Here's another episode of Paul Winchell's variety show from (probably) late 1955 or thereabouts. Like our pal Pinky Lee from the other day, Winch was sponsored by Tootsie Roll, which is one of those products I always felt represented a triumph of advertising over actual consumer satisfaction. I never liked them but I think I bought them or asked my parents for them because Paul Winchell was always telling us how wonderful they were. And a man that talented wouldn't lie to children now, would he?
This episode features musical guest stars Lonnie Donegan and Denise Lor, plus many antics by the show's bandleader, Milton DeLugg. Many of you will remember when Mr. DeLugg was the bandleader on The Gong Show. They dressed one of his musicians up as a gangster so that the program's first host, Gary Owens, could refer to the ensemble as "Milton DeLugg and his band with a thug."
One thing I remember about these Paul Winchell shows is that when I was four or so, I figured out that Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff sometimes had "live" hands. Winch was a clever man and he knew that his dummies needed to be able to do more than just talk in order to do real sketches and comedy bits on a regular basis. I was always fascinated to figure out where the live person was hidden…and often, the ingenuity of how it was done ratcheted up my respect for Winchell another notch. Once in a while, Jerry would even have actual legs which obviously belonged to a tap dancer with pretty small feet. (Paul later told me it was usually a child.) All of that cleverness plus Winchell's brilliant acting skills made Jerry and Knucklehead into two of the most colorful people on television. They were sure a lot more human than Ed Sullivan…
