Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-12-05

udy ScuGuuAc DSBAl1AuB ucAl II
bright and bravely critical-any
There was only one naggin
unfolded.
Producer Leland Hayward
about the development, adding
that he didn't know what per-
formers would appear on the
series.
/ hope he wasn't suggesting
that maybe the sharpeSt con-
tributors to the first experiment
tai show IL program that
wasn't anything like the original
British program, incidentally,
but more like an old Show Of
Shows) are committed to other
projects and would be therefore
unavailable for duty. Like Mike
Nichols, for instance.
Putting this show on with the
wrong people and the wrong
writer's could be a disaster to
make Harry's Girls seem, in
retrospect, like the greatest
entertainment since Chu Chin
Chow.
Jack Paar and I will be
checking the dispatches from
NBC very closely as the fateful
debut day (Jan. 100 approaches.
He's tired Of dull lead-ins to his
weekly series at 10 pm. and
never let 1t be said that / didn't
agree with him 100 per cent on
something.
EAS
IrOnic Note: Since the expert
mental show was more social
than political satire, the prob
lem Of content isn't as serious
as 1t might have been had the
American version closely copied
the British. We're still much too
close to the events In Dallas for
sharp White House comment
and it's interesting to note that
even the British players rewrote
their show completely and paid
solemn, moving tribute to Presi-
dent Kennedy when the news
reached them
The coming elections in Bri-
tain, incidentally, will result In
the British shows withdrawal.
The fact that NBC is BEGIN
MING a show Of this nature,
with our elections upcoming,
would seem to indicate that
nobody's worried much. Some
body must know something. Too
bad.
The more we get to know
Shelley Berman, the better we
like him. He had the CUTS to
make q documentary about a
comedians opening night tribu-
lationS and keep in q segment
involving his blow-up over an
off-stage phone call at the dra-
matte climax of his routine. A
lot Of viewers who evidently
believe that the effects obtained
by comedians are the result of
spontaneous genius were indig-
nant, charging that his actions
were petty and arrogant.
They were the actions, we
thought of a man who cared
about his act, his employers,
his audience, and himself, and
who was behaving-under the
circumstances-with restraint.
The other day, Berman was
asked to replace Vaughn Mead
er on the record industry's
Granny Award show, which
will be seen Sunday at 10 pm.
Berman refused. He said that
Meader was being treated I'M
fairly and that he had routines
other than the limitations Of the
late President and could sub
one Of these instead.
Bully for Berman.
CHS, by the way, was quick
to say the other day that Mead
er's cancellation on To Tell the
Truth was only postponement.
He'll be on the daytime series
sometime in February.
8
Aftermath: Some changes we
understandable the decision to
rush the airing on ABC Of TheO-
dOre H. Whites 1.-THE Making of
The President-l96O" documen-
tary, which David WOIper re-
Gently completed =. Whites
Kennedy eulogy was on The
Stars page one yesterday g.
But we don't understand why
NBC waited until late Monday
of this week to cancel its White
Paper report dec. 81 on
CUBA: Bay Of Pigs" ;. A de-
lay, announced earlier, would
have caused no comment :. The
program, to be seen later, in
cludes films Of the Cuban Snafu
seen for the first time in this
country They were obtained
from varied sources in Canada
and West and East Germany.
=
Onward and Upward in the
TV Arts: Ken Curtis. just added
to Gunsmoke as a regular, sums
up his character thisaway:
"T'm a despicable little rat
who'd just as soon shoot you
between the eyes as look at
you. My word is good if you
shake hands with me, but If you
don't, watch OUT"