Evening star., 1951-05-23
On the Air
Dromo Shows
Plagued by
Long Credits
BY Harry Macarthur

would b bIe missed. The credits or
some Of the movie and drama
programs are getting out of hand
boys. 4
The movies long have plagued
their customers with credit lists
so long they are ludicrous. You
sit there endless minutes. f1dgetine
while the screen parades list
of names,l clear down to that OF
the Office boy who let one of the
supporting players in to see the
casting director.
The movies have an excuse. In
billing conscious Hollywood. no
body will work before he has been
lgiven written guarantee of screen
credit. People will work in tele-
vision. though, without being
babied.
This is no plea to do away COM
Ipletely with screen credits in tele-
vision. The viewers want to know
who those people are. If somebody
isn't careful, though, a one-hour
drama show will consist before
long of eight minutes of CONNER
ciadS, four minutes Of drama and
48 minutes of credits.
"The part of the steamboat
captain in our play tonight" the
announcer will say at the end of
these TV shows. was played by
Phoebe Phrobisher, whom you
may also remember as the Tibetan
spy in Lama Loose in the Krem-
lin" and the milkmaid in Llama
Loose in the Andes" Miss Phro-
bisher came to us from the Egg
Sorting Division Drama Society of
the Left Field, New Jersey. Poultry
Farm, where she was voted Miss
Grade B of 1888 :"
So he goes, down through the
whole list of players. You get the
feeling that you could spend the
lime much more profltably. say
oy dropping paper bags full of
water on the passersby. or some
thing equally uplifting.
X X
One of the worst offenders
around here was the Saturday
night Film Playhouse" which
has just been dropped from the
WMAL-TV schedule. The perpe-
traitors of this operated either on
the theory that their mission was
to recount the history of motion
pictures or that television sets
are owned exclusively by people
who never heard of the movies.
The pictures shown on Film
Playhouse" were preceded, urged
along their way and mourned on
their passing by Lee Dayton, who
intimated that he was impersonat-
ing a theater manager. If you
ever walked into your neighbor-
hood Bijou and encountered a
gabby manager like that, you'd
demand your money back on the
spot and wait to see the picture
on teleVlSlon.
We've got a film you'll enjoy
tonight" Mr.. Dayton was called
on to say. Then he'd launch into
a commentary on it. The lead
ing role is played by Charles
Laughton," he'd go on, tossing off
biographies of Laughton and the
other leading players.
AS useless information goes,
this sort of thing can't go soon
enough. The major trouble is that
the rare viewer who never did
hear Of Charles Laughton doesn't
pay any attention when he's told.
Instead, he calls up some poor
TV editor the next day.
II saw a movie on television
last night" he will say. II didn't
notice what channel it was on
(Which narrows it to FOUR and
I forget what the name of it was.
But there was this actor in it
and he was pretty good. What's
his name?"
X n \
Most Likely: If you were called
upon to name the girl most likely
to be named for the next award
or citation, you'd stand a better
chance of being right If you set
tiled for Faye Emerson. Miss Emer-
son, whose ABC-TV show is seen
here on WTOP-TV Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays at tbs
pm, is always being named Miss
Something or Other. Her honors
and bestowers Of same in a shade
less than a year include: TVS No.
l Saleslady" (American Market
ing Association. TVS Woman
of the Year" Radio and Tele-
vision Daily, "One of the 10 Best
Dressed Women of 1850" (New
York Dress INSTITUTED, Most
Appealing Female Personality of
1850" Oook Magazine), "One of
10 Leading Celebrities of 1867
Celebrity Service), Outstanding
TV Personality of 1851" (Adver-
tising Club of Baltimore), "Ameri-
cas- Most Photogenic TV Star"
Photographic Manufacturers and
Distributors ASSN, Film Star
Who Most Successfully Accom-
plished Transition from Pictures
to TV' (Photoplay Magazine)
Most Telegenic Female Person
ality" (Television Workshop
School. "Most Charming Woman
of TV" (Charm Institute PolD
"Best-Dressed in TV" (Fashion
Academy Award for 1850, Best
Dressed in TV" ASSOCIATED Press
PolD, First Place Award" CIV
Forecast Magazine) and "Teen-
Ayers TV Favorite" (True Movie
and TV Magazine).
X X X X
More Moore: Victor Moore's
presence in New York is permit
ting him to appear on another
TV show, this one James Melton's S
Ford Festival" tomorrow night