Evening star., 1951-12-18
On the Air
On the Air =.
Good On1ens
Show Up on
TV Horizon
By Harry Macarthur

around here today. There are
hopeful signs in several broad
casting quarters that the lowest
common denomination has not
been placed in complete charge
One projected enterprise which
safely can be met with at least
hope for the best is the Columbia
Television Workshop. reincarna-
ton of one of radios more mem
orable demonstrations of its pos
sibilities. Another is the first radio
series to be presented by the
Television- Radio Workshop re.
Gently set up by the Ford Founda.
tion.
The Television Workshop is tax.
ing on quite a sizable chore fol-
its premiere telecast over CBS-TV
on January 13, the condensation
of Cervante's lengthy Don Quix-
ote" into a Commute teleplay
This challenging task has been
assigned to Joseph LiSs.
The cast of this Don Quixote''
(Which once was turned into a
memorable film starring Feodor
Chaliapin) is headed by pair OF
people whose names inspire antic.
ipation of a rewarding half-houl
on January Is. Don Quixote, the
knight who made fitting at wind
mills" a universally understood
figure of speech. will be played
by Boris Karloff, who recently de-
serted those movie horror roles to
play Capt. Hook in Broadway's
Peter Pan" His Sancho Panza,
and this is even more to be antic-
ipated than Mr.. Karloff, will be
Jimmy Savo.
The Ford Foundation Television-
Radio Workshop series will be
"The People Act" to be presented
by the National Committee for
The People Act" as an advisory
service in practical democracy.
This educational project demon
strating how communities can
solve local problems through self
help" will make its bow on CHS
radio on January 8 at 1905 pm.
4 \ +
Christmas Presents-Among the
many yuletide projects of tele-
vision is a noteworthy Christmas
Eve schedule being planned by
NBC-TV. One of the features of
this will be the eagerly awaited
new opera by Gian-Carlo Menotti,
'Amahl and the Night Visitors, /"
which was commissioned a couple
Of years ago by the network, and
which will have its premiere at
$3.50 on the night of December "a.
Menotti, who has been repre-
sented on television several times
by his Broadway stage hit. THE
didn't waste much time
when he finally set to work on
the new TV opera. He wrote both
score and libretto in six months
and now is busy with the joint
chore of completing the orches-
trations and staging the work for
the TV cameras.
The Amahl of the new Menotti
opus Is a crippled 10-year-old
shepherd boy. who undergoes a
recovery after a visit
of the Three Wise Men, on their
way to the manger where Christ
was born.
THE work will be staged without
any attempt at historical validity, Z"
The composer told an Associated
Press interviewer the other day,
but rather with poetical anach-
ronism," which means occurring
out Of its proper time, "as seen
oy a Dutch or Italian primitive"
The NBC-TV cameras also will
oring viewers on Christmas Eve
q one-hour program Of holiday
readings by Charles Laughton at
IL pm. and the pontificial high
mass in st. Patrick's Cathedral
in New York, from midnight to
2 am.
Thank You Note-A newspaper
man who sometimes feels that
some do not guard so jealously
as he his professions reputation.
sends along a note of gratitude to
all concerned with Meet the
Press" (WNBW-Sunday, 4p.m.).
I was rather proud Of the press
afternoon. when T. Lamar
Caudle met it on television." he
writes. Remember that old moral
law about the obligation of the
strong to the weak, the superior
to the inferior, etc? Well, Doris
Fleeson, Pete Brandt, Eddie Fol-
lard and Ned Brooks observed it.
1t was a pleasant sort of spectacle
which did the press credit. :"
+ X +
Query Department-"Ever since
the fall season came I've been
looking for The Goldbergs.' We
and lot of others are very dis
appointed about them. Do you
have any information about the
Show?"-Mrs. F. B. ". Washing
ton. There's no definite informa-
ton, but Gertrude Berg molly
Goldberg, when she was here
recently, said she was fairly GER
tain that CBS-TV would find a
time spot for the program after
the first of the year what has
become of the program, Life Be-
gins at 80?'"- Mrs. j. S., Airing
ton. Easiest question of the day
that one. Life Begins at 30" came
back on the air last night, as a
Monday at $3.50 feature on WMAL-
TV. :. whats happened to Les
Sand?'-Recurring query of a
bevy of Les Sand admirers. The
answer, not precisely from the
horses mouth, but from his
brother Ues' brother, not the
horSe's) is that Mr.. Sands only
radio job right now is doing
the basketball commentary when
WEAM reports from Uline Arena.
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