Evening star., 1951-01-01
Ion the Air
| |JomesBoys
Left an Issue

By Harry Macarthur

Televiewers in search Of a vii
lain report they have been unable
to figure out just what was meant
by that series of announcements
by Jimmy Lake and Jim Gibbons
at the rassles last Wednesday.
This Is not surprising. What hap
pened was this. in case you were
somewhere else at the time:
Mr.. Lake. his carnation in full
bloom, stepped forward in his ca
pacity of ring announcer and said
it was too bad but this was the
final grunt-and-groan telecast
from Turner's Arena. Couldn't get
any sponsors to pay the bills. he
said. Mr.. Gibbons, the WMAL and
WMAL-TV sportscaster. addressed
his microphone and said this
wasn't ..yactly right. His sponsors,
he said, would be happy to sup
port the Wednesday mayhem on
television.
Then he left 1t at that, for all
the world as if he had been read
ing a script written by Dagmar.
His viewers waited. but that was
all the explanation they were
going to get from Gibbons that
night.
What happened to the local
rassles on TV really is a simple
story. The Wednesday at 9 hour
on WMAL-TV is what is known
In, the trade as network option
time" When the wrestling con-
tract expired, ABC exercised its
option and Don McNeil's Break
d. fast Club" which has been on
kinescope on Saturdays here,
moves to Wednesday ''live."
Since the cost of televising an
hour of wrestling-the same
number Of technicians and the
same amount of equipment being
used-is not much less than the
cost of televising two hours. it
wasn't commercially feasible. In
tead Washington sports fans will
get something many of them have
wanted-an hour of Caps basket
ball on Wednesdays at 10. And if
you have to have wrestling,
WMAL-TV will have that. too,
from Chicago for an hour on
Wednesdays at II pm.
X y x
Explaining something on New
Years day is futile practice,
come to think of it. but it ought
to separate the sensible celebrants
from those who were taken in
sensible. Now anybody who calls
up to ask whatever happened to
the Wednesday rassles is trapped.
If you watched Eddie Cantor's
show last night you also heard
Fague Springman sing and the
story behind his appearance is a
high compliment to his voice. The
local baritone went up to addition
for Cantor recently and was told
that the talent for Cantor's Sun
day show is set some six weeks in
advance.
Nov that you're here. though"
said Cantor, you might as well
sing song tor me-" Springman
did.
"Sing another one" said Cantor
and Springman did that, too. Sang
six songs, in fact, while the vet
Snowman hung on every note. The
result. as you already have seen,
was that Cantor took his already
prepared show apart and put it
back together with room for Fague
Springman.
Programs and People: Jerry
Lester of Broadway Open House"
may be auditioning for the perma-
nent job as Fred Aliens replace
ment when he appears January IA
on NBC-TV's Comedy Hour"
Might be a good break for him,
but If he departs open House"
some light will go out of the lives
of the 11-to-12 viewers. :. Should
We Draft Women?" is the ques-
ton to be debated tomorrow at 8
on court Of Current Issues"
(WTTG). -. Wally Cox, who has
made life happier for admirers of
shaggy dogs" by appearances on
Broadway Open House." is also
a playwright. His "Violets Are
Blue" is coming up on Broadway
early this year. :. Hal Leroy, the
tap dancer. will head the guest list
on Star Time" tomorrow night at
10 (WTTG. CHS is adding
news coverage of today's "Tourna-
ment of Roses" parade to it's color
demonstrations in New York and
Philadelphia. The color films are
to be flown east Immediately after
the pageant.
y " II
The first baby born in Arlington
County today will win jackpot
full Of prizes from WEAM. Mama
and Papa will not be forgotten,
either. Therell be flowers for her
and couple of boxes of cigars for