Brattle Forum to Cover Parachuting, Yachting

In a radical departure from its normal format, the Brattle Street Forum will dive into the world of parachute jumping and sailboat racing tonight from 9 to 11 p.m. on WGBH-TV (channel 2).

During the first hour, moderator Samuel H. Beer, professor of Government at Harvard, will discuss skydiving and the world championship parachute jumps now being held at Orange, Massachusetts with a member of the United States team.

The part of the program on parachuting will be televised live from WGBH's studio at Science Park. Beer and the United States jumper will talk about parachuting as a hobby and sport and will narrate several films from former world championship parachute jumps.

If possible, some films from the current contests at Orange may also be shown on the program, but Beer stressed that these shots may not be available by broadcast time.

During the second hour, the Forum turns to the America's Cup Races to be held off Newport, Rhode Island starting on September 15. Beer will discuss the greatest race in American yachting with Mrs. Arthur Anderson and Don MacNamara.

MacNamara is co-skipper of the Nefertiti, one of four American boats vying to represent the United States against the Australian challenger, Gretel. Mrs. Anderson is the wife of Commodore Anderson, the owner of the Nefertiti.

The Nefertiti, one of the most exciting new boats in American yachting, did extraordinarily well in early time trials. The boat was built at shipyards in nearby Marblehead.

During the program, Beer will show films from the 1958 America's Cup Races and from a race held before World War II. The part of the program dealing with yachting was pre-recorded last week.