Albert wins another victory over Harold

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32636, 18 June 1971, Page 4

Albert wins another victory over Harold

The esteem in which Albert Steptoe is held by television audiences is remarkable. He brings people to the set more easily than most of today’s television stars. Yet there could hardly be a more cantakerous, ugly, selfish or grubby old man. But perhaps it is not esteem at all, simply awe, that such an outrageous character should win so many battles with his son, Harold.

Albert had another victory in Wednesday night’s episode, with an assumed bout of amnesia which had Harold doing just what the old man had wanted him to do—buy a colour television set. Harold had to sell his newlypurchased car to do it; and that is the way of the Steptoe world.

They are a wonderful pair —the miserable, wheedling old man who, it will be remembered, began the series by taking a shower —(a phenomenon in itself) and improving the shining hour by putting the dinner dishes in with himself; the gorgeously eloquent Harold, with wistful dreams of social and business success.

The dialogue gets very close to the bone sometimes, but there is beneath the surface comedy a genuine pathos. They are very skilful performers. # *

About six years ago, lan Cross began “Column Comment” and much of interest has been heard in this programme during its fairly regular appearances. Mr Cross has now lost the attractively hesitant style of his earlier days, and there was room for disagreement

with his comments on what he termed the “Muldoon marathon”—the many preBudget statements published in New Zealand newspapers. Mr Cross was probably not on the soundest of ground here. At this time of the year, the Budget takes second place only to the All Black selection in the attentions of the public, and the newspapers could not be blamed for publishing what Mr Muldoon had to say from time to time about Budget prospects. It was hardly a case of Mr Muldoon holding the newspapers spell-bound, as Mr Cross alleged. * * #

There was another appalling example of contrived, studio laughter during the Lucille Ball comedy. It seemed worse on Wednesday night than before. She is a great comedienne, given a chance, and she had a few good moments in this episode. But the laughter and the applause which came so regularly were extremely irritating. “Bonanza” consisted partly of rugged Dan Blocker and

; some rugged scenery, but i mainly of two screen notables, Aldo Ray and Kathryn I Hayes. But they are not too perceptive way out west. : When the beautiful Miss I Hayes was about to produce , her baby—certainly a little I ahead of her time—her hus- : band, Aldo Ray, expressed ' much surprise, because “she never told me.” 1 Miss Hayes she is a daughter of Helen Hayes, 1 isn’t she? —is a fine actress, who could with benefit be 1 seen on our screens much ! more often. 1 There is seldom much satisfaction in waiting up for the “New York Police Department” story. They are short, hurried affairs, with a , regular build-up to a final, s would-be exciting scene, and : little on the way to it to ' engage the attention or win i interest. This story was one i of revenge—the pursuit of a ■ southerner believed to have . been involved in the bombing >of a negro group. Denise Nicholas had leave from “Room 222” for a brief appearance, but otherwise “N.Y.P.D.” had little to commend it—PANDORA.

CHTV3 2.00 p.m.: Headline news. 2.03: Cheyenne. Western. 2.52: Hie Jerry Lewis Show. Variety. (Final.) 3.41: Candid Camera. Comedy. 4.06: Sesame Street. 5.03: Two-headed Giant. 5.09: Conquerors’ Road—“ Fox It Hall.” First of eight parts. 5.33: Headline news, weather. 5.36: Harry Worth—" Anyone for Golf?” Comedy. 6.04: The Challenging Sea—" Sharks of Nicaragua.” Adventure. 6.30: World report. News. 6.50: Sports Magazine. 7.00: Network news. 7.20: Weather. The South Tonight. 7.40: Treasure Island—“ The Stockade.” Fifth of nine parts. 8.05: The Young Lawyers—“At the Edge of the Night.” Drama. 8.55: Borge Presents Borge (with Leonid Hambro). Variety. 9.45: Newsbrief. 9.47: Film (1956) —“A Killer is Loose" (Joseph Cotton, Rhonda Fleming). 10.57: Tomorrow Today. 11.10: Late news, weather. 11.16: The Wild Wild West—“ The Night of the Infernal Machine.” Western.

NATIONAL LINK [lncluding 3YA Christchurch (690 kilohertz); 2YA Wellington (570 kilohertz); 4YA Dunedin (750 kilohertz); and 3YZ Greymouth (920 kilohertz)] 7 p.m.: N.Z.B.C. Sports News. 7.5: Frederick Harvey (baritone). 7.30: Time For Music—The Tradition Music of Russia. 8.0: World of Science. 8.14: New Zealand Artists. 8.30: Weather and News. Checkpoint. 9.0: This Week on the Stock Exchange. 9.15: Music of the Maori. 9.30: The Jazz Hour. 10.30: N.Z.B.C. News and Commentary. 10.45: Northanger Abbey. 11.0: 8.8. C. News and Commentary. 11.15: Women’s Indoor Basketball. 11.17: North Island and New Zealand Dog Trials. 11.20: (continuous). 11.45: Open Country. All Night Personality: Mike Lynch. 2.30: Sing Something Simple. 4.9: Premiere.

3YC, CHRISTCHURCH (960 kilohertz)

7.5 p.m.: Amelia Skinner (flute), Barry Margan (piano) —Marcello: Sonata No. 1 in F. Handel: Sonata in E minor, Op. 1. 7.24: Brahms— Four Serious Songs Hermann Prey (baritone), Martin Melzer (piano). 7.43: Shostakovich: Ballet Suite No. 3 (1952). 8.0: Cambridge Music School 1971 John Rimmer, Dvorak, Bach, Pachelbel. 8.30: A Month In The Country Ivan Sergeivich Turgeniev. 3ZB, CHRISTCHURCH (1100 kilohertz) 6.45 p.m.: Sheep Dog Trials. 7.30: The Lions in New Zealand. 7.45: Reprise. 10.2: Late Night Friday. 3ZM, CHRISTCHURCH (1400 kilohertz) 7.30 p.m.: Sounds Right Now. 8.30: Things are Swinging.