Evening star., 1950-12-25
On the Air
|Democrocy's
Fine Up to
IA Point
By Harry Macarthur

On Christmas Day 1t might seem
fitting for even this corner to ex-
hibit an air of good will. 1t is al
most impossible, though, to keep
a skeptical gleam out of the eye
which passes over such a report
as the one which has just landed
on the desk.
1t is a press release from New
York relating what one set of child
psychology, experts thinks about
the kidides and televisiop. You
can. as you hardly need to be told.
hear whatever you prefer to hear
about televisions effect on the
young, depending on which ex-
perts you listen to. This story says
a "television set can be turned
into a household aid in teaching
children cooperation and demo-
cratic procedures.
The idea, according to Clara
Littledale. editor of Parents
Magazine, is to let the little dears
vote on a series of rules for use
of the set. You also give them
"a chance to grapple with the
problems of how to eat meals, re-
serve time for play. go to bed at
a reasonable hour and still be able
to see their favorite programs"
You may give this try if you
wish, but if this problem of chill
dren and television is new to you.
you will take the advice of a man
who knows. You will keep a
benevolent dictatorship handy.
When the little monsters out-vote
mama and papa and decide to
stay up until Uncle NIFTY has fin
ished cooling at them over a wall
of old jokes the time will have
come to lower the boom.
Child suffrage may be all right,
but not when the old man is the
one who suffers.
Note from Cody Pfanstiehl,
WTOP's press information man:
Late comment on your piece
of Thursday. December IA. re the
age of films in TV: i
Would you blame the waiter
if the chef didn't give him hot
dishes?
Talk to Hollywood. Let 'em
let loose some films circa later
than seven years ago."
Answer:
You're reading too fast again,
Mr. Pr. Any waiter who comes
around nightly with a gravy
smeared plate used for last Tues
days dinner will be dealt with
severely. That piece didn't say
anything about the age of films
on TV. 1t said Cheers for Miss
Bishop has been shown too blast
ed many times around here lately.
1t says here again! Once more
and not even a great and up
to-now lasting love for Martha
Scott will survive. Any ques-
tions?"
A critic around here. who has
been fighting a stern, brave bat
tie to protect the theater from
such upstart forms of entertain
ment as motion pictures, radio
and teleViSion, has just been dealt
,amortal blow He dispatched his
grandson over to the Hippodrome
Saturday afternoon to see Arena
Stages production of Alice inl
Wonderland" Grandson took one
look atthe living drama and made
up his mind. 9 8
Let's go home and watch tele-
vision," he said.
One of the great show-busi-
ness teams will be reunited in
the near future on television when
Victor Moore comes east to CO.
star with Host Billy Gaxton on
"Airf1yte Theater" (WTOP-TV-I
Thursday. 1920 pmD. The two
appeared together in II Broad
way musicals. It was on the
opening night of one of them,
"Of Thee I Sing" Mr.. Gaxton re-
ports, that he decided Mr.. Moore
was one of the calmest men in
the world. Just before the cur
tain he found his partner calmly
reading in his dressing room.
"Eleven-thirty is bound to
come" Mr.. Moore said placidly.