Variety (February 1955)

36 TELEVISION REVIEWS WfdneMlay, February 9, 1953 ALDO ALDI SHOW With Joe Allegro, A1 Marsilio and guests Producer: Aldl Director: Don Luftig 45 Mins., Mon.-thru-Fri., 11:15 a.m.; 30 Mins., Sat., 11:30 a.m. Participating WATV, Newark, N. J. N. Y.’s never had any extensive live Italo video programming be- fore. Just a few weeks ago, how- ever, WATV, Newark, cracked a bottle of native port against the Tele Follow-Up Comment ayem bu'kheads whole block of tongue, and one in that tongue. and launched a stanzas in that at least partially The only one Variety felt qualified to review without reservations then was the in-part program, Aldo Aldi’s, in which he jabbers in both English and Italian. A rambling-type affair in which Aldi’s personality gets across v^ry well, the show' runs as a 45-minute weekday strip and as a Saturday half-hour. WATV Italo programmers evi- dently feel that their audience digs the same video hokum as any American viewer because Aldi’s program is arranged in that same loose-jointed fill-the-time fashion as many low-budgeted morning shows for Anglo housemarms. He wanders through horseplay with would-be clown Al Marsilio, makes a telephone call or two to some lucky spaghetti eaters, interviews some musical guest and his home makes the whole of a seemingly large set. It’s a variety show of sorts and. in portions viewed, showed no predeliction for that “household hint” type format, though there’s no reason why Italian housewives shouldn’t have some of that on WATV too. The Aldi-Marsilio vis-a-vis came off okay when seen, but when Marsilio sidled up to a commercial for one of the Italo sponsors with a long, artificial ameche confab with said sponsor, in an attempt to be funny, he fell way short of the mark. He had the attributes of a par stooge but his solo antics were merely juvenile. Charming, however, was singer Joe Allegro. He integrated neatly with Aldi, both as an aid in interviewing guests and as solo artist. Since Aldi is pitching part of his spiel in English it is assumed that he also wants to reach Italians land others) who aren’t sharp in that tongue. Yet in introing both guests of last Friday <4) he failed to say in English land maybe in Italian too) who they were. In one instance, with a femme, he assumed because she had been on the program before people would know who she was. Mostly out of an academic in- terest. a portion of the preceding “Musical Moments.” from 11 to 11:15 ayem, was surveyed. Though it was supposed to be all in Italian, emcee Edoardo Vergara and regu- lar tenor Nino Aurelio slipped this once <4* at any rate into Eng- lish to accommodate a guest per- former who didn't speak much Italian. Nature of chatter and the living room setting had a pleasant intimacy. On the whole, the show was better regimented than Aldi’s. Aurelio has a schmaltzy operatic quality and did “O Sole Mio” and another of that genre to appeal to first generation Italian-Ameri- can homebodies. Art. Robert Montgomery took a crack at Charles Jackson’s “The Lost Weekend’’ on his NBC-TV “Pre- sents” Monday »7) with mixed re- sults. Inevitable comparison must be made with the film (from best- selling book) that brought Ray Milland his fattest role as the al- coholic. No 60-minute edition of the powerful celluloider can be ex- pected to do more than offer a sur- face replica of the personal AA saga, though the Adrian Spies adaptation caught most of the touching moments and Montgom- ery played the lead with telling effect in gravitating between so- briety and the staggers. Handpicked cast carried through with impact in Lcora Dana as the distraught girlfriend, Edward An. drews as the brother and Walter Matthau as the bartender. All the well remembered highlight ingre- dients were there—the whiskey bottle suspended from the window and another hidden in the ceiling fixture, the pitiable scenes at the bar. the frantic attempt at ped- dling the “one-book novelist’s” typewriter, the money in the sugar- bowd intended for the maid, the weekend in the country that didn’t come off. and most degrading of all. the AA’s bounceout from the caf^ after owning up to the theft of a woman’s purse. With Montgomery back in action as an actor, he .and cast gave evi- dence that, with sufficient time to exploit the story, they could have come across more effectively, since everything else fell into position. Trau. and drive home the point. Bliss- fully married for 30 years and re- cently widowed, she’s represented on the hallucination route as re- ceiving a phone call from her deceased spouse every Sunday-at-6, throwing family and suitor into [-varying degrees of consternation and alarm as the illusion takes joy- ful hold of the widow. To play out the romantic antics, serioso in intent but with pungent, inherent comedy situations built in, Segal surrounded his star with an extra-special cast of knowing troupers. Foremost of these, in the fattest part, was David Opatoshu, perhaps the slickest of Jewish- American interpreters trodding the tv boards. He was the suitor, long- time friend-partner of the <jead husband, and winner of the lady’s hand at the finale. In the other niches, Janet Fox as spinster sister of the widow, Gloria Stroock as her daughter-in-law and Michael Wager, the former’s husband, played major roles in their differ- ing approaches to the phone-happy problem. Robert Ellenstein sup- plied a skillful pair of scenes as the “old friend” psychiatrist brought in to treat the widow. Even the off-screen voice of vet- eran Louis Sorin as the telephonic beyonder seemed vividly present. Fine show in every department, including the technical credits. Trau. Leave it to Gertrude Berg—that Molly dolly—to give thought and substance to a characterization in the Bronx-type groove. Leave it also to Alex Segal, who is never in such rare form as when he’s reining a script that’s to his taste, as distinct from what’s thrust at him as a matter of routine by the Theatre Guild’s “U S. Steel Hour” on ABC-TV. Last Tuesday’s <1) imaginative “Six O’clock Call,” authored by James Yaffe. showed Mrs. Berg in a true light as an actress who can underplay with the best of them New Telepix Shows 5:30 p.m. TV TEEN TIME With Ron Drake, emcee Producer: Ron Drake Director: Ray Schwarz 30 Mins.. Mon.-thru-Fri. WIIP-TV, Harrisburg. Producer and host. Ron Drake, introduces this showcase for young talent as “The Greatest Teenage Show on Television.” Show got off to a fast start with a better than average tap routine by Alice Williams and was follow- ed by a marimba solo by Joanne Davis. Gal had everything, person- ality plus, technical know-how’, etc. Patty Shuff. vocalist, was next, with socko rendition of "Mr. Sand- man.” Male vocalist. Bruce Brown, was impressive with his version of “Loveliest Night of the Year.” Another dancer. Wanda Hilde- brand. was fine with a rhythm tap, followed by a “Teentime Tiny Tot." seven-year-old Patty Shoyer, doing a terrif job on "I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.” Final act was a real rhythin-rouser, Gene Oyler and a Johnnie Rav styling of “Orange Colored Sky.” Guy had punch galore and dis- played some real showmianship. Talent rotates on this cross-the- board show, with different acts every day from high schools in the Harrisburg area. Host Ron Drake interviews each act from desk and the ad lib byplay sparks the show and sets the tempo for the whole delightful revue. As a special fea- ture from time to time, Drake pre- sents High School Bands. Choirs and Dance Bands. Kudoes go to director Ray Schwarz for his ex- cellent staging, lighting and cam- era work. PASSPORT TO DANGER With Cesar Romero, Lita Milan, William Thing, Dan Seymour, Lyle Talbot, Maria Palmer, others Producer: llal Roach Jr. Directors: Sobey Martin, Erie Ken- ton, Roy Kellino, others Writers: Robert C. Dennis. Donald S. Sanford, William Tunberg, others 39 half-hours Distrib: ABC Film Syndication “Passport to Danger,” which be- fore ABC Syndication picked it up was peddled by Hal Roach Jr. un- der the title “Diplomatic Courier,” is another adventure series that goes off the beaten track only in the designation of its central char- acter, who works as a diplomatic courier for the U. S. Job is a springboard from which Cesar Ro- mero. as the courier, walks into various spy and intrigue situations. Aside from this slight twist, how- ever, “Passport to Danger” falls into the familiar mold with little in the way of tight writing or di- rection to distinguish it from the rest. Of the two episodes caught, one was set in Paris, the other in Bel- grade. In the former, Romero clears a friend of a charge he sold confidential papers to the French; in the latter, he helps out a girl whose life is threatened and foils a plot to assassinate key govern- ment leaders. Neither of the stories were particularly convinc- ing, nor were they suspenseful. One of the key assets of the show’ is Romero himself, who’s im- posing as the courier and who is also warm and natural in the part. Casts are all American (though a smattering of the foreign lan- guages is included in the sound- track*, another advantage over the made-in-Europe variety. Stock footage is fairly well integrated for those foreign effects, though the overall editing is on the choppy side. In the episodes caught, sup- porting casts are good, with such regulars as William Citing and Lyle Talbot among less familiar faces like Lita Milan and Maria Palmer. _ .. i isnt Roing to produce any kfuu. i world-shaking results with this Despite a good lineup of names. "Colgate Comedy Hour” wound up as only mediocre entertainment on last Sunday’s (6) NBC-TV stanza. One of the basic flaws of this ses- sion was its formlessness. While tight^continuity is not an essential to a vaudeo layout, some routining is necessary. This show, which originated from several cities, had a grab-bag crudity that permeated the whole production. Spike Jones’ troupe teed off the show with its usual type of musi- cal mayhem. The group’s circus antics, raucous noises and zany garb, including trick drooping trousers on one of the sidemen, has some slapstick appeal, although the comedy seemed to be applied with a mechanical zest on this show’. Jones’ act, in any case, is one, but neither is it likely to take a beating. It’s a par-for-the-course outing, with the fact that it’s bet- ter produced than the made-in- Europe variety standing most in its favor. Chan. : 4 4 4 MMiMi n nmni M MH tailored for a juve audience. All the more surprising, therefore, that the vocalist with the troupe, Helen Grayco (Mrs. Spike Jones), decided to do two sexy blues num- bers which might even be in ques- tionable taste at a far later hour in the evening. The tunes were “Don’t Freeze on Me” and “Teach Me Tonight,” both of which were delivered with clear implications. Miss Grayco registered as a solid performer with considerable vocal savvy. In the comedy department, Paul Gilbert was fair in a long gab-and- song patter about an automatic clothes washer. The material did not justify the length of this rou- tine, particularly since Gilbert de- livered it with a one-note repeti- tiveness. The show had several high spots in Nat (King) Cole's songalog, Bobby Van’s hoofing and Senor Wences sock ventro-juggling par- lay. Even this talent suffered from the show’s hop. skip and jump quality. Another interesting fea- ture on the show was a pickup from a jai alai match in Tijuana. Enough was shown to indicate the terrific speed of the game which, however is not particularly well adapted for the video cameras. Gordon Jenkins batoned the studio orch competently. Henn. GUY LOMBARDO SHOW With Lombardo and orch; Carmen Lombardo, Liebert Lombardo, Kenny Gardner, Bill Flannigan, Toni Arden Produced by: Guy Lombardo Films Prod.-Dir.: Herbert Sussan 30 Mins. Distributed by: MCA-TV Sweetest music this side of heaven are the residuals this series will pour into the coffers by Guy Lombardo over the years. Timeless in their general appeal, these films will be playing the tv time long after he has put away his baton. For more than a quarter cen- tury Lombardo, his three brothers and the rest of the Royal Canadians have been regaling nite clubbers, leg shakers, jukers and assorted devotees of his type of sweet mu- sic and if their popularity has waned it isn't noticeable. In this footage of celluloid and thousands of more to come, the Lombardos will dish up what has been avidly devoured since the first toot from the sax section. No tricks or fancy licks, just solid sending that falls easily on the ears and jogs the urge to let the leather fly. The oldies will be coming around, the likes of “Little Girl” and "My Gal Sal,” but the Lom- bardo style makes them nostalgi- cally pleasant. To vary the pattern of straight musicianship, Lombar- do brought on Toni Arden as guestar, chatted with her about music and then put her in front of the band to sing an old favorite of hers, "Sorrento.” She banged it across in great style. There was also the inevitable medley of bal- ! lets written by Carmen. Camera shots of the band were panned ' mostly to the saxes, the outfit’s cornerstone. Much of the filming, it was ap- parent. was shot in the Roosevelt Hotel in N. Y„ where the Lom- bardos have been a fixture. Helm. • ' ' i J . » i , I t ■ . Ed Sullivan got around to a trib- ute to Columbia pix on Sunday’s i6» rendition on CBS-TV. Sullivan made it evident that this pic firm has a long and distinguished his- tory in films, and with Sullivan’s frequent mentions of Harry Cohn, it made the studio look like a one- man enterprise. Most of the films show ; n by Sul- livan during the session are fondly remembered by the customers who have been around long enough. There were brief glimpses of Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in “It Happened One Night.” Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur in “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town,” Rita Hay- worth in “Gilda.” “From Here to Eternity,” “Born Yesterday,” "Caine Mutiny” and “Waterfront” and some excellent publicity on Col’s forthcoming “Long Gray. Line” with live trailerizing by Maureen O’Hara. Most of the oldies are remembered fondly, but to the new’ generation of filmgoers the seg- ment meant very little. With no background as to plot and the in- completeness of the segment, many of the youngsters must have won- dered what it’s all about. In “Mu- tiny” and "Waterfront” there were shown peak moments, but without extensive background, they carried little force. The live sections had an inter- setup with Eddie Fisher, & Gower Champion and Brewer topping the roster, made a deep impression with his medley of Jolsoniana. and a rendition of “Man Chases Girl” with Debbie Reynolds on the back- ground voice. Miss Brewer doing a couple of standards from the still unreleased "Three for the Show” also stirred up a lot of applause. The most picturesque segment was Marge & Gower Champion in excellent terping with handsome production background. Jose. esting Marge Teresa Fisher It was interesting to watch Dr. Lyman Bryson and his guest on last *Sunday's (6) “Lamp Unto My Feet,” Dr. Liston Pope expand so greatly on Clair Roskam's playlet “As The Twig Is Bent.” The 10- minute drama, following the usual format restrictions of the CBS-TV pubserv stanza, painted three often implausible, shadeless char- acters. However, their actions seemed designed only to convey .symbolically the nature of bigotry. and as such the playlet had loads of dramatic zing. John Beale played an upper- middle class father who turned away from his door on the day of his daughter’s birthday party a small boy. Whether it was for color of skin, religion or for so- cial-economic inferiority was care- fully never told, rather than re- strict the bigotry to a type. View- er got the feeling it was an abom- ination no matter what kind of prejudice. After turning out Willy •whose back only is seen*. Beale lied to his daughter and his wife. When he was discovered, he chose to rationalize his actions; when that clicked like the Nautilus without the atom, he told his daughter, Bonnie Sawyer, that she was wrong, that she was guilty be- cause she had invijed Willy. Final- ! ly, he bought her off with the i promise of a new bicycle. Beale’s real wife, Helen Craig, played the t i • k BOB & KAY WITH EDDIE DOU- CETTE With Bob Murphy, Kay Westfall. Art Van Damme Quintet, Joe Gallicchio orch Exec Producers: George Heine- man, Dick Johnson Producer-Director: Dave Waters 75 Minutes: Mon.-thru-Fri., 12:45 p.m. Participating WNBQ, Chicago Taking its cue from the parent w'eb’s daytime magazine formula, NBC-TV’s WNBQ has merged a couple of long-standing strips into a souped-up departmentalized femme-slanted display that could well be tagged “Noon.” Revamped format is a combination of Bob Murphy and Kay Westfall’s long- running interview clambake and chef Eddie Doucette’s culinary lec- tures. with the Art Van Damme Quintet and Joseph Gallicchio and the house band thrown in for added spice. It’s a nicely tooled video grabbag that should find fa- vor with the women folk. As before, Murphy and Miss Westfall make with the chatter and conduct the guest interviews. Visi- tors on show viewed (1), a traffic expert with an intriguing mockup of a model city and a beekeeper complete with a buzzing hive, were about par for the daytime course. Fitting new gadgets include a news report by Murphy and a weather roundup by the distaffer. Doucette’s cooking demonstration is an in-and-out routine woven through the 75 minutes, hardly the best way to get the “lesson” across. Between times the studio orch and the Van Damme group take over for the musical pacechangers. Musical additions and the fancy new’ set make this a lush local outing. Dave. BELFAST POP TIME With Don Sherwood, Patsy Speer, guests Producer: Bill Anderson Director: Tom Weatherwax 30 Mins., Sat. 5:50 p.m. BELFAST ROOT BEER KGO-TV, San Francisco Latest bid for teenage attention, and one of the few’ live tv shows to begin here in some months, Pop Time offered Doh Sherwood, who does various daytime disk jockey stints for KSFO, as a soda jerk host behind the counter of a soda fountain in which a jukebox plays records and guests sit at the count- er and a teenage audience sips sodas 'or root beer) in the back- ground. Guests on the opening show were singer Mel Torme. disk jockey Russ Coglin and a youngster from San Francisco State College. Jack Perrera. Sherwood played three disks and called for comments from the guests. Patsy Speer, who acts as Sherw'ood’s girl Friday on the Saturday show’, did a baton twirling bit to Perry Como’s “Ko Ko Mo” and Torme mouthed the words and pantomimed the vocal to his own Coral disk of “All of You.” As a personality showcase for Sherwood, this show will develop into a pretty solid half-hour once the initial loose ends are tied to- gether. As a pop music show it is a complete misnomer. The camera work was badly co- ordinated with the camera fre- quently on the wrong person. A show which does not play rec- ords all the way through is in a weak position to make a bid for importance in the pop music field which this package is attempting to do here. There should be a de- vice worked out for inclusion of more disks if this effort is to con- tinue and if Sherwood is to be built up as a poft d.j., some care should be taken that he should not be topped by a guest with superior knowledge in the pop field as Cog- lin did twice to him on the open- ing show. On the plus side, Sherwood is a casual, ^asy going m.c. Rafc. part of an angered but actionless mate. Dr. Pope, Dean of Yale Divinity School, and Bryson thereafter dis- sected "Twig,” from it punching home facts re bigotry. Building their case intelligently, although soifietimes seeming to read things into the capsule drama that weren’t there, they logically traced the cause of prejudice to the pocketbook. They decided that now the child was “infected by poison,” that the problem wasx’t felt by the child as it was by the parents yet the sensations of the father’s ire and the mother’s com- placency were finally transmitted • to the juve. This session had impact and fol- lowed a highly rewarding pattern of publio service programming at CBS-TV. which rarely falls short of its goal in that regard. Art. I k } • i