The Gertrude Berg Show (TV Series) Crayton on TV (1961) User Reviews

Crayton on TV

[Prismark10 · 3/10 · 3 March 2023]

Professor Crayton has been told to increase the profile of the college. Thus he has been chosen to go on television and talk about literature.

The rather blase Crayton is too fusty and fussy to be a television start. When the cameras roll, Professor Crayton dries up live on television.

Luckily he gains his composure to read some poetry and it goes down well with the audience. Even Mrs Green is impressed.

However there looks to be no return performance for Crayton. There are some letters of complaint, the author whose poem Crayton read out is in prison.

An appalled Mrs Green leads a letter writing campaign to have Professor Crayton reinstated on television.

It was interesting that cancel culture operated in the early 1960s. Heck it existed in the 1950s led by some senator called McCarthy.

Once again another episode that really is not funny.

"Crayton on Books"

[JordanThomasHall · 4/10 · 1 May 2023]

Dean Stoner (Ned Wever) finds no interest from his professors about the prospect of representing the university on television. He pleads to them as a "golden opportunity to broaden the cultural base of our nation" and "pave the way" for other universities. They collectively remain firm that it is below their dignity, then individually sneak back to discuss the opportunity with the dean. Each make their pitch and Dean Stoner decides it with a coin flip which goes to Professor Crayton. "Crayton on Books" will be a Sunday book review program, reading extracted passages. At the studio, the director (Elliott Reid) struggles to get Professor Cryaton to grasp the concept of staging for the audience. When the camera rolls, he freezes thinking of all those watching him. Those around him, praise his performance, but the studio receives multiple letters criticizing his choice of book, and cancel his show. Mrs. G takes it upon herself to organize a letter writing campaign to reverse the tide.

As a previous reviewer noted, it's interesting to see cancel culture in this time. I personally found the plot resolution contrived and of course predictable. While there's more attempt at comedy here than most episodes to this point in the series, it still comes off dry.