Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-03-25
With a Bird on q Shoulder,
You Get Quick Attention
By Harry Macarthur

caught Mr.. Ford's eye. Milton
just shrugged an elaborate
shrug. as if he didn't know,
either.
Finally, lest the driver leap
from his seat and depart in the
belief that his cab was haunted,
Mr.. Ford admitted that he really
had a parrot back there.
"Whaddaya know" said the
cab driver. "A parrot. You
mean, he really talks?"
Sure does" said Mr.. Ford.
We'll, swear" said the
driver. "a real talkin' bold. Tell
me somethin'. Does at bold
think or doesn't he know what
he's saying"
you've heard the expression
bird-brain." said Milton. 1T
f1ts!"
"Whaddaya gonna do with
him?" the driver asked.
Put him on radio show"
Mr.. Ford replied.
"Yeah?" said the driver. you
mean on a real radio show, that
talkin' bold? never seen a bold
talk before. I'll have to tell my
wife to listen. Imagine that, a
real, talkln' bold, Hey, how old
is hep"
This is one of the IA standard
questions asked of Mr.. Ford
about Richard and he knew he
wouldn't be believed when he
said SO years. He said it any
how.
"Ah gowan," said the driver.
How old is he, really?"
Hes so years old and parrots
live to be $780," said Milton. The
driver reflected moment.
Well" he said, you're gonna
have i'm with va for good long
time, ain'cha?"
Richards impact on the New
York radio audience was no less
forceful. Richard came out talk
ing and the WABC telephone
switchboard was deluged. Does
that man really have real, live
talking bird on the radio?" was
the tenor of most queries. well.
declared" was the tenor of most
reactions to the affirmative an
SWer.
Then" Mr.. Ford relates, IT
idly said. for the heck of II, that
anybody who wanted to could
call up and talk to Richard on
the phone. I didn't think any OF
those sophisticated New Workers.
would fall for it. Here in WASH
ington I could say that and get
maybe two calls. But up there
Ia barely finished saying it be-
fore every light on the switch
board lit up. There were people
calling the next day to complain
that they hadn't been able to
get through the night before
Those who called, incidentally,
don't know how gullible they
really were. Richard, either be-
cause of a tin ear or sloppy die
ton, has a large supply of dou-
bletalk. 1t consists of sentences
and phrases he has almost but
not quite picked up. So the call
erS would talk to Richard, he'd
gurgle back some of his double
talk and every caller thought he
had heard what he expected to
hear.
Richard. Mr.. Ford discloses
further, has uses beyond merely
livening up broadcast. You
walk into a slick Manhattan adj
vertising agency with a parrot
on your shoulder and you have
no trouble at all getting atten-
ton. You get immediate access
to the executive you want to see.
I AAS oiIi ICfCl oCcIl no Idikln
bold before. either.
\ X X
PR o GR A M NOTES - The
young followers of "Cavalcade of
America" can relax, for the time
being at least. That seems to
have been purely rumor about
ABC-TV thinking of a new time
for 1t, with a children's program
substituted. Until further no.
tice. the young supporters Of
"Cavalcade" still will be per-
mitted to watch it at 7::30 pm.
Tuesdays (WMAL-TV). Jack
Webb seems to have abandoned
those dreams of Kidding himself
OF Sergt. Joe Friday. He has Just
signed 10-year exclusive con-
tract with NBC. to continue
"Dragnet" and to create other
shows. The network also has ex-