'Nutcracker' Turns Into
Stunning Performance
After Opening Hurdles
1 t "
By WILLIAM EWALD
New York - IUPD - CBS-TVs
Playhouse 90 unpackaged a
nutcracker ballet Thursday
f'Zijit night that con
ff,fita'med ome
V4 U1C AlllOb
d a z z ling se
quences of the
season. In a
way, it was
one of the
most curious
rnu I Tv shows 1
ni Jl I have ever seen
William EwaU since it man
aged to surmount some par
ticulars that were almost un
bearably candied: A cloying
narration written by Leo Ler
man, the delivery of that nar
ration by June Lockhart and
the opening sequences in
which children and grownups
engaged in the dreariest sort
of frivolity.
Show Becomes Stunner
But once the camera clear
ed these syrupy hurdles and
moved inside the dream se
quences that covered roughly
the last half of the produc
tion, the show was a stunner.
The New York City Ballet
was on hand and Playhouse
90 wrapped the company in
superb production, all of it
beamed out In an elegant
color.
Dance fan or not, It was
worth 90 minutes of any
body's time just to catch
young Allegra Kent in ac
tion as "Dew Drop." Her
technique is still a little knob
by and she lets a slight slop
piness slip into her work. But
it is a sloppiness that springs
from enthusiasm and it's a
pleasure to watch her dance.
She is developing a long and
beautiful line and something
plus that I guess could be
called presence. It's too bad
that TV doesn't make more
kise of talents like hers. She's
a comer. ,
Slick Contribution
The rest of the company
also worked well. Diana
Adams, a dancer with a fine
line, turned in an awfully
slick contribution as the "su
gar plum fairy" and Judith
Green unleashed some splen
did technique in the role of
the "Marzipan princess."
I guess in something like
this a good deal of credit
should go to director Ralph
Nelson and to George Bal
anchine who staged the whole
business. Okay, herewith af
fix two credits.
FTT5"!: "7""" "?TT7 3
ft) m -
DRIFTING IN BALLOON high above Atlantic Ocean,
three men and woman hope to land in vicinity of Trini
dad Island after voyage from Teneriffe, Canary Islands.
From left, top: Timothy Eiloart,', radio operator, and Mrs.
Rosemary Mudie, photographer and cook. Foreground:
Colin Mudie and Armond Eiloart, father of Timothy. Big
bag has failed to report its progress since drift began.
Eugene Family Escapes Flames
Eugene-(UPD-Mr. and Mrs.
LeRoy Love and their two
daughters, aged 3 and 5, nar
rowly escaped with their lives
early Christmas when fire de
stroyed their home here.
Authorities said "the blaze
broke out around the flue in
a hallway, and the Loves, es
caping in" their night clothes,
had to go through that hall
way. They lost all their pos
sessions, including Christmas
presents.
Former President Harry S.
Truman won his first political
race in 1922 when he was
elected Jackson county, Mo.,
judge.
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Pope John Takes
Christmas Spirit
To Jail in Rome
Vatican City - (UPD - Pope
John XXIII carried the spirit
of Christmas into Rome's big
gest jail today during a sim
ple priestly visit that brought
tears to the eyes of even hard
ened criminals.
'We must carry out all the
deeds of mercy," he said "and
assisting prisoners is one of
them." . - ,
The Pope's voice betrayed
a solemn emotion as he sat
upon a make-shift throne in
the rotunda of the prison and
looked around at the hun
dreds of hands clasping the
bars of cells surrounding him.
Words Echo
: He could see three tiers of
cells in the bleak Regina Coe-1
li (Queen of Heaven) jail on
the banks of the Tiber river.
His words echoed throueh the
massive building of steel and
stone. - - -
"I want to bring you the i
good philosophy," he said.
Your life is ugly incense,
because you have lost all taste
for, life., v ,
'Rest assured that this visit
will remain deeply impressed
in my soul. It is good that the
new year,, or let us call it
the first year of our pontifi
cate, be marked by a deed of
mercy.
"My prayer to you is that
your first letter home now
gives the news that the Pope
came among you and that the
Pope promised that in his
rosary he will remember
each one of you, for each one's
special intensions, mothers,
sisters ..."
Drowned by Cheers
His words were drowned
out by the cheers of the pris
oners, who broke out into a
traditional Italian Christmas
song, which begins "You des
cend from the stars ..."
The Pontiff, who visited the
sick in hospitals Christmas
Day, imparted the apostolic
blessing to the 1,300 inmates
of the jail. All but 200 are
awaiting trial rather than
serving sentence. : ,
The visit revived a custom
of Pope Pius IX, who visited
the prisoners every Christmas
during his pontificate from
1846 to 1878.
Later today Pope John re
ceived the Vatican diplomatic
corps to accept their creden
tials accrediting them to his
new pontificate.
Move To Block
Alfordin House
Seen Faltering
Washington -(UPD- A drive
by some House liberals to
block the seating of Dr. Dale
Alford, the Little 'Hock segre
gationist who beat Rep.
Brooks Hays (D-Ark.) in a
controversial write - in cam
paign, appeared today to.be
slowine down.
. Same of the liberals who
had been expected to support
the Mock - Alford move were
backing away from it. A com
promise was . reported possi
hk under which Alford would
be allowed to take his seat
while disposition was made
of the election . complaints
against him. . .
A parallel move to qeny
AlforH recognition as a Demo
crat - and thus to restrict his
prospects of eventual advance
ment to a committee chair
manship or some other posi
tion of power in the House -continued
to attract strong
support among Democrats
from outside the bourn.
Challenge Expected
This Question will be set
tled in a Democratic caucus
th dav before Congress
convenes. Whatever the out
come, it is considered almost
pertain that some member on
Jan. 7, opening day of the ses
sion, will rise to challenge
Alford's right to a seat. How
nrosnects that the House
will uphold this challenge
were dimming.
Such a challenge would De
in line with the 3-2 recommen
dation of a House committee
which heard, but did not rule
T.ittie T?rvk publisher's
charge that Alford illegally
won the election . through a
conspiracy involving Gov. Jr-
val Faubus. -The
committee majority
said Alford should be asked
to stand aside while a tnor-
ough investigation was made
of the charges.
INJURY SIDELINES BOXER
Paris- (UPD -Charles Humez,
orme'r European middle
eieht champion, will be un
able to fight Italy's Fernando
Spalotta at Rome Saturday
because of a chest injury suf
fered in a sparring session.
A BIG 3 AND
Santiago, Chile (UPD A
child set off a firecracker in
the. town of Lonchoche to cele
brate Christmas Thursday and
burned down the town halL
Flames Damage Home of Widow
Portland (UPD Fire Christ
mas day caused some $5000
damage to the home of a
widow with five children
while they -were having din
ner with another family.
The widow, Mrs. Jacquelyn
Hill, Portland, and her chil
dren, Sheryl, 13, Ronnie, 12,
Kennie, 10, John, 8, and
Thomas," 3, were at the home
of Mrs. Hill's mother, Mrs.
Fred R. Feeny.
The fire gutted the front
room, destroying all the
Christmas gifts, and three up
stairs bedrooms.
The National Automobile
club says more accidents oc
cur on Saturday than any oth
er day of the week
MAIL TRIBUNE, Medford, Oregon, Fridjy, December 26, 195t S
FRENCH SEIZE TNT
Oran, Algeria -(DPD French
naval forces seized 40 tons of
dynamite Thursday from the
Danish ship Granitan, which
was steaming off the North
Atlantic ' coast - toward Casa
blanca. The French navy said
the cargo was destined for the
Algerian rebel organization in
Morocco
CIGARETTE SALES
New York (DPD Business
Week Magazine said Thursday
night a record 424 billion
cigarettes were sold in th
United States this year.
New York City is headquar
ters for 132 of - the nation'i
500 largest companies, but
most of them have their plants
elsewhere.
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