Wednesday’s viewing has strong core

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33928, 22 August 1975, Page 4

Wednesday’s viewing has strong core

There is a strung cure to Wednesday eventags television, 1 elevlston One's 'Edward VIT and 'XU in the Family' being followed bj television Two’s Kojak.’

Because we are in the Southern Hemisphere, where bathwater revolves anticlockwise as it goes duwn the plughole, instead of in the Northern Hemisphere, where ail the above programme-- are made, we shall deal with them in reverse order.

Wednesday s episode ol “Kojak"was significant because. in it, Kojak gave up cigarettes and took up the lollipop which became his trade mark We are reliably: informed that “Kojak” is so popular in the United King-: dom that doctors and den-[ tists have issued protests[ against Kojak’s lollipop i habit on the grounds that it is causing the rotting of the teeth of the nation’s youth Not that the British have ever required much encouragement to eat sweets, but any scintilla of encouragement that might have been lacking has now been supplied by Kojak. We certainly hope that the habit does not catch on here

It would be appalling to wade through the streets in the school holidays kneedeep in youngsters wearing polythene shoulder-holsters under their ill-fitting windbreakers, sucking lollipops and snarling at each other in a Mairehau version of Manhattanese.

“All in the Family” provided us with another brauvura performance from Jean Stapleton as Edith, and ended on an unusually sentimental but quite acceptable note.

I he programme, however,: makes us conscious of a disturbing metamorphosis we appear to be undergoing. We used to find Archie hilarious

but appalling. More often than not nowadays we agree with him. Either he is changing or we are.

“Edward VII” continued to develop the theme of Victoria’s jealousy of her son and her refusal to allow him to assume any responsibility. The sinister figure of John Brown. the Not-So-Siliy Ghillie, also made its first appearance. But we think the makers of the programme have got his physical appearance wrong. We recall seeing a photograph of him years ago. in which he looked much more like Sir Harrv Lauder than the commanding figure he was made out to be on Wednesday.

[ We owe an apology to Michael Hordern, whose por- • traya) of Gladstone we critiicised last week. This week 'he seemed to us to have got • the Grand Old Man dead j right: as right, in fact, as I Sir John Gielgud’s sketching iof Disraeli a* an elderly (wide boy. We felt a golden opportunity was missed by Ed-| ward" and his scriptwriters! during the Mordaunt divorce trial to allow the Prince to get off a few good ones; iunder cross-examination: Counsel: Are you aware | Your Royal Highness, of the meaning of decree nisi.” Edward: (loftily): 1 deal in I regalities, not legalities, i (Laughter) Judge; Silence. , Counsel: Were you ever intimate with Lady Mor-| daunt.

Edward (lapsing into the mock-Cockney affected by the Marlborough House set): Werl, I did tickle ’er wiv me Prince of Wales fevvers a few times. (Laughter). Judge: Any more of this! and I shall clear the court. Edward: Belt up, Brighteyes. or I’ll tell me mother [to give you the push. Judge (angrily, but not losing his dignity): A judge ,of the High Court, sir, can •only be removed by an address to both Houses of Parliament. 1 Edward: Well, here’s an for you, sweetheart, I Wormwood Scrubs. Know what 1 mean, know what I ; mean? ' . Judge: This is outrageous. Edward: No, just highly [ unlikely. — A.K.G.