IN REVIEW

SELL MORE IN THE the other was merely a screen- shaped hole in which he was actually appearing. The chal- THE PARROT lenge, of course, was to distinguish which was SOUTH'S Program: Armstrong Circle Theatre, Tues., the image on the set and which was the one March 24, 9:30 -10 p.m. on NBC -TV. being directly shot by the TV camera. At the Sponsor: Armstrong Cork Co. end of the commercial he put his arm through Composer: Darrell Peter. the empty frame. Until that moment, this view- No.1 State! Conductor: Darrell Peter. er had been unable to decide which "screen" Librettist: Frank P. De Felltta. was Cast: Jo Schlllig, Marden Bate, Chester which. Watson, Shannon Bolin, Robert Hol- It would be hard to beat that as a demon- land, Michael Pollock and a parrot. stration of picture clarity. If an adequate Two -Piano Accompaniment: Bernard Gab- riel and Marion Machino. audience stayed around that far through the pro- Director: Garry Simpson. gram, RCA Victor probably got its money's Producer: Hudson Faussett. worth out of this extravagant production, for which the sponsor paid the movie academy $100,000 for the privilege of promoting films. ef Lod. MUSICAL drama as an art form has been *or conspicuous by its k absence in our video world. Except for seasonal performances of Amahl and the Night Visitor, which NBC commis- sioned Gian Carlo Menotti to write two years COLGATE COMEDY HOUR ago, opera has not been tapped as likely tele- aei NBC -TV, Sun. at 8 -9 p.m. EST. vision fare. But last Tuesday, Armstrong Circle Sponsor: Colgate-Palmolive -Peet Co. Theatre took an experimental plunge and pre- Agency: Sherman & Marquette. sented a half-hour comic opera in English. Executive Producer: Sam Fuller. "The Parrot" concerned itself with a bird that Producer -Director: Ernest Glucksman. had inherited a fortune and along with it the Musical Director: Al Goodman. contempt of three slighted relatives of the de- Production Supervisor: Edward Sobol. * Winston -Salem TV Director: Alan Yorkin. Is the home ceased. of Origination: El Capitan Theatre, Holly- R. J. Reynolds This was an ambitious undertaking in any wood. Tobacco Co. man's language and as an experiment it was Stars: Bud Abbott & ; Eddie Cantor; ; Dean Martin & Jerry an interesting show. Although the story line Lewis, and Donald O'Connor. S of the piece itself was not adequately developed, Guest Star: Sid Miller. g the music form which it illustrated certainly has a place in television programming if com- COMEDY stars, who usually alternate on Col- posers familiarize themselves with the frame- gate- Palmolive- Peet's Colgate Comedy Hour work of the medium and work within it as every Sunday evening on NBC -TV, got to-' dramatists have done. gether on March 22 to stage a super produc- Fact gets along better with a stopwatch than tion for the series' 100th telecast. This seemed does fantasy. It's a wise librettist who sticks a happy enough idea. After all, it isn't every to a simple plot. Because of the complications day that Bob Hope, Eddie Cantor, Abbott Sc which this particular "The Costello, Donald O'Connor and Martin Sc Parrot" more closely resembled an outline of Lewis face the same cameras on the same hour- a larger work than an opera complete in itself. long show. But the outcome was something of Two pianos were used in the production in a letdown. place of an orchestra. The chief merit of "The Each of these stellar comic attractions was Parrot" was its score. The music didn't dom- allotted a certain time to act up in the brand of inate the actors or the story but supported comedy at which he was most proficient. No them -a pleasant change from the often over- attempt was made to relate these segments to 3"th of all done clashing cymbals and rolling drums of one another or to the show as a whole. classic opera. The ball started rolling with Bob Hope and North Carolina's * a 10- minute gag summation of his success in the motion picture industry. He sang a few

songs too-one . a parody on "Buttons and Population Bows" which he didn't bother to commit to memory. Simulcast on NBC -AM-TV March 19. 10:30 Eddie Cantor, who launched the Comedy Resides in p.m. -12 midnight. Sponsor: RCA Victor Div., RCA. Hour in 1950, was back for the anniversary doings with a skit in which Maxie the Taxi WINSTON- SALEM'S Agency: J. Walter Thompson Co. and M.C.s: Bob Hope, Hollywood; Conrad Abraham Lincoln had a tete a tete on democ- Nagel, New York. racy and by- products thereof. "Message" Radio Commentator: Paul Douglas, Hol- comedy lywood. -and apparently there is such a thing - Producer: Robert Welch. is hard to bring off. But no matter how you Directors: William Bennington, Holly- slice it, Mr. Cantor has a charm all his own wood; Warren Jacober, New York. with an Irving Berlin song. The three he did on Sunday's show accounted for some of the brighter moments on the program. 15- COUNTY IT IS doubtful that any known standards of Abbott & Costello went through their usual criticism apply to a television what -it like the -is "who's on first" routine. This time the situation MARKET presentation of Academy Hollywood's Awards, involved a boxer and his trainer but the jokes 1138300 an interminable parade of actresses and actors had a familiar ring. stepping up to eulogize one another, an as- of Buying Power Donald O'Connor seemed to have a better S.M. 1952 Survey signment that obviously strains their every re- time than his fellow players and as a con- source in make -believe. sequence his stint was far more entertaining_ The program would probably have escaped When this man sings or clowns or does both notice here had it not contained a commercial at the same time, he enjoys himself must in Recent official Hooper Ratings which, while -a show WSJS, the Journal- Sentinel simple in concept and execution, show business. Station, FIRST in the morning - must be acknowledged as being as persuasive as Just to make sure you didn't go away re- FIRST in the afternoon -FIRST in any seen on the screen. laxed, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis appeared the evening! For the finest in It was a commercial for RCA Victor tele- to wind up the celebration -and wind it up AM -FM coverage, it's WSJS vision sets. An announcer appeared in two they did with their usual bang. in Winston -Salem. images, each outlined by the characteristic This anniversary telecast, which climaxed shape of an RCA Represented by: HEADLEY -REED CO. receiving set screen. He $14 million worth of entertainment provided pointed out that one indeed was an RCA set and by Colgate-Palmolive -Peet since the series be- Page 16 March 30, 1953 BROADCASTING TELECASTING