Evening star., 1948-08-29

Faolo season was running down,
some startling events took place.
They may not have been of world
shaking import. but they were
enough that sensitive seismographs
noted mild tremors in the direction
of the broadcasting centers in New
York and Hollywood. The old CO.
medians began to lose their over
powering hold on their audience.
The seasons end found Bob Hope
vowing that his program would have
. new formal when he returned to
the air in the autumn, promise
cheered by most listeners "a survey
called the Radio Acceptance Poll
placed the Hope show last among Is
programs examined. 1t rated a
barely acceptable" 1870 against the
top program, Fibber MCGEE and
Molly, with rating of 940D
The seasons end also found Ed
gar Bergen and Fred Allen wallow-
ing in Hooperating depths where
the unaccustomed pressure was
enough to give them the bends
They were the victims of strange
unanticipated form of competition
called Stop the Music" Stop the
Music" land its offspring suddenly
became to the radio comedians what
the strip-tease dancer once had be-
come to burlesque comedians. Who
wants mere talent? Look at the
cams on that doll Listen to those
DANCED fools fighting to give people
$4,000.
No sooner had stop the Music =
happened to Mr. Allen than a num-
Der of his admirers began to Whls-
per that it might be good thing
after all. He'd been coasting along
for a long time. they said. on that
same old formula. He never even
varied the order in which he called
on the inhabitants of Alleys Alley.
Now he may not have been the
first to note that the time had come
for a change, but Mr. Allen was not
the last to note it, either. One OF
the first words about the shape OF
the coming new season has to do
with changes in the Fred Allen
show. Two of it's famed characters
Senator Claghorn and Ajax Cas-
sidy-are to be replaced. What
other changes Mr.. Allen has IN mind
Is not known, at least not to us
outsiders, but he can be tops among
the comedians when he wants to be
and he is not one to give in with
out a fight. Not to mystery mel
ody. anyhow.
The first thought on this change
in the Allen show, incidentally, was
shat the comic had decided thai
Southern politicians are too grim
to be funny any more. Then. II
uas noted that Kenny Delmar is
working on a Russian" character
to replace Senator Claghorn ano
ve decided to let some one else
worry about the political significance
of all this.
TeleVleWS:
One of the times when that tele-
vision receiver certainly justifles its
presence in the living room is Wed
nesday night at 7:30. This is the
time when Critic at Large" is to be
found on WMAL-TV's Channel 7
bringing along John Mason Brown
and a group of guests with lively
minds for varied discussion of con-
temporary arts and life This coule
be all interesting show without it!
visual aspect, of course, but it gain
much by the addition of sight tt
sound With Mr. Brown and hi
guests seen chatting informally il
a comfortable living room set, there
is an air of intimacy and almos
sense of participation about tn,
talkfest, You're liable to find your.
self trying to interrupt to make {
point of your own. In recent week!
Mr.. Brown has had Marc Connolly
Russell Maloney. Richard Nancy
and Brock Pemberton in to lam.
best the New York theater critic;
and A. j. Liebling, Max Lernel
and James Kilgallen over to discuss
the place of newspaper columnists
in the modern scene. Whatever his
topic and whoever his guests. Mr.
Blown at large promises a reward
ing half hour.
If the weather co-operates. tele-
viewers will sit in today on a videc
experiment, when the.Navy partici-