Author Pat Frank'§ comments on Playhouse 90 TV production of “Alas, Babylon" Peed corel yr sakay ie wRoagpepelt papel asians of "Alas, Babylon," and a succeeding column giving varied pot. ge lng I thought you might be interested in the critique of the author -- author of the book, that is. "I was stunned when the show ended, I thought there must be another act, for the theme of the novel had not been developed, and the plot was left dangling, Knowing the inexorable limitations of time and space when attempting to compress a fairly long novel into a live television show, I tried to be charitable, I know it is sometimes necessary to telescope characters, shift action to available sets, and slash dialogue, And it seemed to me that the show did have impact, and might stir the turgid "it cant happen here" atmosphere, “But I cannot forgive the arbitrary distortions of plot, theme and characterization. My novel attempted to show that Man's overpowering instinct is survival, Even the weakest of us will fight to live and preserve, through our children, our link with immortality, Man does not give up, come the Day and the days after, The novel showed a village reduced to Stone-Age survival -- but fighting te survive. The television play showed people giving up, which they will not do, even if they now think they will, “When I sold the live television rights of "Alas, Babylon" there was in the contract no provision allowing me any authority over the production. "I feel, now, as if I had sold one of my children into slavery, and now the child had been taken into a back alley and bludgeoned, I'll never again make the mistake of selling a novel I cherish to television, without insisting on a voice in the production, But, alas, my child is gone!" Pat Frank Tangerine, Fla.Author Is Due Apology For TY’s ‘Alas, Babylon’ By Lawrence Laurent BACK IN the days when has a lack of dramatic cpn- Playhouse 90 (CBS. WTOP- tinuity been so sharply il- TV) was a weekly series, lustrated as in last night's it, was an industry show: production, A hydrogen war piece, a col was interrupted for a com- lection of . 2 mercial message. programs ‘One must suspect that a that gave subject so terrible as the honor to the survival of a planet is not entire indus. as well suited for the 2i- try. Tt also inch world as the question gave a large of which individual can ex: amount of tract from a holster and pleasure to fire a reveiver with the the | viewers greatest. skill and pre. duced some Lanrent BECAUSE adap'er David Of the most memorabie pros Swift chose to limit the grams in TV's brie? nstory —seope of the story ancl be- Last night. Mashouse 90 cuse producer Pete Kurtner now reduced tua “special ‘or “sometime” status—tried chose to limit: man to his io deal with a nuclear war. —baser instinct, one hesitates This was a so-calied “adapta- to comment on the perform. tion of Pat Frank's novel, Don Murray did not “Alas, Babylon.” Frank is strale any great con- entitled to an apology, at n, but, then. he was not least, from the producers of given the kind of lines that the TV play. would lead one to believe in Frank's novel is a well a character. told, entertaining story He performed as a hand about the successful efforts some young man, caught up of a Florida community to in a disaster that was too survive in a world that is reat for him to compre fo longer civilized. Tt is bend. In this attitude, he an ennobling story about be loined ore we ee i ility “0 . ba sh is ie the: Indomitabtlity, ‘of, :mem: wife from whom he had THE SWEEP of grandeur —sevarated. of Frank's novel was re- The supporting east was duced. on television, to an full of competent profes: unhappy love story. Ht was Sionats—Kim Hunter. Everett able to prove only that bad- Stoane. Judith Evelyn and ly conceived marriages are Rita Moreno--who sir not helped by hydrogen to make sei holocausts, Who said they — Whole business. were? Dana Andrews was used to Playhouse 90's version of — Rarrate the story, though he “Mlas. Babylon” appareatiy — quickly disclaimed credit by pleased the Offiec of Civil proclaiming that he had heen and Defense Mobilization, — dead for # long time. The de Undoubledly, this is worth: vice of having a dead char- while: but as a dramatic ater narrate a story was con production it, was a com: sidered rather daring a dec- plete failure, ade ago when it was used for As a student af the mass the motion picture, “Sunset media of communication Boulevard.” I was used for this reviewer is aware that ‘Alas, Babylon.” one must each medium speaks its own — SUSPEct, to pad the role af Jangutage: that the blessings movie actor Andrews, of print are intimacy and a Alas, Playhouse 90, Alas, continuity that is not pox: indeed. sible in commercial televi- sion, The language of the novel is not the tanguage of the electron and the atom. Never before, however,Poe and Television Response to ‘Babylon’ Shows a Definite Split By Lawrence Laurent THE READERS WRITE AWAY: ‘After the mora Ani ores 1 rometiet fd seit wondering It tro tein of 2 nga produ Mo were telat 1 ak Wena ata ale vookel Tnotion, te | aMrerence ot an ean Se ewutely francntee Come earples reation to Siew ot oy alae Satpion” (CBS, Wror-T¥>: apn Fe aainy of 2000 sitgton aeaw’ et Yor aus cemaria Atay ore telly one fe Tialy iat tour Gtinaton, ‘the BEST Pay SSI 0 elon since two Seats age Secondly, the ea did a fine job, natural and ators "type pect nce ota Bie hese? Tato eara ang, shi sly nee ies is ae Tandy, aout gio, ade uote aéaree. fom’ Pat Stine novel wich 1 wee, Inde). Members ocr fae and we ate 8 Seg Selective (poun, ee ZAI the fen ht fe SAP Ev "idee “te Moot bam ons oem Alan, ME ‘ate | AN OPPOSITE. polnt of vid corpse ny ell Ge Slagon 000. 208 ot, Aegan She weiter I yo fe our god review of tan, ‘abyon! Timea aathing Pe se about ete age ‘many corners sout had enoyed Pat Ban oso much that 1 ened gy Sunday ah inate iooceg dap. patent wntre te book ‘Rowee te Inge, for {ole and power. plot te jnerEan geore. she Sy AUS “Stout eovarcly Beate Alte hope and Secency cee tlt out Tale ign ati men to eS these da ‘THIS CAME from J. Wik ism Nelson of 1611 44th at. nwa “Though 1 frequentiy find myself in accord with your askessments of tele ‘Vslon productions, Y thought ‘your. "critique of “Alas, Babylon” belied your usual perepieacity. “Halthough T have not read the book, from which the TV adaptation varied consid: erably, i seemed to me that the production's emphasis on the Rorrars of thermonuclear War, and the subordination bt less. significant themes ‘Wore well-done. ‘ihe eoneatenstion of events following the bomb Steck, which reflected the disintegration of soctety as ‘we know it, seemed totally credible. The acting for the most part appeared to give fan accurate portrayal of the frocing that paral pee ple would probably manifest fn the face of auch over- ‘whelming elimacterie “oe. rankly, 1 feit this performance Fie af the doldrums that have eut- ‘ently plagued it, acide from Mts obvious public service merit” ‘WRITES Mrs. Z.. inking of 2817 23d st. north, Arling ton: “ share your groat dis sppolntment over the TV ‘version of ‘Alas, Babylon Tt ‘only falntly resembled the ook, and most of the inci dents were crowded ut to make rocm for the endless commerciale. could (somewhat) under stand why i was advisable to make Lis the estranged wife of Randy and why Peyton had to be re-named. ‘And it was more dramatlo to have the litle gle perms: ‘neatly blinded, and to have Become “But in the book, Randy and his sisteriniaw cise to the horsble occasion and, Inspiringly and somehow Dellevably, grow up. “with a'new cast and new Hines, T hope someone will tay. to. dramatize the Dock and make ihe characters as ‘he autner made them.”Backtalk from the Radio-TV Airways Author's Comments HAVE just finished read- 1g Lawrence Laurent’s review of the Playhouse 90 adaptation of “Alas, Baby- Ton,” and a succeeding col- umn giving varied opinions of viewers, T thought you might be interested in the critique of the author— author of the book, that is. 1 was stunned when the show ended. I thought there must be another act. for the theme of the novel had not been developed, and the plot was left dangling. Knowing the inexorable lim- Kations of time and space ‘when attempting to com- press a fairly long novel Into a live television show, T tried to be charitable. T Know it is sometimes neces- sary to telescope characters, shift action to available sets, ‘and slash dialogue. And it seemed to me that tte show did have impact, and might slir the turgid “it can't hap- pen here” atmosphere. But T cannot forgive the arbitrary distortions of plot, ‘theme and characterization. ‘My novel attempted to show ‘that Man's overpowering in- tinct is survival. Even the weakest of us will fight to live, and preserve, through ‘our children, our link with Immortality. Man does not ‘rive up, come The Day and the days after. ‘The novel showed a village reduced to Stone-Age survival — but fighting to survive. The tele- vision play showed people giving up, which they will not do, even if they now think they will. ‘When I sold the live tele vision rights of “Alas, Babylon” there was in the contract no provision allow ing me any authority over the production. I feel, now, as it T had sold une of my children into slavery, and now the child hhad been taken into a back alley and bludgeoned. Tl never again make the mis: take of selling a novel 1 cherish to television, with. out insisting an a voice in the production, But, alas, my child is gone! PAT FRANK Tangerine, Fla, TV Cartoons AM so tired of reading letters from indignant mothers about the quality of cartouns shown on TV. I feel certain that several srtuon shows have probably been replaced by more educational ones due to the pressures of these well mean- ing women. ‘The only hitch is that the ‘cartoon shows that appear during the day (and these are the ones that scem to be under constant attack) are only viewed by the pre- school groups, and such replacements as Time for Science simply do not appeat to them, The age group that would receive most benefit from this type of show is already im school. If the* mothers who feet that the cartoon entertain. ment isn't up to the stand. ards required by their chil dren, why don’t they turn off the TV, sit down and create some worthwhile activities for their children that wil stimulate their minds adequately? MRS. JOHN BARASCH,