Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-04-05

for too long q ttme-a scene so
skillfully written. performed
and staged that it glows from
beginning to end.
There was one such scene
between Kate Reid as Queen
Victoria and Trevor Howard as
BENJAMIN Disraeli, and from
that moment on. Mr.. Lees
play about one Of history's
most colorful statesmen and
literature's worst novelists, was
well-nigh invincible.
If the play began slowly,
Lees problems were soon APP
parent. A story about Disraeli's
personal life, revolving about
a serene marriage, is not the
stuff Of drama. Or If there
really was drama, and one Is
inclined to think there must
have been (what, for example,
was the reaction Of the wife's
friends and relatives to her
marriage to q converted Jew?) |
Lee discarded it to move his
central figure into the politics
of the era and into the presence
Of Her Majesty.
Greer Carson as Mrs. Dis
raeli was fine, but shadowy
therefore, and the very able !
Miss Reds Queen emerged the
leading feminine figure. Time
prevented anything more than
a brief and generally brutal
focus on such as William Glad
stone, Sir Robert Peel and
Prince Bismarck, but there's
only so much you can say in
an hour and is minutes and
Mr.. Lee at least said it crisply.
He also used an incident in
volving Lionel RothschildI
CHurd Hatfield), the first Jew
to become a member Of Parlia-
ment. to excellent dramatic
effect.
At the finish, we were less
sure of Mr.. Disraeli, whose
moment Of candor scene with
the Queen seemed strained,
than we were Of Mr.. Lees skills,
the splendid acting Of Trevor
Howard and Kate Reid, or
George Schaeffer's expert stag
ing. The Emmy drama awards
should all go here, uncontest-
ably; what else was even close?
Visitors: A busy week it's
been, what with the Hugh
Downs Of NBC here Wednes-
day for the Cherry Blossom
Festival fashion show and John
Astin and Emmaline Henry of
ABC's Dickens and Fenster due
in today for further Festival
action-not to mention the
Hollywood TV researchers
working their way through
government files for next sea-
sons new shows.
Downs looks fine-a bit
plump. but relaxed.
I asked him II he'd seen Jack
Paar since the latter's exit and
he said "once-we bumped in
to each other one day when he
was TAPPING a number for one
of his shows"
Downs recognizes that the
Today show represents o way
of life alien to many Of his
ex-fans who Just can't get their
eyes open that early. but he
contends--with some justifica-
tion-that the NBC morning
show makes more news than
the Tonight show ever did. He
points to the Adlai Stevenson
appearance just after the
magazine article as one in
stance. The fact that there was
almost an immediate response
from the White House after
the interview indicates that
Today's audience, while small
err, is highly selective.
The best thing, Downs agrees,
is that the guests on the pro-
gram are making the. news
not the principals.
He admits to one small let
down in doing the show.
"Everytime I come up with q
gag bit that I think Is new
like reversing the printing for
the benefit Of those viewers
who may be watching uS In
their mirrors as they shave
Jack Iescoulie, who's been
with the show since It's start.
viii tell me they already did
It,"
We left the Downses as they
were trying to catch q plane
for New York. I'VE don't want
to miss our sleep-we're both
taking flying lessons tomorrow
and we want to be alert for
that" he explained.
Is there any difference In
her husband since he left the
crisis-a-week night show, we
asked Mrs. Downs. Hes hap
pier" she replied.
On The Phone: Know who
this is?" the curiously cracked
voice asked. "It's Fenster."
We told him we didn't think
he was getting into town until
today.
THAT'S why I'm calling" he
said. "I'm not coming in at all
CHANNEL cHUckLEs
by siI Ksens