ADVENTURE - TRAINS batch8/20260909_091607

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## HEADING: ADVENTURE - TRAINS
COMEDY
## LEFT COLUMN
645. MARK RUSSELL: (Satire) 1.
Lampoons the Presidential race. 10/84
The 'Post-election Shuffle" 12/19/84
Vigilantism. Jake Garn. 2/20/85
IRS; Non-smoker's Lament. 12/18/85
Gramm-Rudman bill. 2/26/86
Imelda Marcos & L. LaRouche. 4/16/86
Sex in Washington. TV Religion 8/27/86
Season's Openers.
Elections. Reykjavik Rag. 10/22/86
Arms to Iran. Nicaraguan funds. 12/17/86
Past season clips. 12/30/86
Trillion Dollar Budget. 2/25/87
Cuckoo, Fawn & Ollie. 4/27/87
Good Ship Monkey Business. 6/17/87
Sen. Joe Biden. Bork Roast. 10/21/87
Review
By Don Merrill
MARK RUSSELL
COMEDY SPECIALS
Mark Russell, the funniest man on tele-
vision, does his half-hour shows every
other month on PBS stations. And they're
well worth waiting for.
Russell writes and delivers his comic
comments on politics and current events,
sings topical periodies while accompa-
nying himself on the piano, and for all we
know sweeps the studio when the audi-
ence leaves. The studio, by the way, is
a theater-in-the-round at the State Uni-
versity of New York at Buffalo. Russell
performs standing next to a piano on a
tiny stage. When he goes into a song he
remains standing and simply turns and
bangs away at the keyboard.
The Russell delivery, honed by many
years of entertaining politicians who
flocked to a Washington, D.C., hotel
lounge to hear themselves ridiculed, is
well suited to the intimacy of television.
He is definitely an equal opportunity
needler, Republicans and Democrats alike
falling victim to his barbs. On the Iran
arms deal he reported that the negotiators
said they were "only attempting to ne-
gotiate with moderate Iranians. What is a
moderate Iranian? Is that someone who
takes hostages but doesn't eat them?"
Nobody knew anything about the arms
to Iran, said Russell. "Intelligence direc-
tor Casey found out about it from Bryant
Gumbel... Donald Regan heard about
it from Peter Jennings... George Shultz
still doesn't know about it... Shultz
doesn't think the Shah can hang on much
longer."
Turning to Wall Street scandals, Russell
offers a definition: "An arbitrageur is to
capitalism what mud wrestling is to the
performing arts."
Observing that many of us are in favor
of repealing the 22nd Amendment, which
prohibits a Presidential third term, Russell
suggests that if that amendment is re-
pealed, Jimmy Carter would be eligible
to run again. "The Carter Presidency only
seemed like it was three terms long."
Then again, he'll stand at the piano and
bang out, to the tune of the Air Force
Song, a song about corporate raiders:
Off we go, raiding a corporation,
We're buying low—and we're ready to
pounce.
One dollar a share, tomorrow will be
five hundred.
We're rich overnight, when the deal is
announced.
From petty cash, we get back a hundred
million.
It's a minimum wage, it's a couple of
beers.
We cheat, and steal, but then we squeal
And be sentenced to jail for only five
years
Stand-up humor is rarely funny in print
because so much depends upon the de-
livery. Still, Russell's material stands up
better than most. When demonstrators
protested against budget cuts at the Li-
brary of Congress, Russell said their song
was, "We shall deign to overcome." Then:
"The Library of Congress is the principal
vessel of intellectual content in Ameri-
ca—if you don't count George Will talking
to himself."
The next Mark Russell Comedy Special
will be presented on most PBS stations
on Wednesday, Feb. 25. Don't miss him
He's marvelous.
TV GUIDE FEBRUARY 21, 1987
Tweaker of the House ..
## RIGHT COLUMN
645b. MARK RUSSELL: 2.
"Bork Roast"; Sen. Joe Biden. 10/21/87
Puff the Magic Justice. 12/18/87
on "Take Two. Polit. cartoons. 12/20/87
La Cage a Des Moines. 3/1/88
Meese & Hakim. 4/27/88
Michael Row Your Tank Ashore. 10/26/88
Quayle-joke withdrawal clinic. 12/14/88
Ode to Pay. 2/22/88
Three endangered species. 4/19/88
Incredible shrinking Congress. 6/21/88
Sleazegate. 8/31/88
645c. MARK RUSSELL: 3.
Jesse Helms; 1,000 lites. 12/90
Compilation 1990 clips. 12/26/90
In England about Britain. 3/6/91
Gulf Mania. 6/26/91
Bipartisan assault. 8/28/91
The Bill of Rights. 12/18/91
Compilation 1991 Clips. 1/1/92
Campaigns; Auto Industry. 2/26/92
The Mark Russell
Songbook 3/6/92
From the recent Russian turmoil to
President Bush's distaste for broccoli to
public television itself, political pundit
Mark Russell parodies the news and
newsmakers in hilarious song.
Bill "Slick Willy; Checks. 4/22/92
VP Quayle family values. 6/17/92
Bush/Quayle & Clinton Gore. 8/26/92