Situation Wanted

Toward the end of Walter Winchell's hot flashes last Sunday night, a familiar voice broke in to read a classified ad. "Situation wanted, male," announced Henry Morgan. "Young comedian will be unemployed after Dec. 3. Prospective sponsors please contact Henry Morgan. . . ."

Morgan's break with his sponsors (Eversharp Schick Injector Razors) was no great surprise--except to his circle of adoring fans. Since Henry returned to the air from summer vacation, his Hooperating has dipped to a sickly 7.8, and his scripts have lacked their oldtime bounce. Worse still, the sponsor has complained of not selling as many razor blades.

The news was ominous for lesser comics of the Morgan school: all the brash, postwar lads whose specialty is making fun of radio and its sponsors. Things looked far from bright for three of the most prominent members of the toss-it-away brand of comedy: 1) come January, the American Tobacco Co. will reportedly drop Jack Paar (TIME, Sept. 29); 2) Funnyman Robert Q. Lewis (TIME, June 23) is still a liability to CBS, with no sponsor after nearly seven months on the air as a sustainer; 3) Alan Young, the Canadian wit, after starring for over two years on his own program, has been demoted to a supporting role on the Tony Martin show (TIME, April 14).

Morgan had tiffed with sponsors before. Life Savers fired him after the night he accused the company of "mulcting" the public ("The company drills out the middle of Life Savers"). Another time, Sponsor Oh Henry dispensed with him for a Morganatic commercial about their candy bar ("Feed your children enough Oh Henrys and they'll get sick. . ."). Says Morgan: "I hate the sponsor, I love his product, and I adore his money."

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