Evening star., 1952-11-07
On the Air
How About Gov. Stevenson
AS a Video Commentator?
By Harry Macarthur

winning and his sincerity is ever
obvious. Offhand, Bishop Sheen
and Charles Laughton reading
Dickens are the only ones who
come to mind as being able to
command the same rapt atten-
ton as Gov. Stevenson.
There certainly would be no
question about Gov. Stevenson's q
likelihood Of attracting and hold
ing 4 television audience. A sam
Iple of his ability along this line
lis represented by a couple OF
Nielsen figures from early in the
recent campaign. His speech on
September 8 reached 1896, 900 TV
homes. That on September %
went into SO million TV homes.
He has a following Of more than
rs million supporters (24.105,812
voted for President Truman in
1948) and many Of them would be
happy to hear him once a week.
There even were voters for Presi-
dent-elect Eisenhower who adj
mitted, in private and off the
record. that they enjoyed listening
Ito Gov. Stevenson's talks.
Obviously. he didn't convince
some Of them. One Of the nice
things about being TV commen-
tator. however, is that it's the size
|of the audience that counts. It
doesn't matter whether your lis
teners agree or disagree, as long
as they tune you in every week.
It does seem to this viewer that
millions, and not all of them mem
bers Of the loyal or disloyal oppo-
|sition. would welcome the chance
to spend . half hour with Gov.
Stevenson every week.
DEFEAT-To get back to less
serious aspect Of broadcasting,
there is that matter Of Groucho
Marx and the great shakespear-
can bobble. Groucho lost. Not
long back. you remember, "You
Bet Your Life" the NBC radio
and Tv show, got into trouble
with q pair Of contestants over a
question and their reply.
The question was: "In Shakes
peare's Henry w, Henry W and
Merry Wives Of Windsor there
appears q cowardly braggart
whose good humor and wit en-
deared him to millions the world
over. For $1,000. I want you to
identify this genial fellow" Pistol,
said the contestants. Falstaff.
said Groucho. Then the con-
testants came back later and
proved that Falstaff is mentioned
In Henry v" but does not appear.
Mr.. Marx called upon q jury Of
Shakespearean experts. two. critics
and three actors.
At the time 1t was suggested
here that Groucho probably had
rugged that jury against himself,
because no actor would admit a
character was in q play unless in
it and talking. Walter Hampden
came through with support there,
all right. to wit: 81 must Judge
you wrong in saying a character
can appear in q play without
making an appearance on stage.
To be character in q play means
the actor must be present !"
Sir Laurence Olivier sided with
Hampden, though he did apollo
|gize for putting Falstaff in the
movie version of Henry "" thus
confusing the issue.
Critic Richard Watts nailed on
the lid. Obviously" he wrote,
"Falstaff was intended as the an
|swer, and i think there is consid-
|erable doubt that millions the
world over ever found Pistol en-
dearing or have even heard Of
him. That's matter Of opinion.
What Is q matter Of fact is that
he Is Q 'cowardly braggart' and
that he does possess good humor'
and some wit and certainly APP
pears In all the required plays" !"
That made 1t . majority and