Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-02-12
On the Air
Bobby Clark
Turns Hour
To Comedy
By Harry Macarthur

Comedy Hour" in new direction,
at least temporarily. when he ap-
pears on it next Sunday (WNBW
-8 p.mo. Instead of the usual
variety revue, Mr.. Clark will pre-
sent TV version of one of his
Broadway successes. the 18th
Century French comedy, THE
Would BE Gentleman"
The comic is now writing his
own adaptation of the play, III
which he starred on Broadway In
the 1916 season. He also is devils
ing some new staging techniques
Cameras will be moved from the
orchestra of the theater where the
program is televised to the stage,
following the action through holes
cut in the scenery.
Mr.. Clark's supporting cast in
1.-THE Would-Be Gentleman" will
include a number of well-knowr
and talented players. One of these
will be Sarah Churchill, another
will be Basil Rathbone. and Mary
Boland, Walter Abel and Fran
Warren will be three more.
Miss Boland is an old hand, at
parrying the Clark buffoonery with
impressive dignity.
\ 4 y \
Casting Department.: If you just
happen to have, wandering around
in your backyard, a hen that lays
eggs on cue, Bert Parks is looking
for you. He wants a hen to lay
an egg on his daytime TV show OF.
Valentines Day (WNBW - $3.50
PM. Why he wants a hen to lay
an egg on his program is not dis
closed and may never be unless he
finds one which will cooperate.
Maybe he wants to have the first
television program to lay a real
rather than a figurative egg.
\
Plans and Projects Depart
ment: You have not yet seen the
last of the radio shows adapted to
|television. At CBS-TV in Holly
wood the boys are working on a
plan to group four situation COM
edy shows in a package called Fun
for the Family" These ("My
Friend Irma," Life with Luigi
"Our Miss Brooks" and MY
Favorite Husband") would be
scheduled at the same time every
week and each would be seen once
a month, on q rotating basis.
CHS has a number of other tele-
vision plans. according to an AS
ISOLATED Press report. One of these
tentative prospects is for a TV
series of CorlisS Archer stories, to
be tried out this summer. Also in
the future are shows for Hal
Peary, Joan Davis, George Raft
and a possible Mr.. and Mrs. pro-
gram for Lucille Ball and Desi
ArnaZ.
CHS plans to use the radio
personalities in the television ver-
sions of their shows, wherever
possible. In the case of Miss Ball.
however, she would not do my
Favorite Husband" If she does a
Mr.. and Mrs. show with her real
life husband.
MY Friend Irina," incidentally
is now or soon will be a regular
network feature in Australia. If
any report Of the Australian re-
action to Irma turns up, it will
be passed along.
\
Program Department: Some time
back Buddy Rogers made a series
of guest appearances on various
television shows and it was con-
f1dently predicted that his own
show wasn't far of. It was
further off than any -one thought,
but is has come along. Starting
tomorrow night at 9, the film
acknowledgements Of cere-
monies will be the permanent host
on "Cavalcade of Bands" (WTTG)
:. Barry Gray is the man who
has fallen heir to that afternoon
spot on CBS-TV (WTOP) vacated
by Robert @. Lewis and filled for
awhile by Johnny Johnston. AS
Of today, he is the master of cere-
monies of a new television YER
sion of Winner Take ALL" to be
seen daily at 2::45 pm. Mr.. Gray
is best known to New York radio
listeners, but "colorful" and quick
witted" are a pair of terms CHS
publicity applies to him The
characters Billy Rose introduced
in 1.-THE Day that Isben Came to
Second Avenue" will be back again
tomorrow night at 8 (WMAL-TV)
in my Aunt Freda's Love Affair.
Ludwig Donath and Jennie Gold
stein will repeat their original
roles A topic of interest to
televiewers, present and prospec-
tive, will be discussed tomorrow
night at 8 (WMAL) on radios
Americas Town Meeting of the
Air" The subject will be els
Television an Asset or Liability
to Education?" :. The Wash
ington Civic Orchestra will present
its first broadcast tomorrow night
at $3.50 on WCFM.