Evening star., 1951-10-17
BY Harry Macarthur

lplCtuTeS, SOME OF CNGm CnOTOuguly
commendable, and a successful ra-
dio show. Miss Ball is. thanks to
televiSion. back in a hopefully
madcap comedy about Hollywood
life. On the basis of the early evil
dence this isn't any more hilarious
: than that one which was inter-
rupted by the silverflsh extermi-
nator.
Miss Ball also is, incidentally
back in the cigarette advertising
business and it surely will cheer
her new sponsor. Phillip Morris
to be reminded that she won her
first fame in the world on bill
boards as the Chesterfield girl.
4 r y 4
! Miss Balls new project is titled
II Love Lucy" and it is promised
as a regular Monday-at-9 feature
on CBS-WTOP-TV. Her co-star
is her husband, Desi Arnaz, who
! plays her husband in II Love
Lucy" and the two apparently
are to receive close air support
from Vivian Vance and William
Frawley.
| To lend tone to the whole en-
terprise. which is on film, the
photography has been entrusted
to Karl Freund. A. S. c., q man
to whom the publicity department
can refer without hesitation as
a dean Of cinematographers. He
is credited. back In his old UFA
days in 1922 in Germany, with
devising the first camera dolly
while making "The Last Laugh" I"
He also photographed Variety"
and Metropolis" a pair of movie
landmarks and ultimately came
to Hollywood. There he's photo
graphed everyone from Garbo to
Karloff~ and has won several
Academy award nominations. one
Of which won him an oscar, I"
for "the Good Earth"
It seems quite possible that Mr..
Freund might have something to
offer television. but 1t must be
faced that using a man Of this
caliber to photograph the first
episode Of Il Love Lucy" was a
little like using a steam shovel
to loosen the topsoil in q flower
pot.
The equipment was more i'm
pressiye than the job it was called
on to do.
This frolic opened with Miss
Ball, clad in what appeared to
be 1910 motoring costume but
which turned out to be a dish
washing costume, and Miss Vance
in the kitchen. Miss Vance was
enlisting Miss Balls help in get
ting wedding anniversary cele-
brated at the Copacabana. In
the living room. Miss Vance's hus-
band, Mr.. Frawley. was enlisting
the aid Of Mr.. Arnaz Miss Balls
husband. you remember) in bring
ing this same celebration to the
fights.
In no time at all-less time
than it seemed. at any rate
there was an impasse and the girls
were threatening to get dates and
go to the Copacabana and their
husbands had decided to get dates
and go to the Copacabana to
keep an eye on their wives.
This is being carefully docu-
mented because you wouldn't be-
ilieve it otherwise and may even
now not believe that every one
called up the same girl to ar
range these dates. This permitted
Miss Ball and Miss Vance to show
up shortly clad in wigs and hill
billy garb, disguise which COM
pletely fooled their husbands and
apparently sent the writer's of
into gales Of hysterical laughter,
though this dodge actually hasn't
worked since small boys were en-
Iployed for the feminine roles in
Shakespearean plays. e..
Miss Ball is a funny young
woman, all right, but you couldn't
prove it by her new television
show.
81 Love Lucy" is another of
those Hollywood f1lms-for-Tv, in
cidentally. which is embellished
by a sound track carrying approv-
ing laughter at what has been
considered the appropriate mo-
ments. IF the television movie
makers can sell this idea to the
makers of movies for movie the
aters, they'll bring back the old
fashioned taffy pull as the lands
leading entertainment in no time
1 at all.
Correspondence Department:
John w. Willis wants to know
what has he (Gen. Vandenberg)
got to do with West Point and
Annapolis? I never heard Of the
Air Force playing football" Well.
Mr.. W.. maybe you didn't, but
the Fort Monroe football team
heard about the Air Force playing
football (Air Force Generals, 81;
Fort Monroe. o. on September
15) and the Patuxent Naval Base
may when its grid squad meets
the Generals on November 10.
That column, when read slowly,
has reference to some service
games in this area which WTOP-
TV demanded in on after WNBW
signed them for television :.
Air Force games among them 8.
Writes Jack Goldman of Silver
Spring. when Is Garroway COM
ing back to Twp" Answer: That's
n a pood r,aacfiou ond NRN S-nS