Evening star., 1952-11-14
On the Air
On the Air
CBS 7eIevision City Bows
7 omorrow With Gala Show
BY Harry Macarthur

The publicity department of the
Columbia Broadcasting System
has been working itself up into 9
rare lather for the past severa
weeks. It has been whirling madly
spouting flames and smoke, fling.
ing ukases, kilograms. flashes
statements, bulletins, feature
stories and yelps of delight in all
directions. The climax of all ot
its wild activity will come tomor-
row night when the new CHS
Television City in Hollywood will
be formally unveiled.
Television City has been in use
for several weeks now. MY Friend
Irma" was the first show to come
from there, when it returned for
this season. So this debut will be
for some bit like that of a girl
who is given a coming out party
to introduce her to the boys and
girls she has grown up with. But
that doesn't prevent CHS from
lashing itself into a fury Of ex-
citement over the occasion.
1t has even persuaded Califor-
MAS Gov. Earl Warren and Los
Angeles Mayor Fletcher Bowron
to Join in the festivities. Gov.
Warren will take part, it is PROM
ised, as a straight man for Oracle
Allen on the dedicatory show.
Mayor Bowron is entering into
the spirit as fully as a network
could ask. He already has de-
clared tomorrow "Television City
Day" in his domain, by official
proclamation. Tomorrow he will
off1ciate with solid gold shears)
at the ribbon cutting ceremonies
and ride in Jack Benny's Maxwell
on the gala show to follow.
One advance report on this show
indicates that complete hysteria
is not far off. Old timers in Hol-
lywood, it says, SAY that the ex-
citement about the dedication of
CHS Television City is something
like that which gripped the town
back in 1908 when the first fea-
ture film, a 1,000-foot one-reeler,
The Count of Monte Cristo,' was
shot out there on empty lots"
This same report brings word
that Hollywood stars, both movie
and TV (but not M-G-M, of
course) are clamoring for tickets
to the ceremonial telecast. Tele-
vision City sis the new glamour
girl of the film capital, and every
body who is anybody wants to be
seen at the broadcast which will
dedicate the new plant"
Jack Benny will be host on the
dedicatory show, which you can
see here tomorrow from 9 to 10
pm. on WTOP-TV. A couple of
dozen CHS stars are slated to take
part in "the biggest, most star
studded production in the history
of television."
In addition to Benny, those on
hand will be Eve Arden, Lucille
Ball and Desi Arnaz, George Burns
and Oracle Allen, Eddie (Roches-
teri Anderson. Bob Crosby, Cass
Daley. Art Linkletter, Tim king
fish, Moore. Alvin (Amos) Chill
dress. Spencer (Andy) williams,
Marie Wilson. Cathy Lewis, Gisele
Mackenzie, j. Carol Naish, Alan
Young. And, of course, others.
CHS is moving out virtually en-
masse for the ceremonies, with
Board Chairman William S. Paley,
CHS President Frank Stanton and
CHS Television President j. L. Van
Volkenburg heading a full fighting
division of vice presidents and
other executive paratroopers. CHS
also is transporting several score
newsmen to Hollywood to impress
them first hand with Television
City.
The new plant is not without
its significance. 1t is the first such
facility built expressly to meet
television's demands. Producers
working in it will be limited only
by their own imaginations, CHS