Evening star., 1951-10-01
lon the Air
| Even Mr.. II.
| Keeps an Eye
lon This TV
On the Air
By Joy Cormody

stein II in two parts, for instance
AS result of one breakfast with
/ him, Mr.. Hammerstein became
yesterdays drama column, the
lead on today's television one. This
is what is known as getting maxi
mum value out of breakfast with
Oscar Hammerstein II.
Mr.. Hammerstein is so busy in
the theater as a writer, producer,
director that he has had time in
the last decade for only one movie.
One might think-as this one did
that television is something that
never would occur to him except
for guest spot here and there.
!: Well, that's wrong. Television
has occurred to Mr.. Hammerstein,
and more than that.
1T faScinates me-" he says. Il
find myself looking at even the bad
things on it, stupid, crude pro-
grams of which there are so many.
Fact is, if I start l keep on look
ling at almost anything.
THE most interesting thing
about it. to me at least, is not
what it is doing but what it can
do. Production is getting better
all the time and camera use is
constantly more skilled. Its pos
sibilities are virtually unlimited
and, while I never really have had
time to give it serious thought, l
find myself as a writer constantly
piqued by the notion of what
could be done if-well. if"
There is small chance that the
co-author of "Oklahoma!", South
Pacific" The King And I" and
so many other musical hits will
become a TV writer-he likes
writing better than anything
but a notion can keep nagging at
man.
No breath of Comics-Another
thought Mr.. Hammerstein has on
the subject of television is that it
supplies the answer to the wailing-
wall crowd which sees the end of
comedians now that burlesque and
vaudeville are dead.
4 why is it," he asked. "that peo-
pie in the theater always look at
; the dark side of things, like where
are we going to get our next set of
Ed Wynns, Bobby Clarks. Bert
Lahrs. etc. We've already got them
on television, Sid Caesar, Wally
Cox, Eddie Mayehoff, and num-
ber of others"
!; Thinks Cox a Genius Cox,
whom you may have seen a week
ago on Ed Sullivan's Toast of the
|, Town" is Mr.. Hammerstein's con-
ception of a pure genius.
He auditioned for me not long
> ago." Mr. Hammerstein says, land
I never spent a more enjoyable 20
minutes in my life. He is what
1 Will Rogers was, one of those rare
birds who is an absolute genius.
And what did I tell him after the
act was over?
Well, I told him, he was a ge-
MUS, which everyone else does. But
I added a bit of advice. Cox is a
writer, you know. the only writer
who can write for Cox. So ! told
him to write a play for himself. If
he can do it, I think he has the
biggest, longest-running hit ever.
Can he write such play? I don't
know. Maybe he does not know
how to write play. but the stuff
he has written for himself to date
is absolute perfect. Take that
sketch about the character in Kan
sas City who tries to get his bank
er to lend him the money to start
a night club. Nothing ever was
|funnier."
The notion that he might write
a long-run hit, coming from the
co-author of oklahoma! which
lis now in its eighth year, ought to
give young Wally something to
think about. If, of course, he al
ready does not have too much to
think about-the crazy guy.
x
A Garland For Bud-A lot of
memos pass over a television desk.
few of them however more bluntly
honest than NBC Vice President
Bud Barly's. calling this depart
ment's attention to last nights
Big Show Referring to the
same shows reception in London
earlier, Barry said it was en-
Enthusiastically received by Palla-
dium and radio audiences, but with
the British press as a whole rather
COOL
Chances are if he had not men,
toned it, no one ever would have
known what the British press felt
about Big Show" Or cared. In
the drama and movie fields, there
is nothing so diverse as the opin-
ions of American and British crit
les.
B. B. maybe knew this.
/! X X
Mr.. Lippert Replies-Robert L.
Lippert who makes quick, low bud
get, yet profitable movies has
found himself criticized recently
for releasing certain of his older
pictures. Says he, in reply to
critical movie exhibitors:
What film we have sold to tele-
vision has been only our older
product and consisted of pictures
that have not paid off their costs
from theatrical distribution and
which are no longer in demand
None of our bigger pictures are
being put on television. Had the
proper increases been paid in film
rental, commensurate with our in
creased costs, we would not have