Evening star., 1951-10-26
On the Air
|Shriner Has
New Style
OF Tv Wit
By Hurry Macarthur

AS a description of Mr.. Shriner,
that just doesn't stand up today.
whether or not it was valid at
the time.
The natural assumption from
this Is that tolerance has over
taken the reviewer or Herb Shrin-
er has improved. Since there
has been precious little evidence
of the former, the latter must
have taken place. Mr.. Shriner is
today. in fact. one of the most
welcome figures on the television
scene in season which has seen
too much monotony in TV COM
edy.
The Hoosier humorist-who was
born in Toledo. Ohio, a birth
place no other Hoosier humorist
can claim-has been seen for the
past several weeks now on a
show of his own. Herb Shriner
Time" on ABC (WMAL-TV)
Thursday nights at 8. It's thor
oughly agreeable half-hour.
y
Mr.. Shriner, whether it is in
territorial or not, does remind you
of Will Rogers. He has the same
unruly forelock, the same drawl-
ing delivery, the same lack of
emphasis on the punch line and
something of the same attitude
toward the foibles of man. But
he also has his own individuality.
Most of the Shriner humor re-
wolves around his home town in
the take off point for
some fine flights of whimsical
fancy. 1t is a place. he says,
where you don't need news
papers. You know what every
body's doing. You just get
paper once in awhile to see If
they got caught"
On the new televiSion show,
which doesn't look like any other
television show, Mr.. Shriner
starts out with a monologue and
before long is involved in a little
play about an episode in the life
of one of his Indiana friends.
He is liable to be acting in and
standing outside commenting on
this dramatic work. a trick he
manages to bring off surprisingly
well, and in the end winds up as
a sort of modern Aesop.
His conclusion Of a recent cpl
sode. for example, was something
like. We'll. that's the trouble.
Pinky tried to lead two lives.
With the cost of things today,
you're lucky if you can lead one. I"
There is wisdom. you see, in Mr..
Shriner's wit.
He even manages to carry his
attitude toward his home town
and life in general over into his
approach to the commercials. "I
don't know whether we sold any
shirts or not last week" he in
terrupted himself recently to say,
but we had couple of offers
for the factory"
You ought to enjoy the fresh
Shriner approach.
y X X Il
Week End Guests:
Tomorrow: Senator Estes Ke-
fauver. on American Youth Fo-
rum" (WNBW-7 PM The
Baltimore Bullets and the Boston
Celtics (basketbalD (WTTG-8
p.m.) -. Victor Borge, Vera 70
rina and Lauritz Melchoir. on "AlI
Star Review" (WNBW-2 p.m.)
Joe E. Brown, on "The Ken
Show" CWTOP-TV-s|
p.mD E. Ilona Massey, on Your
Show of Shows" (WNBW-9 p.m.)
Nora Kaye, Alice Pearce and
Donald Richards, saluting the
Bronx. on Faye Emerson's WON
derful Town" (WTOP-TV-9pm.)
Nellie Lutcher and Andy
on Songs for Sale"
(WTOP-TV-10 p.m).
Sunday: Bertrand Russell. on
Meet the Press" (WNBW-4 pm.)
.Yvette, Florian Zabach and
Bert Wheeler, on "Star of the
Family" (WTOP-TV-6:30 pm.)
Fred Allen, on Sound Off
Time" {WNBW-7 p.m.) =. :
Marguerite Piazza. on Paul
Revue" (WMAL-Tv-'
Z p.mo Constance Bennett
and Pearl Bailey, on This Is
Show Business" (WTOP-TV-7:30
p.m). :. Eddie Cantor, Sheilah
Graham and Cesar Romero. on
''The Comedy Hour" (WNBW-8
pmD. Ann Jeffreys, Morton
Downey and Carmen Cavallero,
on Toast of the Town" (WTOP-
TV-8 p.mD. Wally Cox, in
''The Copper" in 'Television Play
house" (WNBW-9 p.mD. {.
Raymond Massey, on "The Fred
Waring Show (WTOP-TV-9
p.m). Madge Evans and Rudy
Vallee, on Celebrity Time"
(WTOP-TV-10 p.m.). John
Henry Faulk. on Leave It to the
Girls" (WNBW-10:30 PM.
Monday: Judith Evelyn, on
Hollywood Screen Test (WMAL-
TV-7:30 p.mO. June Lock-
hart, in "The Doctors Wife" on
"Video Theater" (WTOP-TV-8
p.mD. Elena Nikolaidi, on
"Voice of Firestone" (WNBW-
$3.50 p.m). Lee Cobb, in "The
Il