Evening star., 1951-04-03
On the Air
Benny Seems
To Have Hit
| TV Stride
By Harry Macarthur

SWHHNS
By Harry Macarthur
Jack Benny and his writer's
seem to have found the solution
to his nv problem. It is SO simple
you wonder why 1t never occurred
to you while Benny was doing
those two previous television
shows, which weren't television
shows at all, but televised radio
shows.
The discovery" is that Benny
| is far better as a comedy actor
than as comic monologist. His
delivery and timing, which are
the envy of nearly everyone in
show business, are far more at
home in the funny situation than
in the Hopeful wise crack.
II this ever has need proving,
lit got it Sunday night when the
comic again took over the half
hour usually devoted to his spon-|
sor's This Is Show Business"
(WTOP-TV). Instead of acting as
a master Of ceremonies in visual
version of his radio show. Benny
devoted almost the entire half
hour to a comedy skit and the
result was approximately 98 per
cent satisfactory.
He played the fictional version
of himself which he has spent al
number Of years perfecting-Jack
Benny. actor, who is regarded
with sort of friendly horror by
other Hollywood personalities.
This time. in case you missed it,
he was trying to wrest from Basil
Rathhone the role opposite Clau-
dette Colbert in a Forthcoming
Robert Montgomery TV drama.
X
The skit, built largely around
a rehearsal disrupted by Benny.
began to slip downhill before it
was over. but it was loaded with
laughs, as written by a quartet of
writers whose names went by too
fast to catch. and as played by
Miss Colbert, Montgomery, Rath-
bone and Benny.
The visiting celebrities. as a.
matter of fact. Jared as well as
any visitors to a comedy show
this season, since they were given
something constructive to do.
The situation comedy formula
works out as we'll for guest stars
as it does for Benny and If he
sticks to this he will win back
lail those old fans who have de-
serted him to watch television on
Sunday nights.
The only complaint to be regis
tered against Benny's third and
far superior television show is
that he still finds the studio audi
Ience well-nigh irresistible. If he
needs it to time laughs, that's all
fright. but If he caters to it or
|lets it intrude between him and
the audience at home he's going
to lose some viewers. They won't
be the ones trapped in a theater
with him, either.
Also, we can do without any
postlogues which Benny chooses
to deliver to the theater audience
as an anti-climax to a comedy
sketch. He doesn't have to thank
them for coming Con free tickets
or the guest stars for appearing.
The fiction that the latter merely
rallied round to help dear, old
Jack is fairly well discredited. The
pay is good in that guest star
dodge.
Still, minor complaints or no.
this is the Jack Benny we've been
waiting for in television.
Same Old Trouble: Eddie Cantor
is another succumbing more thai
he should to a temptation he has
publicly recognized as not good
the urge on the part of televi-
sion comedian to play to those he
can see and hear responding to
him. This was slightly in evidence
a week ago, much more noticeable
Sunday night when he did his
comedy Hour" (WNBW) show
from Philadelphia.
He even was so taken with the
theater audience on this latter
occasion that he took to telling
local jokes. an old radio sin. Jokes
about Philadelphia traffic and
water may be the highest Of
lhumor. to a Philadelphian. al
ltelevision entertainer can not take
lit for granted, however. that The
nature of Philadelphia water,
though its reputation must be
widespread, is known to everyone
communing with him coaxially 4
Mr.. Cantor had better save things
like that for the prebroadcast|
|Warm-up.
It must be admitted, of course
that there were extenuating cir
IcumStanceS to be blamed if the
program wasn't up to the usual
Cantor standard. For one thing
the COMEDY Hour situation Is
such that he had only one week
instead of the accustomed four
to get ready for this last show.
He was doing it in an unfamiliar
place. too, which easily could throw
his production off balance.
Cantor also was spending al
Sunday in Philadelphia, which is
enough to depress anyone.
| y X X y
Program and People: Lisa Kirk
will play a non-singing role in
yours Truly" an original TV
comedy. on '"Television Theatel'
tomorrow night (WNBW-9).
Ralph Flanagan's will be the
visiting orchestra tomorrow night
on ''Kreisler Bandstand'' (WMAL-
lTV-8:30). Charlie Wild.
Private Detective" becomes the