Evening star., 1951-01-18
On the Air
On the Air
Whut Gives,
ReuderAsk
With Mr.S.?
By Harry Macarthur


What, a reader wants to know.
is wrong with Ed Sullivan as a |
master of ceremonies? I'D rather
see his dead pan," she adds, than
a lot of funny guys" This is
an understandable reaction to-
some of the comedians available
and since the query is a fair one
it deserves a fair answer.
The principal thing wrong with
Mr.. Sullivan. who is known as
Laughing Boy in the vicinity of
at least one television set, is that
he has no visible talent. This
was noted here some time ago
and. since that time. he has dis
played nothing new to change
the original opinion.
This does not mean he is with
out talent. He or some one con-
nected with Talk of the Town"
(WTOP-TV-Sunday, 8 p.m) OBJ
viously is talented at selecting
capable performers and welding
their specialties into a smoothly
running show and this Is some
thing. The function he fulfills
before the cameras every Sunday
night. however. might very well
be dispensed with If the pro-
ducers of Talk of the Town" ever
decide to do a television show
instead of a stage show.
X X X
The master Of ceremonies, as
now known, is relatively new,
though he can be traced back
to the Greek chorus, the spoken
prologue in Shakespearean and
Elizabethan drama and such
things. He didn't exist in vaude-
vile, as those with warm remi-
niscences for that art well know.
But one day young bandleader
named Paul Ash decided to intro |
duce the acts on a bill at a West |
Coast theater instead Of letting |
the usual signs at the side OF
the stage identify them.
In no time at all every presen-
tation house in the land had a |
young man on the pay roll whose
function was to act as liaison
between audiences and actors. The
young men took to telling jokes
to relax the customers faced with
a succession of trained seals and
acrobats and the comedians were
quick to take their cue and move
in in the master of ceremonies
department.
If television abandons some of
its comic. masters of ceremonies
there may be few complaints. They
might better be replaced in tele-
vision, however, by something Wis
ual which contributes to a shows
continuity. rather than by some
one Of the Sullivan type. His only
visible contribution seems to be
to interrupt at intervals to ex-
press his happiness that every one
IN the theater, on stage and of,
Is In 1t. II this entertains you in
any way there Is nothing wrong
with Ed Sullivan as a master of
ceremonies.
Televiewing: Gertrude Lawrence
was lovely and had some able sup
port from Donald Cook in "Sky-
lark" on Prudential Playhouse"
(WTOP-TV-Tuesday, 8 p.m),
but the cameras revealed an empty
and foolish play beneath the
comedy. Samson Raphaelson's
froth Of the '30s looks pretty silly
In the SOS. Ted Husing told
the TV audience the other night
that a fighter on display had "al-
ways seemed to run q close second
to that primrose path" Must have
drawn a double take from every
one who listens to what Husing is
talking about. II Mr.. Husing ever
comes up with the definition of
close second to the primrose path
OF dalliance Shakespeare was writ
ing about In Hamlet" you will be
informed. FL. That Roy Roberts,
baritone, who was on Hazel
Markets Talk Of the Town"
CWTOP-TV-Sunday, 2 PM, is
the same one who has won con-
siderable acclaim at the Capitol
Theater. He's now singing at the
Sazerac Room Of the Old New ;
Orleans.
Programs and People: Tony
Martin, Faye Emerson and Frank
Fontaine will appear with Jack
Benny on his second CBS-TV
show, scheduled for January %.
. Baseball will be back next
season on both radio (WWDC)
and television (WTTG), with a
new sponsor. local brewery. Only
81 games will be televised, how
ever. Margaret Lindsay will
be the guest star, appearing op-
posite two aspiring newcomers, on
Hollywood Screen Test" (WMAL-
TV) next Monday at 7::30. II
Tomorrow nights "Quiz Kids"
show (WNBW-8) will be in two
parts, the first half q demonstra-
ton of how the program is re-
hearsed with the "Quiz Kids" not