Evening star., 1953-01-21

Mrs. Alben Barkley and an In
dian, chatted for awhile, then
said: II expect to go on the air
now any second; I'm expecting
a cue" =. He Immediately went
off the air.
+ y -
Most gadget-conscious yester-
day seems to have been NBC-TV.
There for awhile it seemed
that every stop on Channel 4
found us whipping down the
Avenue in that limousine with
the camera turrets. It i'm
pressed Bill McAndrew, in
charge of the NBC-TV coverage,
no end, and rightly so. It
was a most impressive vehicle.
Telephone callers have COM
planned, however, that its over
use brought a little confusion to
the parade report. Toward
the end Of the afternoon it did
come in handy, to get a look at
more of the parade than had
passed the reviewing stand be-
fore NBC went back to Hawkins
Falls at 5 pm. =. It wouldn't
have been so bad. perhaps, if the
announcer on board the rowing
TV studio had not been so over
whelmed with what was happen
ing to him. -. This.is a real,
live televiSion Z stranSnlitter, he
kept saying over and over. I. i.
These are not movies, these are
real. live television pictures. j. /.
Most overawed man you ever
heard.
He, too, provided a laugh,
though. Came while Presi-
dent Eisenhower was being
driven back up Pennsylvania
avenue at the head of his in
augural parade. View from
the turret-top limousine was
blocked. "We asked the Secret
Service men a few minutes ago
if they could move their car a
few feet" said the announcer,
land they looked at us as if we
were crazy" It might not
have been a coast-to-coast
laugh, but it was a laugh here.
In Washington, you do not
ask the Secret Service to get out
of the way so you can get a
better shot at the President.
Announcer who belted around
the most high-flown phrases was
Ben Grauer. Phrases like
THUS symbolizing the continuity
Of the highest Office in the land"
And lit is not thus ordained
in the Constitution" An
nouncers trapped in own words
were several. There was one
of the Capitol who reported that
incoming President and party
were down at a lower level where
no cameras could pick them up.
-. At which time another
networks camera was staring
President Eisenhower right in
the face. Another at the
Capitol announced that the
Plaza was quiet. and didn't get
the words out of his mouth be-
fore a sergeant shook the Nation
with a shout of SOUND Off"
The director who made the
least supportable decision was
the one who decided the viewers
wanted a picture of Bryson
Rash while Naval Academy mid
shipmen were passing the re-
viewing stand. =. There is
nothing wrong with MIR. Rash,
but very few parade addicts pre-
fer watching him talk to watch
ing midshipmen march.
Most dramatic portion Of the
whole day, Of course. was the
inaugural ceremony itself.
The TV broadcasters let the
cameras and the cast Of charac-
tiers do the work then and
1t was spine-tingling television
drama. And its most dra-
matte single moment may have
been the one when the band
played Hail to the Chief" for
the last time for President Tru-
man and he turned to shake
hands with the other member
of the select group he had just
joined. Herbert Hoover.
ALI things considered, it was
good television all day long, in
spite of these minor complaints
voiced here. Everyone con-
cerned deserves commendation.
4. Even the woman who phoned
WTTG and asked them to have
their cameraman tell that man
in the audience to take OF his
hat while the new President was
talking.