It was a feast of Fred

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34105, 18 March 1976, Page 4

It was a feast of Fred

(Bg R. T. BRITTENDEN)

On the premise that a feast is better than a famine. TVI had a sort of John Clarke evening on Tuesday.

There was Fred Dagg and sheep setting off for Australia in a travel •oinmercial; Fred Dagg. of Dagg Motors, talking about his answer to the problem of new car purchases. at the end of the mid-evening news. And that was followed by Fred Dagg. and others, in “The Wonderful World Of . . a repeat screening of the comedy half-hour which won the entertainment section of last year’s Feltex awards.

This was the pilot programme for a proposed series which is still shrouded in uncertainty. There has been no definite news on whether, or when, it will be put together. Clarke’s performance in ‘The Wonderful World Of

. . was excellent. 1 must admit to taking great delight in his methods: his pokerfaced impassivity scores heavily. One does wonder whether he could carry a whole series on his own. He may lack the versatility shown by David Smith, who has done some delightful sketches, and who is at present adding spice to the Brian Edwards show. But there was some lovely material in “The Wonderful World Of .” And I for one will perk up at every sight of Clarke, no matter how often he may appear. » * * Tuesday night offered two other programmes of major interest, apart from the usual pleasure of Archie Bunker’s magnificent hypocrisy. First W’as “The Sw’eeney.” Viewers, and reviewers, seem divided on the merits of this programme, which often has Inspector Regan of the Flying Squad bending the rules, believing the ends justify the means. The background of truck robberies on which this week’s story was based was a familiar one to viewers of crime programmes, but it was well done, and there

. was nothing to which one could take much exception insofar as police methods were concerned. Against it, perhaps, were the vivid scenes of violence; for it, some terse and effective lines in the script, and some clever camera work in the final scenes at the refinery. It was a taut story: and acceptable, probably, to audiences by now thoroughly aware that there is a ;seamy and sordid side to crime.

On TV2, “I’d Rather Be Sailing” was a most attractive study of yachts and yachtsmen. Much of the documentary dealt with the Auckland yachtsman Tom Clark and his Buccaneer, b,:t attention was also given to the youngsters in their P class boats at Auckland, to the Anniversary’ Day regatta on the Waitemata. to the Sydney-Hobart race. There were magnificent colour scenes in Sydney and Auckland.

This South Pacific gem was produced by Roger Mirams, who made his first film, when at school in Christchurch 40 or 50 years ago. It was called “When the Gangsters Came to Christchurch,” ran for 20 minutes and was screened rt one of the city theatres. My chief recollection of it is of there being two cars in a chase along Park Terrace and Harper Avenue. Each was borrowed from an actor’s father. But they were available on different days; so the pursuit scene showed the criminals’ car bathed in bright sunshine, then a cut to the goodies in the rear, barely visible on a dark and murky day.

Mirams today has a hand in rather more polished pro-

ductions. “I’d Rather Be Sailing” was interesting in its material, enchanting in its photography.

Mr Muldoon’s recent reference to the possible demise of TV2 recalled, somehow or another, one of the most amusing of many amusing Stephen Leacock pieces. This one was about A, B and C, the people who were found in varied situations in the arithmetic books of half a century ago. A, some may recall, was a hearty, brash and healthy fellow, who always rowed or ran or dug faster and better than the others. B was a more modest type and poor C, who brought up the rear in all the problems, had a hacking cough. If memory serves, B ultimately retired to potter about the garden, raising a logarithm or two, and C died when his nurse took his medicine from the bracket without changing the sign. Perhaps New Zealand cannot really afford two television channels, but it seems a little unfair to look on TV2 as corresponding to Leacock’s C. It is puny compared with the money-mak-ing TVI, but if it has a hacking cough, it is because it has had problems in getting its nationwide coverage, among other things. But if it were given the time, it might well develop at least into the status of a B. On the other hand, an amalgamation of the two channels might at least solve the problems of providing New Zealand comedy of a consistently good standard. A combination of John Clarke, David Smith, Derek Payne, David McPhail, Bryan Allpress and Rodney Bryant might well keep people home at nights.