Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-25

IIV SerleS-Wnen q expoSe-typt
prison term for armed robbery at
the age Of II.
Anyone who passes a magazine
stand and has been dazzled by
THE displays Of luridly pictured
and captioned magazines can at
test to their existence. (Not as
many as formerly but still too
many0
How do they get away with it,
the man in the street wonders?
Author Harry w. Junkin could
have made it clearer in his play,
"a Public Figure" and omitted
the melodramatic cliches, but on
the whole 1t was a pretty conclu-
sive and persuasive summing up.
The case was patiently over
Isimplified. The TV hero (James
DAILY promptly lost his job
Another victim Of the magazine
a poet-teacher. took his life. The
editor of Public" couldn't have
been Just a guy out for the fast
lbuck-but a fanatic. etc.
I couldn't help remembering
the movie actor whose prison
record was exposed" In one OF
those magazines and comparing
the effect. That actors career
was. If anything. enhanced.
saw at least two TV shows based
directly or indirectly on his ex-
Iperiences.
What Junkin's play land
Studio One) sidestepped was the
sizzling question Of what happens
to an actor who is exposed not
for a criminal or an amoral past
but for possible subversive one.
One famous actor. recently on
u. S. Steel. who found out by
accident that he was on a "black
list" of some kind. is still not
sure he's won his point In all
quarters.
Anyway. Studio One assembled
/ a tip-top cast for "a Public
Figure" and the presence of DAILY.
Mercedes McCambridge tas his
Iwife) and Sheppard Strudwick
las the EDITOR helped make up
for some unnecessarily routine
pilot turns. Miss McCanlbridge
may not have impressed the edi-
tor with her sheer as she left his
office. but she's the all-time lip
curling champ in my book.
*
TARAWA: The first episode In
the official combat history of the
~. S. Marine Corps. Uncommon
,.Valor," was previewed for the
press the other day at the
Raleigh and If you're watching
Sunday at 1890 pm, 'tenshun
It actually isn't the first epi-
Isode. come to think Of it, but will
be presented first in order to
Igive the public an idea of what
lis in store during the 26-week
series. After "Tarawa" and Two
Jima," the series will go back to
the beginnings of the Corps and
progress chronologically.
To properly spotlight the pre-
Imiere showing. WTTG-5 will
Iprecede "Tarawa" with a half
hour program featuring U. S.
Marine musicians. combat judo
exhibitions. and interviews. In
addition. a platoon of recruits.
Ito be henceforth known as the
uncommon Valor" platoon. will
he sworn In during the program.
(What reception THEY'LL
Iget at Paris IslandD
Tarawa. which I recall from a
ltumultuous desk in Washington,
was one of the best reported Of
Jail Marine campaigns. My rec
collections as a picture editor dur
ing those years is that Tarawa
produced the most gripping
writing and pictures Of the war
1T also produced, much later,
some controversies.
The Marine telling of it is
simple and factual. The prob
lem was to take the island and
they took it. 1t will probably
leave you awed. shaken and in
Itensely proud.
If I have any criticisms. It's
that the editing may have been
too conservative. And that the
producer could have emphasized
more closeups at the expense OF
long range scenes. Thus the
Enarration-and not the pictures
III