Television critics receive lots of promotional material in the mail.
The object, of course, is to get the critic to write about whatever the program in question is.Your local television editor received one of his favorite promotional letters recently. It's a mimeograph of a handwritten - very poorly handwritten - letter that reads:
Dear T.V. Editor/Reviewer/
Possible Howie Mandel Fan,
I am writing to you personally because as you know you have always been my favorite T.V. Editor/Reviewer/Possible Howie Mandel Fan.
I have enclosed a copy of my first of four specials to air on CBS starting July 1 at 7 p.m. and following every Wed. at 7 p.m. for the month.
It's an unscripted, exciting, hybrid form of variety/concert with many surprises, even for me.
I hope you write favorably about it but in any case it doesn't matter what you say as long as you spell my name right.
Yours truly,
Howie Madel (with an arrow inserting the missing "n" in Mandel)
(The short-run series airs locally on Ch. 5.)
Actually, your local television editor already is a Howie Mandel fan.
It's not something I'm particularly proud of. It's sort of like admitting that your favorite movies are "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" and "Wayne's World."
Howie's brand of humor isn't exactly William F. Buckley making wry comments.
Howie's humor can best be described as dumb. Sometimes really, really dumb.
This is a comedian who became famous for blowing up a surgical glove and pulling it over his head.
Often, as I'm laughing hysterically at Howie's antics, I'm also thinking, "How incredibly stupid. So stupid it's funny."
Tonight's premiere of "Howie" is no different. The opening sequence has Mandel and his elderly mother running from the airport to the site of his show - and Howie keeps whapping her into trees and that sort of thing.
The half hour is long on sight gags and strangeness, not on insightful commentary about the human condition.
But that's not meant as criticism. Mandel sets out to be funny, and more often than not he is.
(This despite an annoying "surprise" appearance by the world's most annoying comedian, Gilbert Gottfried.)
The one really nice thing about this show is that, being that it's airing on CBS, Mandel has toned down his usual R-rated humor to, at worst, a weak PG. Without sacrificing the laughs.
(It would be nice if Howie took note of that for any future cable shows he does.)
If you're looking for laughs - albeit dumb laughs - "Howie" is a good place to look.KEN BURNS NIGHT: PBS pays tribute to the man behind "The Civil War" by airing three of filmmaker Ken Burns' earlier works tonight - and all are excellent.
At 7 p.m., it's the 1985 documentary "Statue of Liberty." At 8 p.m., it's the Oscar-nominated 1981 film "Brooklyn Bridge." And at 9 p.m., it's the 90-minute documentary from 1985, Huey Long.
All three air on KUED-Ch. 7.TV HERITAGE DAY: To celebrate its eighth anniversary, cable's Nick at Nite airs four hours of television "firsts" tonight.
Beginning at 6 p.m., and in the following order, you'll see:
- The first word's "Mr. Ed" ever spoke to Wilbur.
- "Superman" arriving on Earth.
- Captain Parmenter sneezing his way to the command of "F Troop."
- Oliver convincing Lisa to move to "Green Acres."
- The strange meeting of "Mork & Mindy."
- The confusing meeting of Patty and Cathy Lane on "The Patty Duke Show."
- And the only black-and-white episode of "Get Smart" ever produced.
Sounds like fun . . . RUMOR TIME: This week's hot rumor in Television Land is that Johnny Carson is discussing starring in a series of network comedy specials - but he's holding those discussions with CBS, not NBC.
Carson, of course, recently retired after 30 years as host of NBC's "Tonight Show."
Both CBS and Carson are playing down the rumors, but apparently talks of some sort have taken place.
Of course, it could just be a ploy by Carson to raise the financial stakes with NBC.