Variety (October 1954)

36 ItADIO-TEI.F.VISION Television Reviews Continued from page Z& in what purported to be a takeoff on life among the gangsters.. Carson is an amiable personality. Period. It is possible that some stronger ammunition along with diminution in stock mugging would better fortify any claims he has in the tv buffoon stakes. . The emotional skill of Miss Trevor as a film player is one thing and fit- ting her into a tv comedy scheme is quite another. Last Friday (22) in hCr live debut she was clearly out of her. elejnsnt as a. fareeuse. It was unfaii' and unfortunate spot- ting for a pretender who’s deft in: serious roles. Cortez was his w.k. self as Cortez, the. menace of hu dreds of celluloiders; a bit tongue-, in-cheekish, perhaps, but that seemed right for the nutty capers, that strove valiantly to hit the In the absence of a picture for good part of the time, an ap- praisal of the action on a continu- ous basis is of course not possible.. Just the. same, the forepart she- nanigans came out : as lowercase comedies that strained for its laughs, and,the “radio” portions of the last 15 minutes were, something less than inspiring as text. Maybe the 8 o’clock kiddie set got a belt out of the doings. Trail. STU ERWIN SHOW With June Collyer, June Sheila Janies^ Alan Reed Jr., Willie Best Producer: Hal Roach Jr. Director: Howard Bretherton Writer: Nathaniel Curtis 30 Mins.; Wed., 8:30 p.m. L1GGET & MYERS ABC-TV, from Hollywood (film) (Cunningham, & Walsh) Ligget U Myers,, which dropped its Chesterfield sponsorship of the Wednesday 8-9 p.m, Arthur God- frey show over CBS-TV last win- ter; is now bucking the redhead with the “Stu Erwin” show. To- bacco firm is represented in the 8:30-9 p.m. slot over ABC-TV. Time element has bonanza pros- pects in. that it follows the hour- long" “Disneyland” show, which bows over the net- tonight (Wed;). Judging by last Wednesday's (20) preeiri, the “Erwin” series has enough stock ingredients to hold on to “Disneyland” viewers. It’s lightweight fare, with opener run- of-the-mill for a situation fai ily comedy. Stu Erwin and his.. wife June pollyer, who head cast, have an ingratiating quality that’s a definite audience pleaser. With Erwin as foil, initialer resorted to a number of vintage slapstick bits that weren’t to scripter Nathaniel Curtis’ credit. Kickoff story was one. that’s been getting a lot of play this sea- son on similar tv shows. Yarn re- volved around Erwin’s efforts to feminize his 13-year old tomboy daughter. He and his wife force the teenager to attend a party, with juve winding up with a boyfriend and Erwin pulling the nervous father routine waiting for her to get home from, her first date. Pro- gram made ior okay family enter- tainment. * The Erwins were pleasant, while June Sheila \James handled the daughter role nicely. Alan Reed Jr. was good 4s the boyfriend. As a handyman around the Erwin home, Willie Best offers some comic relief, Commercials for L&M cigaret were handled proficiently, with Er- win and his wife pitching in oh windup plug. Jess. ■ i MERRY MAILMAN PARTY With Ray Heatherton, Lena Horne, Paulist Choir, Robert Pres- ton, Gloria , DeHaven, Kim Hunter, Buff Cobb, Lanny Ross, Maxine Sullivan, Joey Adams, Douglas'Choraliers, Lyle Van, AI Kelly, JVIaria Riva, Denise Dar- cel, Martha Wright, others Producer-Director: Sandy Howard 105 Mins,, Fri. (22), 5 p.m. WOR-TV, N.Y. : Ray Heatherton, alias the “Mer- ry Mailman,” is celebrating his fifth anrii on video for New York j lives, and it’s also time for United Cerebral pqlsy to make its big annual drive, so WOR-TV decided to espouse both events in what they say. was the first telethon for children. Because there was as much of a need for coin as there was. for cel- ebration, concessions were made to the adults. There were a lot of people and things to jam into an hour and 45 . minutes—too many and too. much for the regular “Merry Mailman’* viewership to grasp in entirety.. Still the grown- ups never seemed to be around for; fob long a time, and there were .enough hangup moments for juves interspersed, so that kiddie tele- thon angle -asn’t lost in the shuffle. Tot turns were colorful and easily understood. Among those seen was a bright five or six-min- ute bit with a fast-talking presti- digitator; who...made animals, hats and flowers out of balloons. Later on there was Bob Silver and his trick dog and horse. They were just right for small fry too. A group of Negro schoolchildren, billed as the Douglas Choraliefs, were included, it seemed, only to make; sure that there were some kid performers on tap. Among the performers Caught were Joey Adams and Al .Kelly. WOR newsgabbfer Lyle Van and Burt Lancaster (via film clip) did a UCP commercial. Though pro- ducer Sandy Howard made an ef- fort to tie these show bizzers into the juve one-shot showcase, via cross-gab with a familiar “MM” puppet, if they received any kind oL appreciation it was from par- ents. The station extended "MM.” :by art: hour for'this special just to accommodate the glittering guest queue, but whether they all showed is something else again. “Merry Mailman Party for United Cerebral Palsy” (its full monicker). was a great service, in more than one respect. The* im- Rep'ctented by M EE K E R TV, Inc. NEW v O 0 . K c n ' ■; A G O '■ L.d S A N G E . t , -AN ^ 4 N C . H C O pression is that children are most in jieed of UGP, and what better place to b F i n & tha t home than via a kid stanza? Furthermore, the WOR-TV casing was an intentional preamble to the much longer tele- thon via rival WABC-TV the fol- lowing night (23). Art . MR. SHOWBUSINESS With Jack Arthur, Robert Christie, Sheila Billing, Alan and Blanche Lund, dancers (8), Howard Cable • Orch and Chorus, Elwqod Glover, announcer Producer: Peter Macfarlane 30 Mins., Mon., 9:30 p.m. BORDEN CBC-TV, from Toronto (Young & Rubicairi) A show titled “Mr. Showbusi- ness” and advance-billed as the life and times of a show biz great suggests an extravagant production with a super wallop; Instead, the teeoff stanza of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.’s Series oil the life of Jack Arthur was. pleasant, effective, interesting and, at times, dull. It’s possible the series will develop color, faster pace and better coordination as the story gets into Arthur’s experiences on a Mississippi showboat, as pit band batoner and as producer of stage musicals.. The equipment is there; Howard Cable’s band and chorus (neither appeared on screen) were more than capable of handling musical backgrounding; the danc- ers, four males and four femmes trained by socko terpsers Alan and Blanche Lurid, were standout, and the unbilled supporting, players (no credits were shown or spoken kt any time in the show, appeared com- petent for - heavier work. Besides an evident preem nervousness on the part of the cast, the weakness lay in the uninspired overall pro- duction which permitted lags; missed cues, dragging pace and lack of spark. Opener of “Mr. Jjfhowbusiness” series had Jack Arthur mulling his career with a girl called Judy, played by Sheila Billing whose sole chore, was to register admiration and aspiration. The entertainment came in the flashbacks:, Arthur as a nine-year-old working with Harry Lauder before he was knighted and when he was a coal miner who got time off to tour the halls; one- time artist Jessie McLaiighlin surg- ing “Comini Through the Rye,” dancers and cast in three cficko production numbers. Show used. characterization rather than an aping of Lauder who was shown only from behind arid speaking only a sullen “Aye!” 1 as young Arthur quizzed him. Arthur as a juve violinist didn’t perform, just appeared with fiddle. Robert Christie -got little opportu- nity to show his thesping ability as Arthur’s modern-day stage- mariager. A male announced as Johnny Moreland was the sole, inexplicable entry in the present- day sequences, doing a so-so song- dance number to “Knock On Wood.” The entire stanza was set in Scotland and films of Scottish scenery were inserted; as Arthur reminisced on his youth. Closer had Arthur amble 'Off screen alone after being gifted with a heather sprig from friends in Scotland. .■< Camera work was static and un- imaginative. Commercials were lively, handled by Elwood Glover. Gorm. U OF MICHIGAN HOUR With Dr. William C. Morse, Dr. Janies H. Zumberge, others Producer-Director: Hazen Schu- macher Editor: Robert Newman 60 Mins., Sun., 1 p.m. Sustaining WWJ-TV, Detroit When; the current production of the U. of Michigan Television Hour is compared with the pioneering effort five years ago, the difference is like that between radio arid tv-. Five years ago, these telecourses were Tittle more than radio with a picture. The professors stood immobile, for the most part, and lectured. Now they are mobile actors with' all sorts of props and sets within sets to get their points across more effectively. It adds up to top quality adult education video. Dr. William C. Morse, Conductor- of a 15-week course on “The Teen- Ager: A Study of Adolescent Be- havior,” was unusually^effective in his presentation. The associate pror fessor of educational psychology had broken his subject down into easily understood essentials, some of which were illustrated by stu- dents portraying teenagers ‘who acted out scenes ably. Some of the problems discussed Were adult conceptions of teen- agers which quite often make so- lutions more difficult, family adjustments necessary when chil- dren reach teen age, arid ways of helping young teenage girls over- . CContjnue&pA 3.9), v . w. v t * t « » • • .* /S- is v \ • * 1 » * I t Wednesday, October 27, 1954 Tele Follow-Up Comment Television Is merely confirming what Broadway is finding out the hard way—-that oldstyle musical comedies with, corny books aren’t Worth reviving. Striking example was that of the “Colgate Comedy Hour’s presentation NBC-TV Sunday (24) of the Howard Dietz- Arthur Schwartz 1934 Broadway musical, “Revenge With Music.” Despite the presence of three name, comics in the extraTarge cast; of a smooth production with engag- ing dance numbers, and of a score with standout tunes as good now as then, show was a flop because of its creaky book; Not even-the combined, comic talents of Harpo Marx, Edward EVerett Horton and Jerry Colonna could save it; Yarn about a storybook Cali- fornia in 1812 started pleasantly enough, for what promised to be a breezy, buoyant. musical. Then after thetopening dance; the story got going, with Its ridiculous situa- tions and cprriy gags, and the level sunk, never to be regained. It was pleasant to hear such tunes again as “You and the Night and the Music,” “You’re Never Lonely” and “If There Is Some- one Lovelier Than You;” Especially when as attractively sung by Anna •Maria Alberghetti and Ray Middle- ton. It was also good to see Harpo Marx again, up to his old skirt- chasing tricks, with, his mute live- liness, his horn, whistle arid lifted leg. His seriouis performance on the harp was a lovely interlude, and . an, artistic bit, in. a scene, incidentally, .beautifully photog- raphed. But his role as a harum- scarum governor Was forced, as Was Horton’s as his secretary-minister and Colonna as a local mayor. Hor- ton gave a smooth performance that lent his silly role some stature. Colonna was pleasant, and in orie number—“That Fellow, Manuelo” —-stood out. Nations International School in Flushing, L.I. The Native Dancer segment, directed by Don Hewitt, was a thoroughly interesting ses- sion, remoted from the stables at theifarm. Sagamore trainers traced the genealogy of the thoroughbred in ' general and Native Dancer i particular, gave the, highlights of the Dancer’s career (including a film clip on his performance in the Metropolitan Handicap with Eric Gueriri on top) and Guerin •himself riding him for the camera; The Funt interviews 'With' the UN kids was an amusing and at times., hope-inspiring . session. Amusing because Funt has a Way with kids thalj brings them but at their fun- niest, and hope-inspiring because if showed that at least the chil- dren of these many , nations have learried to live together. Chan. With Pearl Bailey, Robert Mer- rill arid Carol Haney supplying the foundation for the show, “Toast of the Town” {Sunday night (24) was a solidly based stanza in a straight vaudeo format. Perhaps the only thing out of the way on this hour was Ed Sullivan’s surprise kudo to Walter Winchell for inventing the WOrd “phfft,” in his plug for the Columbia picture by the same name. As is becoming usual on 'Toast,” there were several other pic plugs, including orie very frank ciiffo for Metro’s “Beau BrummeU’* and another one for Paramount’s “White Christmas.” Stanza opened brightly with, a jazz : opera challenge routine iby Miss Bailey and Merrill. As a switch, the operatic Merrill deliv- ered a somewhat swinging version, of “Honeysuckle Rose” while Miss Bailey did a; • takeoff on an aria from “Carmen;” which, of. .course, added up to another pic piug for “Carmen Jories” in 'which sh stars.. Merrill also delivered a “Pagliacci” aria and “You’ll Never Walk Alone,”: while Miss Bailey later came back to do her trade- marked “I’m Tired” number. Iloria Massey was decorative as a titled lady, and showed a neat sense of humor. If the story had carried weight through most of the musical, it would surely have gone to pot completely at the end, when the yarn, degenerated into a free-for-all as townsmen fought with the military, and the; stage became a shambles. There was little reason for the fracas, and it Offered less entertainment. Bron. Creation of a repertory company —one of “Omnibus’ ” projects this season—-necessarily also entails the establishment of a repertory. This detail apparently came in for only minor attention from the Ford Foundation Radio-TV Workshop* for the company’s bow on the CBS- TV shOwcaser Sunday (24) involved handsome staging! good , acting and costuming but two rather dull dramatic, entries. One was Anatole France’s famil- iar farce, “The Man Who Married a Dumb Wife,” while the other was a folk tale, “The Man With the Diamond.” Latter, a Frank Gilroy original, served a's the program’s opener; A story about a <man who comes into a small town to help the good and hurt the evil via a magic diamond, was presumably supposed to be symbolic, but the only theme it suggested was that good is good and evil is evil. Not an exciting vehicle, although well enacted by the cast, headed by Zachary Scott. “Man” was less unfortunate a choice, but the attempt to use it for the entire closing; half-hour, was an unwise . one. Tad Daniel- ewski’s direction, based apparently on this decision, was sluggish, ana the piece never took on life except for a few moments; when Nina Tal- bot’s unloosened tongue dominated the proceedings. Long versions of the farce have been done, of course, but by adapting the original France and adding to it; in this case, it was The France one-acter unblemished!* but it ran off too slowly to make the effort worth- while. Scott again was good, and Miss Talbot, when she started a talking streak, was ideal. Rest of the company, comprising Fred Wayne, James Millhollin, Carl Harms, Ralph Hertz, Peggy McCay, Lee Richardson, Jacques Aubuchon, James Green, LeRoi Operti, Lewis Scholle, Judith Tutaeff and Faith Burwell, were all good in support in both dramas. Other elements In Volume II of the current. “Omnibus” were a live visit to Sagamore Farm in Mary- land for a look at Native Dancer, and a filmed trip with Alan (Can-’ 1 did .Camera) Fqnt to the United Carol Haney was spotted i other fine sbng-and-dance quence, “Mamie Is Mimi,” on a Gallic theme. The- legit musical star from “Pajama Game” was ably assisted by two male dancers in a snappy production that show- cased the star’s talent for^eccentric comedy hoofing. Maybe it wasn’t planned that way, but the girl dancers from the Greenwich Vil- lage, N. Y., legit musical, "I Feel Wonderful,” seemed like a half- dozen Carol Haneys in their re- prise of a Charleston dance scene from the !show. A lesser, bit on the show was a carbon of Miss Bailey by Tobey Anderson, a WAVE who pantomimes to disks. After the Vivian & Tassy jug- gling team executed s'ome fancy stunts, The' Treniers, Negro sextet,- scored with a rousing closer for the show in a couple of slam-bang rhythm numbers. Herm. 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