All Male Revue        

The Whistler was one of the shows that Kathleen Hite edited 
in her earlier days at CBS, 
and Three Wise Guys was one of those episodes 
that were soft as snow and sweet like sugar 
in order that an otherwise bloody detective or horror or western 
program could have something acceptable to play 
during the holidays.  In a John Fordish move, Hite adapted 
Damon Runyon's tale about three men on the move and a homeless baby, 
based of course on... well, you can follow that star yourself. 
Don't expect light laden with weight, e.g. Little Girl or I Call Him Wonder 
or Aunt Thede, because the depth in Hite's adaptation just isn't... deep. 
Hite distills the necessary elements of Runyon's Prohibition-era story 
so it will fit and fill the bottle of a 30-minute program, 
but she doesn't really purify or strengthen the essence of it. 
There isn't much effort on her part to evoke the Runyon world, 
so there isn't much spirit in the truck for the actors to deliver. 
The three are supposed to be criminal types and 'booties,' 
i.e. bootleggers of 'demon rum,' but everybody seems 
to be doing Edward G. Robinson impressions, 
rather than trying to embody Runyon characters. 
So what are the three best things about this episode? 
Jack Moyles, Jack Moyles, and Jack Moyles. 
At least that gorgeous grit in his voice gives a joyous texture to the text. 
The fourth best? Well, maybe Marvin Miller, actor and announcer, 
who five years later worked for a millionaire on television 
and made many days a holiday by handing out one million dollar checks. 
What was the saddest thing about this Christmas episode? 
Hardly in the holiday spirit, and ironic when the episode was written 
by a woman, the female actor who plays Clarabelle Cobb is not credited. 
What's the funniest thing that a Kathleen Hite fan might spot 
in Three Wise Guys? Whatever meaning you may attribute to it, 
Hite often had her main characters enter a scene bearing 
a valise or suitcase, or as she liked to call it in her scripts, a 'grip.' 
As chance--or rather Christmas--would have it, the word 'gripsack' 
was used by Runyon in his original short story, 
the sack itself and its contents serving as a MacGuffin; 
but with Hite's inclination to carry a bag from one story to another, 
it takes on another layer or two of meaning. 


June 14, 2006 


Copyright © 2006-2011 E. A. Villafranca, Jr.  
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