The Busy Air

IN PHILADELPHIA--where $20,000 in bogus $10 bills has recently been passed-- WCAU-TV televised a counterfeit and a genuine ten-dollar bill (Hollywood is forced by law to photograph nothing but stage money). With Secret Service sanction, a commentator pointed out the differences (e.g., on the counterfeit, Hamilton's hair is lighter and whiter). WCAU has also televised pictures of wanted criminals, on the theory, says News Director Harold L. Hadley, that "guys who are wanted will frequent taprooms that have television." Fellow barflies are expected to turn them in.

IN MANHATTAN, the Communist Party asked for and was refused free time to answer ABC's blistering documentary, Communism--U.S. Brand.

IN WASHINGTON, a patient House committee prepared to listen to arguments on the question: Should atheists be granted radio time to reply to religious broadcasts?

IN WASHINGTON, WMAL-TV celebrated the lifting of an FCC ban by presenting "Mentalist" Robert L. Friend. In short order, he reduced three giggling university coeds to a trance-like state (a fourth coed continued to giggle and was excused). Hypnotist Friend, who was careful not to beam his big, brown eyes at the television audience,* will not do another hypnotic show, he says, until televiewers "clamor and clamor and clamor for it."

* Two years ago Britain's BBC barred hypnotists from television (TIME, Dec. 30, 1946) because of a private test during which four of six BBC staffers went to sleep. In Paris this spring, Egyptian Fakir Tahra Bey allegedly hypnotized part of his studio audience and some of his countrywide listeners over a Radio Diffusion Franc,ais program.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.