Evening star., 1951-05-02
On the Air
Lester Fan
Registers
IA Complaint
By Harry Macarthur

i
! Any television columnist who
wants to know if he's being read
has only to hint that he does not
think Jerry Lester is the greatest
contribution to TV since the Nip
kow disc. 1t is safer to dislike
striving young sopranos than to
dislike the Mickey Rooney-Sized
Milton Berler
Today it is Carl Wickum. of
Takoma Park, who has q COM
plant to register. il the meeting
will please come to order.
"It is revolving" Mr.. Wickum
writes, making his stand clear at
the outset. ito read SO many eu-
logies about Durante and only
slurs about Jerry Lester in the
critics columns. Why is it that
such worn-out mediocrities as
Durante, Cantor ct al are still
propped up by the critics just as
Jolson was propped up. almost in
inverse proportion to their talent
and contribution to entertain
ment? Why?
ut makes an amateur arbiter
of elegance like myself seethe
with indignation and Illustration
to see such critics pets get so
much adulation when a genuine
talent like Peter Lind Hayes fails
to make the grade on TV. AS for
Jerry Lester. he is the greatest
one-man show in the business and
Iyet he consistently gets a raw
deal from the critics. What is
behind it all? Does he belong to
the wrong fraternity or do critics
really have such deplorable taste?"
*% -
! Leave us not ask what an
arbiter of elegance, amateur or
otherwise, has to do with Jerry
Lester. Leave us not even point
out that Mr.. Wickum's final ques-
tion has something Of the same
tone as the phrase, Lets be
realistic" Let's be realistic, when
employed in argument, means
Let's agree with me-"
| The truth of the matter is, MIR.
W., that critics have deplorable
tatse. In the last Motion Picture
Daily-Fame poll. the TV critics
selected a set of singing CONNER
cials for cigarettes as the best
commercial presentation. The
same people would have voted in
the same poll that Jerry Lester
was the most promising male star
in television. except that he ran
second to Jerry Lewis.
This particular viewer had such
deplorable taste as to cheer Peter
Lind Hayes nightly and to urge
George Burns, Jack Benny, Bob
Hope and some others to take q
look at him to see how television
should be done. Apparently, Mr.
Hayes sponsor would not be real
istic.
The meeting is now open to
counter-proposals. Any admirers
of those old mediocrities-Du-
rante, Cantor, ct alike to tell
us what they think of Jerry
Lester?
From Television: Another pair
Of performers who have provided
some bright television moments
recently-on Broadway Open
House." unless it was two other
people-are set for the Shoreham
Blue Room next week. They are
Mccarthy and Dale, who have, in
fact, made number of TV ap-
pearances since they were here
three years ago. when it was Nc
Carthy and Farrell. Their spe.
cialty is an imitation of a pair Of
disc jockeys and they are a lot
funnier than most people who use
phonograph records in night club
or video acts.
The stellar attraction at the
Blue Room this week, incidentally
is another performer who has
widened her audience by television
The name is Beatrice Kraft and il
that doesn't send you rushing out
to see her. you don't know what's
good for you.
You won't see too much of Mis-.
Kraft on television, since she i.
enough in demand to pick hel
spots and she is canny enough tt
know better than to ruin the de.
mand by giving the customers al
oversupply. If it isn't heresy tt
say it here, you won't see her Il
full advantage on television, either
until television is full-color, life
4 size and three-dimensional.
Miss Kraft's speciality is Eas
Indian dancing, but that's al
understatement If ever there wa
one. Her real speciality is a com
bination Of grace and wonderful,
subtle humor which you will sci
dom find matched.
y Il \
Saturation: If you don't knoy
about the Virginia Gold Cup t.
be held at Warrenton Saturday
it is not because radio and tele
vision have not been telling 70,
about it. There was one advanc
report yesterday on Ruth Crane
WMAL radio show and anothe
scheduled for the same program
today, when Mrs. Robert Wind
mill Of the Warrenton Hunt wa
to appear. Tonight at $3.50, Rand
Duffy, a former steeplechase ride
lis to appear with Joe Wershba O.