Evening star., 1951-01-23
lon the Air
| Might Be
MEDIUM for
|Miss Truman
By Harry Macarthur

Senator Taft may want to dash
off a sharp note because of this
but the fact remains that this
viewer, for one at least. found
Margaret Truman's contribution
to Toast Of the Town" Sunday
night quite pleasant. Life has all
sorts Of compensations, of course,
and this may merely be natures
reward for not being q music
critic.
Miss Truman has a quality
which can only be described as
presence" and her personality
distills through the camera and
viewing tube as a warm and
charming one. The two songs
she chose to do Sunday night
were pleasantly light and seemed
at least to q man who has never
been wild about sopranos and, in
fact. leans toward the Mindy Car
son type Of singer-to be brought
off well.
1t may be that Miss Truman has
found a niche in television. It is
a medium ideally suited to the
character or personality - ma
ma" Molly Goldberg, Faye Emer-
son. Arthur Godfrey. Kukla. Fran
and Ollie. Dave Garroway, Jerry
Lester, etc. This is not meant
to imply that Miss Truman is an
other Jerry Lester, but that Amer
lean girl personality is genuine
enough that 1t comes through on
telivision as distinct and ap-
pealing.
The limitations Of her voice
anyone knows it wouldn't take
Ethel Norman to outshout her
are not limitations at all in tele-
vision or radio. either. That
young man with the knob in the
control room can turn q whisper
to a roar as easily as he can turn
a roar to q whisper. The per-
former who can relax in the mat
ter Of volume can concentrate on
other things like pitch and ex-
preston. Miss Truman may turn
out to be a much better singer on
television and radio than some
people have considered her else
where.
Sunday was something Of q
Washington night on Toast of
the Town" Another Of our towns
adopted daughters appearing on
1t was Evalyn Tyner, who took
her trio (Ted Alexander and
Johnny SMITH up to give the Tv
network audience lesson in pian-
istic fireworks. The full impact
Of her dynamic personality prob
ably Is reserved for those who
crowd around her piano In the
Statler Embassy Room, but she is
fine listening on television or any
where else. Her four hand version
on Might and Day" with Ed Sui
livan even had him smiling and
expressing Joy. no mean feat as
you well know.
Programs and People: Nobody
who saw or heard about the last
Jimmy Durante show, when Helen
Traubel was his guest, will miss
tomorrow nights -Four Star Re-
vue" (WNBW-8 p. M. It is Mr..
Durante's turn again and he again
will have with him Miss Traubel,
the great dramatic soprano who
has also proved to be something
Of a comedienne Luther Ad-
Ter, who has spent much Of his
recent time playing villains In
movies, is back in New York for
awhile, at least long enough to
play a leading role tomorrow on
"The Somerset Vaughan The
ater" (WTOP-TV-9 p. m). The
story dramatized will be "Honolu-
lu." Rep. John A. Blatnick Of
Minnesota will speak tomorrow on
Nancy Osgood's radio program
(WRC-9:30 a. M. His subject:
The Tamburitzans. highly-touted
folk dancing and singing group OF
Duquesne University. scheduled to
appear at Lisner Auditorium jan
uary 20 When Ezio PIMA ap-
pears on CHS radios Suspense"
Thursday night. he won't sing q
note. In Aria for Murder" he
will be playing his first straight
dramatic part In radio. That's one
Of the things he is hoping for In
Hollywood, too-a straight, non
singing role In q film.
~
AS an Arthur Godfrey fan
knows, Steve Allen. who is now
substituting for him on Talent
Scouts" (WTOP-TV- Monday, $50
p. m), got the job by filling in re-
Gently when Godfrey was stranded
in Florida. Godfrey, naturally,
wanted to know what this Allen
boy was like. He asked for q de-
scription and was told "He looks
like Dave Garroway. can talk as
fast as the late Floyd Gibbons and
hopes to be as good as another
comedian whose name is Fred"