‘Bracken’s World’ has reverted to type

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32849, 24 February 1972, Page 4

‘Bracken’s World’ has reverted to type

“Bracken’s World” is rather like an old lag. For the last few weeks, there have been hopeful signs of rehabilitation, a casting aside of old and distressing habits. But on Tuesday night it reverted to its wicked ways. In place of two or three quite good stories we were all, within a few minutes, knee-deep in the soggy stuff again.

There was some sound acting by Janet Leigh, and Ida Lupino was there to coast) easily through a less demand-j

. ing role. But the story line | was much too close to (“Peyton Place” for comfort, j Janet Leigh was cast as Maggie, a talented actress performing as a sort of female Marcus Welby in a television series. But she was an alcoholic. So was her friend, played by Miss Lupino. And whereas Maggie was a nervous wreck because her son was living with her husband, from whom she was separated, Ida’s problem was that she was married twice and had a 19-year-old daughter from her first marriage who was very beautiful and had had a car smash and the other woman in the car was dead and the girl was likely to be charged. And mother apd daughter had not been close for years.

plenty, but they insist on throwing everything in to make an indigestible mess.

Not that “Bracken’s World” was the only disappointment on Tuesday night. Morecambe and Wise, m their last appearance of a singularly unsuccessful series, were no better than usual. The guest items from Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen, and from Matt Monroe, who has a very attractive voice, were as usual the best parts of the show, even if they were too brief.

The principals laboured mightily for their laughs, wringing the life out of every mild jest. Even “Softly, Softly” was rather below its best quality. Allan Prior has written some good stories for the series, but this one, about in-fighting between two criminals, somehow failed to grip. "Softly, Softly” does, however, try to find variety in its stories, and there was an interesting study of the criminal Joe Breen, a man of considerable duplicity and cunning, and one who even when, finally cornered, retained a cheerful confidence in his ability to survive.— PANDORA.

The wonder of it was that the girl was not also an alcoholic, or that Maggie’s little boy was not found to be a heroin addict.

Throw in a few bouts of studio jealousies, lots of neurotic moments from Maggie, and Bracken’s callous regard for results, and you have “Bracken’s World” back where it began. A little of this sort of stuff at a time is