Evening star., 1952-01-21
|On the Air
On the Air
|Okoy, Jack,
You're Glad
|TheyCone
By Harry Macarthur

AAAAS4OW0VO AV4dyS AA4AA4A46 ~ 4AAUG4S
ally the west with the east, seems
something less than an undiluted
blessing. It Is a great thing,
all right. as was effectively DEM
onstrated that time when Ed
Murrow gave his audience a
dramatic opportunity to look at
both Pacific and Atlantic Oceans
at the same time. =. It can, how
ever. only pass along what is
poured into it at one end or the
other. without improving on it.
Sometimes the things Holly
j. wood pours into the relay for con-
sumption back east are. to say it
as politely as possible, dishearten-
ing, =. Especially in view Of
Hollywood's oft-expressed inten-
ton Of taking over all television
programming and showing those
upstarts In New York, Chicago
and other backwoods settlements
just how it's done. The sad
fact is that nothing isolates a
comedian from his audience more
than residence in Southern Cali
fornia.
This even was evident Saturday
night when Jack Carson reap
peared on NBC-TV's "All-Star
Revue" :. At the outset let it be
noted that this viewer found Mr..
Carson vastly amusing a large
part Of the time. maybe even 90
per cent Of it. . But Mr.. Carson
was in Hollywood and, for all he
has learned about the TV medium,
which is more than many comics,
he felt called upon to apply some
Of the Bob Hope radio formula to
his television program.
This calls for some opening re-
marks addressed to the studio au-
dience by the leading comedian,
some local jokes (such as refer
ences to the damp California sun
shine) and some closing remarks
In which apologies are made for
the show and the studio audience
is thanked for turning out in such
numbers. . None of this is any
particular establishment to a
situation comedy on television. :.
There is, in fact, nothing less in
teresting in the parlor than a
comics gratitude to a studio audi
ence. +. Unless it is Milton
Berle's concern over a studio au-
dience failure to laugh when he
knows they're out there because
he can hear them breathing.
You'd better come back to
America, Mr.. Carson. The vigil
antes may be out there any day to
chop down some Of those micro
wave relay towers.
y
TV Veteran-Helene Francois,
singing sister of Denise Darcel, is
scheduled for a return engage
ment at the Old New Orleans
Sazerac Room starting January
81. Since she made her Ameri-
can debut there several months
ago she has been called upon to
lend Calls beauty and lifting song
to several Of CBS-TV's top net
work programs-Ed Sullivan'sI
Toast Of the Town." Faye Emer-
sons wonderful Town" and 1.-THE
Jack Benny Show" to name three.
When Washington MICS
Gene Archer appears tomorrow
afternoon on Kate Smiths daily
television hour (WNBW-4 PM,
he'll be sharing the guest spot
light with pair of others popular
in Washington. Dancers
Danny Hoctor and Betty Byrd,
who have made recent appear
ances at both the Mayflower
Lounge and the Capitol Theater,
will be filling a repeat date with
Miss Smith.
Joan Davis is the latest comedy
star signed by NBC. for both tele-
vision and radio. Immediate
prospects for her include a con-
tinuing series of guest appear
ances on 1.-THE Big Show" and a
new TV program, which is slated
for addition before April. May
have a new radio series of her
own. too. Barbara Stanwyck,
even as Claudette Colbert did be-
fore her, will make her TV debut
with Jack Benny. The event
is scheduled for next Sunday
(WTOP-TV-7:30 p.m) and the
Stanwyck- Benny vehicle will be
a somewhat modified version of
"GaSlight."
+ + 4 \
Still Hardy-Radio. which was
supposedly consigned by television
to an early grave. isn't yet show
ing any signs Of decline where it
would hurt most. Radio time
sales in 1851 amounted to $485.4
million, an increase of nearly $32
million over the record $453.5 mil
lion of 1850. The estimates
are made in the 1852 Broadcasting
Yearbook, summarized in the issue
of Broadcasting -Telecasting out
today. The figures represent
receipts from sale of time alone
and do not include costs Of talent
and production. Significantly,
the largest part of the radio sta
tons revenue last year came from
local advertisers, with national
and regional spot sales second
among the contributors to radios
well-being. What this indicates
is that the radio stations are, so
far at least. making a success of
their fight to survive as sponsors
of the big network shows turn to
televiSion.
4 4 4 y
The Big Push - The DuMont
publicity department is churning
away in quite a frenzy these days,
trying to build up a ground swell
for Art Caney, who has been fill
ing IN for Jackie Gleason on
"Cavalcade of Stars" (WTTG-
Friday, 10 p.mD. .. It detects a
great public demand for him
which, it is intimated. might lead