Evening star., 1954-10-04
On the Air

IHE SCHNOZ hEIUhNS-
The Jimmy Durante Admiration
Society will be meeting on Sat-
urday nights this season instead
of Sundays as of yore. The most
likable entertainer anywhere has
transferred from "The Comedy
Hour" to a new version o: "Star
Theater" (WNBW - Saturday,
$50 p.m.).
This is a 30-minute instead Of
a Commute show, but apparent
ly we'll be seeing Durante more
often than when he was on
Sunday nights. Here he will be
alternating with Donald O'Con-
nor. Neither of them will be seen
every second week, however,
since one Of those NBC-TV
"spectaculars" Is scheduled to
usurp the time every fourth
week.
If this sounds a little COM
plicated, you can thank those
fellows who invented color tele-
vision. It has to be introduced
into the broadcasting schedules
somewhere.
Anyhow. The Schnoz is back
and he enlivened one segment Of
the week end, no matter how
other areas of it looked to Cleve-
land, Illinois and Redskin
rooters. He was-though there
is no reason for this to occasion
any surprise - the same old
Durante, bubbling with fun and
good will toward his fellow man
(and woman).
His writer's did not seek any
new fields for Durante to explore,
but there is to be no complain
ing about that. He has so much
fun in those old familiar fields.
This time he was preparing to
open his night club, familiar
routine but one which permitted
him to introduce a bevy of beau
tiful girls. indulge in banter,
song and dance with Guest Dom
aid O'Connor and have a bit of
fun with his old crony, Eddie
Jackson.
Funniest skit had Durante,
having remembered everything
but food for his opening night,
ordering dinners in heroic guam
tity in restaurant, passing them
out the window to his chef. It
all passed more quickly than any
television half hour in some time.
It's good to have the old master
back.
ON HER OWN (ALMOST)-A
newer master, Miss Imogene
Coca. also launched a new enter
prise on Saturday night, the first
television show she can call her
own. Sid Caesars former "Show
of Shows" partner is now in
stalled in the 9 pm. half-hour
on NBC (WNBW), Just ahead of
Durante and O'Connor and also
giving way every fourth week to
a color show.
Miss Coca is cast in this new
project. as you undoubtedly have
been informed before this. as a
television star named Imogene
Coca. The events which over
take her. however. are more to
be associated with the Imogene
Coca you recognize on your TV
screen than with the one known
to her best friends off-camera.
The first show had her ap-
pearing on q television program
called Face to Face" The only
drawback was that she got the
date mixed up and was blithely
tooling through the countryside
In a small British car while the
announcer, with cameras hot and
on the air, prowled her apart
ment In search Of her.
AS 1t turned out this was al
most as much q vehicle for Billy
De Wolfe rs 1t was for its nomi-
nal star. He proved q vastly
funny man as the doggedly
cheerful announcer who was en-
thusiastically certain that Miss
Coca would be behind the very
next door he tried.
Miss Coca had her moments,
too. "A fiashback from O photo
album let her whip on one of
those zany ballet numbers that
delight her fans. She also was
IN fine form as q penniless mo-