Evening star., 1951-03-27
On the Air
ls-
Uncle MiIty's
Young Fans
|Are FuithfuI
By Harry Macarthur

The last thing in the world this
department wants to do is suppress
the Society of Loyal Friends OF
Milton Berle. So long as there is
ia breath of justice left. they will
he allowed to express their bliss
over the presence of the longest
memory and loudest recall in the
history of show business. Today
the chair recognizes Loyal Friend
Mimi H., who has this to say:
"I am one of the countless fans
of Uncle NIFTY. l am writing in
regard to your Thursday, %,
column.
Il have a scrapbook on him
with over $50 pictures and write
ups.
II think he is the cutest,
handsomest, most talented come
dian in TV and in show business.
Il haven't missed a show of his
for two and half years. I missed
going to carnivals and everything
to watch him and it's always been
worth it.
I'D gladly let my school work
go and take an F. in all my seven
subjects to watch NIFTY. Il got an
F once for it,
II am 13 years old and in the
Ieighth grade, and as for me they
ican have all their Farley Grangers
and Monty Cliffs, I'll take Nifty
any day. :"
Sudden Thought: Setting aside
those TV channels for educators
won't be enough, Commissioner
Frieda Hennock. Somebody will
have to hire Milton Berle to teach
plane geometry.
x X II x
No Time for Comedy: The
vagaries of show business are
demonstrated further in the fates
this season of a pair of NBC-TV's
more elaborate productions, "The
Comedy Hour" and -Four Star
Revue" Comedy Hour" was an
nounced first, with considerable
fanfare, and was hailed as a prob
able answer to television's material
shortage problem. It,was to have
four stars, each appearing once
every four weeks. Then NBC dis
covered it had some comedians left
over and applied the same system
to the Wednesday night -Four
Star Revue"
The latter settled down fairly
soon into a smooth operation, with
Jimmy Durante, Ed Wynn, Jack
Carson and Danny Thomas taking
their turns at the spot. Comedy
Hour" however, soon ran into
trouble and apparently never has
got out of it. Under the original
plan, Eddie Cantor, Fred Allen
and Martin and Lewis were to take
turns with Bob Hope and Bobby
Clark alternating in the fourth
Sunday spot.
Fred Allen was the first casu-
Ialty, when nobody seemed able to
find the proper TV formula for
him. Then. for one reason and
another. Clark, Hope and Martin
and Lewis had to pass up Comedy
Hour" appearances. Such diverse
talents as those of Bea Lille. Alb
bott and UouD Costello, Spike
Jones and Tony Martin turned up
on the Sunday evening session.
Eddie Cantor has been the
standby and, in addition, his
shows have been the best of the
lot. He has been so dependable,
in fact, that he will follow last
Sundays top-notch hour of rem
iniScence with two more appear
ances this season-next Sunday
and April %. Bob Hope will ap-
pear on April. 8, Tony Martin on
April Is and Lewis and Martin
apparently will wind things up for
the Comedy Hour" this season on
April 20.
Next year. the talk is, the same
sponsor has thoughts of filling the
hour with a dramatic show, or two
half-hour dramas back-to- back.
It's enough to make Ed Sulli-
van smile.
X X X \
Lost in the Shuttle: Aside to
Mrs. E. c. Van Walker: Kate
Smiths noontime radio show
seems to have been lost to WASH
ington when the MBS franchise
was transferred from WEAM to
WWDC. The program is not be-
ing carried by WWDC, nor does
WASH. the MBS FM outlet here,
have it on schedule. You might
try WCBM, Baltimore, on $50
kilocycles.
X X x X
Program Notes: Singer Kay
Starr and Dancer Pearl Primus
will appear with Danny Thorna c