Rosalind Russell had her talents wasted

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33734, 6 January 1975, Page 4

Rosalind Russell had her talents wasted

Perhaps the most passionate plea from viewers is for a better standard of feature film at the week-ends. The complaints are regular, but not always soundly based. There has been some gold among the dross.

But Friday evening’s offering, “Gypsy,” will not have won the N.Z.B.C. many new friends. This exceedingly tedious tale of a woman obsessed with ambition to advance stage careers for her daughters began at 9.16 p.m. and ended, mercifully, two hours and 20 minutes later. With all due respect to Mrs Rose Hovick, the singularly single-minded mother, her life story did not seem to deserve all the attention given to it. There were times during “Gypsy” when even a string of advertisements would have been welcome.

Rosalind Russell, a talented .comedienne when given a chance to use her abilities, had a fearful load to bear — and it was too much for her. She could not be blamed. The story of her dreadfully precocious little daughter, who ran off to be married at, would you believe, 13 — but who later became a successful film actress, June Havoc — and of her other, quieter daughter who won celebrity as the stripper, Gypsy Rose Lee had very little to commend it. The lyrics had a few good

lines, here and there, but thp music was anything but catchy, and the whole depressing business was made the worse for the regular lack of synchronisation between mouths and sounds. Even voyeurs among viewers must have been bitterly disappointed. Friday evening did not have very much else to commend it. “The French Way,” however, was an unpretentious and interesting look at the people of Villefranche. It was easy to get to know the people and their ways, and it was delightful, even if one of their wedding customs was not.

The “Conceptions of Murder” piece was a brief study of a homicidal maniac — just the thing for a nightcap. But on both Friday and Saturday, one could not but admire the skilled commentaries on the cricket from Auckland. The commentators were the former Worcestershire and England player, Martin Horton, and the former Wellington captain, Don Nely. Cricket enthusiasts must have delighted in their informative but not intrusive comments.

The programme on Saturday evening was much stronger. There was Dennis Weaver with sheepskin coat, clipped and nasal voice, as “McCloud” and even if it all wound up witht his likeable character being carted over New York suspended from a strut on the villains’ helicopter, it was much more credible than most American whodunits.

McCloud contributed another portion of homespun philosophy to an interesting story about large-scale automobile theft, and there was a capable cast which included Norman Fell, Eddie Albert, Roddy McDowall, Brenda Vaccaro, and Lloyd Bochner. Some may regret the descent of Mr McDowall from that lovely boy to a psychopathic killer, but that is the way of the screen world.

Both “Sykes” and the madly imaginative “Monty Python” — which ended its run — seemed a little below their best, but “Shadows of Fear," with Peter Barkworth and Beth Harris, was well worth watching. Lively apprehensions were engendered among viewers without masses of morbid music and trick effects. Barkworth’s misogynist was cleverly and effectively played. “Duke Ellington: We Love You Madly,” an hour-long tribute to the famous composer and musician was probably heaven to Ellington fans. Others undoubtedly found much in it to enjoy. There was a large array of notable artists to sing Ellington’s songs. Sammy Davis jun. and hie drummer were in delightful accord. But the young lady dancer with the champagne bottle seemed rather more of an alcoholic gymnast than the “Sophisticated Lady’’ of the song she supported. -R. T. B.

CHTV3 2.00 p.m.: News, weather (C). 2.05: Hawkeye the Pathfinder. Adventure (C). 2.57: The Girl With Something Extra. Comedy (C). 3.22: Sesame Street. 4.19: Clutch Cargo. 4.23: The Daily Fable (C). 4.28: Adventures of the Blue Knight (C). 4.38: Cricket — Auckland v. Canterbury. 5.28: News (C). 5.30: Cricket. 6.35: On Seven Hills — Rome (C). 7.00: Network news. 7JO: Weather, news. 7.30: The Waltons. Drama (C). 8JO: His and Hers. Comedy-(C). 8.44: Newsbrief (C). 8.49: Life In a Small Town — Levin (C). 9.19: Country Matters. 10.10: Love from A to Z. Variety (Charles Aznavour, Liza Minelli) (C). 10.58: News, weather (C).

NATIONAL LINK, (Including 3YA Chrutcimred (690 Kilohertz): 2YA Wellington (570 kilohertz); 4YA Dunedlh (750 kilohertz): and 3YZ Greymouth <930 kilohertz).) 7 p.m.: Sports News. 7.30: The World's Hundred Most Popular Tunes. 8.0: Sound Mirror. 8.30: Weather and and News. Checkpoint. 9.0: The Wilfrid Thomas Show. 9.30: Rhythm on Record. 10.0: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. 10.30: News, Comment, Weather. 10.45: My Autobiography. 11.0: Bowls, N.Z. Tournament. 11.10: Late Night Variety. 11.30: Edmundo Ros and his Orchestra. 12.0: 8.8. C. News, Commentary, Weather.

3YC, CHRISTCHURCH (960 kilohertz) 8 p.m.: Wieniawski: Violin Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor. Op. 14. 8.30: A Brooch You’d Throw Away, a radio play by Conor Farrington. 9.50: Liszt: Piano Sonata in

B minor. 10.17: In the Studio. Phyllis Mander (soprano), Bryan Sayer (piano). 10.38: Richard Strauss: Orchestral Music. 3ZB, CHRISTCHURCH (1100 kilohertz) 6.32 p.m.: Today in Sport. 7.30: Peter Sledmere with Easy Listening Music, and 8.5, Entertainment Scene ’75 with Murray Forgie. 9.45: I, Christopher Macauley. 10.2: 3ZB’s Nightline (ph. 68-802). 11.5: The New Way with Dick Weir (all night programme). 3ZM, CHRISTCHURCH (1400 kilohertz) 6 a.m. - Midnight: Music, News hourly. Weather. 3XA, RADIO AVON (1290 kilohertz)

News on the half-hour, 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., and hourly thereafter. 5.30 a.m.: Wayne Douglas with the Breakfast Club. 9.0: Jon Campbell and morning music. 12 noon: Mike Richardson and afternoon music.