“He Who Dares” likely to be popular series

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32838, 11 February 1972, Page 4

“He Who Dares” likely to be popular series

A new series of dramatised documentaries, under the title “He Who Dares,” looks likely to prop up a dreary Wednesday evening, which begins with the moderate Mary Tyler Moore Show, goes on to the sugary Marcus Welby casebook, and winds up with the rather anaemic adventures of the “Contrabandits” and another moderate comedy, “The Odd Couple.” "He Who Dares” began this week with the re-enactment of a disastrous turn of events

during an Oxford University climbing expedition in the Himalayas in 1957. The programme lasted only about half an hour, but it was ample time for the audience to become involved in the adventure, and to appreciate some of the rigours of mountaineering. This viewer is certainly no expert on alpine climbing, with an experience of heights confined to the top level of a stepladder supported at ground level by a full muster of an anxious family; and of course a television camera can make level ground look like a precipice, provided there is no betraying background. But there was every reason to think that the climbers in the Swiss alps who re-enacted Captain Streatham’s experiences in the Himalayas demonstrated accurately the problems the party had to face.

There were four men in the group, one of them a New Zealand Rhodes Scholar, and the party was almost at the point of returning from an exploratory climb at a height of about 20,000 feet. Then the mishaps began and before it was all over, two men had died, and a third had suffered frostbite so badly that he had to undergo amputation.

It was gripping adventure, with some extremely dramatic camera shots and a tale of tremendous determination from all the members of the group. The situation, and the photography, were brilliantly supported by the narration, which was never too extravagant, but which brought home the plight of the climbers most effectively. “He Who Dares” looks likely to be a very worthwhile series. * * *

Alison Holst made a welcome return to her screen kitchen, in “Food Without Fuss”. In this series she prepares simple, economical dishes. She has a distinctive charm of manner, and delivers clear explanations of what she is about. There was one slight mishap in this first programme; a subsequent announcement was made to the effect that the Master Butchers’ Association had stated that the meat could not be put through a slicer. And it had to be thin; but anyone on reasonably good terms with the butcher should have no troubles. It was a good cooking programme, notable for very sharp photography. * * *

The only distinctive feature of the often confused and jerky “Contrabandits” was that there was a background of pornographic publications and commercial cutting of throats to go along with a chase after a drug vendor. Usually it is drugs only, and so it was something of a change. It is strange how actors we may not have seen for years suddenly pop up in a succession of shows. Ricardo Montalban featured in the Marcus Welby story, having been in “Bracken’s World” the previous evening and he is on deck again on Saturday evening in “The Name of the Game.”—PANDORA.

CHTV3 1.30 p.m.t State Luncheon for General Suharto. President of Indonesia. 2.30: News. 2.33: Dixon of Dock Green. Detective. (Repeat.) 3.31: Sesame Street. 4.57: Magic Roundabout. 5.02: Storyline. Cartoon. (New series.) 5.11: The Wind in the Willows. Fourteenth of 18 parts. 5.24: The Flaxton Boys. Adventure. (Repeat.) 5.49: News, weather. 5.52: The Courtship of Eddie's Father. Comedy. 8.17: This Week in Britain. 6.22: Tracks Around the World. Documentary. (Repeat.) 6.50: Sports Magazine. 7,00: Network news. 7.20: Weather. The South Tonight. 7.37: Hogan’s Heroes. Comedy. 8.02: U.F.O.—“The Dalotek Affair.” Science fiction. 8.50: New Horizons—“ The Shelter Story.” Documentary. 9.15: Newsbrief. 9.17: Film (1955)—"The Big Knife.” (Jack Palance, Ida Lupino). Drama. 11.05: Late news, weather. 11.11: Vendetta—“ The Revolutionary Man.” Drama (Final.)

NATIONAL LINK [lncluding 3YA Christchurch (690 kilohertz); 2YA Wellington (570 kilohertz); 4YA Dunedin (750 kilohertz); and 3YZ Greymouth (980 kilohertz)] 7.0 p.m.: Sports News. 7.7: The Adams Singers. 7.30: Time for Music. 8.0: The Two Voyages of Donald Crowhurst. 8.30: Weather and News, 9.0: Fine and Dandy. 9.15: Music of the Maori. 9.30: The Jazz Hour. 10.30: News, Comment, Weather. 10.45: Women’s Bowls Report. 11.0: 8.8. C. News and Commentary. 11.15: All Night Programme. 3YC, CHRISTCHURCH (960 kilohertz)

7.0 p.m.: lain Hamilton: Sinfonia for two orchestras (1959). 7.18: RaveL- The Big

Winds of Winter; Saint. 7.25; Walton: Cello Concerto (1956). 7.54: Schumann: Carnaval, Op. 9—Charles Rosen (piano). 8.23: Byrd his Contemporaries. 8.38: Symphonies of Alfred Hill. 9.0: Mr and Mrs S. Await Their Guests by Siegfried Lenz. 9.33: Debussy: Dance-Poem: Jeux. 9.51: Bach: Secular Contata: False love (8WV203). 10.8: Bruckner: Symphony No. 1 in C minor (1866). V 3ZB, CHRISTCHURCH ( 1100 kilohertz) 7.30 p.m.: Buy, Sell and Exchange. 8,30: Reprise. 9.5: Travel Bonanza. 10.2: Late Night Friday. 3ZM, CHRISTCHURCH (1400 kilohertz) 7.30 p.m.: Sounds Right Now. 8.30: Things are Swinging. 10.0: Easy Listening.