Variety (December 1954)

P***"*^ 1, 29 ' 1954 TELEVISION REVIEWS 27 1 . +♦♦♦♦♦ ,»»»♦♦♦♦ »»»»»< i: Tele Follow-Up Comment !: ***** -♦♦♦♦«.»», «,aUht narrative at the aacrl -1 B’rith distaffers. End. plug was # dramatic depth and charac- ,lc Mion may have Its place in terization » • but u in any television ^ theatre, motion “‘Se® and literature itself-if. Kind to suffer by virtue of Ita -- „ lttnK r This wa» the case in Srt Montgomery, two-part nrC-TV adaptation of David NBC 1 ILih ” it was all narrative, C °th P ntie characterization, little in Jf lth *?vof suspense and virtually nothing at all in the way of drama- 11 Conceding Hie difficulties in boil in* the Dickens work down to two hours-an achievement ac- tW m nil shed by toeing two entire nnrtfons of the book and playing them off whole— Doria Folliot s ^adaptation lacked the ingre- dients that make for a memorable Suction. It was mostly straight narrative and the little character- ization tliat went into the roles of Uriah been and Mr. McCawber, for example, more nearly resem- bled caricature than character. On top of this. Norman Felton chose to direct in a leisurely manner, a choice which made the play ddwn- right dull h t times. The acting, though competent throughout, also fell into the pat- tern set bv the tone of the adapta- tion and direction. It comprised exposition without feeling through- out Rex Thompson and David Cole did nicely as David the boy and David the young man, but no- where did they leave any lasting impression of a memorable per- formance. Earl Montgomery's Uhiah, again a caricature, was per- haps best, with Montgomery get- ting that sense of grasping loathe- someness across strongly. J. Pat O’Malley’s McCawber was a little on the weak side, more through the inadequacies of the script than his performance. Another caricature Cavada Humphrey’s Jane for the upcoming N. Y. and De- troit engagements of the blader but anyone who saw Sunday’s show would hardly want to watch it again—even “in the flesh.” Trau. was . . . Murdstone, perhaps more remini- scent of the femme counterpart of the mustachioed villain of the mellers than any other villaincss yet seen on tv. Others in the com- petent but unimposing cast were Isobel F.lsom, Ethel Owen, Carolyn Lee, Sarah Marshall, Frederic Tozere, Betty Sinclair and Lynn Bailey. Chan. One of the more pleasant week- to-week items about “Kraft Tele- vision Theatre” are the tempting commercials, with Ed Hcrlihy’s ef- fective “sell” matched by the yum yum quality of the pictorialized Kraft products (those Philadelphia Cream Cheese spreads, etc.). It’s unfortunate that Kraft doesn’t bring to its productions the same painstaking care and devo- tion to the niceties of direction as it does to the “sell” portion. Somehow they invariably succeed only in disturbing the viewer, be- cause they come close to the brink, of registering with a click stanza only to fall short on the di- rectorial, scripting and/or produc- tion end. Usually the cast is well suited to the presentation (the same personalities are brought back time and again) and their contribution, on^the whole, hold up well. Last week’s presentation of “Little Stone God” was a case in point. With such gifted perform- ers as Felicia Montealegre and Tom Helmore in the loads and such capable actors as Constance Ford and Russell Ilardie in sup- port, they projected the yarn of a self-centered publisher who, as the human counterpart of the Aztec “little stone God” which lurks in 1 o n e the background as a symbol, in- sists on destroying his happiness because he is so self-contained. Natch, he sees the light in the St. Nick of. time. But unfortun- latey, the writer couldn't quite come to grips with his interesting subject and related his saga in fits and spurts (there must have been 20 scenes in the three short acts). It obviously handicapped the di- rector, who therefore had difficulty establishing a mood or bringing to life his characters. Ros\ MANY MOONS With Burr Tillstrora, Fran Attiaoa, Kukla, Oliver J. Dragon, Col. Richard Crackie, others; Carolyn Gilbert and ABC Oreh Producer; Beulah Zachary Director: Lewis Gomavitz Hjgiter: James Thurber Mins.; Sat., 5 p.m. CO-OP ABC-TV, from Chicago Burr Tillstrom and his “Kukla. Fran and Ollie” cohorts did the Christmas Day honors for ABC-TV w-ith this puppet adaptation of James Thurber’s “Many Moons” fairy tale. 'Hour-long onetimer went out to some 85 affiliates via a co-op deal with Gordon Baking, KFO’s weekday bankroller. spon- soring as usual in New York, Chi- cago. Detroit and Elkhart. Here was a one-man tour de force of amazing virtuosity by Tillstrom as he manned no less than 11 roles during the unspin- ning of the gentle yarn. The be- tween-acts narration was handled by Fran Allison* But in the gaudy context of this era of the tx ex- travaganza where the spectacular has become commonplace, what emerged was a shade too delicate and diffuse to capture and hold unwavering interest over the 60- minute span. Tillstrom created six new puppet characters for this fantasy about the little princess who wished for the inoon as a cure for her tummy- ache brought on by too many rasp- berry tarts. After she was given an artificial moon, the court was thrown into confusion by the ap- pearance of the real moon in the sky. But it all ended happily when the princess contentedly pointed out that nature hnd simply re- placed her “moon” with a new “Toast of the Town” got a lot of diversity, if not name power on Sunday’s (26) edition on CBS-TV. Result carried a good amount of entertainment. Conferencier Ed nnwaw . ! Sullivan, however, did come up There s a lot of power in an ice , one persona iity who has been show when the freeze frolic can be seen “in the flesh,” as per the o 1 d phrase, but questionable whether even a small part of the impact can translate itself to tv. In addition, some of the marquee slrength of “Colgate Comedy Hour” on NBC was missing when illness took Barbara Ann Scott out of the fray in the Chicago Stadium originator of the Holly- wood Ice Revue. So they did the best they could, what with being forced to restyle the layout and sequence to allow for the star- berthpd vacancy. Any icer made up of operatives of the calibre of Freddie Trenk- ler and the Three Bruises for the comedy dept., and Gundi Busch, okippv Baxter, Andra McLaughlin, Jimmy Grogan and Bobby Blake for the virtuoso stuff, is bound to ring up a score. Trenkler has more bounce to the frozen ounce, and they could have had him on for the hour if physical endurance permitted, hut in his couple of lurns he walloped over, as did the Bruises in their w.k. chrfrwomen laugh-getter. Also on for a pair of workouts was Miss Busch, the figure ballerina in her first U. S. appearance. Her second turn was 1? i P ? il 7V g with Baxter, another stylish hlader slotted up ahead in solo Miss McLaughlin pranced anout in a couple of interpretive sessions, one a calypso that could thl e .u en f rom an > groove, and n in Scot Hsh vein with *V ctlon complement. As io » hi* ? e i r 1 mass numbers, they’re Inhnu d to stage for the medium, o!w Rh /, ° L therwis « sparkling. Sjjjjljj f ash : ? as *** Best in this h*»»!l eCtlon ' w ^ exceptional over- 4« m camer *work setting off the cheerin' ber “ Wint *r Holiday” ° ensemble in accent of the hi? IJ e . ason ’ Blak « excelled in * M J ro[erps ' Brogan i„ Latino- sor ; ! d w a i Pers ’ and even the spon- With !* a v° g0 t lnto the Bve act deep freeze. e S anted PlU * °* the Ws° S tn th t h * e . acts made their whether stadlum audience, hut tatecMo l his . wa « technically dic- haos ft S lard i to determine; per- «l,usion ?r S tended to give the solely Vr a performance meant f'r arena spectators. mereW^tnn,? 0 ^ Gordon MacRae an inirn k 0d by 0n ska tes, making t)V u.inm Cre and there and nestr for th£ d accepting a citation th e show from the B’nai a subject of considerable boxoffiee elevation of late. Joan Weber, who waxed “Let Me Go Lover” for Co- lumbia into the bestselling lists, made her initial tele appearance since the celebrated “Studio One” show which catapulted that num- ber into deeiay attention. Miss Weber got a lot of produc- tion on that number with a stage- coach setting that had little to do with the lyrical content of the tune. She displays an over- schmaltzed style that seems to be the trademark, of many singers who reach the bigtime on disks. There’s enough display of emotion in this rendition to spare. Despite the lofty disk sales and deejay plays, it’s not for universal con- sumption. Her second tune. “Sit- ting on Top of the World” had considerably more appeal. Another songseller on this show' was Cab Calloway, who recently has been devoting his time to legit and as a singing single. The for- mer bandleader ripped off a pair of tunes in two spots, first being o swingy version of “Birth of-the Blues” and later, an excursion into reverence with a choral back- ground. “Let My People Go.” Both were well done. On the novelty side, Mr. Ballantine. the psuedo magico. provided a lot of comedy in act that he hasn’t exhibited pre- viously. He’s not as frustrated as in his former turn, but he socks over a lot of entertainment. Also providing comedy were Hermione Gingold and Billy De Wolfe who did the bit from Al- manac” legiter in which a pair of ladies get drunk while riding a train. There was a lot of good humor In that sketch. The Briants. In a novelty turn scored nicely with slow motion knockabout. Tun Tun, a midget singer dou- bling from the Chateau Madrid provided a bit of lively song and dance work. Sight of this lower- cased gent thrashing his tiny legs made for a lot of chuckles. The Harmonicaires showed some solid musical work on the mouth organ for a fine response. The Dunkills contributed one new routine, a boot dance they picked up in Africa. It’s a picturesque number Per usual Ray Bloch backed ex- cellently. Jose. For.his Christmas video show on ABC-TV last Wednesday (22). Walt Disney unwrapped one of nis (Continued on page 30) To be sure, there were moments of real delight, especially when the KFO regulars were present, such as during Kukla’s bit as the court jester working with the royal go’dsmith fashioning the hand- made moon. Nevertheless, perhaps because of the absence of the iden- ification of familarity, the new puppets remained for the most part just that. Because they failed o come to life with that spark that has made Kukla. Ollie, et al, v personalities in their own right, the fantasy itself didn’t complete- y jell. Ollie acted as stage manager and his intro and entia’cte ap- pearances with the ever-charming Miss Allison were the liveliest se- quences. Color, incidentally, would have been a welcome trimming both for Joe Lockwood’s attractive costumes and the elaborate, spe- cially-designed staging. With the action sliding through four sets, plus KFO’s usual stage, director Lewis Gomavitz and crew did a commendable lensing job. Musical backdrops by Carolyn Gilbert batoning the ABC orch were effecr tively unobtrusive supplements. Dave. RED BARBER’S CORNER With Estes Kefauver, Arch Ward, guests Producer; Judson Bailey Director: Rai Purdy Wed., after Pabst fiehts to 11 p.m. STATE FARM MUTUAL INSUR ANCE COMPANIES CBS-TV. from New York (Needham, Louis & Broby) The initial telecast (22) of “Red Barber’s Corner” was meant to be a whitewash of the fight game. Maybe it was sponsor State Farm Mutual Insurance Companies’ way of being friendly to neighbor Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer (which directly precedes the Barber affair on CBS- TV Wednesdays), but it was shame that Pabst (and even Gil- lette) didn’t pay at least part of the freight; it was their advertisement. Purpose of the show eluded the viewer for only a minute. Barber’s guests were Sen. Estes Kefauver and sports scribbler Arch Ward Their presence seemed innocent enough. As a matter of fact, Barber began by asking Kefauver about his career as a Dixie athlete. The senator turned away the Old Red Head’s compliments with excesses of modesty, but that was all right Ward, a pleasant looking press veteran with a disarming per- sonality, slipped in a few min- tes about the beginnings of the Golden Gloves (w'hich, it might be said, the Chi Tribune and the N.Y Daily New-s were responsible for starting). Soon, however, withou* the aid of a few nervous questions by Barber, the scribe was into fullscale essay on how nice every body in boxing is. He lauded the state commissions for “doing a fine job.” and was kind in all his obser vations on pugilism. Finally. Barber and Ward turned to the crime-bustin’ Sen. Kefauver for a nod of approval. It seemed Kefauver. rather than be mean and spoil such nicely laid plans, could at worst manage an extremely (Continued on page 30) A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Shower of Stan) With Fredrtc March. Basil Rath- bone, Ray Middleton, Bob Sweeney, Christoper Cook, Queente Leonard, Sally Fraser, Craig Hill, Janine Perreau, Peter Miles. Juney Ellis, John Murphy, Billy Griffiths, Jimmy Baird, Rex Evans, Tonf Pennington, Bonnie and Judy Franklin, Dick Elliott, Ezefle Poule, John Meekt Roger Wagner Chorale (16); Orchestra (40); host. William Lundigan Producer-Director: Ralph Levy Librettist: Maxwell Anderson (from Charles Dickens story) Cqmroser - Conductor: Bernard Herrmann 60 Mins., Thurs. (23), 8:30 p.m. CHRYSLER CORP. CBS-TV, from H’wood (color) i McCann-Erickson ) If the law of averages holds, every regular television series should produce at least one show for which it will be remembered. The Chrysldr’s Corp.’s chef-d’- oeuvre in this its baptismal season will most certainly be its classic transference of the classic "A Christmas Carol.” Given last Thursday (23) as a CBS-Coast celluloider. it was not only the best of the auto outfit’s twin “Shower of Stars”-“Climax” one- for-us-three-for-you packagings, but superlative tv on its own with- out regard to the comparative efforts under the one roof. A colorized, musical version of the Dickons gem. it had all the fore- ordained components plus re- siduals. Advance statements by librettist Maxw'ell Anderson and one of the stars. Basil Rathbone, had led orospective viewers to believe that, after all, there was a master- ful script to start with. All that was needed was faithful transplan- tation to video. True enough. But Dickens did not dictate the flavor and poetry of Anderson’s lyrics or his stunning conception of the absorbing, no-waste-motion libret- to; nor could Dickens have known how truly majestic the music would sound when specially com- posed by Bernard Hermann, who also led a 40-piece orch in a hearty succession of tunes, complemented bv the cheery work of the Roger Wagner Chorale. And so it was all down the line —Fredric March in an interpreta- tion of Scrooge that strikingly brought the identifiable character to new dimensions and must be scored as one of March’s most vivid portrayals In a long career that has spanned the major branches of show business: ditto Basil Rathbone In his one long and splendid scene as Marley the Ghost: and a special, nod for Ray Middleton in the doubling roles of Scrooge’s nephew and the Spirit of Christmas Present, lifting his baritone in the latter part in a manner that brought fulfillment to the dream scene with its finely wrought playout and Imaginative use (here and elsewhere) of effects such as montages (including mate- rialization and disappearance of characters “before your very eyes.” as if the magic of a fairy tale was really at work, as indeed it was). At least two songs stood out, "What Should I Give My Girl for Christmas” and “A Very Merry Xmas To You,” done with verve as solos and with orch or chorus background. Even the brief danc- ing workouts (arranged by Don Saddler) were deftly handled to accommodate the medium, but with the fullest expression given to that so-called limitation. The decor and costumes were letter- perfect while not falling into the traditional trap of ostentation in trappings. The less taxing roles fell neatly into Ralph Levy’s conception of the staging (he also produced, and as Jack Benny’s mastermind, there’s sure to be a family fuss raised by the comedian to fit him into the “Carol” pattern one of these Christmases): the foremost of these wereHhe Bob Cratchit of Bob Sweeney, the Tiny Tim of Christopher Cook (leveled to its proper weight in the narrative, whereas some versions give the role an over abundance it rates only when the intention is on the saccharine aide); the Mrs. Cratchit of Queenie Leonard, looking very queenly too in her modest clerk’s wife garb; the dual deployment of Sally Fraser; Craig Hill as Young Scrooge; and even the mere walkons, all handled with a fne relevance while never intruding on song and story. > Anderson had said in advance that in making the adaptation, ”1 tried to add nothing, subtract nothing, tried only to fit the classic narrative to the new medium.” He also said, perhaps tongue-in-cheek, that “CBS Television thought some singing would be suitable, and so I wrote a few lyrics, trying to keep THE MERRY WIDOW (Omnibus) With Patricia Mangel, Martyn Green, Theodor Uppman, James Hawthorne. Jerome Kilty, Eu- gene Ormandy and Symphony Of Air Staged by Cyril Ritchard Producer: Robert Saudek 90 Mins., Sun., 5 p.m. Participating CBS-TV, from New York (color) The Ford Foundation Radio-*TV Workshop went spec-happy on “Omnibus” Sunday (26) in a day- after - Christmas gilt - and - glitter presentation of Franz Lehar’s "Merry Widow,” dressed up in CBS-TV’s best compatible tints. That it was the last word ih lavish production and rich musical enter- tainment is not to be disputed—a departure in experimental work- shop showcasing, though some- thing. certainly, to be overlooked in keeping with the holiday spirit. Cyril Ritchard, w r hq staged “Widow,” chose to play it straight, in the tried-and-true operetta form, coming up with as beautiful and slick a production as could be imagihed without adding anything in the way of refreshing subtleties or distinguished choreography, to mention but two possible avenues for revitalizing what at best is saccharine sentimentality of an- other dav. But translated into terms of light entertainment, “Omnibus”_ unquestionably had a winner for operetta fans. Eugene Ormandy. conducting the Sym- phony of the Air in the Lehar score, gave a fast paced and full bodied musical richness that no lesser director or orchestra would have provided. Patrice Munsel, the Metop so- prano. in the title role, never looked more beguiling and was in splendid voice throughout. Thesp- ing of Theodor Uppman as Prince Danilo isn't likely to invite hand- springs but he. too, was in good voice, both Martyn Green, who bridged the continuity and dialog as Nish, and Jerome Kilty as Pop- off managed to provide some spir- ited moments, particularly the for- mer in his “Girls, Girls, Girls” caperings. Ritchard took full advantage of a finished cast and some of the most impressive background trap- pings seen on tv this season, with some imaginative staging and cam- erawork. Wilh Ormandy never al- lowing the music to lose that spar- kle. there were some very happy scenes indeed, especially that of the “Waltz” turn. Keeping “Wid- ow” moving along for an hour and a half is a commendable feat. Rit- chard and associates came through with flying colors of a brilliant hue. But Graustark in ’54—ouch! Rose. XMAS HOUR OF STORY & SONG With -Judith Anderson, Monty Woolley, Oscar Brand, Choraliers with Eugene Lowell, Syinpho- nette with Mishel Piastre; Frank Knight, announcer 60 Mins.. Sat. (25). 5 p.m. LONGINES-WITTNAUER CBS-TV. from N.Y. * (Victor A. Bennett) A flavorsome, somewhat old- fashioned hour was offered to its many well-wishers hR Longines- Wittnauer Watch Co. on Xmas day, as it presented familiar faces (and a couple of surprise-casting guests) in 60 minutes of music and story tailored to the'Yuletide sea- son. In a change of pace, legit tragedienne Judith Anderson nar- rated the Hans Christian Andersen classic, “The Little Match Girl.” while the pathetic, tender little tale was unfolded in film. Monty Woolley was a bigger surprise, as he narrated “Signor Pizzicato’s Xmas,” an adaptation of a Grimm Bros, fairy tale. This was a charming uplift story of a violin maker and his little mice friends, and the dramatization also had an entertaining ballet of danc- ing mice to boot. Mishel Piastro, head of the Longines Symphonette, played two fine solos for back- ground. Balladeer Oscar Brand contrib- uted an old Xmas folksong. The Choraliers, under Eugene Lowell, and the Symphonette, took im- portant roles throughout the hour, the Choraliers coming into their own with an oldtime vaudeville routine, with costumes, vocal quar- tets, dancers, even a tapping trom- bonist, included. Nice clean, family fun for Xmas. Bron. them in the spirit of the times Dickens knew and recorded.” This is the creative artist having a bit of fun. There was never any doubt as to his debt to Dickens, bpt this was Anderson A Co. at work cross- ing “A Christmas Carol” over to a “new medium” and producing what will surely be a Chrysler an- nual for tv as Lionel Barrymores Scrooge was for radio. Tran.