European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 15, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 16 entertainment the stars and stripes May Phil Donahue ill running after All these years by Fred Rothenberg associated press Donahue has no no no band and no spinning yet it moves faster and talks faster than any Mere talk sort of an action adventure drama with out screeching As master of it stands Phil who prods and provokes his caters to them and cajole he is More a showman reporter than any Mere talk show seventeen years ago at a television Donahue replaced a failing variety show and initially disappointed the ticket holders anticipating the usual comedy and dog sometime during that first i jumped off my chair and ran into the recalled who been running at top Speed Ever since with a top High voltage syndicated today the ticket holders Are costars and what they anticipate is current events and sex i know theres no Donahue without the he the Star treatment accorded a Donahue audience begins in the studio when executive producer Pat Mcmillen urges the crowd to moan or groan be seconds before the broadcast Donahue briskly walks in and takes theres no no applause its All up to who not Only the circus ringleader directing the crowds physical and emotional attention Hes also the lion trumpet player and Popcorn and Hes the High wire Juggler who keeps his guest studio audiences and phone callers All air borne at the same he does his choreography with out a or at least without an earpiece connecting him to the control its phils i never know what Hes going to said David the director who pushes the buttons but knows its his Job to follow rather than i cant daydream for one second because phils run Ning All Over the and i want to get the right reaction Donahue decides when to take when to charge Back for a hostile when to go to its not a perfect Donahue if some things happening you dont want to break sometimes hell stay with a segment so Long that All the commercials Are shoved into the second half that a sign of he if the shows not i keep pushing and trying up photo v Phil Donahue brings current events and sex talk to to hoping for some magic out of the i think the Donahue the clock is the when some record was 28 or 29 minutes without a one begins by saying something i love your i 4 o in n an Ostrat a n a a t that when some stations for the enemy always is lethargy and list he knows it Doest take much to prompt some viewers to Start their morning errands an hour so he often goes for the involving the audience with provocative questions do you know what turns you off for a show on sexual or guess weve got another drug and it makes you love its called now who Doest want to take ecstasy Over the he wont let i feel a speech we dont have hell Tell a this is an hour be hell Tell an Audi ence dont misconstrue that As bullying or our rr6t question with Oanfa latest diet Donahue you can feel the momentum Sag right viewer Callins Are an integral part of the per Petua motion Donahue feels they provide viewer identification and its also important that phone Calls Are he one woman called and said her kids go to Catholic she loves she loves her but Shes a Call now its obvious Shes not going to stand up in the audience and say one of the Best parts of the show within the show is during the commercial that when the Maestro works joking and flattering the audience and fighting to keep everybody Energy level sky How about the cheap seats you Gonna get into this thing this audience wants in this and ill let i please dont lose your ill be right Donahue tells his guest panellists to communicate with the audience during the they dont have to be bad actors or but they cant just be Folksy in their swivel he if there Forth coming with the audience off the the audiences participation is bound to be Donahue said audiences in new his Home since have naturally greater Energy than the Chicago crowds of the i really believe audiences Are More demanding they have a Broadway they come Here saying show waiting for the commercials to Donahue is like a caged breezing into the control room to exhort his troops or just engage in nervous what does the Competition have on hell pointing to a to but never pausing Long enough for an Back on the Donahue is All things to everybody on any Given hell sit on the Fence or swing Back and an acknowledged Liberal he 11 talk about the Blue suits As them and gain studio then slide the other i would never be voted the spokesman for corporate but let me by the end of the if All the studio costars have done their viewers have been informed and enter Donahue has sweated out another Victory Over boredom and the audience is feeling drained and this is the Best audience weve Ever Donahue will say and they just might believe