TELEVISION: Case History

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"My Payola." There were sponsor problems too. A shampoo manufacturer (John H. Breck Inc.) happened to be paying for the show, and worried about that nasty business of shaving a patient's head before a brain operation. Naturally, the TV Bourke-White could not say, "I'll be glad to have my head shaved," or "This is a great year for wigs—Marlene Dietrich has ten of them," and both lines were exxed out of the script. The producers even had to fight for the dramatically climactic operation scene, since the patient would have to be bald (Actress Wright wore a rubber cap to create the bald effect).

In the midst of all this standard TV bickering, a point of calm was Margaret Bourke-White herself. Did she mind reliving the operation that might have claimed her life? "No," she said. "I'm so grateful to the operation for setting me free that it's beautiful to me." In the final scene, Teresa Wright showed the patient's recovered coordination by bouncing a big rubber ball. Later, the producers gave the ball to Maggie, who said: "I am delighted. This is my payola."

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