Evening star., 1951-01-31
Ion the Air
| |TeIevision
Has Share
|OfMishops
By Harry Macarthur

oy Horry MocAFtnar
There is no place like a televi-
sion studio for watching well-laid
plans go astray. The tragedy OF
it sometimes sears mems souls,
because when something goes
wrong you can't stop the clock
while you correct it. Time goes
right on and your shame is barred
to millions Of televiewers who sit
peering at their screens expec-
tantly.
Take the recent mishap on
NBC TVS News Caravan
(WNBW-Monday through Fri
day. 7:45 p.mD. There is, you
must bear in mind, great rivalry
between the New York newsreel
unit and the one in Washington,
each striving to show off with
coverage of a later news event
than the other ever managed. So,
the Washington crew made a try
for the championship the other
might.
Sound films were made, well
after the usual deadline for Gar
avan" news shots, of the swearing
in Of some Government official.
They were rushed to the Ward
man Park studios, developed and
edited at frantic speed. A COM
mentary was hurriedly put to-
gether by Robert Mccormick.
With seconds to spare, the Aim
clip was put in the protector and
the Washington .l1ewsreel crew
prepared to gloat. This, they told
themselves. would show those New
York yokels. New York gave the
word for WNBW to take over.
Producer Bob Blum engineered
the switch and looked up at the
monitor screen.
1t was black. It stayed black.
Somewhere between here and New
York there was q failure in the
coaxial cable. Mr.. Blum thinks
maybe he is going to get himself
an ulcer.
Televiewing: A fragmentary
glimpse of Sam Levenson's new
program (WTOP-TV- Saturday,
Z p.m) indicates that he is going
to be as funny on his own as
he has been as a guest star. His
speciality now Is turning his
reminiscent humor to the prob
lens of the young. He apparently
is setting himself up as a chill
dren's champion in their bouts
with the older generation. for
which he fitted himself by being
a Brooklyn schoolteacher for q
number of years before becoming
TV entertainer. His advice,
for instance, to a young girl at
that age when there Is an urge
to put up the hair and try
mothers lipstick: Parents are al
ways trying to keep their children
from growing up. You should
move to Greenwich Village and
start life on your own. Not good
advice, but funny.
The report on Ben Blue as the
Monday Wednesday host on
Broadway Open House" (WNBW
III p.m.) must be fragmentary.
too. Mr.. Blue had q fun head
of steam. however. when caught
up with Monday night and it ap-
peared likely that the proper man
has been found for that job. Mr..
Blue is a veteran comedian with
q fair for the zany and he en-
Iploys a lot Of what the trade calls
sight gags" Seems to have sur
rounded himself with a fairly
talented cast, too.
What TV needs now is an award
to end awards-an award, say, to
the program which has not paused
at some time during the past two
weeks so some one could give
some one plaque.
y n H&
Programs and People: Jayne
Manners, the tall 6 feet 2 inches)
singing beauty. will do one of her
special songs on Don McNeills
TV Club" tonight (WMAL-TV-9
pmo. Special and especially Sc
lected for home consumption.
The rumor persists that Mugs
Richardson. who guided Arthur
Godfrey's air ad libbing for a long
time, will have her own show on
WNBW. John Garfield will
make his first television appear
ance Sunday on "Showtime
U. S. A." (WMAL-TV-7:30 p.m.)
His contribution will be a scene
from the modern revival of Peer
Gynt." Another television debut
coming up is that of Olga Bacla-
nova, who was at the height of her
screen career in the '30s. She will
play leading role with Ralph
Bellamy on Man Against Crime, :"
Friday at $50 pm. (WTOP-TV).
Publicity note: Bill 'Hopalong
Cassidy Boyd didn't have any
trouble with the language on his
vacation trip through South Amer
lea. Having made several 'Hoppy'
films in Mexico, he learned to
speak Spanish" No trouble, that
is, except in Brazil, where they