Evening star., 1952-03-28
On the Air:
| Teleyision
Has d Place
For This 90
By HorrY MocArthur

u
and the progress Of the rehabili.
ftation work Of the States De.
Ipartment Of Corrections. Tht
viewing audience has been In.
yited Ito express its opinion q.
Ito whether there is q place II
teleyision for programs Of thi.
nature"
The first thought this prompts
Mr.. Frank M. Russell ct al. j,
I that 1t is q wise move not only
Ito allow your audience to expires.
Its views but to invite It to do so
The second thought Is that yor
lare vastly Understanding thu
ltelevision audience by even sug-
Igesting that there might not be
IAN audience for this series. The
viewers are ready for much more
than the TV broadcasters have
dreamed of giving them. There
lis a large body of intelligent
adult humans who think all tele-
vision is banal because they have
seen too few samples that were
mot.
4 + X Il
The most-discussed new televi-
sion program this season has moi
been a comedy program (even
one on which Margaret Truman
was persuaded to print "I Like
Ike" on a blackboard). It has moi
been a new dramatic program
(even one which imported a star
Ifrcm England because she best fit
a role). It has not been q pro-
gram in any Of the conventional
categories.
The most discussed new televi-
sion program this season has beer
DuMont's Life Is Worth Lying, -
not a TV show but a weekly talk
by Bishop Fulton j. Sheen.
Since Bishop Sheen's delighted
television audience is not confined
to members Of his faith, there Is
a clear implication in the enthu-
siaSm with which he has been
greeted. A sizable portion Of the
ITV audience is more anxious than
sponsors and broadcasters have
realized to dine on food fol
thought.
Part of the noted teaching
cleric's success on television car
be traced to the fact that he rep
resents a form Of security in q
world from which security ha;
largely vanished. Part of it also
| is due to the fact that his wise
and witty talks have filled a void
for viewers, have provided vel
come relief from music hall and
mayhem.
This series proposed by WNBW
would. in its own way. help Ill
this same void and it will be 9
considerable surprise If the sta
ttion's viewers do not tell it so.
The first program, Behind
These Walls" proved to be ar
absorbing document when WNBW
ltelevised it Wednesday night al
I10:30. It was a Straightforward
film report on a session Of the
California Adult Authority. the
body charged under California:
enlightened system with setting
sentences and deciding on paroles
Two prisoners, seen only from
the rear and never identified fol
home viewers, appeared before the
Ithree-man committee. Their sor.
did stories, recounted fatty with
bare facts. and the Adult Au.
thority's subsequent discussion!
of the cases were both dramatic
and revealing.
Subsequent films In the proposed
series could be expected to deal II
"a like manner with other aspect.
LOT California's penal system ant
there Is no reason why they
shouldn't be well-received. They
wouldn't cheer you as much al
Red Shelton, say, but they woult
help make the TV fare a better
balanced diet.
| The crime problem, after all, /!
1.-THE growing concern of many peo'
lple and there is no reason VIII,
ITV. which treats crime irrespon'
sibly in some of the whodunits
shouldn't also treat it seriously
There is a place in television fol
programs Of this and many othel
Iuntried natures.
n \ \
PROGRAMS AND PEOPLE.
miss Ruth Anne's Kindergarten,
conducted by Ruth Anne Flaherty
lwill be seen on WMAL-TV at .
Ip.m. Monday through Friday
starting next week. The for
mat will be much the same as tina
lof "Top Kindergarten" which
Miss Flaherty did for WTOP-Tv
The reason why she coul'
move to another station with