Emmys of Irony

It seemed to be just another Emmy awards ceremony, more smoothly mounted than in the past, but still the usual routine: M.C.s introducing guest presenters who introduced the winners. But there also were some moments spiked with irony and bitterness.

> Barbara Bain accepted her third Emmy for her role as the ladylike spy in the Mission: Impossible series. Then she took an unladylike poke at CBS and the series' production company, noting that "there are a couple of people I'd like not to thank. Since they know who they are, I won't name them." Reason for her ire: she has dropped out of the series in sympathy with her co-star and husband Martin Landau, and his reported demands for a pay hike.

-- Don Adams won his third Emmy as Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as the bumbling spy in NBC's Get Smart. The show itself received an award for the Outstanding Comedy Series. The twist: NBC has dropped Get Smart horn next season's lineup. Yet another twist: CBS picked it up, and will continue it in the fall.

> Hope Lange was named Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, another series dropped by NBC. This one was rescued by ABC for next fall.

> Carl Betz, star of ABC's Judd for the Defense, won an Emmy as the Outstanding Actor in a Dramatic Series. But just as ABC picked up Mrs. Muir, it dropped Judd. No other network has taken on the show.

-- The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, recently dropped by CBS, won for Outstanding Comedy Writing.

>George Lefferts accepted his Emmy for producing Teacher, Teacher, NBC's touching drama about a mentally retarded child. He then turned and roundly scored the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for slighting 14-year-old Billy Shulman, the retarded youngster who had been nominated as Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role for his part on the show. The Academy had dropped the category altogether, instead gave Billy a special plaque. > The Dick Cavett Show, dropped by ABC from its morning listings because of low ratings (see following story), was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Daytime Programming Achievement.

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