Evening star., 1951-08-27
On the Air
Unchanged,
Foodini Is
| Back on TV
By Horry Macarthur

Couple Of years back an early
television enthusiast was making
his weary way from Baltimore to
Washington in the late afternoon.
The traffic was heavy and the day
was warm and the thought came
to him that life would look better
II he stopped and had q cold brew.
The oasis he chose was q rude
country tavern, but progress had
not passed 1t by. This was the
day when as many bars as living
rooms had television sets and this
rural bistro was properly equipped.
'You should have seen the
place." the traveller reported later.
"I walk into this dive and there
is a row Of buns, numbers rum
ners and small time thugs, each
with an elbow on the mahogany.
None Of them is moving, looking
at a racing form. or even talking.
They are all leaning there and
staring fascinated ut the TV set
watching Lucky Pup"
The TV enthusiast was not too
surprised. Of course, since he knew
that he himself sat and looked at
Lucky Pup" when 1t ostenSibly
was on for the amusement Of his
young. Like another puppet show
from which 1t differed vastly,
"Kukla, Fran and Ollie" this one
was q ohildren's program with
a large adult audience. It main
tanned it until. by some skulldug-
gerry in the program department,
it was moved to an earlier hour,
where q working male seldom got
a chance to see it.
It is q pleasure to be able to
report today that the happy fan
tasy has been made available now
to working males who have Satur-
day OF as well as to children.
Now called ':Foodini, the Great"
| it is q weekly half hour on ABC
(WMAL-TV) Saturdays ct II am.
It is q pleasure. also, to report
that Foodini and Pinhead have
not changed. Foodini. the brash-
ly inept magician, Is still his
boastful, blundering. unregenerate
self. and Pinhead, still regarded
as q complete idiot by his en-
ployer. still manages in his simple
way to bring order out Of Foo
dini's chaos.
II you like imaginative nonsense
performed by q literate puppet
version Of Abbott and Costello,
you'd better give the Bunin
puppets q trial. at least.
Memorable Date - Today Ken
Murray was due to arrive in New
York to prepare for his return to
"The Ken Murray Show" on q
date which holds fond memories.
1t was on August ~, 1887, that he
made his teleyision debut, on the
inaugural program Of W9XAP in
Chicago. He was playing Chi
cago's Palace Theater at the time.
Benefit-n you're planning to
be in New York on Thursday, Sep
tember 6, you'd better also plan to
take in the baseball game at the
Polo Grounds that night. The op-
ponents win be celebrity teams
representing Broadway and Holly
wood, risking wrenches, sprains
and fractures in o match arranged
by CBS-TV's Steve Allen as q
charity for the Fight Against
Cerebral Palsy.
Fred Allen. Harvey Stone, Mel
Torme, Sammy Kaye, Wendell
Corey and Tony Martin are among
those to be in the starting lineup
for Hollywood. while Henry Nor
gan, Alan Dale. Rocky Graziano
and Jack E. Leonard will be
among those defending Broad
ways honor. Captains will be
Eddie Cantor (Hollywood) and
Dagmar broadway. Non-playing
captains. surely.
Steve Allen win be on hand to-
help his project along, Of course,
and to assist Bill Stern in the
|play-by-play account. which is to
be provided for spectators who
don't believe their own eyes.
\ \ 4 \
Triumph-Opening sentence in
a publicity release which never
got read around here: Thanks
to modern science-and cosmet-
ics-people no longer have to act
or look their age"
4 \ 4 i
Programs and People - NBC-
TVS Comedy Hour" will be back
next Sunday (WNBW-S p.m.)
with Jackie Gleason as the head
line comic and songs by Johnny
Johnston and Rose Marie. Tele-
viewers who never have seen him
on DuMont's "Cavalcade Of Stars"
"AAA NAoOOVCA V4A&t (11C&oOA 10 Vk1S
Of the best Of the younger comics,
a man with talent for true humor
rather than just the wiSecrack.
Harry Won Eel will be the
new announcer for Burns and Al
len. replacing Bill Goodwin, who
is launching q show Of his own.
The Goodwin project win start
September II and viii be seen
Tuesdays and Thursdays at $3.50
pm. on NBC-TV. Jim Glib
bons is back ut his WMAL and
WMAL-TV chores today, after q
Ithree-week vacation. WTOP-
lTV movie cameras covered q party
for enlisted servicemen yesterday
lat the River road estate Of Col.
and Mrs. E. Grady Gore. Films
win be shown tomorrow at z pm.
on the Mark Evans-Elinor Lee
program. That new Lucille
Ball-Desi Arnaz program win be
a situation comedy titled "I
Love Lucy" It will start on Chs
lTV Ocf0lonp 1E a@ q ARo,ndnw - n