Friday night was for the shoppers

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32958, 3 July 1972, Page 4

Friday night was for the shoppers

If the main features on Friday night tele-

vision were always of the same level as those which saw June out, the retailers would probably enjoy a boom in their late night shopping returns. But ■with people safely at home on Saturday, the fare was very much better.

Friday evening’s news programmes were followed by the second instalment of “Great Zoos of the World”, again from San Diego, and again of top quality. But “Mod Squad” and the feature film "All Fall Down” which followed were deplorable. It may well be that the crazy world of hippies, drug addicts, bikies and pop stars is fascinating to those in it or on its fringe, but television has examined and reexamined these people so industriously that they have become a complete bore. Even the presence of Noel Harrison, in “Mod Squad”, as the king of this particular commune failed to relieve “The Vanishing Lady” of mediocrity.

As for “All Fall Down”: we may have missed the point of a splendid drama, for we gave this one away around about the half-way stage. It seemed crude and stupid. Without benefit of the credits, we turned off convinced that the name of the principal character was Beri-beri, and it seemed a singularly appropriate choice. But things picked up on Saturday. There was the reliable, vigorous “Happen Inn”, all vitality, verve, and variety, supported by some tricks with the camera which were used wisely and well. This show in its present series has been running for 23 weeks but it is still capable of producing some surprises. This time, a drum quartet, and, amid all the pop, "When Irish Eyes are Smiling” on an electric organ. It is easy to see why Bartholomew John won such a following, so quickly. He is a personable young man with a good voice, and we are among his warmest admirers. But we do wish he would not smile quite so much, all the time. A couple of weeks of “Jasson King” had just about convinced us that the N.Z.B.C. had wasted money buying the series. But on Saturday, there was a distinct turn for the better. Not at the start: it began with Jason again being vigorously adored by some of his lady friends, for reasons Peter Wyngarde and his script writers have kept to themselves. But it then became a much more acceptable frolic in detective adventure, and there were some bright lines in it. The interview between King and the man he thought was from Inland Revenue was delightful. It was all very lurid and extravagant, the fight scenes were not all convincing, but at last Jason was doing some of the things expected of him, instead of performing like an ageing Casanova. The Saturday film, “Berlin Affair” had all the ingredients of the modem classics in espionage, with suspense, some unexpected twists, a charming if ultimately dead heroine in Pascale Petit, and Darren McGavin, who played the lead with authority and

conviction, while looking something like a cross between John Wayne and Mr Nixon. Brian Kelly was a sound villain. The “Carol Burnett Show” is usually worth waiting up for, and Saturday’s show was of a typically good standard. The sketch in which Harvey Korman was in hospital awaiting surgery and was visited by his catarrhal and ghastly wife started very much in the fashion of one not long ago w'hen Harvey Korman was in the condemned cell and was visited by his catarrhal and ghastly wife. But the hospital job improved considerably on the earlier version, and became one of their best performances.—PANDOßA.