I was born in 1956, and remember, however vaguely, watching a segment of "The Name's the Same," many, many moons ago. Anyway, last night, I woke up to watch one of my all-time favorites, "What's My Line?" It airs 12:30 a.m., everyday. "Beat the Clock" usually runs one-half hour before that; however, last night, "The Name's the Same" was aired at 12 midnight. I tell you I've never laughed so hard in such a long time: it felt really good. I am a real critic when it comes to comedy, any kind of comedy: stand-up, movie, etc. (and I never watch "sitcoms"). I can sit through the majority--if not all--"comedy" movies these days without so much as cracking a grin. But, I really must have bust a gut last night. "The Name's the Same," last night, featured Eddie Albert, and the panelists included Bess Myerson and Gene Rayburn. The host, Mr. Lewis, alone, was fabulously entertaining. Laughter from the audience oozed throughout the show. I, too, had tears in my eyes less than ten minutes after the game had started. The formal wear and presentation of the panelists combined with the casual, free and easy approach to questioning toward solving the name was for many in the 1950's, a most delightful recipe for comedy, and is for me now, too.
Review of The Name's the Same
