Evening star., 1948-08-11
By Harry Macarthur
Rodie Editor Of The Sfor

Modern science is not yet ready to
take over for the old vaudeville the
aters. Almost, maybe, but not quite
The audience in the famed Palace
Theater on Times Square, where q
large part of the initial program OF
New York's new WITTY was picked
up last night, must have witnessed
better show than local televieWers
This was not the fault of WMAL-
TV, which carried as much of the
dedication program as possible In
Washington, nor was the moderately
| infant television industry to blame
The old, veteran wire communica-
tions industry let baby down. Line
difficulties, throwing pictures on 10
cal sets momentarily out Of focus
or of the screen entirely, plagued
the program throughout. At one
point, a frantic WMAL-TV repre-
sentative was informed by master
television control in New York that
"A. r. G T. (Which operates all the
long lines used by radio networks
has lost the picture"
Plenty Of Showmanship.
For all the difficulties that plagued
the transmission of the premiere of
the American Broadcasting Co.'S
new video flagship" there was
plenty of showmanship in evidence
in the. programming. There was
much to indicate that television set
owners are in for some happier
times.
Television may very easily be, as
a matter of fact, the new home OF
vaudeville that many are claiming
it Is to become. The ABC Snowman
ship was especially marked in the
closing three-quarterS OF an hour OF
last nights festival broadcast from
the Palace stage This was a show
full OF variety and comedy, packed
with talent and vitality.
Shouts Of JOY must have gone
up in many a local living room
toward the end Of the evening, when
it turned out that A. T. & T. had
not lost Bea Lille. She had been
saved, as is only fitting, for the ira
ditionally stellar next-to-closing
spot, and she filled it with bright
fash Of Lille comedy. She is as
great an entertainer in television
as in any other medium. Her sing
ing of Wind" and There Are
Faeries at the Bottom of Our Gar
den" had the Palace audience de-
manding more and Washington
watchers undoubtedly hoping for
more.
If the show from vaudeville's old
home owed its success to any one
particular performer, his name Is
Ray Bolger. A man of immense
energy and talent and fine comic
flair, Mr.. Bolger acted as master OF
ceremonies throughout the broad
cast from the stage. During that
last half Of it we saw down here,
at least, he was bounding through
his chore with a combination of
enthusiasm and nonchalance that
was good to see. How he retained
enough energy for dancing, too, is
a mystery; but he did, and along
toward the end of the evening gave
generously of that to launch WIZ
TV. Mr.. Bolger is performer who
can welcome television.
Rooney Dances, Van Sings.
Vaudevilles one-night return to
the Palace stage brought out a
number of top-notch performers
who had been there before many
times. Pat Rooney, ST., danced the
dances he danced for another gen.
Grafton and with at least 90 per
cent Of their old-time vim. Gus
Van sang some Of those songs with
which he long has been associated.
Waiter Dare Wahl and his wonder
fully blank-faced stooge proved that
their acrobatics are as hilarious in
video as they have been several