Slow entertainment on Sunday

Press, 21 December 1976, Page 19

Slow entertainment on Sunday

F

Margaret Chapman

Sunday s television must rate as one of the year's worst disasters — in the entertainment field, anyway. If it hadn’t been for the incessant reminders of the goodies we are to see over Christmas week-end there would have been very little reminder of the season. TVI did give us an elderly film with a Christmas story, but that was it. ■‘Hunters Gold'' finally wound up with a rather forced shindig on the new diggings with Scott reunited with his Dad and eye on Mo’ly Grigan. While it was always easy on 'he eve in 'he scenerv depar.men- >ha t is not what one looks for in an adventure tarn. Ihe script was mainly to blame for th? sowness and failure to find reallv dramatic and "reciting climaxes. The cast tried valiantly but in many cases with little success. Ken Blackburn made Haddock believable and without him there would nave have been very little backbone to the series. Andrew Hawthorn made of Scott perhaps too nice a young land. Gabriel Prendergast who looked so right as the poiiceman suffered most at the hands of r*-e scriptwriter and it became impossible after a while to see him as anything but a joke character Ilona Rodgers carried a’l her irritating Viv Hear’e traits over to Molly Grogan and at

times looked like “Clo.e to Home’’ in costume. Her two helpers, Cathie Harrop and Clare Overman, either stood around and did nothing or wildlv overacted. Altogether ‘Hunter's Gold' will probably be marked down by TV2 as good practice tor greater things. The overseas sales of the programme could be looked at as a nonus. Derek Fox then presented his look at Rhodesia called “Countdown to Zimbabwe” and while it was a worthy effort nothing new was brought to light. We have seen before. on news clips, the Rhodesian Army and the reactions of the citizens. Incidentally, could he only find one black to interview on the street? While it is a good thing that local reporters can go overseas and do their own programmes on the situation it is a great pity that the result does not always illuminate the subject any better. I do not know how long Mr Fox had in Rhodesia. His interviews seemed restricted to urban inhabitants and selected spokesmen for the Government. Perhaps he and his team were not allowed to venture very far from the beaten track -— but this was not mentioned.

Altogether a programme made with great effort which did not reallv enlighten. "The Wedding Morn” on TVI was one of the series of plays set in the 19205.

Gaiety was not the pervading feeliftg in the Skedmere household on the morning of Ivy’s wedding to Sid Hurley and it was only superb and touching performances from Polly James who was ons half of the “Liver Birds,” a comedy series not noted for high ratings, wqs excellent as the little dishwasher marrying the older man to get away from work, home and the family while actually being in love with someone else. Maria Charles was so like her that it was possible to see physically what Ivy was escaping from — the downtrodden. varicose-veined fate which was her mother.

"Cleo and John” was notable mainly for a very out-of-place Rolf Harris who tried vainly to fit into the Wavendon scene. As he wandered disconsolately around the manor grounds sniffing the rhododendrons and miming his record one found oneself looking in vain for the ladies with the paint rollers and Rolf's trusty can