‘The Buffalo' too long in going

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33777, 25 February 1975, Page 4

‘The Buffalo' too long in going

Viewers who stayed l up for the late show on I Sunday were poorly reI warded for their loss of an hour’s sleep. “Now That The Buffalo’s Gone” was propaganda masquerading as a documentary. A few days ago there was news about Marlon Brando divesting himself of his American properties in favour of the Indians. In this programme about the American Indians it was Marlon Brando who carried the commentary. It requires no flair for detecting to deduce that at the i time the programme was made Brando was already suffering from his unmanageable guilt complex about the fate of the Indians after the i Europeans came to North America. While he may be commended for his sensitivity he must take responsibility for a lot of special pleading. The pushing of a point of view becomes a bore. This programme was a bore. “Now That The Buffalo’s Gone” (a stupid title for a start) had in any case been upstaged by Alistair Cooke’s: “America” which, without any silly tricks, gave the facts of Indian exploitation in a most poignant way. And it was always interesting. The N.Z.B.C. would have done viewers a service by mentioning Marlon Brando’s recent position about the : Indians. It didn’t. Perhaps nobody there follows the ! news. Instead the N.Z.B.C. persisted with its usual public relations futility of causing I its young ladv with the cellotaped smile to lead the programme with a squirt of ; canned philosophv and a dash ■of pious hopefulness. Sundav’s effort was on the lines: “Evervone likes to re•lay nn a Snnrtw evening; we I

■ hope you will relax with the i programmes tonight.” At its best it sounds like an advertisement for senna pods. * * $ [ The trouble with Sunday’s | programmes was that they were probably too relaxing; lit was hard to find a high point. Looking back over the field it is seen that no viewer would have missed much if: he had made an early night of I it and turned in after “A Place in the Country.” This programme on the un- ■ believable Knole mansion i was quite the best in the! series so far. When a place has hundreds of rooms and about 40 people living there in pockets probably the best attack is to have mostly many long views from a helicopter and let the owner talk about the history. This is what was done, and the result was excellent. The 8.8. C. had Jo Grimond, one of the top Liberals, interview the umnteenth earl over nort. after dinner, before a blazing fire in the diningroom. It was a time of enormous culture. in which Mr Grimond’s glass rose and fell four times. The upper-class cadences of these English voices washed over the viewer in a mesmeric view ot baronial simnHci+v. Tt was all friahrfuJlv infectious. When it was all over and we asked a member of the f amilv how the not was going for a cunna we had such a strangled n'"m in our month that she didn’t know what on earth we were talking about. This interview idea could he extended - Ted Heath talking to Mr McCombs shout New Zealand House. - Cir John Marshall talkin' - to Mr PickoHne about the Sign of the Cilla has her thing about: voices, too It was realised’ on Sunday that not one of: her guests came from south:

of a line drawn from Liver- ' pool to Hull. This limits the talent field, too, of course. An exciting new competition! Viewers are invited Ito guess who has the older , raincoat — Marker or jColumbo. The prize may be a choice ■of the Queen Elizabeth II [Park sinking fund and an exj permental cassetes of “The Last Time I Saw Paris” sung by Mrs Rowling. Next week’s competition— I whose mac is the grubbier? —D.M.

CHTV3 2.00 p.m.: News, weather. (C) 2.05: The Paul Lynde Show. Comedy. (C) 2.32: Medical Centre. Drama. (C) 3.25: Journev. Adventure. (C) 3.50: Play School. (C) 4.15: Clutch Cargo. 4.19: Cricket — New Zealand v. England. (<"' 6.02: News. (C) 6.13: Roll Out. Comedy. (C) 6.42: Bumper to Bumper. Motoring. (C) 7.00: Network news. 7.22: Weather, The South Tonight. 7.47: Coronation Street. (C) 8.20: The Two Ronnies. Comedy. (C) 9.13: Newsbrief. (C) 9.15: Upstairs, Downstairs. Drama. (Cl 10.15: Ghost Story. Drama. (C) 11.11: News, weather. (C)

NATIONAL LINK [lncluding 3YA Christchurch i 690 kilohertz): 2YA Wellington <570 kliohertz): 4YA Dunedin <750 kilomertz). and 3YZ Grevmouth (950 kilohertz)! 7.0 p.m.: N.Z.B.C. Sports News. 7.30: On Stage in New Zealand. 8.30: Weather and News. Checkpoint: News Topics. 9.0: This Was the Year. 9.30: The Pied Piper of Fantasyland. 10.0: Auckland Neophonic Orchestra conducted by Tony Baker (N.Z.8.C.). ' 10.30: N.Z.B.C. Ness, Comment, Weather. 10.45: Where Angels Fear to Tread (7). 11.0: 8.8 C. News Commentary. 11.15: Late Night Variety. 11.30: Personal Column. 12.0: N.Z.B.C.

News Weather. 3YC, CHRISTCHURCH (960 kilohertz) 7.0 p.m.: Scriabin: Sonata No. 4 in F sharp — Roberto Szidon (piano). 7.9: Ravel: Daphnis and Chloe, Suite No. 2— Boston Symphony Orchestra under Claudio Abbado. 7.25: The Bach Violin; Sonatas. 7.45: Letter from: America by Alistair Cooke ; 8.0: N.Z.B;C. Proms. New'

Zealand Symphony Orchestra donducted by John Matheson. (At the Hamilton Founders Theatre). 10.0: The Last of the Great Expeditions. 10.15: In the Stu- . dio. 10.49: Albinoni: Adagio JI in G minor and organ — J Wolfgang Meyer (organ), . I Berlin Philharmonic Or.chestra under Herbert von f Karajan. I 3ZB, CHRISTCHURCH (1100 kilohertz) : 7.30 p.m.: Peter Sledmere . with Easy Listening Music . and the R.C.A. Victor > Stereo Club Show with ; Mark Bennett. 8.2: Motoring ■ with Robbie. 9.2: 3ZB's Nightline (Ph 68-802) with . the Rev. Ivor Bailey. 3ZM, CHRISTCHURCH (1400 kilohertz) 6.0 a.m. to midnight: Music, News hourly, Weather, Service Information, De- . dicatons. (Ph. 75-283). L 3XA, RADIO AVON (1290 kilohertz) - 5.30 a.m.: Wayne Douglas II with Breakfast Club. 9.0: i| Jon Campbell and morning , music. 12.0: Mike Richard/ison and afternoon music.