Evening star., 1951-01-09
On the Air
On the Air
On Costello,
OIdies Still
Look Good
By Harry Macarthur


man, Bud Abbott, have travelled
far since the time when they spent
their days and nights on the sad.
tawdry burlesque wheel. They
have, at the same time, remained
in one place. When they made
their television debut Sunday
on NBC TVS Comedy Hour
(WNBW) they took at least one
viewer back to a Sunday in 1884,
when he first saw Lou Costello
Frightening an otherwise drab
burlesque show at Jimmy Lakes
Gayety Theater.
This was the same old Costello.
but it was even more than that.
It was the same old Costello
speaking the same old lines and
getting involved in the same old
predicaments.
Suppose you bore a hole in
that wall over there?" says Alb
bott. "Okay"-Costello is willing
to go along with anything-"sup-
pose I bore a hole in that wall?"
"A fine thing!"-Abbott is in
dignant-"You come into q nice
theater and right away you want
to tear 1T apart. Why do you
want to bore a hole in that wall?"
This is the way 1t started that
afternoon in 1884 and this is the
way it started last Sunday in 1851.
Abbott and Costello spared their
viewers who's on First?" but
they came through with a couple
of old standby items any comedian
in the world can perform right
now from memory-the Shell
Game" skit and the "Nut House"
skit. The former had Abbott
taking several suckers. including
Costello, by hiding lemon under
one of three cups and dropping
it through a hole in the table.
Costello finally triumphs by pro-
ducing a grapefruit which won't
drop through the hole. The other
you know it, all right-has Co.'S
telio trying to sleep in a rest home
while a motley collection Of char
acters parades through shooting.
and dousing him with
water. In the climax he shakes
an imaginary tree and is bonn
barded from aloft with apples.
The late Rags Ragland did this
one so steadily through the years
that he wound up little punch
drunk from being belted on the
noggin with hard green apples.
It is a tribute to Costello's skill
as a buffoon, to the durability OF
burlesque comedy or to the sus-
ceptibility of the reviewer that
most of this seemed pretty funny
Sunday night. Abbott and Cos
tello wouldn't be too hard to take
on a monthly basis. They put
some spirit into those aging
at any rate. Gimme
two tens for a five.
&\& 4 y
II the night seems to be filled
with Bing Crosby music tonight
and tomorrow, and the disc jock
eys seem to forget everyone else.
there is sound reason. A great
celebration is being conducted
right now Of the crooner's 20th
anniversary in show business. The
starting point selected seems to
be the winter Of 1930-31 when
Crosby won his first bit Of fame
singing with the Rhythm Boys at
the Cocoanut Grove in Hollywood.
He started on radio (CBS) in
September, 1881. The celebration
will include a special program at
10 tonight on CHS (WTOP) and
an anniversary Crosby show to-
morrow night at $50 (same net
work. with Bob Hope and Bob
Crosby as guests.
Programs and People: Wash
ington's Evelyn Knight proved an
effective television singer on the
Comedy Hour" Sunday and will
be even more so when she learns
more about the medium 50 that
she can employ the intimacy
which serves her so we'll in bis
tros Jerry Lester's guests on
that program next Sunday. Incl
will include Kukla. Fran
and Ollie and Fred Allen Leo
Garlic will visit Don McNeill's
'Tv Club" tomorrow night at o.
(WMAL-TV At that same
hour, Jessica Tandy will be on
The Somerset Vaughan Thea
;er" (WToP-TV. playing the
eading role in Man from Glas-
yow." Eddie Cantor and
Georgia Gibbs will join Ed Wynn
tomorrow at 8 on -Four Star Re-
view" (WNBW) :. Miriam Hop
sins will be the Pulitzer Prize
Playhouse" star Thursday at 9t
,WMAL-TV). appearing in Sid
ley Howard's Ned McCobb's |
Daughter" Ruth Hussey, Met
Soprano Jarmila Novotna and
he Ink Spots will contribute their
,aried talents to "Showtime /
]. S. A." Sunday at 7::30 (WMAL-
rV). Miss Novotna. incidentally,
vas something of a national hero
n her native land. Here popular
singers get bobbysoxers, but in