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Show A look at "The Richard Pryor Show There is a rather funny yet meaningful story that goes along with our discovery of Richard Pryor. It was NBCs "Saturday Night Live that gave us our first extensive exposure to the young comic. We enjoyed him so much that when Christmas rolled around and we happened to spot a couple of Richard's comedy records in a department store, we decided to give them as gifts to a member of our family who shared our appreciation of Richards wit. The mistake we made is that we had never listened to the albums, and we simply assumed they would contain the kind of funny material we had seen and heard when Pryor appeared on "Saturday Night Live." Man, were we wrong! Late Christmas Day, we put one of these albums on the record player while a number of relatives sat around to discover why we thought Pryor was so funny. Imagine our state of shock when what came from the phonograph was some of the dirtiest material ever to greet our ears! Pryor,-yosee, got his start in the sort of small clubs which Specialize in this kind of comedy, and it has only been recently that he was given an opportunity to show his talents on TV which caused him to begin "cleaning up his act. He is still a beginner at this, still newly trained in the business of using cleaned-u- p comedy rather than the sort of bathroom jokes he depended on so long. Is he ready for weekly exposure on television? We will soon know; this coming fall he starts his own variety series on NBC. Since we are told the show will follow the format of Pryor's recent NBC special May 5), we can look ahead at The Richard Pryor Show in 3D (Difference, Depth and Durability). 1. Difference: Richard's variety show will have the usual balance of music and comedy, and like most comedian- - in 3D topped series of the past (including those of Jackie Gleason, Red Skelton, Flip Wilson), the program will offer as the Richard in a number of different characterizations drunken bar bum, the wealthy religious leader, the aged shoeshine man, etc. What can make Pryors shows different from those of other comics is that his characters are different. Rather than type (such as Reggie being the broad, Van Gleason, Clem Kadiddlehopper or Geraldine), Pryors characters are cut from the cloth of reality. That bar stool bum, the shoeshine character we have seen these people in our travels. They really exist. It is out of such reality that Pryors greatest moments of comedy arise. 2. Depth: The show will depend for its life or death on the talents of Pryor, himself. There will certainly be many fine guest acts (the Pips minus Gladys Knight were great on the special) and there will be a small group of "regulars. But Pryor is the key. And make no mistake about it, the talent is there. Richard Pryor is not just a comic, he is an exceptional actor. Watch those eyes when he does one of his characterizations. The eyes become the new person. And the more real the person, the better Pryor does his job. (Thus, for example, the shoeshine man is far better than the more broadly drawn, more Flip Wilson like Reverend character.) less 3. Durability: Pryor has the format and the talent, and NBC is backing the series with top dollars fine production values. Thus, the key to success will be whether or not Pryor (so new to this cleaned-u- p comedy role) will surround himself with good advisors and listen to them to determine what material works well and what does not. strictly-for-laug- true-to-lif- e, Barbra Streisand stars in "Hello Dolly! Streisand stars as Dolly Levi, the matchless and Walter Matthau stars as Horace the cantankerous merchant of Yonkers, in Hello, which will be rebroadcast as a special film Dolly!, presentation on Monday, May 23 (7:00-10:0- 0 p.m.), on the Barbra match-make- r, CBS Television Network. Michael Crawford and Marianne McAndrew are featured in the film, which was directed by Gene Kelly and based on the multi-Ton- y g g Broadway musical of the same title, with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. In the story, Mrs. Dolly Levi, an effusive and popular has made a successful ocyoung cupation of her natural talent bringing prospective couples together in matrimony, commonly known as matchmaking. She takes on the difficult task of finding a suitable spouse for the irascible Horace Vandergelder, but the best pairing in this respect that Dolly can find is herself as the party of the second part. In the process of setting her own sights on the wealthy widower, the irrepressible Dolly sees the opportunity for making more than one match, and methodically goes about tying a number of blissful knots. Hello, Dolly! was originally adapted for the Broadway musical stage from the play "The Matchmaker" by Thornton Wilder. The film version was written for the screen and produced by Ernest Lehman and was choreographed by Michael Kidd. The late great Louis Armstrong is featured singing the title song. Other Jerry Herman numbers heard in the 1970 20th Century-Fo- x release are Before the Parade Passes By," It Only Takes a Moment, "So Long, Dearie" and "It Takes a Woman." Award-winnin- long-runnin- widow-about-tow- r BARBRA STREISAND PORTRAYS DOLLY LEVI :gE10THTS WEEK r |