Evening star., 1950-12-19
On the Air
| New Jokes
Would Aid
Old Shows
By Harry Macarthur

Blind spots are funny things.
Even the most experienced develop
them and it is possible for an en-
tire group of normal, intelligent
people to be taken with the same
one at the same time. Take the
case of Musical Comedy Time, :"
which alternates with Robert
Montgomery Presents" on NBC-TV
tWNBW) on Monday nights at
$50.
This, when it first was an
nounced. seemed to be full of
promise. 1t would serve the cause
of nostalgia and recapture the joys
of some of the hit musicals of
Broadway's past. 1t started off
happily enough with lusty
production of Anything Goes"
thanks largely to some topnotch
Glowing by Martha Raye and one
Of Cole Porter's better scores.
Since then. however. it has been
in trouble now and then and it
came up with a real lulu for its
most recent show, "Hit the Deck"
The trouble with "Hit the Deck"
was the same trouble Musical
Comedy Time" has had before and
IS fair evidence that the blind spot
exists somewhere in the produc-
ton staff.
For years amateur and profess
sional critics have been admitting
often that the plot of a musical
comedy is of no particular conse-
quence. Your memory Of a musi-
cal is a memory Of the score and
performance or two. Yet the
producers of Musical Comedy
Time" continue to try to retell in
one hour a story which probably
didn't make sense in two hours in
the first place and 1t is laborious
business.
AS soon as they remember that
the plot of a musical isn't exactly
sacred and that a new joke is like
lier to please than an old one.
things will be better around this
corner Of television entertainment.
Programs and People: Dennis
James of "Okay, Mother" (WTTG
Monday through Friday. l
PM celebrated the programs
second anniversary yesterday i.
E. G. Marshall, the talented Brit
ish actor, will play RIP Van
Wrinkle" tomorrow night at 8 on
"Television Theater" (WNBW) :. :.
One thing Jack Benny's recent
television appearance apparently
did was give him the urge to get
before the movie cameras again.
He's signed with Jerry Valid and
Norman Krasna to make "A Story
for Grownups" for them next
summer Jack Haley, who made
his television debut last summer,
will return as the star of a new
variety show. 1t will start Janu-
ary 4 at pm. on NBC-TV {.
Jimmy Durante's television sue
cess is being credited to his in
sistence on being the same
Durante in TV that he has been
in other forms Of show business.
According to an AP report. the
formal to adapt Durante to tele-
vision has been devised by the
NBC-TV production staff prior to
his first show. He stopped their
plans with: "Nobody's goin' to get
me into that act even If everybody
wants to get into mine"
The Viewer Talks Back: Atten-
tion, ABC-TV: We have lady in
our audience, doctor. who says
you had better put Saturday at
the Zoo" back on the air, and
quickly, if you want to keep her
and all her friends happy. That
and Zoo Parade" (WNBW-Sun-
day, 4:3O are two of the most
entertaining and wholesome pro-
grams on television," she declares.
u Il
Mark Evans, WTOP newscaster,
also has his special Christmas
project. In cooperation with the
National Society for the Blind he
is outfitting. with listener aid, the
areas first equipped game room
for the blind at 800 Thirteenth
street NV. He started his appeal
at 5:45 am. the other day and at
5:45:30 he got his first contribu-
ton, and offer of $100 from