The Daily Times

MAMARONECK, N.Y., TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1972

FAMILY

# It's Howdy Doody time again

By ALAN FABRY

It's been 12 years since a man in a buckskin suit last appeared on television screens and, shouted out, "Hey kids, what time is it?"

On Saturday in New Rochelle, that man, "Buffalo" Bob Smith, creator and star of the NBC network children's show, "Howdy Doody," will be asking the question again.

Smith, a former New Rochelle resident, will bring his Howdy Doody Revival — a bit of nostalgic camp — to the New Rochelle High School.

**APPEARING WITH** him will be the show's silent clown, Clarabell, who in real life is

got his start in broadcasting with WBEN radio in Buffalo, after being discovered by singer Kate Smith. He began broadcasting for WNBC in 1946.

In 1950 Smith gave up his radio show to devote full time to the Howdy Doody Show, which aired at 5:30 each week-day evening.

**THE TV SHOW'S** cast included a number of marionettes, the principal being a young boy in a cowboy suit named "Howdy Doody." Smith, who was the voice of Howdy Doody, pretaped the puppet's dialogue.

For this and other technical reasons, the puppets never appear in the show.

Boston Sunday Globe December 2, 1972 B-3

JOSEPH F. DINNEEN JR.

# It's mis-named rapid transit

President Nixon is changing faces and the administration image for his up-coming second term — in fact, Nixon is changing his name, but not his stripes, to NIXO... Welcome back, tiger... My idea of guts and a real

sense of humor — it even extends to admiration — is for the guy who plans to sue the MBTA for lack of truth in advertising for calling itself "rapid transit"... Remember the days when you could slip into your shoes first before putting on your pants? The slim look has done away with that — and, in fact, the "slim look" is simply a haberdashery salesman's terminology to many of us.

Every person in the world must have voiced his own opinion or version of any variety of subjects by the introductory observation: "If they can send a man to the moon, why can't they?"... I know everyone dreams of reaching the point where all the

delinquent and even the current bills are paid but did you ever stop to think how much you'd feel left out of things because you'd never be getting any mail?... In the newspaper business here, everyone smiles when the cub reporter runs into the city room shouting "stop the presses" — because it just never happens — but, in Saigon, when they shout "stop the presses," it means President Thieu has shut down still another newspaper.

If "cheesecake" is a fair word for a portrayal of a woman in scanty attire, would it be fair to attribute "cheeseburger" as an acceptable term for the growing ala Burt Reynolds vogue for men striking a similar pose?... Bullets dictate our national politics and bottles and cans of beer our professional football games. But that's life in America today. Sad, isn't it?... One Patriot player's observation of a well-oiled fan: "Look at that guy. He doesn't have the faintest idea who won but he's good for 50 below!"

Things I wonder about include how the custom started that had proud fathers giving out cigars to his male friends — and, too, just what are they supposed to give to women friends to celebrate the occasion?... If we're going to rebuild North and South Vietnam after the war ends isn't that going to dilute many upon many of the billions that we were supposed to allot to restoring American cities, fighting cancer, and drugs, giving medical care to the poor, helping the elderly, etc.?... I must confess I was a big fan of "Maude"'s — on Tuesday night TV (8 p.m.) — until the abortion bit — two shows yet — but it was all in such bad taste that she'll have to win me back all over again. Something a little cleaner, please.

Miami Dolphins' quarterback Earl Morral on Jet Joe Namath: "He's a good quarterback, he's got talent but personally I don't have any respect for him... I don't want to be like him. And I hope my kids and the younger generation don't grow up to be like him." Amen, Earl... Henry A. (for Away-we-go). Kissinger on the Harvard Crimson's recent centerfold which was supposed to be a nude photograph of him: "I'm flattered. It gives me all of the benefits of dieting. I'd like to get my weight down like that." Summed up, it means he's got an even bigger pot belly than the photo showed... An imaginative Manhattan clothing store provides customers with "Just Looking" buttons if they don't want to be bothered by

# Always send your thank-you notes as soon as possible

Dear Miss Vanderbilt:

I received a thank-you note from a young girl to whom I had sent a very nice gift for her birthday. The only trouble was that it came about seven weeks after she received it. It was ... nice enough letter, but the effect on me was like a cold shower.

Can't you tell young

## ETIQUETTE / By AMY VANDERBILT

people that they should write thank-you notes, and, that those notes should be promptly written, not sent weeks after the fact. I suppose she excused the matter, if she thought about it at all, by the fact that she had told a friend to tell me

that she got the gift and liked it. This, of course, is not sufficient. Maybe you can do something.—J.L.

This is exactly why I have made it a lifelong practice to write my thank-you notes just as soon as possible after hav-

ing experienced entertainment of some kind that requires a note. It makes it easier to write such a note when I do it promptly and I know the note sounds sincere and spontaneous. On those occasions when for some reason or other I have not been able to write a proper note until much later, it has been hard in-

deed to put the words down and to make an apology sound sincere and believable.

As I have said many times in this column, appreciation is one of the most important things that we can cultivate. To be thanked promptly and graciously — especially by a young person — is most

gratifying. And how little time such courtesies take. It is so easy to have on hand a selection of attractive greeting cards for various occasions, some good-quality informals, pretty post cards and personal correspondence cards. Prestamp such supplies in an idle moment.

## A Christmas to remember
begins at the Lord & Taylor

## CHRISTMAS BAZAAR

It's an adult-in-wonderland world of childhood wishes and things never dreamed of. We bring you a Christmas international in hand-picked collections of magnificent man-made trees, tree lights, centerpieces, garlands, wreaths, wall and door decorations, ornaments, music boxes, Nativity scenes, wrappings and ribbons, boxed greeting cards—ideas and gifts that promise to surprise. Below, a lavish mix of make-believe and real to give or keep. Mountain Greenery's bonnet basket natural dried-look, 32.00; hamper apple basket, 10.00. Artistic Creations' pillar-candleholder, silvery ferns with golden nuts and berries, 10.00. Philipp Sales' butterflies-in-the-green wicker wall fan, 12.50; candelabrum, 17.50. Lord & Taylor, Prudential Center—call 262-6000