Evening star., 1952-03-04
On the Air
On the Air
They Keep
Sending Us
On Errunds
Bv Horry Macarthur

0y 1oTIy MoCAItnuT
Didn't see as much television as
was intended Sunday. Busy work
ing on the invention, a memo pad
and pencil designed to be at
tached to the channel selector
knob so it will be handy when
some doll turns up on the screen
and says get a pencil and paper
because this is something you
won't want to miss. which is
often.
Miss more things by being off
in another room looking for pencil
and paper while these girls are
talking. Never know what they
are, either. Maybe there ought to
be another edict in the television
code. Make it compulsory for the
announcer to say so at the OPEN
ing of program if some one is
coming along in the middle of it
to send everybody of looking for
pencils and paper.
Stopped working on the inven-
ton and got back to Channel 4.
incidentally, just in time for a
first-on-the-air glimpse Of that
seal stations annd networks now
are permitted to display so long
as they adhere to television's code
of fair practices. It was followed
Immediately by 1.-THE House
keepers Daughter" a Hal Roach
comedy -melodrama, vintage 1889.
Just what is it. again, that this
new code is to protect us from?
X y X X
Philly in Observation-Disclosures,
the City of Brotherly Love, has
been the subject of some rude
jests in its day, all of which it
SENS to ignore or treat with dis
dain. Research is not exact on
the point but it is fairly certain
that the first comic ever to walk
on a vaudeville stage made some
reference either to Philadelphia
On a Sunday afternoon or a ceme-
terry with street lights.
In television, however, the City
Of Brotherly Love is emerging as
a regular little City of Chicago
and is demonstrating that things
DO happen there on the Sabbath.
CHS (WTOP-TV has a full hour
coming out of there on Sundays
1T midday and three-fourths of
1t is fine business. This is a
considerably higher average than
television as a whole maintains.
The first half of this Sunday
session from Philadelphia on CBS-
Tv is I'm the Park" seen at 1880
4 m. now. This one has been on
the network for some time and
will be on it a great deal longer
# its avid admirers are allowed to
have anything to say about it.
if CHS has been seek
ng an answer to NBC'S "Kukla.
Fran and Ollie" it has found it in
Bill Sears thoroughly satisfying
show. Nobody is replacing Ollie
n this departments affections,
,ut it is possible for you to add
In the Park" to your steady
,iewing without being disloyal.
Not only possible, but advisable.
Comparison Of the two shows is
because of the similar
ties of their formulas. Both are
fantasies which employ a live per-
'ormer who deals in an unaffected,
human manner with puppets
which are endowed with vivid and
distinctive personalities. Both op-
crate on two levels, combining en-
for children with wise
adult humor (and it must be noted
hat I'm the Park" seems to man
age this better than Burr Till
;trom's show, which Is fine but
more adult than anything else).
Mr.. Sears is the man who talks
20 puppets in 'In the Park" play
ng a genial job-hunter who sits
IN a park bench and passes out
Kindly advice to a set of animal
acquaintances. These include a
named Albert, a giraffe |
named Sir Godfrey, a crow named
Calvin and an ostrich named Mag
1olia and they are quite pleasant
lot.
You start to describe one of
these affairs. however, and it be-
comes Immediately apparent that
you are going to do more harm
than good, that you had better let
the show rest its own case. So.
give I'm the Park" a try next Sum
day: you're likely to succumb to
it's charm and humor. So will the
children.
Well Turned WOrm-A new ad-
dition this week to the Philadel-
phia originated Sunday fare was
Junior Hi-Jinx with Willie" in
the 1915 pm. slot. This one fea-
lures a puppet master of cere-
named Willie, who is a sort
of erudite worm. having lived his
life at, or under the campus of. the
University of Pennsylvania.
Willie Grams a great deal of
Junior wisdom and entertain
ment into his Is minutes. Warren
Wright, who speaks for and ma