Evening star., 1952-03-12
On the Air
|. If the Role
Isn't Right,
You Leurn
Ry Harry Macarthur

adult drama. 1t was ably playec
land Director Franklin Shaffnel
Igave it flowing narrative pace
Where it fell down was In tn.
adaptation, which is no black sir
lon a writer's record when thu
work being turned into a one.
hour TV drama is a long Jane.
novel.
i Since twisting a channel-selec.
tor knob is fairly simple opera.
ton that any child can master
however. it behooves a televisior
Iplay to avoid dawdling. Mood i.
fine. but it had better start NOV
ing in one direction. There is moi
much time for exposition. but te
hold a viewer a TV drama mus,
give at least q hint of what It'll
going to prove. then prove it.
'"rhe Wing of the Dove" seemed
a good long time Monday night
getting around to its thesis that
excessive lust for gold is not only
a sin but is quite likely to leave q
girl with a lot Of gold and no man
in her life. Still, it couldn't be
called a wasted hour at all.
r 4 4 II
Since he was so lately on the
scene Of its operations, Studio
One" was the naughty phrase
which got into the conversation
in Mr.. Heston's Mayflower suite
yesterday. It kept cropping up in
spite Of the seconds in Mr.. Hes
toms corner, who kept turning the
talk back to Cecil B. DeMille's
Greatest Show on Earth" The
actor was in town to call some
attention to that circus film and
shortly will go to London for the
same purpose and-Paramount
may as well face it--he is likely
to be asked about Studio One"
there.
Television. Mr.. Heston feels, is
a fine field for an actor, especial
ly one as obviously interested as
he is in learning as many Of the
details Of his craft as he can.
He doesn't believe in concentrat-
ing on television or any other
field, however.
"You have to do MOVIES" he
said. You also, if you are an actor
OF Heston's temperament, have
to sign only those movie pacts
which leave you free for both the
theater and television. The latter,
to get back to the actors recurring
appearances on Studio One. F."
gives players a lot more scope
than Hollywood does. Fl
"In television, you get chance
to play the parts that aren't right
for you." he said. Its only from
the parts that aren't right for
you that you learn something. In
the part that's right for you, you
work and try to do as competent
a job as you can. but you don't
learn anything new, you don't
get q chance to stretch your
muscles"
The role in the Studio One"
play Monday night was one of
these which wasn't right. All of
Henry James men are alike, Hes
ton noted, and he's not like any of
them. The possibility of his playing
the part was broached awhile
back by Director Shaffner.
Il told him I didn't think I
was right for it. but he said, No
I think we can do something with
1t. >" Shaffner had an idea in his
mind and that was enough to
convince Heston, an easy man to
convince when the part is good
but not right.
Mr.. Heston also is an apparent
admirer Of Worthington Miner
as a producer, too. Miner is a
man Of both imagination and good
taste who feels that it is proper
for a story to contain all of its
pertinent facts-and possible If
they are presented tastefully and
without a leer.
He gets away not only with
things that you couldn't do in
the movies. but with things no one
else could get away with in tele-
vision" Heston said. "And leIdoes
it simply by never making an is
sue of them"
It's the challenge Of those not
right roles, though. which keeps
MIR. Heston coming back to "Stu-
dio One" and probably will keep
him coming back to television.
After all, he may never get a
chance to play Macbeth" in
Hollywood.
Programs and PeOple-Drew
Pearson is the latest radio actor
to turn to televisien, starting May
4 on ABC-TV at IL o'clock Sunday
nights His 6 pm. Sunday
radio show on ABC viii continue,
with both programs under the
same sponsorship Betty Lynn,
In case you hadn't noticed, has
replaced Pat Kirkland in the
CBS-TV daytime serial. THE Egg
and T." Miss Kirkland, the wife
Iof writer Donald Bevan, is about
to become q three-time mother
Both Milton @. Ford and Jim
Gibbons have added a movie
"host" chore to other duties on
WMAI-Tv. Ford does the daily
I"5 O'Clock Theater" and Gibbons
the s pm. Family Playhouse
Milton Berle returned and
I.Star Revue" now is back in first
lplace with Washington viewers
according to the latest American
Research Bureau survey - Red
iSkelton has dropped to fourth
preceded by Arthur Godfrey's
l.'Talent Scouts" second. and
fFireside Theater," third.