Evening star., 1949-05-29
News of Video and Radio
Mr.. Seller Persevered and Television
Finally Brought Him Success
By Harry Macarthur

1t is probable that every tele-
vision set owner In town has, at
one time or another recently, sat
and watched the screen intently
as five skaters roared around a
track In New York while trying TO
do bodily harm to five other
skaters. II is known, in fact. by
people who keep track OF such
things as audiences, that some 95
per cent of the local televiewers
don't turn their receivers of. but
watch the roller derby late Thurs
day nights when no other pro-
grams are on here.
Part Of this no doubt is due to
the fact that many who own video
sets feel that they must watch
them whenever a picture is made
available. Not much of 1t. though.
The roller derby, in its two local
teIecast periods (WMAL-TV-
Mondays and ThursdayS, never
has less than q quarter OF the
Washington audience and always
matches or betters its opposition.
The rise of the sports popu-
larity as a teIevision feature has
been phenomenal. Regular tele-
casts were started only last March.
but you have no trouble at all
now finding people who can talk
knowingly of packs and jams and
leading jam skaters. The derby
seems sure to best wrestling and
boxing as living room sports fare.
The reason probably is com
bination Of action and novelty im1
posed upon conflict. which is the
basis Of the attraction OF any
sport, from penny-ante poker to
football to drama. The roller
derby has a dangerous look. The
blocking that is part OF the play
Ia done at 80 miles an hour and
there are frequent spills. The
members of the girls teams are
quick to resort to hair-yanking IN
settlement of q dispute. The males
seem ever ready to add fisticuns
to the rough body contact and
the slams into the guard rail OF
q tly-contested match.
A slugfest between two men on
roller skates holds infinitely more
possibilities for action than even
q Willie Pep fight. The roller
derby has plenty Of lure Tor an
audience, all right.
II
More interesting even than the
roller derby's sudden popularity
with home viewers is the effect
television had on the roller derby.
It's an invented sport, the first
one since basketball to gain any
notice. It was devised by a man
named Leo Seller in Chicago, In
1888.
In 1910, Mr.. Seller brought the
roller derby to New York and was
received the way the six-day bike
races recently were received in
Washington. He went away, but
apparently is a perseryering man.
In 1946, he came back and in
stalled his skaters in the Polo
Grounds for a Tonight stand. He
was rained out nights out OF the
10 and this time departed $4,000
poorer.
Last fall, when he tried New
York again, he sought some advice
from Joe Hasel of the ABC sports
department. Mr.. Hasel advised
him to paper the house If neces-
sary and to be sure to get on
television. No spot could be
opened up on ABC at the time.
but one telecast on CHS was
arranged. The roller derby was in
business.
1t was when the regular series
began on ABC in March. however.
that the real excitement started.
Other sports promoters may fear
video will diminish their ticket
receipts, and it may do so, but
not Mr.. Seller. Since the roller
derby has been a television feature.
his main problem is finding arenas
big enough to hold all the tele-
viewers who storm his box office
for closer look.
The Memorial Day race at the
Indianapolis Speedway will be re-
ported by Bill Slater and Gene
Kelly over the Mutual network to-
morrow. Four broadcast periods
have been set aside for coverage OF
the annual 500-mile classic. The
first, for covering the start OF the