THE ARTS “Late Show” No Hit Yet

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31502, 17 October 1967, Page 10

THE ARTS “Late Show” No Hit Yet

Lucy, the bauett pup, hud the right idea about “The Late Show” on Saturday night. She kept quiet until the end. Then ahe yawned—either from exhaustion or boredom. Perhaps it was a mixture of both.

If later instalments of “The Late Show” are like the first, Lucy is likely to have quite a following among late night viewers. They may find the rattle of , the "Choppers” of Frank Nitti’s henchmen easier to endure than Peter Sinclair’s rapid-fire delivery. "The Late Show” has been plugged as a relaxed show, designed to interest people. Mr Sinclair introduces it as 45 minutes of relaxed listening to end the week, and says it is a show for wide-awake people. Aucklanders, who believe that AKTV2 is the fount of all' wisdom, have been told that the show 'will provide the sort of relaxed, low-key entertainment that is easier to digest later in the evening than the murder and mayhem of “The Untouchables.” PITFALLS But relaxed can be a treacherous word in New Zealand television. You can’t take the fast-talking, urgent compere of "C’mon!” and turn him into another Dean Martin overnight. And you can’t bring together John A. Lee, Walter Susskind, Eliza Keil, a jug band, an English folk, blues, and mountain music guitarist and singer—plus the bassett pup—and expect instant Dean Martin Shows every Saturday night. Mrs Susskind, one of the guests in the first instalment of “The Late Show,” has appeared on “The Dean Martin Show.” She described Dean Martin as talented and hardworking. In doing so she explained why the word relaxed has become almost the trademark of a Dean Martin show. Kevan Moore, producer of “the Late Show,” is also talented and hard-working. “C’mon!” established his reputation as a creator of light entertainment shows. There is no lack of polish or expertise in his latest effort; it is smooth and easy to watch. But there is no spontaneity about it, and it is forced instead of informal. The product would have qualified for a WellMade New Zealand label if the components had not been wrongly assembled. Peter Sinclair may be trying too hard to change Ms go-go image. He is cool, confident, and at ease, in “The Late Show." But his flip side is not much different from the other side of “C’mon!” platter. He still seems to feel that a moment’s silence would be a disaster, and he exudes bonhomie with a nervous intensity calculated to give the average viewer the twitches.

The first instalment of “The late Show” seemed to have been planned to provide something for every member of the family—-at least those prepared to prop up their eyelids until after midnight.

John A. Lee was a concession to the older generation; his views on 10 o'clock and dancing in hotels suffered because Peter Sinclair talked too much. The Band of Hope jug band was amusing, and the guitarist Malcolm Price was polished and professional. Late night shows have to produce a celebrity or two, and Mr and Mrs Susskind played their parts most pleasantly. We could have seen and heard more of Mrs Susskind, and also of Malvina Major, who sang charmingly an excerpt from “La Boheme.” On the debit side in “The Late Show” we had a feeble attempt at an audience participation party game of which even a schoolboy would be ashamed. There are times when a studio audience may help performers; if it is to be a regular part of the show, and the camera turns to it too often, “The Late Show” will become something like an annual concert A final black mark goes to Mr Moore for allowing a ghostly go-go girl—less substantial than usual—to drift into the show from “C’mon!” At present the N.Z.B.C. is trying to sell-some its better programmes overseas. No-one wants them any more than our wool. And the floor price would have to drop right through the floor to dispose of “The Late Show” in its present format—AßGUS