Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-05-08
On the Air
Audiences
|OnIyAnnoy
Viewers
By Horny Macarthur


When you are in an Office writ
/ ling a column instead of out in
the sun on spring day, almost
anything can look like a trend
The indications today. for in
stance, are that home audiences
may some day rise up and beat
broadcaSters over the head with
lIprotests about studio audiences on
television shows.
| Scott Walker, a printer for The
Star, now retired, may well be in
the van when the televiewers
march on Radio City. Mr.. Walker
was in the Office to complain that
this department had caused him
to invest a lot of money in TV
set to find out what it was ali
about, when he got around to the
lImatter of audiences.
II go back to the heyday OF
vaudeville, you know" Mr.. Wal
ker said, land I see some amaz-
ing things on television. Acts that
wouldn't have been allowed to
play Chase's bring down the
house on some of those television
programs. Those audiences that
get in free must think they have
to pay for their tickets with ap-
plause."
After Mr.. Walker had gone on
his way, there remained a recent
letter from Mrs. Edward Gregg,
of Silver Spring, Md, a dis
corning critic of the fare the
broadcasters dispatch to her liv-
ing room.
when you pay a lot of money
for good TV set," she writes,
you expect the shows to COM
pensate with good material" A
little further on she gets to pro-
grams which turn cameras on the
audience, to wit:
MY two favorite music pro-
grams are Voice of Firestone' on
Monday evening and The Fred
Waring Show on Sunday. The
Waring show edges out 'Firestone
because they have no audience
I'm on the verge of screaming
each Monday night because, when
the artist finishes the theme
Song-bang there's the audi
ence. I want to be able to see
the conductor and the artist take
their bows and congratulate each
other. Each Monday evening
since the first program, I have
said, I am going to write to the
program and of course I never
do"
So, Voice of Firestone," con-
slider that you have just received
a letter Of firm protest.
Battle Report: Mrs. Gregg.
letter came in response to tina
recent report Of a plea by a Jerr!
Lester admirer for better treat.
ment of his boy. There is, Incl
dentally. a noticeable difference
between the pro-Lestert and anti
= Lester sets. The views of tn
!. former usually are firm though
harmless, but the latter are some
times inclined to be inf1ammatory
Today'S Silver Spring CORE
spondent, with admirable re
straint, notes that she ha
sampled the Lester wares twic,
and on neither occasion did h.
improve her mental and physica
!. well-being.
mo-" she concludes. "Jerr!
Lester will never click unit
Durante, Wynn, Godfrey, Damn,
Thomas and a few more are gon,
and there's no one left"
Other views:
Robert M. Walker of Hyattsville
Md: Il firmly believe tina
every one has the right to his owl
opinion, likes and dislikes. Tha
is why. I believe I have the RICH
to detest Lester" Mr.. Walker
conclusion is that it requires I"
. perverted sense of values even t
mention Gester) in the sam
breath with those other great an
immortal entertainers-especiall
, the greatest of them ALA
I Jolson."
III Anonymous: I'm a fan c
Durante and Jolson and I thin
Jerry Lester is one of the bes
comics that's around. His sho'
is very informal and relaxing an
I wouldn't miss it for the world.
Personal and ImpersOnaI
Froodie, the yearling French poodl
which is rumored to be the brai
behind Jerry Strong of VITO
WRC and WINK, has just bee
given his first French poodle
type hair trim. so his fore ca
be told from his aft. This ais
will allow him to see, but if 20
see a freshly clipped poodl
heading at a high rate of spec
toward Baltimore, it will not b
because Froodle got his first loo
in a mirror. It will because h
got his first look at the nomina
head of his household Robert
Quinlan chalked up Performance
Number 318 of a continuousl
sponsored series last nigh
(WNBW-M., W., F.. 7:30 pm,
which must be record. She
now starting her third year fo
Nttloa cooycor hoY fo,,rtI, &c n rr-