Evening star., 1951-03-26
Ion the Air
This Was Not
Amy Comedy
|Of Errors
By Harry Macarthur

By Harry Macarthur
Saturday, March "a, 1851, is 6
date you may long remember. Ur
until about 1853 pm. that day
there was was an assumption
widely held, that those who oper.
ated television and radio stations
had a right, as long as they livec
up to the requirements of theil
Licenses, to broadcast what they
chose to broadcast. The rules
suddenly were changed Saturday
afternoon, however, without bene.
fit of new law, presidential decree
or revolution.
The action of the Kefauvel
Committee in ordering the crime
investigation hearing taken of,
of WNBW amounts in the end tt
Just one thing. 1t is a clear-cut
case of a Governmental body as.
Stunning the right to tell you whaI
you may or may not look at or
ltelevision.
This whole f1asco developed into
such a complicated comedy Of
errors at the time that the laugh.
ter drowned out most of the erie!
of alarm. 1t wasn't really funny
though, and protest must be made
What happened if there is any
one who doesn't already know
was, in brief, that WNBW wa.
ordered by the committee to stor
carrying the hearing while a reli.
gious program was being presented
by WTOP-TV.
The order carried the threat
that the industry pool" telecast
to the entire network would be
cut off if WNBW did not immedi.
ately cease using the hearing as
competition to the local program
When William r. McAndrew, gen.
eral manager of WNBW. gave ir
to the committee order and the
hearings remained on televisior
except for 101a minutes in Wash.
ington one dominant fact was
made eminently clear.
The advisability or desirability
of televising the proceedings of the
Senate Crime Committee did not
enter into this action by the COM
mittee. This was clearly { case o1
one television station being ordered
to surrender its audience to an
other for given period 1t coulo
notbe made any clearer If ABC
CHS and DuMont set up power.
full lobby and got Milton Berle
ordered off the air so they
wouldn't have that unfair" COM
petition every Tuesday night at s
1t sends chill up your spine.
Strictly Personal: That EaStel
party held Saturday by Jerry
Strong WINK morning man WHIT
should be seen again soon or
WMAL-TV) drew a throng no.
body expected. Misunderstood.
ing, no doubt. Everybody thought
because of the locale (Schmid'.
Pet Shop, that it was a party
for Froodle, the French poodle
ventroliQuist who uses Mr.. Strong
for front man Movie Stars
Constance Moore and Edmund
O'Brien and vet entertainer.
turned-broker George Price will be
on Milton Berles show tomorrow
(WNBW-8 PM :. Betty Anr
Grove, singing comedienne or
the daytime Bert Parks Show,
is taking a two-week rest. Filling
in for her is another Betty Ann
last name Nyman E. G. Mar.
shall, one of the better-known
actors specializing in television
has been invited to appear al
the Houston (TexD Playhouse
modern arena theater. He opens
in Silver Whistle" on April 4
will return to New York after
that to star on "Television The.
ater" in mid-May in Captain
Appleby.' That's an origina
script for TV. Author E. G. Mar.
shall.
Change Of Formal Department
When Somerset Vaughan Tele.
vision Theater" moves from CHS
to NBC next week it will be ex.
tended to one hour and installed
in that alternate Monday at 9::3(
spot vacated by Musical Comedy
Time" The extended time will
make it possible to do a number
of things not possible in a hall
hour. There will, for instance
be more scope allowed in adapt.
ing Mr.. Maugham's well-knowr
tales. There also is a possibility
that some of his longer works
novels and plays, may be adapted
to television. "Razor's Edge,
Rain" and "Of Human Bond.
age" are titles mentioned as pos.
sibilities for the future.
/ X X X
i Travel Department: Bill Good.
win put in a busy time recently
when he was filling in for tn,
vacationing star of the NBC-TN
Bert Parks Show" In one 49,
hour period, Mr.. Goodwin did +,
TV show in New York, flew tt
the West Coast for a radio pro
gram. returned to New York foI
another TV show. Swears he me
a Chicago producer en- route VIII,
wanted him to do a program
there between planes.
William Keighley, producer,
host on Radio Theater," occa
sionally startles fans who see hin
on the TV version, on Monda,
nights at 8 from New York thel
hear him the same night at
from Hollywood. Doesn't use
jet plane. Just a fast cab rid
from the New York TV studi,
to the New York radio studio
from where he reads his "Radi,