Evening star., 1951-05-22
| On the Air
| Benny Needs
| TV-Minded
|Scripters
By Harry Macarthur


Jack Benny seems to be making
the transition I'd television with
more ease than his writer's are able
to muster. 1t was fairly clear on
his fourth TV appearance Sun
day night (CBS-WTOP-TV) that
he knows the type of comedy
which serves him best in the Wis
ual medium and knows that the
majority of his audience is repre-
sented by cameras. not by ap-
plauSe.
He still has the theater audi
ence on hand and it apparently
is encouraged to let its enthusi-
asm run free, but as long as he
feels this helps his timing more
than it harms it. We'll have to-
put up with it. The happy fact
is that Benny has now raised
his average from $50 to 500, by
following two visual radio show
false starts with two television
shows.
Now, he is up against prob
lem and it probably doesn't make
him feel any better about it to-
know that he shares it with almost
every one elese in TV. The fact
facing Mr.. Benny is that tele-
vision show starts with the script.
His writer's did. it was true, give
him some funny things to say and
do Sunday night. Little enough
use was made of Mary Living
stone, but she was woven into the
proceedings easily, along with Bob
Crosby and Ben Hogan. There
were solid laughs in Benny's fa-i
miliar home life, in his attempt to-
improve Ben Hogan's swing and
in his golf game.
Through no fault of Benny, his
cast or Director Dick Linkroum.
however, this whole thing reached
it's peak too early and went down.
hill for too long before the end
of the half hour was reached. IT.
might, the impression persists
have made a good radio script.
but there is a difference between
radio writing and television writ
ing.
The latter is a blueprint for the
use of actual, physical pictures,
while the former takes advantage
of something TV can never in
spire. the mind's-eye picture
drawn by the listeners imagina-
ton. This is the point Benny's
writer's will have to keep more
firmly in mind.
Good Actor, Pleasant Play: Jo-
seph Buloff came through with a
most enjoyable portrait Of an i'm
migrant determined to be a good
citizen in Justice and Mr.. Plez-
mix" on "Television Playhouse
(WNBW-Sunday, PM. Bu-
lofts Mr.. Pleznik was man sum-
moned for jury duty in a traffic
accident case and it was his no.
ton that juror should try to
find the truth, not guess at an
answer and get out of there as
quickly as possible. Before he was
through disrupting the court, he
had turned simple accident into
the solution of murder.
Justice and Mr.. Pleznik" was
no dramatic masterpiece, but it
was, as adapted by Thomas W.
PhippS from a story by Arthur T.
Norman, quiet, pleasant comedy.
AS Buloff and the others Ieo
Penn, Naomi Riordan, Ben Lack
land, Ruth McDevitt ct all played
1t, 1t was among the more satisfy
ing hours provided recently by
Itelevision drama.
The Winner: Fred McWhorter.
OF Kansas City (Mo.), is almoss
certain to enjoy tomorrow nights
DIR. Christian" broadcast CWTOp
-8:30) more than any other lis
: tener. The play will be The
Homecoming" which has won the
1851 DR.. Christian" scrip-writine
. contest for Mr.. McWhorter. A
supervisor of an insurance COM
pany claim department, Mr.. Nc.
Whorter has been writing juve-
nile fiction for some years as a
\ hobby. His "Dr. Christian" script
R won over S,506 other entries.
Big Day: Tomorrow is the day
] when one of the 10 Washington
finalistS in that contest being con !.
Quoted by Hollywood Screen
Test" (WMAL-TV-Monday, 7:30
PM will be named the winner.
1 The aspiring actress or actor Sc
| lected by Mrs. Jessica Landau
Eastern studio representative of
4 Universal international, will ap-
II pear on the TV show next Mon
| day.
II Programs and People: Cloris
Leachman and Bramwell Fletcher
will play leading roles tomorrow
night on "A Play for Mary" on
"Television Theater" (WNBW-9p
The comedy will be Miss Leach
mans fourth "TV Theater" We
hicle Sarah Churchill will
be a guest Of Garry Moore tomor~
h row (WTOP-TV - 1900. Mil
Christopher, talented young ma
gician who is well-known around
these parts. will be on the program
Friday afternoon If you still
haven't had enough of those
Wide Open Spaces" Lauri An
ders and Ken Murray will put in
an, appearance tomorrow on
"Kreisler Band Stand" (WMAL-
II TV-8:30 PM. This is one of
the most concerted campaigns in
| years to sell song Truth or
Consequences" both radio anG
III T'U jS Tllrnored die tr 1ocn a