CHANNEL ZERO (TV)
Summary
This program showcases the comedic talents of actor/comedian Zero Mostel. In an extended skit, Mostel portrays the janitor at television station WPIX, who, admonished by his boss not to daydream on the job, does exactly that. In pantomime, Mostel enacts the janitor's Walter Mitty-like fantasies as he half-heartedly dusts. First he opens the presents under the Christmas tree and finds mittens which he plays with, and chocolates which he devours. When his boss's girlfriend leaves a present -- a framed photo of herself for the boss -- the janitor sings to the picture and fantasizes that she is in love with him. During the course of the program, he mimes playing golf with dust balls, draws a game of tic-tac-toe on the floor, and imagines himself a symphony conductor, a great artist, the pilot of a Stanley steamer, and a boxer who gets knocked out. When he comes to, his boss gives him a Christmas present -- a new mop head, which he puts on his head and pretends to be a British barrister as he sings "Auld Lang Syne" with his back to the camera.
Details
- NETWORK: WPIX-TV
- DATE: December 27, 1948 Monday 8:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:16:36
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: T:27876
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy;
- SERIES RUN: WPIX (New York, NY)-TV, 1948
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Loeb, Phillip (See also: Loeb, Philip) … Producer
- Clark Jones … Director, Directed for television by
- Clay Yurdin … Direction (Misc.), Director assisted by
- Sam Locke … Writer, Script by
- Wirges, Bill (See also: Wirges, William) … Instrumentalist, Pianist
- Zero Mostel … Cast, the Janitor
- Vincent Beck … Cast, the Boss