Variety (November 1957)

40 VA&mr? Wednesday, November 13, 1937 l£Lfi \ IS1UA UK \ 1KWS MRS. WILLIE With Yvonne Amaud, Michael Shepley, Anton Diffring, Ronald )t Allen, Mande Long, Iain Scott,: ^ Helen Shingler, Petra Davies, : f Charles Lloyd Pack, Margot. T Lister, Aubrey Danvers-Walker ; j ++»+++++»+++»+»+»++»+++ Director: Cyril Butcher j Writer: Alan Melville follows; in the footsteps of its U.S. Settings: Frederic Pusey j and British colleagues. 90 Mins., Wed., 8:30 pun. i “Cardillac” belongs to a series of ASSOCIATED - REDIFFUSION,[ UFA vidpix skedded by .this com- from London ' = pany. This one has been ordered “Mrs. Willie" presented a highly i by the Bavarian Radio Station from strung plot with highly strung which it was also telecast, characters in a bid at humor, and Story locale is Paris 1680 and although it was a moderate success concerns a goldsmith (Cardiltac) in the West End a few years back, who at the^ same time is a lmig- it couldn't even claim a compara- 1 wanted robber and murderer. The tive achievement in its tv produc-: goldsmith is so mad about his cre- tion. Even the charm, of Yvonne i ations that he murders all those Arnaud and her French accent ; who have^ purchased jewelry from failed to pull the offering into pre- hm* m order to get the latter back, sentabie shape • Th e police find it tough to nab him a : since he is a very respected citizen fnWp a 10 ^ and nobody mistrusts him. Of thronln e wi?irln e ■ course, he is tracked down in the England as the wife of a gentleman ; ^‘of actak^hTonen' ("ft,” th U> her „ s ?"’ wh “ 5 vas h -j r ‘ ings. ^Germany’s romantic poet! E. to the throne, got a yen to inake'rr. * unffmon 10991 ncpft.it ?h?wis‘Told S th?t y ?L?e1i4° s "a''?ro n fir to tale“'FraIuieta voif Sc*- rnvaTict P h?r ! deri,” while Paul Hindemith took home counri-v 1 f 1 h :this subject for one of his major One saving grace of the produc-, Question about the outcome of tlons was Miss ArnaUd’s piano; uFA’s first Yjdpie is a hit negative, playing, which was featured exten- j Its basic h< 0 rdicap is that the plot sively. Anton Diffring was good as | jacks sufficient suspense.. One the suave, scheming ambassador, knows, of course, in advance who with aspirations to be the power i tbe murderer is, while the woven-, behind the throne, and Michael in love story between the gold- Shepley was pleasing as the dither-,' sm ith’s daughter and his journey¬ ing gentleman farmer. The many > man st i rs little interest.. Moreover, twists and turns of the plot were' t h e whole thing appear* somewhat often not clearly established, and padded on account of an overly the humor was often too brittle. ; s i' ow pacs . Also, the text could Bary. j have been tighter and some dialog | sequences are rather talky. Techni- ! eally, however, it’s a solid offering. w£ IE Marto'^vaf guests; Mario ' Decor as well'as camerawork rep- j Uonsiclio orch . resent good German average. i Director* Bros Macchl . AMred ScWeske a capable local fio Mine in nm stageactor, plays the title role and RAI-TV from Milan * I all in all he is believable. Ingeborg . ? ... •! Loeffler enacts his young daughter Though equipped with a new; and Rein hard Brandt his journey- emcee and shifted, to new hours. : man whom the police temporarily this RAI-TV musical presentation replacing the previous “Cetra Vo- lante” show boils down to straight vaudeville, and as such is mainly dependent on the value of each stanza’s stars. Vet Mario Riva makes an easygoing host for the proceedings, with a pointed s’ense regard as the logical suspect. Both players are young newcomers which may excuse their lack of pol¬ ish. Cast includes a number of w.k. actors but the material fur¬ nished them in the script doesn’t give them any chance to come along with impressive, perform- of humor added to ad lib values j ance s. Direction by Volker von for top results in the laugh bracket. | Co]lande is not very imaginative Though overdone and repetitious, i and can hardly be called better his use of spectators to intro the j tban j us t fair various acts made for additional j i mpre ssion is that a basically in¬ laughs. ! teresting and perhaps even sus- Acts ranged from good to so-so, with one standout value: the Rena- to Carosone Orchestra. Group, which has jumped into the top Italian musical' slot in the course of one year as well as • setting a new song and music trend in this country, is off on an overseas tour Which will take it to Cuba, Vene¬ zuela, Mexico, and the U. S., where it’s slated for a Jan. 4 concert at Carnegie Kail. Led by pianist Carosone, orchestra is an unusual well-rehearsed combo which relies mainly on Neapolitan songs, which It often satirizes, but holds its own on foreign material (often rewrit¬ ten by Carosone for top effect!. Group gave the teleshow a decid¬ edly upbeat windup. Preceding, Les Marcellis fea¬ tured some able variations on the standard table-and-chair aero act to good effect, while Saltano S» Monique Dorian segued in an ef¬ fective but oft-seen magico num¬ ber. Walter & Fernando followed with a fairly routine dog number, while juggler Gunther topped penseful subject could have been exploited to better advantage. Hans. THE ROOF GARDEN With Andre Morell, Peter Illing, Perlita Neilson, Griffith Jones, Maxine Audley Director: Ronald Marriott Writer: Elizabeth Dawson Settings: George Haslam 60 Mins.; Fri., 9 p.m. Associated-Rediffusion, from Lon¬ don An effort to cram the effect a bombshell had on four persons in a tenement, which was likened to aii island in the midst of civiliza¬ tion, failed to convey any real emo¬ tional depths in “The Roof Gar¬ den,” mainly because it was under¬ developed. This play heeded more than the 60 minutes allotted to It to establish its characters, and be¬ cause of its shallowness, wasted a good lineup of talent. Story revolved round the occu¬ pants of a three-story tenement, the owner (Andre Morell). a re- juntner toppea a ! me owner lanare ^nureu/. u ±c- fair act with an effective balancing ! tired Greek wrestling chajmpion, number featuring a dozen candle-! and h ; s granddaughter (jPeriita sticks tossed on top of ore another, j Neilsen); a tailor (Peter Illing), and Some healthy cracks of an in -; the top floor—with the roof garden tramurai nature pitched by emcee i Riva regarding the previous pro- gram, or about some eff the above acts or regarding video censorship in this country (“take away men¬ tion of sex, politics, current events —then try to be a comedian on television”), made for added laughs, though probably resulting in pan¬ icked huddles of network officials the next morning. Haick. a writer (Griffith Jones), Plot tried to establish that there was some¬ thing more than a neighborly bond between them alL But the cocoon was busted wide Open when the wrestlers “no good” daughter (Maxine Audley), also the mother of his ward, turned up. She pre¬ ferred to keep a secret of the fact , that she was dying of an incurable __ i disease. r , DmtI ,„ •' The completed offering lacked aiT j 0 ,. , _ i conviction and did not satisfy, al- Schieske, Ingeborg ; though it presented a good basic Loeffler, Reinhard Brandt, Arno: iaea for a meller. The play suf- Assman, Gerd Vespermann, f ered from too thin a construction. Fmdler, Edith Schneider, Tcp acting honors went to Miss Hans Stiebner, Tilo von Ber-j Ne ilson and Illing who did well in lepscn, others injecting sincerity into weak mate- Producer: UFA L rial Ra.ru Director: Volker von Collande j * __ Writer: Hartmut Grand Music: Peter Thomas 50 Mins.; Sat. (3), 8:15 pm. GERMAN TV, from Bavarian Radio Munich . PICCOLO MONDO ANTICO With Carla Del Poggio, Renato del Carmine, Paola Borboni, Laura Carli, Aldo Silvani, Diego Miche- lotti, Camiilo Pilotto, others This German vidpic is of special, = Director: Silverio Blasi even historical, importance. It’s the Adaptors: Silverio Blasi, Carla Ra- first film made by the UFA espe- gionieri (from novel by Antonio ciallv for tv. Historical as well is; Fogazzaro the fact that with “Cardillac” the j 60 Minutes, Sat., 9 p.m. domestic film industry has finally RAI-TV, from Milan made the first real step towards) New video adaptation, in serial unstiffening its reluctance against j form, of an Italian, literary classic the “menace” video. Thus it now I shows the same painstaking care. 4 - ♦ ♦"»++»+ »♦♦♦♦♦»♦ M ♦♦ ♦♦ expensive production, and able thesping of the previous ones. But, in Spite of the popularity of “Pic¬ colo -Mondo Antico” in local litera¬ ture, 41 would appear a less popular choice for a video presentation of such' great length, its main value lying in the romantic love story, in the tortured Romeo-Juliet-vein, of Franco and Luisa. Initial hour indicated that Fogaz- zaro’s classic aged less handsomely than Jane Austen's4her “Pride and Prejudice” having constituted the very, successful previous serial), though the script by Carla Ragio- nieri and director Silverio Blasi did its best to dust off the writer’s staid tome, succeeding in giving the local spectacular-of sorts a' workable video form. Acting by all concerned indicates careful re¬ hearsals, though Renato del Car¬ mine, as the hero, appeared a bit wooden for the part. Film star Carla del Poggio was a sensitive opposite in a key role. Others, down to the innumerable minor parts, were all excellent, with Aldo Silvani standing out as the faithful | family friend. . Special praise must So to the art work and sot design, accurate and effective in rendering the north Italian, households and village streets. (Reportedly, some 60 dif¬ ferent §etS will be used for this presentation.) Direction by Blasi, except- for some minor first-night errors and gaps, was effective. Harck. THE LAST MILE With Harry H. Corbett, Nell Mc- Callum, Robert Robinson, Don Gilliland, Gilbert Winfield, Mi¬ chael Mellinger, Jimmy Riches, Tony Quinn, Edward Judd, Rob¬ ert Ghisays, Robert O’Neil, Dom¬ inic Roche, Roddy McMillan, James Douglas, Stratford Johns Producer-Director: Philip Saville Designer: Bertram Tyrer 60 Mins., Sun., 10:30 pjn. ABC-TV, from Manchester John Wexley’s strong drama of “death row” made its first appear¬ ance before British audiences via tv after a 20-year Lord Chamber- lain ban on its stage presentation. The lack of a real censorship on tv (programmers make their own decisions on a show’s suitability) gave ABC-TV the opportunity to put “ on the play. It was tense,, brutal, macabre and harrowing, it was also finely acted and produced. .. “The Last Mile” -is the story, supposedly based on fact, of seven men in Oklahoma state penitentia¬ ry . waiting to go to the electric chair. The guards are brutal and lack any sympathy to the con¬ demned men who are counting the days arid hours before they take tlieir last' walk through the door at the end. of the row. Some of the killers are hard, embittered criminals, one is a nut, the others are plain guys who made.a mistake. But all admit their guilt: The situa¬ tion changes when, the convicts : grab a guard, get the cell keys and hold hostage several guards, the prison keeper and the padre, prom¬ ising that unless they are allowed to go free, each 'Will be shot in turn. The revolt fails, but not before some of the prison officials, excluding the padre, have been slaughtered. The standard of acting wds high, with notable performances by Harry H. Corbert, the leader of the escape plot, Neil McCaflum, the youngster who goes to the chair before the ' uprising begins, arid Don Gilliland, the prisoner was shot during the battle. The death- house set was grimly realistic. Bary. LA REGINA ED IO (The Queen ajuTl) With Franca Valeri, Nilla Pizzi, guests Director: Antonello Falqui 45 Mins., Tues., 10:30 p.m. RAI-TV, from Rome New music and comedy stanza appears mainly slanted at distaff viewers in its choice of songstress Nilla Pizzi and comedienne Franca Valeri as hosts, though show’s gen¬ eral' entertainment'. qualities are good and likely to Improve ?s the series goes on. Though Miss Pizzi’s three lively (and new) songs make pleasant listening, it’s her partner’s mono- logs which steal the show in their sharply witty satires of present- day fads and foibles. Product of the “intimate” genre of musical review. Miss Valeri’s brand of comedy and expressive features are both eminently suited to the video medium and, despite some evident nervousness during show caught, her projection registered strongly. Choice of guest stars for first [ program, revue star Wanda Osiris plus two fashion designers, might have looked good on paper but resulted in some generally dull t interludes, offering Miss Valeri little or no chance to throw verbal barbs for which she’s famed, and generally resulting in an out-of¬ place change of mood and pace. Direction by Antonello Falqui lacked the sureness needed for the tight package, with several “holes” in evidence during the 45-minute stanza. Hawk. POLTRONISSIMA With Isa Barrizza, Enrico Viarisio Writers: _ Mario Bzffico, Riccardo Morbelli, Ettore Scola 36 Mins., Thurs., 10 p.m. RAI-TV, from Milan ... RAI-TV has hit upon a popular (and inexpensive) formula for a variety show of sorts in this, pre¬ sentation of a composite history of musical and legit theatre and musichall stars of past and present. Series is Introed and presented by two musical revue stars, Isa Bar- zizza and Enrico Viarisio, who also comment on the various inserted film clips taken from old pix or from direct recordings of old and recent shows. 4 Each program is dedicated, along fairly elastic lines, to various sec¬ tors of the musical stage, and the extracts, especially when' they show some • of the greats of the Italian stage, make for pleasant and nostalgic moments. Censorship angle visibly affects the choice of filmed inserts, often resulting in truncated or jerky editing in order to eliminate over¬ abundance of leg display, which the local tv outlet goes to exag¬ gerated lengths to avoid. But gen¬ erally, selection Is good and should satisfy both the old and the not- so-old. Pace, by U.S. standards, is somewhat slow, though both Isa Barzizza and Enrico Viarisio (also via their own personal association with many of the stars presented on film) make likeable commenta¬ tors. Hawk. Foreign TV Followup Chelsea at Nine Granada-TV’s “Chelsea At Nine,” which started out by earning itself a reputation as a novel tv offering, has now developed into a quality showcase not to be snubbed by per¬ formers in any bracket of show business. A 'rCgulaV weekly mixed bag of talent has so far been served up by the programmers, including topflight classical musicians, ballet dancers, jazX singers and musi¬ cians, etc. In the current (5) program, the hill boasted swing fiddler Stephane Grappelly with the Dill-Jones Trio, concert pianist Julius Katchen, Yank comic Alan King, opera ! singer Adele Leigh, and the Rafael de Cordova troupe of Spanish danc¬ ers, along with femcee Elaine Grand, and the resident song and dance line, the Granadiers. A sur¬ prise topical entry was the appear¬ ance of a mother and her two daughters who’d won a football pool worth $5791000 for a stake of two cents. Katchen’s powerful features were i good meat for the cameras which held him in closeup for much of the time while he gave , out with a great rendering of a piece by Cho¬ pin. Still in. the. classical stakes, the-next artist to come in for a hefty reception wax Miss Leigh, a vivacious looking soprano with a voice full of quality which she; demonstrated by singing two op- [ eratic arias. But the biggest hit of the* program was Alan King, who took time out from the Judy Garland Show to appear. His dry, droll humor, smooth patter and su-1 perb timing notched him arsocko j reception on this, his first British tv date: He’s scheduled to make another appearance on the show. The swing violinist and his ac¬ companying trio played hot- music, in the inimitable Grappelly style, and then the fiddler joined forces with Miss Leigh, and Katchen for a pleasant version of “The Man I Love.” Some fiery Spanish danc¬ ing was provided, by the Rafael de Cordova troup. Bary. Sunday Night at The Palladium British commercial tv appears to be turning its vaude eyes in other directions than America. Even Associated Television’s pedestal for Yank topliners, “Sunday Night At The Palladium” <3), got its headliners from Britain and the Continent Star hilling was shared by Diana Dors and Italian come¬ dian Walter Chiari, with Marino Marini & His Quartet, the Gimma Boys, and residents' Bob Monk- house and the Tiller Girls complete ing the lineup. Miss Dors, .apart from looking good, had little to offer, and Chiari devoted his entire solo spot to an overlong gag about an American crooner delivering Ms song. Miss Dors sang “I’ll Take Romance,” and proved that some singing les¬ sons would not be wasted. Climax of the offering came when the actress, Chiari and emcee Monk- house got together for a sketch. It wound with the emcee getting the biggest hand and stealing the thunder from both headliners 4 . This was his last appearance on the pro¬ gram before going to the States. The Marino Marini Quartet, an instrumental vocal group, served up a couple of numbers in Neapo¬ litan style, but their delivery is slightly outmoded. The Gimma Boys, a troupe of zany acros, were good. , Resident dance line, the Tiller Girls, were in form and the Cyril Ornadel orch was up to its usual standard. • Bary. Tele Followeps :^ s== Continue A from page 31 this session. At a key point of the story, when the twin discloses his crime to his double, the telling was interrupted by a long, long series of national spots from two spon¬ sors, not to mention a local station break and a passel of local Spots. That the story was able to. get back on tire track at all is a tribute to the skill of all concerned. Kove. Yon Asked For It Bubbles The Whale did a return visit, on Skippy’s “You Asked For It” on ABCTSunday, and how the great vaudeville showman of yes- teryear„Willie Hammerstein, would have loved that gorgeous mammal! The 1,700-pound star of Marine- land on the Pacific Coast has changed the whole concept of whales as entertainment. Once they were large dead tilings Inside a canvas wall and sometimes the neighbors complained of the smell. I Bubbles is not only frisky but—it sounds like a gag—'tills she-whale I -is full of humor and personality. She had no trouble rendering a MgMy diverting five minutes, much of it in closeup. Not gener¬ ally known that Bubbles is the nroperty and pet of N. Y. financier Frank Vanderlip. Land. The Big Record . Installation of Jack Philbin as producer of “The Big Record” ap¬ pears to have made the CBS-TV show somewhat smoother. But it’s still easily the longest hour on tele¬ vision. Trouble is, “Record” is strictly A johnny-one-note creation, and an hour's pattern is somewhat wear¬ ing. String of guests last Wednes¬ day (8) ranged from fair to good— Bill Hayes, Polly Bergen, tha Treniers, Cindy. 8c Lindy, Yma Su¬ mac and the Guy Lombardo orch, with femcee Patti Page stringing some numbers in between and pairing in a couple of cases. Despite the attempt to vary the type of guests, the straight-pops format gets monotonous after a while, and it’s doubtful that any 4 amount of doctoring on -the pro¬ duction end is going to help over¬ come his basic fault in the premise^ As for Miss Page, she appears a bit more comfortable in her spot than before, but still .shows traces of awkwardness in-handling'her guests,. And somebody ought to stop feeding her those sophomoric quips that are supposed to give her an appearance of sophistication. ‘ ’ Chap. ‘Fabilois infant’ Continued from page 37 the country that NBC thought well enough of to include in “The Fab¬ ulous Infant” as Veterans Day ap¬ proached. And as tMs essay on video history was approached., among the for¬ gotten chapters was and is one of the all-time prime staples, of the medium—Ed SuHivan, from his “Toast” beginnings to. today. Was Sullivan not regarded as -a pioneer in tv’s dizzy decade? This Is like a southern writer omitting General Grant from a-history of the Civil War. Porthmonth, N.H.—Former Gov. Charles M. Dale, owner of radio station WHEB here, has sold his controlling interest in the New Hampshire National Bank of Ports¬ mouth to New Hampshire Bank- shares Inc. Dale is said to be plan¬ ning to devote, more time to oper¬ ation of the station and to his law practice.