Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-10-18

sunday, NBC-4, Tne beCrayi
yesterday. is set in East Berlin
to oversee the production Of
(from A. j. Cronin's novel; in
a unique coop deal between
NBC and British commercial
TV.
would you be interested in
looking at a script set In Hong
Kong?" he was asked.
Never been there" he
grinned. Delighted"
The pattern in producer
Freedman's approach to his
season assignment Of nine plays
for Dupont seems fairly clear,
and it's not to present a moving
target. Freedman has an apt
phrase for what he's trying TO
do and explains it this way:
1--WE want to reach a broad
audience and the melodrama is
a popular way. Our sponsor is
interested in quality. What
we're trying could be called
significant melodrama'."
Say what you will, it's an
approach, and approaches, as
well as an occasionally absorb
ing anthology drama. have been
in distressingly short supply
this season. (The notable ex-
ception: Sidney CAROLS big
Deal in Laredo" for DuPont.)
The other night, Peter FAX,
who won an Emmy for his per-
Torrance in a Dick Powell
Playhouse show last year,
turned up as a research doctor
conducting an experiment with
prison volunteers. 1t was hardly
worth the time Of either Powell
or Falk and the reverse casting
seemed like an attempt to IT,
tilate an otherwise weak SCRIPT
We keep looking, though
and hoping.
Freedman's show Sunday
could be an interesting one.
IT'S an up-dated version OF
Joseph Conrad's "Under West
ern Eyes" and has an impress
i've cast: Maureen Stapleton,
Eronchot Tone, Margaret
O'Brien and Burt Brinckerhoff'
Here's another possibility i
Fred Astaire's Premiere play:
"The Voice Of Charlie Pont'
set for Oct. Is. ABC isn't pre-
cisely the most unbiased source
for pre-showing praise OF an
ARC show, but Robert Red
ford. Diana Hyland and Brad
ford Dillman, none OF whom
are "big Names" are said TO
turn in exceptional perform
ances.
freedman, by the way, is
TIA same man who produced
more than 40 productions IN
The Play Of the Week series,
Including "The Iceman Com
eth" and it is q ranking thing
with him-as with most TV
nros--to find the other media
Still sneering at small screen
efforts. Wasn't Rod Servings
"Reouiem for q Heavyweight
lust as much Of a blockbuster
on TV as in its present movie
version? Wasn't "The Miracle
worker" q fine play on TV
with Teresa Wright and Patty
Duke - before the Broadway
and hollywood versions? Wasn't
"A Night to Remember" as
thrilling on Tv as on the big
screen?
A new play on Broadway
called "Siedman and Son" was
greeted this week with the
question, want to wait to
catch it on television?" by one
of the New York critics. That's
Kind of funny. 1t WAS a play
IN television - namely, 1.-THE
Gentleman From Seventh Ave-
nue." by Flick Mol, with Wal
ter Slezak. Oh, well.
RESPONSE: It's encourage
ing" says a WETA spokesman
of the educational stations
first membership campaign -
"the money keeps coming In.
but not in the quantity needed"
=, AS Of yesterday, the lists
included only 799 new mem
beers in the Washington area.
Note: If you're having
trouble getting the stations
signal on your set after con-
version, phone the station.
In many cases, faulty installa-
ton Is the answer.
y
ONE-MAN NETWORK: DR..
Bauman's stimulating Bible
Telecourse (WMAL-7, Satur-
days. is now being seen in IL
cities, with Hot Springs, Ark.
the latest addition. Other
outlets: Harrisonburg, Va, Bal
timore, Evansville, Ind; Flint,
Mich; Houston, Indianapolis,
Little Rock, Newark, (Del0;
Portsmouth Norfolk and st.
Petersburg. :. Registration Tor
the course here is running well