Ed O'Toole sent me this and I thought it ought to be posted here…
Mark, I can remember that somehow, even though I was only nine years old, I discovered that there would be no Shari Lewis Show anymore. I refused to believe this and resolutely turned on the TV at the regular time, convinced that Shari would appear. She didn't, and life went on, but I was changed, and life was very different.
Every Saturday since I could remember, she had charmed, enchanted, engaged, and delighted me. Looking back, I must have had a crush on her a mile wide…and who wouldn't? Shari Lewis was one of a small company of performers who respected and valued kids and knew what made them tick. (The wonderful Chuck McCann was another.) She's one of the few entertainers I wish I could have had a moment with to tell her, however feebly, how much richer she made my young life. Seeing that bit of video only makes me miss her more.
She was a very nice lady and when I worked with her, nothing about her disappointed me. The same is true of Chuck McCann, by the way. And in his own way, he's kinda cute.