Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-04-19
ON THE AIR
ON THE AIR
New N Comedienne
In Promising Debut
BY HARRY MacARTHUR

The National Broadcasting
Co. gave us a look at one of
its new weapons on Sunday
night and 1t was easy to see
why the talent scout reached
quickly for pen and contract.
The new weapon Is Sue Carson,
recently signed to a long-term
pact by the network and des-
tined, after proper build-up, for
q show of her own.
She made her television debut
on 1.-The Comedy Hour" and
definitely frightened her COR
ner of it. Come to think of it,
there is no point in praising her
this way with faint damns. The
way things have been going,
frightening a corner of 1.-THE
Comedy Hour" is no mark of
high voltage. Let's just say that
Miss Carson proved a delight,
without reference to where she
did it.
She is something of q rarity,
q young woman who is both
photogenic and funny. In their
natural state her features are
properly assembled and. in fact,
more than moderately attrac-
tive. This is as mobile a ia
cade as a girl ever wore, though.
and when Miss Carson puts her
mind. and face. to it. she can
resemble almost anyone.
She only seems to, though.
The real trick in her impersona-
tons is a knack for snatching
a noticeable characteristic and
magnifying 1t into something
very funny. On Sunday night
she covered range which in
Guided Billy Eckstine, 10 Stat
ford and Lena Horne-which is
considerable variety-and it all
emerged as good natured rather
than cutting caricature.
Somebody out at NBC goofed,
incidentally, in putting the new
coincidence to work on the same
show on which Edgar Bergen
and Charlie Mccarthy were CO.
starred. Mr.. Bergen and his
chip off an old block did &C
count for some laughs, all right.
But Miss Carson's impersonation
of 10 Stafford involves singing
without visibly moving a muscle,
facial or elsewhere. If Mr.. Ber-
gen happened to be watching,
he must have felt it an unkind
cut indeed. After all Of those
lazy ventriloQuial years before
the unseeing radio audience, he
could use a few lessons from
Miss Carson.
What happens to Miss Carson
now is up to NBC. She has the
talent for delivering the mate
rial, but no Coincidence is bet
ter than her material. And, as
the Saturday night wise man
says, NBC, there you are.
OH, BROTHER! - The truly
high comedy of Sunday nights
COMEDY Hour" it might be
noted, was not provided by Miss
Carson or by Mr.. Bergen or even
by Mr.. Bergen's friend Mortimer
Snerd. The great moment was
provided by a film clip in which
Liberace urged one and all to
watch him on 1.-THE Comedy
Hour" on May /. For all I know,
Ed Sullivan could have been pre-
senting George Gobel, Jimmy
Durante. Sid Caesar, Milton |
Berle, Martha Raye and Lucille |
Ball in the sextet from Lucia"
at the very same moment. II
still will lay 100-to-1 that the
sight Of Brother George smirk- |
ing ana nouulng agreement with |
Brother Walters pitch was the
funniest thing on televisiofi SUM-
day night.
\ 4 n Il
RIGHT AND WRONG-If any
observation is required on the |
latest Arthur Godfrey eruption,
1t will have to be twofold:
Godfrey has a right to dis
pense with the services of any, |
one on any Of his shows. ANY |
other program which plummeted
In the ratings as his Wednes- |
DIV night enterprise did. due !