Evening star., 1952-03-27
On the Air
IA New Show
| IS sCovered
With Suds
By Horry Macarthur


little sample Of the soap opera
school Of drama in CITY Hospi-
Ital' aWToP-TV-Tu Tuesday, 8
Ip.m.). This apparently is to be
continued in setting only, of
course. with a new ether-scented
story each week. but the Soapland
mood is there. It was heavy this
week on the first yarn. at least.
A hospital. naturally. Is q likely
place to find tear-stained drama
|of the type housewives took to so
enthusiastically on the radio. The
people there are people with
problems. In dire need Of immedi-
ate repair to body or soul or both.
There is nothing q soap opera
addict lives more than some one
lin dire need of repair.
f One Of these was the central
figure in the opening City Hos
pital" masterwork. the title of
which has already been happily
forgotten. A wealthy n1anufac-
turer of cosmetics turned up in.
the hospital when she began get
ting the vapors and wasting away.
Her doctor made pathological
tests. familiar things to any soap
opera listener. and was somewhat
startled to discover that there
was not thing organically wrong
with her. He just couldn't under
stand it.
Any resident of Soapland could
have told him quickly enough
what the trouble was the first
moment this woman's young hus-I
band popped into view telling her
how sick she was. She was Blinded
by Love and had Complete Faith
in her husband. If he said you
look sick" she took sick. He was
trying to do her in by suggestion.
Any resident of Soapland must
have known. too. how this prob
lem was to be solved. A friend of
the ailing woman took Bigl
Chance and devised a plot tol
Shock her out Of her Deluded
State. She simply limited to the
husband that she might be avail
able and he poured out his scheme
and rushed to tell his invalid wife
in the hope that the news would
finish her off.
The doctor said he didn't ap-
prove of this method, mind you,
but the cure did work and, after
all, all's well that ends well. 1t
certainly is, and sometimes the /
sooner the better.
4 ~
GAME-A somewhat pleasanter
way to pass a half f-hour is pro-
vided by quick on the Draw q
new entry Cat least to this viewer) |
in the DuMont lineup (WTTG-f
Tuesday, $3.50 PM. This is one
more panel playing guessing
games of which there is not pre-
cisely dearth in television. but
it's lively and often amusing.
The game played on Quick on
the Draw" is described as cartoon
style charades. which means that
it actually is your old friend. the
rebus. This has been a standby
for some time, probably since that
drew the first picture
On the wall and showed 1t to his
wife and she said what ID it. a
bear?" and he said mo, it's a
sabre> toothed tiger" and Dashed
her skull.
Cartoonist Bob Dunn, a handy
man with a quick sketch, makes a
drawing in which the pictures
the syllables in a name,
book title, saying or something
else of that sort. The panel, at
The behest of Robin Chandler, as
pretty a representative of the
panel moderator type as you'd
want to see. tries to fathom what
Mr.. Dunn has in mind.
This week the "Quick on the
Draw" panel included Anita Colby
"a beauty expert with herself as
ample evidence of her qualifica-
lions in the field, Frank Farrell
(columnist), John Forsythe, CIV
and screen actor and Steve Allen
(who hardly needs to be identified
for all the viewers who demanded |
the return of Songs for Sale") |
If it never does any worse than
this, the show will always guaran-
lee you set Of people you'll be |
happy to welcome into your living
room.
COLOR NOTE-If you've been
waiting for color" you may as
well face the probability of long
wait. This was hillted, at least, in
q message from Henry H. Fowler.
Production Administrator, read by
Bryson Rash yesterday on q spe-
cial half-hour program show
ing the backstage operation Of
When the manufacture of color
television will become a real pos
sibility is complicated question:
involving many factors" wrote Mr..
Fowler and read Mr.. Rash.
There Is some indication that
more of the materials which would