Evening star., 1952-03-10
By Horry Macarthur

having been under the influence Of
the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS school
There is no point in moving q
camera or switching from one to
another just for the sake OF
moving a camera or switching
from one to the other. Good
music is good music and one of
the bright things about Recital
Hail. last summer was the COM
plete-and n-distracting-Sim-
plicity Of its camera approach.
It may enrage the opera-lovers,
but there is one viewer to whom
NBC-TV's production Of Barber
of Seville" the other night looked
like something less than q MASTER
piece. It was a superb pro-
duction which Samuel Chotzinoff
supervised and the cast. to a man
and woman, seemed in fine voice.
but the whole thing merely added
| to a private conviction that most
of these old operas are pretty
absurd dramatically. It can't
be an allergy to opera itself
Gian- Carlo Menotti's "Amahl and
the Night Visitors" still is re-
membered vividly as q wonder
fully theatrical blend Of music
and drama. =. Maybe it is a mis-
take to translate an opera into
English :. It isn't so bad when
you can't understand it :. But,
beautiful music or no, absurdity
is what comes through from a
passage that goes, you're the
doctor" I'm the doctor, I'm
the doctor, I'm the DOCTOR" .
And, even as song lyrics go, there
seems to be something lacking in
do you want to have your shave
now. do you want it, yes or no, do
you want to have your shave now,
do you want it. yes or no?"
OppOrtunity-Lest the impress
sion be given that television is
knocking itself out to please
music-lovers, it had better be
noted that these above-named
programs do not occupy any Glass
"A time spots. NBC-TV hasn't
lost its head. Recital Hall"
is seen and heard on Saturdays
at $50 pm. as unlikely an hour
as you could find in almost any
household for the enjoyment Of
good music. And the network
has been televising its operas at
IL pm, apparently unaware that
some people still consider that
bedtime. or even later than bed
time. There's an opportunity
here for the set-makers If they're
really serious about pushing sales
of FM receivers. Let them
band together and sponsor a pro-
gram of good music on television
at a convenient evening hour.
pointing out that it sounds better
than on your old radio because
it is FM. Which is what the
sound portion Of a TV program
is. Might even counter some
of the sneering remarks about
"Hah. static-free FM," which you
occasionally hear through the
buzz-crackle-pop in some of the
buses.
Write Now-Apparently one of
the more noteworthy successes Of
the television season is Bishop
Fulton j. Sheen's Life Is Worth
Living seen Tuesdays at 8 on
DuMont (WTTG). The net
work is reported receiving be-
tween 1000 and 1000 letters al
week in praise Of it. Several
Of the readers have asked to
whom their thanks should be ad-
dressed, and. since this isn't al
sponsored program. maybe you'd
better join In letting DuMont
know you're welcoming Bishop
Sheen once a week. Address:
Walter Compton, general man.
ager, Station WTTG, Twelfth and
E streets NV, Washington, d. C.
4 4 4 +
Crooked Line-It is the Allan B.
DuMont Laboratories. incidentally,
whence comes the report that an
other Russian propaganda line isl
that they invented radio as well
as TV Russian named Popov
came up with wireless in 1900.
the Russians say completely
overlooking the fact that Marconi.
WHO apparently stole the idea
from the Russians. did so four
years before Popov had it. In
1896 Wonder If there really
was a Russian inventor named
Popov in 1900 sounds more
like a 1852 Moscow propagandist.
\ \ \ \
Miscellany-Educational, that's
what television is. You sit down
to watch THE Courtney Affair" on
fSafeway Theater," for instance,
and you suddenly discover in the
musical score the melody Of the
first line Of Shrimp Boats" !
And Bandleader Freddy Martin
says whenever he hears the cur
rent hit. Tulips and Heather"
he also hears his own Carmen
Carmella," which he wrote and
recorded several years ago !
Hears it so clearly he's talking to
his lawyer NBC, which is as
excited as anyone about the New
Hampshire primaries tomorrow,
had to give up its plan for direct
TV coverage. Too much of a
technical problem. :. Arthur
Godfrey will be back on CBS-TVl
as Of tonight's Talent Scouts"
telecast The March count
in Washington (hy the Washing.