Evening star., 1954-02-17
On the Air

Holiday. Miss Holiday made
what is known as her dramatic
television debut" Sunday night
on NBC-TV's "Television Play
house." The term is widely en-
ployed in the industry to differ
entiate from previous TV, guest
appearances. which presumably
weren't very dramatic. This one
wasn't exactly dramatic either,
for that matter, but Miss Holli-
day was downright wonderful in
her hour of play acting.
Her vehicle was a comedy by
David Shaw titled The Eunt-
ress." This was not the funniest
teleplay ever written, but it was
funny enough and what's more
some of its comedy was adult.
Adult is used here. incidentally.
to signify only that and nothing
more. When a man on his way
to Las Vegas says he doesn't
know how to gamble hut expects
that he viii find some one there
to teach him. it is a very funny
line. But 1t isn't funnytstate-
ment toI the young and innocent
who don't know how poignantly
true it is. -
*%a
Well, Miss Holiday was cast
in the title role in ''The Hunt
ress." playing a drab secretary
who slaved and saved her money
for years. one goal only in her
mind. She would prepare herself
properly. then meet and marry a
millionaire. Things worked out
according to plan for a while.
but the charm school and other
preparation left her with only
enough ready cash Tor Gus fare
to Las Vegas.
On the bus she encountered a
young man (played by Tony
RandalD who confessed that he
was in flight from marriage to
fabulously wealthy girl he
didn't love. Out of chemical
conjunction. or maybe boredom
with the f1atness of the plains.
the two fell in love as they
rolled toward Slot achine
Gulch.
But Miss Holidays girl was
not having any of this. She fed
honest amour, still seeking her
millionaire. Then she discovered
that this was what Randall'S
young man was, only more so.
The end of all this was what
Jimmy Durante calls a forlorn
conclusion, but before it arrived
the young man got disinherited.
then accused of trying to marry
the girl for her money after the
disinheriting father slipped her
a check for a million dollars.
4 ~
Mr.. Shaw let things get more
than a mite complicated here
and he left a gaping hole
through which his fables mott
vation fell into a bottomless
abyss. Why he, Director Delbert
Mann or Producer Fred Coe
failed to notice it is one of the
eternal mysteries of the theater.
These things just happen. But
here was a man, established as
fleeing marriage for money, ac-
cused by a girl of wanting to
marry her for money he didn't
know she had.
This didn't matter very much
at the time, however, and all
concerned can thank Judy Holli-
day for it. She can make a
simple statement with such a
highly comic effect. She can lend
such a lustrous warmth to the
character of the girl who is
canny even if she isn't quite
bright. This is a girl television
ought to have around more often
and if television playwrights
don't lombard her with comedy
scripts, they're crazy.
A&k
Miss Holidays appearance on
"Television Playhouse" by the
| way, was something Of a de-
parture. Here the plays the
thing. It is generally acted by
competent players, but not by
Broadway or Hollywood names"
of the marquee-weight Of Miss
Holidays.
This placing of emphasis on
story rather than stars makes for
better television drama, as a
general rule, but Producer Coe
won't be. making a mistake any
time he hires Miss Holiday. The
only thing she does for q comedy
script Is make it sound O lot