TELEVISION: Oldest Alive

On any other show, the script might have spelled disaster. There was the ambitious momma, dead set on getting daughter into show business—but with enough maternal instinct left over to mother a stray coyote, a spinster tourist and a Mexican wetback with a guitar. There was also the expected, easygoing dad, a navy officer son-in-law sore at momma's machinations, and a happy ending. But somehow, on the U.S. Steel Hour (CBS) last week, the thin substance of The Pink Burro stiffened into a commendable show.

During its six years (146 shows) on TV, the Steel Hour (produced by the Theatre Guild) has pulled the same trick more often than its competitors like to remember. And more often than not, its secret has been good actors, live performances. Last week it was June Havoc as Momma, Edward Andrews as Dad, and Jane Withers as Momma's sister, who put a lively kick into Pink Burro. In the past, Tallulah Bankhead, Ethel Merman, Maurice Evans, Helen Hayes and Julie Harris handled similar chores. No one on the Steel Hour sees any reason to search for a new formula. Even in the summer, when other shows are sneaking by with reruns, the Steel Hour will remain live, with lively casts, the names familiar from countless Broadway marquees. Like the careful pilot who wants to be not the hottest guy in the air. merely the oldest, the Steel Hour will settle for its present status: the oldest live dramatic show on television.