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Reviews
Texaco Star Theatre Starring Milton Berle: Episode #1.33 (1949)
Uncle Miltie in his heyday
Berle was top-of-the-charts in 1949. Here is one of his shows, with lots of silly skits and musical numbers, including Carmen Miranda doing that same, tired embroidered skullcap samba dancing, followed of course by Berle doing a drag imitation of her.
Tony Martin, good singer, otherwise not interesting. Florence Desmond, on the other hand, is outstanding -- doing some excellent impressions of Bette Davis and Tallulah Bankhead, then besting Berle in a half-improved sketch. A very talented performer who never got enough exposure on TV or the movies to be fully appreciated and famous.
Happy Mother's Day, Love George (1973)
Badly written, schizoid drama-thriller
Darren McGavin shows that he can direct a movie, and does it without including himself in the cast (except as a photograph). He has plenty of talented professionals in the cast, including Simon Oakland who has a good role as the sheriff -- but he's gone to early, as is Bobby Darin (who would soon be permanently gone, dying early the same year). Tessa Dahl plays Neal's daughter, and being Neal's real-life daughter, and looking very much like her mother, would seem a perfect bit of casting. But Tessa was raised in England and keeps her accent, which is immediately off-setting. The throwaway explanation is absurd. In addition, Gale Garnett plays Neal's daughter-in-law, and she's Australian -- although she only has a few lines so it's not that noticeable -- yet her lack of on-screen time is another example of the actor-waste in this film.
The film is badly written, simple as that. Ron Howard spends too much time hanging around town instead of just simply marching over to his mother and asking the questions he wants answers to. And his stirring up of Tessa's character takes the story away from him in order to turn the film into a wildly violent horror rampage. And within that rampage, Neal is dispatched without an on-screen confrontation that should've been the high moment of the film's climax.
A misfire. Too bad.
The Walter Winchell Show: Episode #1.13 (1956)
Winchell tries to be a variety show host
Walter Winchell, the longstanding powerhouse columnist and radio broadcaster, dominated throughout the thirties and forties. His power faded in the fifties, and like Fred Allen, he didn't come over very well on television. Rather than attempt a talk show or journalist documentaries, he tried hosting his own variety show, emulating his nemesis Ed Sullivan. It didn't work.
This episode wastes Russ Tamblyn, and features mediocre stand up from Jack Carter. Lisa Kirk sings the now ancient "Anything Goes" by Cole Porter, but there is Neile Adams, Steve McQueen's soon to be wife. A sexy cute, slinky eyeful.