Evening star., 1948-10-24

circles as the new season gets under
way 10 the nasal twang that be-
longs to Fred Allen. Mr.. Allen, as
you hardly need to be told, has had
some unkind things to say about
the nature of his opposition on the
Sunday evening air. Often, dur
ing these recent weeks, Mr.. Allen
has stepped out of his entertainer S
role to become a crusader for his
9avorite cause, the return. of radio
TO the entertainers.
Having been dropped, late in the
1947-8 season, far down the list of
programs as the scientific guesses
of the HooperatingS rank them,
Mr.. Allen has had cause for alarm,
all right. Whatever the Hooperat-
ings mean to an intelligently selec-
tive radio listener, they mean every
thing to the sponsors, who pay the
freight.
Probably no one reached moi e
eagerly for the mid October Hooper
hstings when they were released
last week than Mr.. Allen. What
he saw may have given him some
surprise. This first rating report
to be Influenced by the return Of
the winter regulars has much the
look Of one of last seasons lists.
Walter Winchell is in first place,
followed by Fibber MCGEE and
Molly, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Radio
Theater, Phil Harris, Suspense,
Duffys Tavern, Arthur Godfrey's
Talent Scouts, Bing Crosby and My
Friend Irna.
What Mr.. Allen, in 21st place,
thought when he saw the Edgar
Bergen Charlie Mccarthy show list
ed in the No. u spot is not known
around here. Mr.. Bergen spends
his Sunday half hour in opposition
to the same program that has Mr..
Allen burning. That give-away,"
which has been up in the Hooper
heights during the summer, barely
made the first Is. landing one notch
below Life of Riley and one above
Crime Photographer.
Has some one been returning radio
TO the entertainers already, when
MIR. Allen wasn't looking?
Incidentally, q question has been
raised by Mr.. Aliens answer to his
opposition. It's only O question,
mind you. and, not a statement, or
even q suggestion. But, If a pro-
grams offer of expensive prizes and
q fabulous jackpot is buying an
audience. what is the offer of q
cash guarantee against loss of prizes
for not listening to the program?
Televiews:
PH1LCO TELEVISION Play
HOUSE CWNBW-Sunday, 8 p.m.)
With its fourth production "a
udeo version Of Angel in the
Wings" with Grace and Paul Hart
man coming up tonight, this pro-
gram already has raised the gen.
eral level of television entertain
ment q considerable notch. With
the theater conflning itself more
and more to Broadway, it becomes
more and more apparent that the
newest Of the entertainment me-
diums is likely to be the road"
of the future. In Television Play
house 1t already is showing itself
equal to the job. Dinner at Eight"
and Counsellor -at-Law" CRebecca"
wasn't enough to lure q man away
from Toast Of the Town" the
night joey Adams was appearing)
were distinguished productions in
every way, carefully planned,
thoughtfully staged and well acted.
The excitement Of the theater can't
be matched outside it, but Televi-
sion Playhouse comes closer to
achieving it than anything video
has managed 50 far. The programs
greatest asset, not 20 incidentally,
is that its productions are not pho
tographed stage plays, but rather
are designed with the size of the
viewing area Of the average home
receiver in mind. Television Play
house Is video entertainment at its
best.
THE FORD THEATER (WMAL-
~ Sunday, 7:3O) 1t probably
wouldn't be fair to judge too harsh
ly this once-a month show on the
basis Of its first production, last
weeks years Ago" The script,
somehow, failed to catch the pleas
antly nostalgia flavor of Ruth Cor
don's happy memoir. Raymond
Massey was bit too gruff and
harsh in tone as a stage-struck
young girls father and Patricia
Kirkland, as the girl in the case,
seemed more adolescently petulant
than truly stage-struck. Still, in
Its production values the Ford The
ater's Years Ago" was everything
that could be desired Of fine video
drama. The show, in the future,
undoubtedly will do its share toward