tangents

news & views

by dal mcintire

WABD-TV's SHOWCASE from NYC scheduled two panels on homosexuality recently. The first ran ok, with Gerald Sykes, author of THE CHILDREN OF LIGHT, Dr. Albert Ellis, author of the current SEX WITHOUT GUILT, and a national officer of the Mattachine Society, wearing heavy motorcycletype goggles. Discussion leaned toward the premise that homosexuality is an unfortunate disease -more to be pitied than censored. Mr. Grau discussed Mattachine aims, said everyone was affected by problem, since there homosexuals in every neighborhood and group.

Next day, a women's panel was to discuss female homosexuality, but a studio bigwig, reportedly upset by "lewd" suggestion that homosexuals "marry" one another, vetoed show and ordered panel to talk about something else-doodles," for instance. Panel consisted of author Fannie Hurst, graphologist Helen King, psychologist Helen Handlin and one other who bowed out when the announced topic was nixed. Miss Hurst, moderating, kept her promise not to mention "that word," but publicly criticized the show for censorship. Doodle-analyst Helen King did drop the verboten word several times. Next

day, SHOWCASE director Lester Wolfe "explained" that Miss Hurst had given wrong impression when she suggested there'd been censorship-just that the Monday panel had already said all that could possibly be said on subject . . . Which must have been quite an accomplishment . . .

ODDMENTS

TIME and the papers really camped it up over the recent touching duel between lifelong friends, the Marquis de Cuevas and Ballet Master Serge Lifar, who'd become piqued at changes his wealthy patron made in one of Lifar's ballets. But after Serge-more experienced with epees-got nicked in the arm by the much older Marquis, they kissed sweetly and made up. NEWSWEEK added a further choice description of the lush robe and jewelled necklace the Marquis wore when he received report-

ers . .

Few people noticed the small, stoop-shouldered night watchman in a Morristown, N. J., plumbing plant, other than a few drinkingcompanions at a bar down in the "Hollow." No one even knew how long he'd worked there. But when he died, at age of 78-he was