Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1950-12-15
On the Air
|HoIIywood's
SOL Lesser
| urns to TV
By Harry Macarthur

W ttotty moSATtHut
Little by little it is becoming
clear to Hollywood that the only
sensible thing to do If you can't
lick 'em is to join 'em. So far the
major Aim studios have not ad-
mitted publicly that television is
anything more than a passing fad,
but some well-known independent
producers have discovered that
there is gold in them thar gallop-
ing electrons.
The latest to embark on q tele-
vision venture Is Sol Lesser, q busy
producer Of movies for theaters.
In partnership with Doug Fair
banks, Mr.. Lesser has formed
Avon Pictures in England, for the
express purpose Of making q series
of 2S-minute fllms-for-television
of Shakespeare's plays How
full portrait Of Hamlet can be
drawn in % minutes. Mr.. Lesser
doesn't say, but Julius Caesar"
and Anthony and Cleopatra" al
ready are completed.
The producer expects these to
reach TV screens not long after
the first Of the year.
Another Lesser project is a new
French device called the Vitascope.
which he has Just brought back
from Europe. This is a special lens
system which combines still photo
graphs OF sets and backgrounds
with live action on a bare stage.
1t should make some welcome
economies possible in both Aim
and live television. Lesser feels.
y X II y
Several other well-known Holly
wood names are involved in the
film, THE Pharmacists Mate"
which was made for December %
showing on Pulitzer Prize Play
house" (WMAL-TV-Friday, o
p.m0. 1t was produced by N. Peter
Rathvon. former president OF
RKO. now an independent, and
directed by Irving Pichel, who
has a long list of feature motion
pictures to his credit. Leading
players in the account of an emer-
gency appendix operation aboard
a submarine During World War II
are Brian Donlevy and Gene Ray
mond.
Definite indication Of q trend
is what you might call all of this.
1t will be some time, perhaps, be-
fore Hollywood goes about for
television. The producers, major,
minor and independent, have to
keep the peace with their exhibi-
tors, who hate television with a
vengeance. Still, there is q rumor
afoot in Hollywood that one OF
the major studios already has
formed a separate company to
follow the pioneers in films for
television-Jerry Fairbanks, Hal
Roach and Bing Crosby Enter
prises. The latest products of the
Crosby firm. incidentally. are the
current filmed dramas on Fire
side Theater" (WNBW-Tuesday,
8 PM.
A new news program based on
the premise that never did so
many need to know 50 much" will
make its bow on CHS radio
tWTOP) tonight from 10 to II.
"A Report to the Nation" will
have Edward r. Murrow as COM
mentator and like a weekly news
magazine. will cover every facet
of today's living"
n \
Programs and People: Studio
One" CWTOP-Tv- Monday, 10
p.m3 has scheduled a two-part
presentation OF Little Women"
for next Monday and Christmas
night. Diana Lynn will be
Don McNeill's guest tomorrow
night at 8 (WMAL-TV). Jose
Ferrer, who has appeared on sew
eral recent television shows to
tout his recently completed ICY
rano de Bergerac" Aim, Is re-
ported due for q television show
OF his own. Gunnar Backs
weekly news roundup has been
moved to new time, Saturdays
at 6:45 pm. on WMAL-TV. &.
The things an actress will do for
her art! Ruth Hussey has been
signed to play Jerry Lewis moth
er in that movie he and Dean
Martin are making.