Evening star., 1950-10-01

Ills may GuIIl OuL W NC QdLe
looked back on as historic one in
television. Then again, of course,
1t may not. At any rate, this Oc-
tober / is the date when the 90
day trial of Phonevision is due to
start in Chicago. If the trial
proves anything, it is sure to have
an effect on your televiewing in
the future.
Phonevision, in case that never
has come into your life before, Is
what the name rather clearly i'm
plies. 1t is a system whereby
home viewers can see first mo-
ton pictures simply by dialing a
telephone number and ordering
same. The movies are telecast and
seen on ordinary home receivers,
which are equipped with gadget
which receives. over the telephone
lines, the signal which unscrambles
the picture. The features cannot
be seen on a set not so equipped.
The viewer, of course, pays a fee
for the films he wants to watch
at home.
Three hundred Phonevision sets
save been set up in Chicago to de-
termine, in a test authorized by
the Federal Communication Com
mission, public acceptance of the
system. There is some feeling,
however. that this test period may
be something less than fair. Phone
vision enthusiasts claim their sys-
tenn is the answer to several prob
lens. It gives the home viewers
a movie uninterrupted for COM
mercials and it should, the en-
thusiasts say. help the film pro-
ducers peddle their wares even
though hordes Of people are stay
ing home to look at television.
The movie makers, however,
have been so long wed to the
exhibitors that no governmental
decree of divorce can change their
ways overnight. And the film
exhibitors. the people who. run
the chain theaters and the small
neighborhood houses, are aghast
at the very thought of Phone
vision. It may have the sound of
whistling at the graveyard gate,
but the exhibitors will tell you
that Phonevision will never be a
financial success. It's impossible
The attitude of the movie in
duStry is what may make the
Phonevision test inconclusive. The
proponents of the system claim
they have enough pictures for the
test, but it is generally thought
that no major Hollywood pro-
ducer has agreed to go along with
this gag.
This could, Of course, backfire
on Hollywood. If the Phone
vision test Is a success without
top-ranking films 1t will be es-
pecially clear that public accep-
tance Is there.
Fred Allen Comes to TV
Down Thot Some Old Alley 49,
That was a fine radio program
Fred Allen turned up with for his
television debut last week on
Comedy Theater" (WNBW-
Sunday, 8p.m.). But the promised
innovations were invisible If
present and Mr.. Aliens reported
admiration for Dave Garroway
seems to have had precious little
effect on the show. If Mr.. Allen
had paid close attention to Mr..
Garroway, for instance, he would
have noted that Mr.. G., even when
a gag is falling fiat, has the good
grace to direct it to guy or gal
who is sitting looking at a tele-
vision set.
Mr.. Allen, last Sunday night
was doing what many a lesser
man has done before him-play-
ing to the studio audience and
carefully avoiding any indication
that he knew there was a camera
aimed in his direction. The re-
suit OF this is that the viewer at
home is given the impression that
he is being allowed to stand in
the wings and watch a show
which is being done for some one
else. Why. there were times dur
ing Mr.. Aliens debut when a man
might as well have been watching
Ed Sullivan and that's a drastic
statement for an old Allen admirer
to make.
Still, Mr.. Allen is very funny
man and television can use his
acid approach. In addition to
being a witty man, he is an ex-
perienced show-business hand so
it is not too much to expect that
Mr.. Allen will be, as time goes by,
using television to better and
better advantage. Arthur God