Evening star., 1951-07-22

Make ROSenbloom once said when
told what finger bowl was, and
you get silly answer. Ask a silly
question these days and you are
likely to find yourself facing a
panel of purported experts and q
television camera.
The easiest way to get into tele-
vision (short of having made a
number of movies in the early
1930s) seems to be by inventing a
new twist on any old parlor game
you prefer. More than a dozen of
these affairs are lurking about the
television schedules prepared to
leap into your living room if given
a chance.
The ranks have been swelled
this summer by at least six new
comers, though it cans honestly
be said that the general level of
lTV entertainment has been raised
lperceptably. The batting average
lof the half-dozen can't be much
higher than 1888.
The best Of these panel shows is
the gift. not too surprisingly, of
Chicago television to the network
audience. This one is called
Down You Go" (WTTG-Thurs-
Iday, 8 p.m) and, like other TV
Shows originating in the lively
Midwest metropolis, it is Iterate
and is not based on the assump-
ton that the television audience is
composed entirely of morons.
The object of the panel in this
particular game is to guess we'll
known advertising slogan, book or
song title, or familiar everyday
phrase, by asking questions and
suggesting letters to be inserted
in the proper place in the phrase.
This doesn't sound precisely
earth-Shaking as program idea
and, as a matter of fact, it isn't
earth-shaking in the execution.
1t is more than a little amusing,
however. as it is conducted by DR..
Bergen Evans, a professor of Eng
llsh who commands a fine subtle
humor. He has great deal of
fun (and you should, too) with
the cryptic clews he gives his
panel, such as "One of those dark
things that comes to every man
as time passes" ("5 o'clock
shadow"). or "Of all the advice
mother gives, she is sure this is
the truest" ("Mother knows
best").
John Dolly Helps
Roise the Average,
The other panel show which
brings the batting average of
these summer replacements up to
that 1888 mark is TITS News to
Me" WTOP-TV-Monday, $50
pmo. This comes as no great sur
prise, either. since TITS News to
Me" is conducted by John DAILY,
who has been doing a most agree
able job for some time now run
ming whats My Line?" CWTOP-
TV-Sunday, 1890 p.m.).
On TITS News to Me-" Mr.. DAILY
gives his panel clews to news
events. They in turn describe
these or invent f1ctioual ones,
While an audience participant
wins or loses money by passing
on the correctness of the an
sWers. It's quite pleasant
session.
The honors for the rest of the
newcomers are equally divided be-
tween New York and Hollywood
The movie capitals contributions
are "How To- (WTOP-TV-Tues-
day, 9 p.m), which has some
amusing doings by Roger Price
and some vastly unamusing as
sistance by straining panel, and
"Pantomime Quiz" (WTOP-TV-
Monday, 8 p.m0, which has q
lot OF movie people playing cha
rades with coy abandon. There
must be some other reason why
they're building that coaxial-
microwave link to the West Coast.
New York's other summer con-
tributions in the panel show line
are not much better. go Lucky
(WTOP-IV-Sunday, 7::30 p.m.)
presents Jan Murray, who ad-
dresses himself exclusively to the
studio audience, in what has been
fairly accurately described as a
30-minute commercial. "It Pays
to Be Ignorant" (WNBW-Thurs-
day, 8 p.m.) apparently is based
on the theory that tired old joke
can be revived by shouting it
rather than telling 1t.
This theory has not been proved.
University to Offer
Credit Courses Via TV
Another step in the use of tele-
vision in education will be taken
this fall. when Western Reserve
University will offer two courses
for credit over Cleveland tele-
vision station, VIEWS. Several
colleges already have been pre-
lsenting educational programs via
| ltelevision. but these will be the