Variety (January 26, 1955)

TELEVISION REVIEWS 31 Wednesday, January 26, 1955 >♦ ♦ ♦♦ ♦ Tele Follow-Up Comment «♦♦♦♦ It is to the everlasting credit of Edward K. Murrow, Fred W. Fi iendlv and their “See It Now” pro a ram that they presuppose the iiO' ivc intelligence of the audience th.'y serve. This was Ibrcefully demonstrated once again last week ( 13 * when Murrow took his ca- meras to Washington to cover a cession of the key Senate Foreign Relations Committee and to In- troduce the 15 men on it. This was the’first of a two-part S(V ies. and while the subject by its \cry nature didn’t lend itself to any visual fireworks, it was a reveal- in'' and rewarding closeup of the men who helo shape the guide lines or U.S. foreign policy. Since tiie destiny of this country js now so closely tied to events abroad and this country’s relations to other nations. Murrow did a real service in polling, as he did. the opinions and concerns of some of the Senators on the committee, starting with the new chairman. Sen. Walter F. George of Georgia. Those who tuned in hoping for a spirited committee discussion must have been disappointed for there was none of that. And in a way that’s too bad. What the audiences did get was an insight into the minds of the Senators on this, one of the most important of the committees of the 84th Congress. With the lensing good as usual on “See It Now,” the men on the show’ emerged sharply, including such famous personali- ties as Senators Barkley and Morse, the two “freshman” on the group; Knowland. Langer, Wiley, etc. The questions Murrow asked were the questions any enlightened citizen might want to ask the Sen- ators on that committee. He in- qired Into their views on the feasi- bility of more East-West trade, foreign aid. the prospects for peace, the advantages of Senatorial junkets abroad, etc. The answers in some instances were way above rou- tine standards. revealing the fund- amental decency and thoughtful- ness of the men who provided them. Among the most impressive were Sen. Theodore F. Green, the 87- ycnr-old veteran from Rhode Is- land who called for Senators traveling abroad to mind their manners as U.S. representatives; Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkan- sas who held this country’s prime concern was Communism in Asia, not in Europe and who plugged for free trade channels; Sen. Alex- ander Smith of N.J. who wound up the show -with some penetrating observations on the needs for tol- erance and the frequent U.S. fail- ure to recognize the need to reach the minds of men. and Sen. George IX Aiken of Vermont who wants more trade with under-developed areas. There was what almost amounted to comic relief in Murrow’s chat with Sen. William Langer. the dis- senter from N. Dakota who de- fended his position against all for- eign aid with more vigor than logic. hike so many of the “See It Now” programs, this one, too. was a show for thoughtful people. It vyas, as the Alcoa closing commer- cial defined it. presented as a “pub- lic service.” That tag Is well de- served, for snows like these help strengthen the bond between the government and the people and help create a more common understand- ing 6 1 the problems we face. • Hi ft. Sunday’s (23) edition of Colgate ‘Comedy Hour” on NBC-TV was an excursion into straight variety w ith Gordon MaeRae in the role of a smiling Ed Sullivan. The plan worked out fairly well, although a few acrobats on this • session wouldn’t have been amiss. At least it would have given it a greater hurst of speed upon occasion. The major boxofTice value of this effort was the pairing of Fran- f'hot Tone and Gloria Vanderbilt dying a dramatization of an Irwin Shaw short story. "In The French Style. ’ It’s a pity that the show planners had to use their top bait near the beginning of the show, but the pair had to make the earlv nirtain at the N. Y. City Center where they’re appearing in “Time o! v our Life.* Undoubtedly, many \vy r p interested in the thespic ca- pabilities of Miss Vanderbilt. She J.'dn t appear ready for the big- inip that night. Both she and Tone k erned to he fighting the script, and they seemed to get in each c licr s way by stepping on lines. "lie, of course, is an experienced aunr and seemingly felt that he aau to cover up the momentary P iii^es by his femme lead. Miss •mclfTbj.lt needs a lot of playing "'ie before her full capabilities realized. Show had a pair of excellent comedy segments. First by Paul Winchell, manipulating a pair of dummies with Invisible backstage assistance to make his wooden col- leagues do some seetninglv human functions, had a lot of laugh-laden verbiage. Winchell is among the best technicians in this field and his sense of liming and comedy is toprated. Ronny Graham, recently in “The Tender Trap.” spoofed the songs based on film hits and ; knocked off some clever lyrics for i a fine reception. I Joyce Bryant, the Negro chan- teuse. did a meaningful rendition | of “Crush On You.” but her “Run- ning Wild” seemed to he out of > the character established on her first tune. Net effect, though, was good. The De Marco Sisters, in their single tune pleading for a disk hit registered well, and the Mayo Bros, did okify with a tap number. There was a briefie by De Lois Faulkner, the Cotton Maid of 1955. She’s a nice kid. MaeRae showed a lot of ivories, sang a lot and did his'best to try to over- whelm the viewer. Sometimes he’s too much. Jose. A long excerpt from the second act of the current Broadway legit- er, “Anastasia.” made a powerful curtain sequence for Ed Sullivan’s “Toast of the Town” stanza Sunday night (23) on CBS-TV. Some tour de force histrionics by Viveca Lindfors and Eugenie Leontovitch and the highly effective camera closeups was parlayed into u throat - clutching, tear - jerking scene. It was. of rourse, a potent plug for the Broadway play in ad- dition to being a topnotch “Toast” feature In a generally solid show. Show opened brightly with a musical bouquet to Jerome Kern. Roberta Peters was superb in her vocals, with some graceful hoofing flourishes, of ‘‘I Told Every Little Star” and “All The Tilings You Are.” William Warfield was as usual. Impressive irt his dramatic workover of “Ole Man River,” while the Alfidi Accordion Sym- phony Band, comprised of 30 young squeezebox experts, carried off a Kern medley with a flourish. Another highlight of the session was stint of Tony and Sally De- Marco. two of the classiest ball- roomologists in the business. Two varied routines were executed with flawless grace with the camera again contributing a big plus to the choreography. Sullivan appeared to be on a Hollywood kick Sunday night. He introduced a brace of film celebs and executives in the audience and had Robert Taylor and John Hus- ton on stage for some chitchat about their latest films. Such names, of course, added to the show. * Herm. Every show has to hit" a clinker once in awhile, and “Philco Play- j house” is no exception. The NBC- I TV’er missed badly Sunday night ! 123) with F. W. Durkee Jr.’s “Anatomy of Fear.” a badly over- I written mellcr with a series of shifting situations and conflicts that never really got down to busi- ness. Tf there was a central con- flict to be resolved, it wasn’t really developed until the last 10 min- utes, and by that time at least one viewer was hopelessly confused and bored. That central conflict was the realization by the principal char- acter that his second marriage had been an empty one. Its solution, forced by the desire of his young son to marry, was his subsequent feeling of helplessness and his new realization that he needed the wife after all. This came in the closing minutes, preceded by a confusing sequence about the death of a woman at the resort at which the action takes and in which the husband is somehow (never quite satisfactorily explained) involved. The death, believed to be murder, sets off the marital battle that W’inds as aforementioned. But it’s this device that occupies the heart of the drama, and since it’s only a device and a vague one at that, the play never quite got going. Meller, w’hich incidentally seemed a complete misnomer, didn’t help Rod Steiger’s stock much. Cast as the husband and father, he em- ployed his now-familiar stumbling monotone. The style imay have been right for “Marty” or for his “On the Waterfront” role, but it made no sense here. It was an in- effective performance. Perry Wil- son did better as the argumenta- ! live wife who lives only for “ap- , pearaneos,” bringing a proper I sense of tension and bitterness into her portrayal. Geoffrey Horne was effective as the son and Katherine Meskill okay as a high- <i toned neighbor. Chan. THE MILLIONAIRE With Marvin Miller, Roy Gordon; John Archer, Toni Gerry, Ray Galli; announcer, Ed Herlihy; music. Stanley Wilson Producer: Dnn Fedderson Director: Alfred E. Green Writer: Mary McCall Jr. 30 Mins., Wed., 9 p.m. COLGATE-PALMOLIVE CBS-TV’, from ll’wood (film) (Ted Bates) “The Millionaire” telepix series is “Strike It Rich” with the “Heart line” removed and the heartbeat substituted for the Walt Framer show by the same sponsor (Col- gate). More to the point, the Don Fedderson package undoubtedjy was inspired—perhaps uninten- tionally—by “If I Ilad a Mil- lion,” 1932 Paramount picture with multiple all-star credits in the casting, scripting, directors, etc., as it pitched its separate vignettes on the single rich-quick theme. The judgment on “inspiration” is based on the perhaps purely coin- cidental similarity wherein an ec- centric moneybags selects an un- suspecting person for the boffo boodle (a million smackers). In the current version, the recipient agrees to two conditions, to keep mum on the source as well as the fact of the moola except in the case of a husband or wife, who can be told only that money is on hand. The only other ones privy to the gift are the millionaire’s secretary, played by Marvin Mil- ler, and the banker, Roy Gordon, w’ho handles the rags-to-riches turnover. Latter two are rast per- manently since players and play- outs change weekly, though stick- ing fast to the central theme. The donor. John Beresford Tipton by name, (opposite number of Richard Bennett in the Par pic) is an off- screen character who voices his in- structions to amanuensis Miller. It’s an interesting if familiar es- capist treatment with obvious promise on the succession, but by the same token can easily fall into a dull groove stemming from the absence of surprise. Thus, it would be up to the material and staging to make each chapter worthy by itself. The eyebrow raiser is how an inheritance can remain private without causing a stir as the money is spent. First installment was par for the course, meaning an average half- hour vidpixer, whereas the start should have been with stronger story values in order to fix atten- tion for the future. Nevertheless, the quasi - soapopera overtones should give the skein its share of an audience looking for these day- dream motifs in their television fare. ’Preemer, written by Mary Mc- Call Jr. from a story by George Van Marter, was pegged around a hard-working young widow (Toni Gerry) with an asthmatic son (Ray Galli) who needs the costly bene- fits of a dry climate. Into the pic- ture comes business executive John Archer who falls for the wid- ow hut innocently reveals that he wouldn’t marry a rich woman. Th^ widow rejects the money in favor of romance. It’s pretty simple, if a bit hard to square against realife attitudes. Series has lined up ad- ditional writers, including James Webb, Charles Hoffman, Bert Grant and team of Packard & Davis. Trau. OZARK JUBILEE With Red Foley, Pete Stamper, Bill Ring, Tommy Sosebee, Foggy River Boys, others Director: Bryan Bisney 30 Mins.. Sat., 9:30 p.m. WABC-TV. from Columbia, Mo. “Ozark Jubilee” is a video cousin of radio’s perennial “Grand Old Opry.” Setup, including music, comedy and song, is strictly off the cob and its tv silo is stocked full of corn. Series should pick up a strong following in the hayseed belt but it’s a doubtful bet for the city slickers. Each stanza is a 60- minute affair but WABC-TV. ABC- TV’s Gotham key. grabs it from its Columbia. Mo., origination for only 30 minutes. Even in a half-hour span, the show piles up a lot of hay. Show Is hosted by Red Foley who has surrounded himself with a flock of hillbilly performers to keep the stanza moving at a varied pace. On preem show caught Sat- urday (22), Foley twanged through “Tennessee Saturday Night” and “Peace in the Valley” for okay re- sults. He’s an effective crooner and an amiable emcee. Guestcrs for the evening were Pete Stamper, an Alfalfa League Orson Bean: Bill Ring, a comic of the jovial fat man school; crooner Tommy Sosebee who delivered “If T Give My Heart To You” and the Foggy River Boys who whipped through “This Ole House.” Joe Slattery handled the announcing chores. The pickin’ and singin’ pace of the show was broken up by the station with insertions of freonent public service spots. Grot. Leontyne Prices 2-Hour ‘Tosca’ Registers a Major First for TV A new operatic star was born last Sunday (23) when the NBC Opera Theatre presented one of the most* ambitious undertakings in its six-year history, a two-hour | version of Puccini’s "Tosca.” Leontyne Price appeared in the title role and it was a triumphant introduction for the young Negro soprano who sang the difficult, emotion-packed part to perfection. Much space might he wasted here in commenting on the de- cency. and in a sense even the bravery, of producer Samuel Chol- zinoff and music and artistic direc- tor Peter Herman Adler in casting Miss Price in the lead role. Suf- fice it to say that their faith in her as an artist was completely justi- fied. As for the fact that she ap- pears to he among the first mem- j bers of her race to be given such i a chance by the powers that be on | tv, the only applicable comment 1 would be: It’s about time. As tv moves into its more mature stages, one can only hope that | there will be more shows like “Tosca.” First performed in Rome | in 1900. this is one of Puccini’s ! most typical and most distinguished ! works, an opera that fairly breathes passion and violence both in NBC OPERA THEATRE (Tosca) With Thomas Stewart, Emile Renan, David Poleri, Leontyne Price, Josh Wheeler, Michael Pollock, Francis Monachino, Joe Simonelli, Robert Leffler, mem- bers of the Columbia Boychoir. Producer: Samuel Chotzinoff Director: Kirk Browning Music and Artistic Director: Peter Herman Adler Production Design: William Moly- neux English Text: John Gutman 120 Mins., Sun. 2 p.m. NBC-TV, from N.Y. terms of its action and of its music. NBC Sunday gave “Tosca” a stag- ing that could compare with the best the Met could produce. It was full of drama and emotion, sung by an expert cast that, apart from Miss Price, included another new- comer — Josh Wheeler. Kirk Browning’s direction, from t^c very first scene, combined'a welcome blfnd of action and intelligent opera staging that took the singers in and out of focus at just the right pace. By its very nature, of course, “Tosca” is the kind of opera that lends itself to televising. It is the story of the actress Floria Tosca and the painter, Mario Cavaradossi, who loves her. Cavaradossi aids an escaped political prisoner and is arrested by the brutal Baron Scarpia, who also loves Tosca. To get Tosca to give away her lover, and to win her for his own, Scarpia tortures Cavaradossi in Tosca’s presence, and she relents. After winning safe passage for herself and her lover, Tosca kills the Baron. A “mock” execution has been arranged for Cavaradossi hut the firing squad actually shoots him. Tosca, realizing her betrayal, jumps to her death. It’s to the credit particularly of Browning that he didn’t underplay the dramatic qualities of this plot, and consequently it unfolded with a good deal of excitement and ten- sion. One reoccuring trouble was the unbalance between the orches- tra and the singers, with Adler’s ensemble again and again drown- ing out of the principals. This may have been Adler’s, i.e. the con- ductor’s fault, or it may have been done due to faulty liaison at the audio engineer’s end. At any rate, it spoiled some of the more lyrical passages. Miss Price is a first-rate artist and she tackled the demanding role with a great deal of vocal presence and intelligence. Her voice, dear and beautiful in all registers, was a joy to hear. In her second-act aria, “Vissi D’arte, vissi d’amore,” a showpiece that has thrown many a veteran, she ex- hibited a control and tonal quality that was both moving and exciting. This was the first time Miss Price had sung Tosca. She had been a hit before in “Porgy and Bess" on Broadway but had not been heard in opera otherwise. “Tosca” on tv last Sunday should and could be the stepping stone to a brilliant ca- reer. The other newcomer, Josh Wheeler, turned in a most credita- ble performance as the sinister Baron Scarpia, being particularly effective in the acting end of his portrayal. His baritone voice is strong and pleasant except in some of the full-throated passages when he appeared to be slightly off pitch. His contribution to the opera- was very significant. As Cavara- dossi. the freedom-loving painter, David Poleri acquited himself most favorably, his standout aria being the nostalgic and melodious “E Lucern Le Stelle” at the end of the third act. Thomas Stewart sang Angclotti, the escaped prisoner, with the proper spirit, and Emile Renan brought the required touch of hu- mor to the role of the Sacristan, Michael Pollock sang Snoletta, Scarpia’s henchman and Francis Mon-'chino sang Sciarrone. It was a well-matched, well-rehearsed cast of groat competence. As all of the NBC operas, “Tosca” was sung in English, a pol- icy that must be applauded, parti- cularly since this particular adapta- tion by John Gutman had a great deal of merit. His English text had a rhythm that fitted in perfect- ly with the music. Best of all. it con- veyed to one and all exactly what was going on. Gutman’s job shouldn’t be underestimated it) evaluating the success of this “Tosca.” With the exception of the #q- casional imbalance between voicef and orchestra (consisting of mem- bers of the Symphony of the AlrL Peter Herman Adler’s musical conception of the opera was top- notch. as alw r ay£. He is a man of excellent taste, striving to tailor opera to the requirements of a popular mass medium. This is not an easy job. and he deserves to be kudosed for carrying it out as well as he does. His “Tosca” had a spirit that was catching without losing any of the required artistic integrity. Brow'ning’s expert di- rection fits in with this general concept. William Molyneux’s production design was ingenious, giving the camera plenty of room to move • around in. End of the first act particularly, with Scarpia in close- up as the religious procession en- ters the church in the background, attested to his flair for proper de- sign. Robert Fletcher’s costumes were handsome. It w r as a “Tosca” to be remembered. Hift. SHOWER OF STARS (Show Stoppers) With Ethel Merman, Red Skelton, Betty and Jane Kean, Bobby Van, others; music and conduc- ting, David Rose; William Lundi- gan, announcer Producers: Jule Siyne, Nat Perrin Director: Seymour Berns Writer: Herbert Baker (idea by George Gilbert) Choreographers: Gene Nelson, Harry King 6# Mins., Thurs. (20), 8:30 p.m*» CHRYSLER CORP. CBS-TV’,- from ll’wood (rolor) ( McCann-F.ricksov ) The idea of “Show Stoppers’* was a sound if not overly imag- inative peg on which to hang “had ’em in the aisles” numbers drafted largely from Broadway legituners. It’s often a problem of mating the performer and the so-called begoff material so that they dovetail with- out undue strain. There’s no risk in Ethel Merman’s “Eadie* Was a Lady” (from “Take a Chance”) backed by a tailed octet, and surely none in her rousing closer with “No Biz Like Show Biz.” But “Poppa Won’t You Dance With Me” (“High Button Shoes”), while other- wise pleasing on score and staging, cried out for lots more action of the type fronted by the spring- board numbers in “Hit Parade” every single Saturday night with- out “spectacular" fanfare. As is, Miss Merman sang and Red Skel- ton, turned emcee of the once-a- month “Shower of Stars” romp, merely played the pappy stooge in panto. Apparently the vignette was originally intended for a La Merman-Bobby Van partnership, the latter for the prance stuff* but discarded to give the play to the Merman pipes alone. Likewise, the “Too Darn Hot” scene from “Kiss Me Kate” was tampered with freely to switch it away from Cole Porter’s original intentions, though Bobby Van whammed over his flghty exercises on floor and table (the billiard variety). Smoothly contrived was “You’re Just in Love” ("Call Me Madam”) with Merman and Skelton paired. Skelton shot over his coffee-and- doughnut dunking standard with solid side quips and designed ad libs interlarded. It was his only solo and he made it pay off strong- ly, especially with that prelude crack, “I don’t know whether I’ve stopped any shows—I’ve slowed ’em up a little." He didn’t sag this one at its middle point. Offish and strictly a stage wait - (Continued on page 35)