page 12
daily nebraskan
Wednesday, august 30, 1978
arts and entertainment
CBS's new prime time skin show in for 'crash landing'
By Pete Mason
The CBS television network's motto for the new fall
season is "Turn us on, we'll turn you on!" Thus be
ginneth the Battle of the Jigglies.
The "Jigglies," so-called because they are shows
which feature specific areas of the female anatomy in
a relatively unfettered state, have been the sole prop
erty of ABC for the past two years (Charlie's Angels,
Three's Company).
They were the brainchildren of Fred Silverman, then
ABC's programming honcho. Freddie the Phenom is now
NBC's honcho of everything. Perhaps CBS is trying to get
the jump on Silverman.
The three trainees, who work for a fictional outfit
called Sun West Airlines, are played by Kathryn Witt, Pat
Klous and Connie Sellecca, three ex-models with little or
no acting experience. They are supported by wise-cracking
Marcia Wallace (remember Bob Newhart's receptionist)
and Howard Piatt, r ho plays a lecherous training pilot.
That seems to be the only support the girls have,
pun intended. For the most part the first show looked like
an Atlantic City bathing beauty contest. One gets the
impression that they wear their string bikinis even under
their formal evening attire.
Jiggly war lost
During their six-week training period one girl fails the
final weigh-in (she is four pounds overweight) and is sent
home. In a tearful farewell scene with the three heroines
she announces she is going home to get pregnant. Perhaps
the writers are saying that a woman has one shot to make
it in the real world and if she blows it she's only good for
keeping house and having babies.
The jiggly war is being waged at the expense of the
American public. All too often the ratings have shown not
to be a good indicator of the viewers' pulse.
But network programmers are creatures driven by Niel
son's numbers and Flyin 'High is a perfect example of this
enslavement. With Silverman at the helm, NBC
undoubtedly will begin charting the jiggly sea this fall.
If you're a viewer who is tickled pink by Charlie's
Angels and its contemporaries, you're in for a terrific
cruise. But if you demand more in television
programming, by the end of the upcoming season you're
going to begin to hope that the jiggly world is flat and
that every ship sails over the edge.
tv review
Flyin ' High is meant to be a sort of humorous Charlie's
Angels at 30,000 feet. After viewing the special two-hour
premier Monday evening it would be easy to say that it's
more like an unhumorous Love Boat at 20,000 leagues
under the sea. Perhaps this is an unfair assessment. After
all, it's just the first show. But aren't the two-hour special
premiers supposed to be the grabbers; the shows that set
a precedent for the rest of the season. If so, Flyin' High is
in for a lot of turbulence and an inevitable crash landing.
Male voyeur audience
If insipidity were a virtue, everyone involved in Flyin '
High would achieve sainthood on the first ballot. From
the contrived plot and embarrasingly bad double-entendre
dialogue all the way down to the obligatory skin scenes,
the show seems to be reaching for one particular segment
of the viewing audience, the red-blooded, American male
voyeur.
There is even a voyeuristic scene in which two randy
gents ogle the stewardess-trainees with binoculars as they
relax after calistehnics. As the girls remove their T-shirts,
in unison, to "soak up some rays," one of the peeping
Toms groans a loud, adolescent "Oh my Gaaawwd."
Oh my God.
Pershing manager recalls bright spots, controversies
By Mike Schmoldt
Pershing Auditorium manager Ike Hoig has beaten the
retirement game for almost a year and a half now. Since
he turned 65 in March of last year, city officials have
given him two extensions totaling 18 months.
According to Hoig, though, an advertisement has been
placed in a trade paper for his replacement. He said
chances are that a new man will be in his office before the
end of the year.
Hoig became Pershing's manager 17 years ago after 27
years of managing theaters for the Cooper Foundation. He
started with the Cooper Foundation as an usher while at
tending UNL. Hoig said there have been plenty of bright
spots during his 1 7 years at Pershing, bufone particular
controversy sticks in his memory as a "really bad time."
When Hoig wanted to bring the rock musical "Hair"
to Lincoln, the tumult lasted a month. Most of the mem
bers of the mayor's Auditorium Advisory Board opposed
"Hair", but Hoig said he and three members of the board
were able to convince the rest of the officials of the musi
cal's merits.
Nudity complaints
Nevertheless, Hoig said, crank phone calls about the
nude scene, and others accusing him of being an anti
Christian influence made life difficult at the time.
Hoig took the brunt of the criticism in the "Hair" con
troversy and still gets most of the flak from the public
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After mmaginj Pershing Aoditoriam for over 17 yean and bringing neb acts at The Baraam and Baiey Circus,
Hie musical, HAIR and Bvis Presley, Ike Hoig says be really doeza't fed I3ce rttkiBg.
today, he said.
"After a while, though, it (criticism) rolls off you like
water off a duck, or at least that's what I try to tell my
self. It still makes my blood boil, though, when it's unfair
criticism."
Despite the signs of community disapproval, "Hair"
came to Lincoln uncensored.
"It really wasn't that bad," Hoig said. "I went down
just to see what the hell it was." He said people see more
nudity on television today than they would have if they
had seen "Hair."
He is amused by the changes entertainment has under
gone in 17 years. He said the Kingston Trio and Peter,
Paul, and Mary are a far cry from current groups such as
Kiss and Electric Light Orchestra.
There was a time when Hoig would have kicked a
group off the stage if the members even looked like they
might use profanity. He admits that today the use of even
the wont four letter words is common.
Conservative audiences
Hoig says he sees a conservative trend in today's young
audiences, however. He said that he fought ten years ago
to get Fillmore -style seating at concerts in Pershing, but
that now he is hearing more requests for regular seats.
This adaptation to the trends in both audiences and the
entertainment industry is what running an auditorium is
all about, Hoig said. He said that drug use is one trend
that has the potential for creating big problems for a man
ager, though.
Problems with marijuana at Pershing have been few
because family upbringing and values in this part of the
country discourage drug abuse, according to Hoig. He said
when people are caught with marijuana at a concemt, he
makes sure they are treated with respect, the way he
would want to be treated.
Hoig said this policy results from the need in the audi
torium business for good treatment of customers,
especially young people.
Hoig said his successor will find his biggest problem
that of bringing business to Pershing against the staff
competition from the UNL Sports Complex and local high
school auditoriums.
He said his position has become "a selling job," and
that it requires someone with contacts who will be able to
pull in entertainers and conventions on the strength of his
personality.
"Business wiE be very competitive." The future of
Pershing depends on the ability of his successor to bring
in business, Hoig said.
As for Hoig, leaving these problems behind him is not
a matter of choice, but one that his bosses are deciding
for him.
He says he is not sure what he will do after retiring.
It is possible Hoig might go to work for his son in news
paper advertising. His hobbies, classic car restoration and
toy auto collecting, might take part of his time, too.