Neither New nor Old

"When I went on in 1948," said the greying haystack of a man, "they believed anyone hammy enough to get up and say, 'Here's how to do it.' " For eight seasons, until felled by the ax of public apathy, Milton Berle showed them how to do it. Last week, in a salt bath of nostalgia, Berle and another old pro who had called it quits at the same time--Jackie Gleason --were prancing again in front of their very own cameras. Unhappily, while both comedians may eventually have the last laugh, on their present shows their audiences rarely even have the first.

Comedian Gleason (CBS), more energetic than ever after slimming down from 284 Ibs to 220, forgot to put the same pep in his format. Only fresh element to appear is Rumdum, who gets thrown out of saloons in pantomime; otherwise Gleason has retreaded the old sit-bys, e.g., the Poor Soul, Reggie Van Gleason III. (Reggie also crept into Gleason's performance of Joe, the philosophical boozer, in Playhouse 90's otherwise first-rate production of William Saroyan's The Time of Your Life.) Perhaps Gleason's worst mistake: replacing Art Carney and Audrey Meadows, who were actors, and could play up to Gleason's roaring diatribes and outrageous double takes, with Buddy Hackett, a lowbrow buffoon funny on his own but not much help to Gleason.

Comedian Berle, for his return (NBC), renounced his former control over lighting, staging, dance arrangements and sets. During rehearsals, Miltie restricted himself to learning his routines and yelling at the piano player. Perhaps for this reason, on his opening show, he was little more than a carpenter's assistant to the wild house wrecker he once was. His one-minute exchange with Guest Bob Hope was mildly funny, his opening monologue even milder, and his dance routine was just routine. Many viewers will be happy that he is trying to get his laughs standing up instead of falling down, but even those who welcome the lack of tumult may ask for a little more to shout about. "It isn't a new Berle or an old Berle," cracked one old studio hand, "just an older Berle."

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