on which the three- some’s car “traveled.” and cuts to a spinning photo of a tire. The film: Ethel Merman’s singing of Berlin’s “Hostess With the Mostest on the Ball” and “International rive eyebrows and a humorous; Rag r via clips from 20th^Fox~s'cm> twmkle m his eyes. ) rent “Call Me Madam.” and an IS- ed exceedingly well in the sketch department. Her major; contribution was a bit in which she ’ did a nagging wife who. after a E’tu Nicktoon scripted | tein o£Ch«!e* . d K lrec *2l “ d w. Bussell and Sidney Lumet Charles W. Bussell the producer. | weU bring psyehologi- tterm. ■■ ca j to more advantage, if that’s historically possible, on the _ —^—„ Ar important contribution to “You Are There” show, which they party, berates her husband for science as well as to tele was of-; also handle. Dick Stark treated the _ , j. , , . boners pulled at same. Miss La- - fered on NBC-TWa “American In-1 Ammident commercials in his us- Dr. Finkelstein sketched the na- month-old kinnie of the late Ger- mour’s stream of words and Blue’s ’ ventory” Sunday (39^ with a re- l ual aggressively friendly manner.