The Pittsburgh Press from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 106

Merecffh MacRae And Mlce Minor Tha Pittsburgh Press, Wednesday, November 16, 1966 I This Couple's Sweet As i By VLNCE LEONARD, Presi TV-Radio Editor Sweethearts on "Petticoat Junction," Meredith MacRao and Mike Minor showed up in our town as chaperoned buddies, ready to split the interview as they were Infinitives. "I hope to someday have the shape my mother has," said Meredith MacRae of Sheila MacRae. "Dad and I are good friends but he doesn't want to ever go Into business with me again," said Mike Minor of producer Don Fedderson. Mike Feddcrson? "That didn't fit on the marquees so I took my mother's maiden name." That business venture of Fedderson and Fedderson that didn't work out was a music firm associated with Dot Records. Barry Young's "One Has My Name" sold 300,000 copies bat the company still perished.

Comfortably esconced in a series which CBS pipes our way Tuesdays at 9:30 p. m. via Channels 2, 9 and 10, Meredith and Mike were In a jaunty mood at the table. Perhaps the mod cap "it was just $2.98 in Beverly Hills" she wore and the paisley tie and matching lapel pocket handkerchief he wore helped a bit Both were willing to talk about their parents. Ask Mario Thomas about Danny and Noel Harrison about Rex, on the other hand, and yon ask for trouble.

"I love my parents," said Meredith, "even though I would never buy a Gordon MacRae record. Dad has a new lease on life now, though; he's lost 30 pounds and Is taking the 'Indian Love Call 'ooh, oohs' out of his recordings." One Works Live, The Other On Tope While the svelte senior MacRae-don't call him Gordo-ls preparing for live productions of things like "Kismet," "Carousel" and "Oklahoma!" Sheila is preparing for weekly tap-ings of the Jackie Gleason Show. Don Fedderson produces "My Three Sons," which Is Meredith's last series, and "Family Affair." He is also a good friend of Lawrence Welk. Couldn't Mr. Fedderson fix things to have his son, a singer for 10 years before "Junction," sing for Welk? BATMAN TTTT fl 3 I K'g ygg.BV AND THOSe tl 8UT HI6H ATOPTHB Jg CMHUJ JL vSS FA6TE2WH5N I HAVE TC CATCH DEAE )rk? WeIN3 fa WINTH0OP R32 HI5 BATH.

THE JACKSON TWINS THEVCE I I THAT'S NOW.THEYlL PE WHY BECAUSE WE WANT TO HIT MAI HALF-FULL HIM. COMING OUT THAT PONT WITH IT JUST BEFDCE HEG0E9 WOW, LOOtTATTHE I ALREAPV BETSYl POOPAT QUACTB? WETFLL OUT ON THAT FIELD STANDS THEVVE DONDI jfe-ZS WHAT ABOUT THE HE MUST'VE 61VE ME THE I HE'S THE WHAT 15 HE A 'JywWRTryHOTHER GUY. THE ONE BEtt YOUR PAD'3 GLASS BACK. I ONE, ALL g.6!, WE HAVE TO CASE? FRIEND. HE HAS WANT TO 5TUP RIGHT.

I ft M.J0RA5USPKK SEIOUIE ja, VT- HS ARM AROUNPHIMJ THAT GUYS RECOGNIZ ETT MEREDITH MacRAE MIKE MINOR "Pefficoaf pair." MacRae will have had three marriages, actually, but only one that counts. Her off-screen husband is Richard Berger. Billizs Get The Willitt Despite the spinoff rumors, Mike Minor says this of his secure work on "Petticoat "I'd like to go the distance." Billie Jos, meanwhile, seem to have short, unhappy lives on the series. First there was Jeannine Riley who wasn't bad but she wanted out when not given enough to do. Then came Gunilla Hutton, who was let out because she didn't do enough.

To hike her own popularity a bit, Meredith's trying a little to do away with the buttons and bows and calico image by hiking the petticoats on "Junction." "The seamstress and I are good buddies she said. No matter how long Meredith lasts, she's working hard. "I don't care about being a star," she said. "I want to be a dramatic actress." It's a departure from the musical MacRaes, who every-, body thinks named their daughter after Meredith Willson, the old "Music Man," himself. "Actually I was born In Texas and it was a popular name among the Southern belles," Meredith said.

"It has the right alliteration and meter Meredith Lynn MacRae. It was either that or Melinda." Melinda Lynn? Too much out of a libretto, like Marian, the librarian. "No, I wouldn't have wanted that," said Minor. "Besides, Welk told me he didn't like the way I sang." Did Mike like the way Welk played? "No," came the quick reply, as definitive as it was laconic. Nor did Mike go to his dad for work on either of Mr.

Fed-derson's two series. He wanted to make it as a singer. "I thought I was going to be a big singing star." In 1963 he recorded "Silver Dollar" for Dot and it sold 85,000 records, enough to land guest appearances on the Johnny Carson and Mike Douglas shows. His first album moved faster on the turntables than it did in the stores although it was called "The Sensational Mike Minor." Less than sensational Is what he thought of his interview for the Steve Elliott part on "Junction," but he got the job nevertheless. "I was nervous In the role at first, but now I'm more settled." So settled that both Mike and Meredith have been swiping the action from the nine other regulars on the show.

There's rumor, too, that a spinoff is in the works featuring the married life of Steve and Billie Jo Elliott The marriage will occur on "Petticoat Junction," however. "It will be my second marriage," Meredith said. "Remember, I married Tim Considine on 'My Three Meredith THERE OUGHTA BE A LAW Musical Sounds fiW TWEM YOU GET THE CHECH It's-appeheo-id-us-too PEP't Viewers Beam On Rascality ES T- FIXE 0 mCS PINNER PMSION) young generation far more perceptive and instinctively distrustful than its brainwashed elders about the goody-goody images that press agents try to sell about certain performers, it is likely this trend will continue with added emphasis if television is wise to youth. For home delivery of The Press, phone 263-1121. What I'm really trying to get around to saying today is that the public has probably always secretly liked rascality In its entertainers more than any other quality aside from talent.

And nowadays, with the DnI OMWi2.50 TOR A I If special Srv) 5 .00 XSw 2' On FM Radio 4 p. m. Just Music. Prokofiev's Symphony No. 7.

Dello Joio's Air Power. Piston's Symphony No. 4. Yardmunian's Armenian Suite. KDKA-FM.

6 p. m. Studio B. Gentle Jazz. WYDD-FM.

8 p. m. Serenade. Music for relaxing by Jackie Gleason. WKJF-FM.

8 p. m. Wednesday at the Opera. Blow's Venus and Adonis. WDUQ-FM.

5 p. m. Music of the Masters. (Stereo). Mozart's Adagio, K.

261, Susskind conducting Concert Arts Orchestra. Prokofiev's Symphony No. 6, in Opus III, Leinsdorf conducting Boston Symphony. WLOA-FM. 9 p.

m. Nite Side. Mood Jazz. WYDD-FM. 9 p.

m. Accent. Featuring orchestral sounds of exceptional ured. And the CBS-TV station here was nice enough to give my plan a public airing on the news. Well, I don't like to boast-much but truth is stranger than anything.

And just several weeks ago the show business weekly, "Variety," carried an item from Solingen, Germany, which read: "To make an evening with television really complete an inventor in Germany patented a device that attaches to the set and contains a barrel of cold foamy beer. Just twist the dial to favorite program, open the beer tap, and wow! Inventor claims that he has patented the device in several lands. It will sell for about $24 in Germany." The headline, by the way, was: "Good for what ales TV." By RICK DU BROW HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 16 (UPI) Has it been duly appreciated by television historians that the two choice variety series this season the Jackie Gleason and Dean Martin shows are presided over by champion public tipplers? I wouldn't want anybody to think I am urging a widespread movement toward this approach. In fact, earlier this year, when I suggested that if booze made girls look better it ought to do the same for television and advocated a new ratings system based on how much liquid is required to bear specific shows some viewers wrote in attacking me as Rasputin or something.

I got some fan mail, though, much of it from the San Francisco area, which fig THE VIRGINIAN 7:30 OUT OUR VAY Color James Drury tracks a rough pair of outlaw brothers who have robbed and murdered his young friend. Guest stars are Jack Lord, Michael Ansara, and Terry Moore. THIS SCHOOL WORK YEAH, BUT I'LL I GUESS THAT'S IS GETTIKJ6TOL)5HER BETWHEMYOU WHY WE'LL X) ALL THE I ET TO THE TASK 1 KJEVER LIVE WISH IT WAS ALL OF SORATCHIMO IW UTOPIA-IT BEHIKJPME AWP1 OUTAUVIMG, ALWAYS SEEMS jjjfftff WAS OUT IM THE YOU'LL WISH YOU 1 TO BE SOMEWHERE 7 W0RLPMAKIKJ6 WERE BACK IU AHEAP OF YOU I MY FORTU LATH GOODOLPX OK SOMEWHERE "-jr-j SCHOOL VbEHIWP YOU fej stereo merit. WKJF-FM. EARLY THURSDAY 1:05 p.

m. Pop Concert. (Stereo). The favorite overtures of conductor Thomas Beecham. WLOA, AM-FM.

PARTY PRETZEL Last night's Party Pretzel on KDKA Radio's Party Line: Q-What U. S. city Is called the huckleberry capital of the world? A Scranton, Pa. AT ALL 8 STORES HARDWICK 30-inch Eye-Level 2-Oven GAS Range Thanksgiving Special! 7:00 McHfllE'S NAVY The Ridiculous Raiders mix ocean waves and air-waves in another nutty adventure. 9:00 Bob Hope Color Cnedy Special Bob and Bing Crosby present a spoof of the movie "Fantastic Voyage," multi-lingual songstress Bach Yen from Saigon, and Bob's own selection of Hollywood's ten most beautiful new starlets.

6 01 1i8J faKSejl if I mm i Kli a I mm 4 rJI 1 mmi-mwmtt-. 10:00 1 spy -1 '51 Color An atom boml5 lost ln taly sparks a suspenseful search. THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GKEENER ETC I i Highlights On FM Radio 11:00 ADAM LYNCH Color and the NEWS followed by Tho Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson "A chilline exposi of the automobile Industry" AMERICAN TRIAL LAWYERS ASSOCIATION JOURNAL "Strongly recommended." -NEW YORK TIMES A national best seller from Grossman Publishers in hardcover $5.95 p. m. Encore.

An evening with Fran Jefferies. WYDD -FM. 10 p. m. All Night Show.

Rhythm and blues hits. WAMO-FM. 10:30 p. Books. "Lazarus" by Jerome Hartenfels.

WKJF-FM. 11:05 p. Report." The Freedom to Know What's Going On." WKJF-FM. 11:18 p. m.

Casper Citron Show. Elizabeth Hartman, Mercedes McCambridge, Jerry Ohrbach stars of "The Glass Menagerie," discuss Tennessee Williams' work, other features. WLOA-FM. EARLY THURSDAY 9:05 a. Milton Show.

Guest Tina Santi demonstrates a new game for adults. WMCK. 9:30 a. m. Penn State Home and Garden.

WKJF-FM. 10:30 m. Home and Garden News. Penn State University. WLOA, AM-FM.

11 a. m. Conversation, Please. C. LeRoy Hacker is host.

WAMO-FM. 1 p. m. Paul Kent Show. WMCK.

2 p. m. Hal Brown Show. Popular rhythm and blues hits are featured. WAMO, AM-FM.

Lassie's Master A Taxidermist HOLLYWOOD Taxider-my is one of the hobbies of Robert Bray of "Lassie" on the CBS Television Network. A large turtle and an owl are mounted in his living room, along with the preserved skin of a five-foot rattlesnake he killed himself. IN C0PPERT0NE OR WHITE! Imagine, now you can bake your Thanksgiving pies at th tame time you're roasting the turkey with this imart-looking rangel It has TWO big ovens, one located at convenient EYE-LEVEL, with feast-siie 24-inch SECOND oven below the brushed chrome cooking surface slips in, looks but without the built-in cost! Your choice of decorator Coppertone OR gleaming White, delivered, installed and $249.95 AT ALL 8 HAHN STORES 00 1 oniy Published by POCKET BOOKS First In Paperbacks LSUU.