European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 17, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                On the Ai r a a Quot Quot Quot a a a or a a a or ,.  j urn is  / Dixie Carter and Leslie Nielsen Are ringmaster in lbs All new circus of the stars a Side  rates comedy As his favorite role by Susan King los Angeles times of tar 40 years in the acting Biz Leslie Nielsen finally has achieved superstar status As the inept goofball it. Frank Drebin in the naked gun Box office hits. But the 65-year-old Canadian has discovered being a Star does no to mean everybody knows your name. A i came Back from Canada and went into the duty free shop a Nielsen was explaining one recent morning. A the lady behind the counter says a i know who you Are. You re Lloyd  so i said a i am not Lloyd Bridges but i am an actor and my name is Leslie  and she said a of yeah i am so embarrassed. Leslie Nielsen of course but you play Lloyd Bridges a a Nielsen began laughing so hard tears welled up in his eyes. A i love that one a he said. A i fell on the  the actor wiped his eyes. A i also have another one a he said enthusiastically. A in Detroit i was going to the elevator in the hotel and i hear a hey  i turn around and there is a Guy in a Cowboy hat. I look at him and knew instantly he had seen my Best work. No doubt about it. There was a look of adoration. He could have been Putty in my hands. I thought it was time to be very Humble and turned and went to the elevator and pushed the Button. He said a hey  i turned around and he said  a the Over zealous fan mistook the Silver haired Nielsen for the equally Silver George Peppard. A there Are times when we look a great Deal alike a Nielsen deadpanned. A but 1 am  Nielsen has clearly taken his role As a funny Man to heart. But he shows a More serious Side Cosby dodging networks with a you bet your life by David Zurawik the Baltimore Sun he show itself certainly does not seem like Earth shaking material. There a a stage with a podium made to look like a Shaker style desk for a questioner to sit behind and two doors for contestants and questioner to walk through As they come before the cameras. Outside of a High Stool behind the podium that s mainly it a nothing if not understated. But the Man who will sit behind the desk mugging and cracking Wise could make this show in the making one of the most lucrative in to history a and drive another Spike into the coffin of monday in no cd Schance of a lifetime As a widower who Falls in love with a widow Betty White who thinks she has a terminal illness. Nielsen also teams with Dixie Carter As ringmaster in the All new circus of the stars a Side show on lbs later this month. For the first three decades of his career Nielsen was Only cast in serious roles whether it be As network television at least the system we be known for some 40 years. The Man is Bill Cosby the biggest name and highest paid Star of network to. And part of what has the to Industry buzzing a from network Row in new York to stations in the smallest of american hometowns a is that he a leaving network to and going into syndication with his new show a remake of Groucho Marx a you bet your life scheduled to debut next september. Cosby and the shows producers arc Selling it themselves on a station by station basis around the country cutting out the network As middleman. So the biggest Star of network to is going off with Phil Donahue Geraldo Rivera and the world wrestling federation to sell his talents on a station by station basis in each of the 212 to markets. One Industry analyst who asked to remain Anonymous expects you bet your life to exceed the $150 million that wheel of Fortune the current top syndicated show earns. The networks position Here is a Tricky one. On the one hand they done to want the Public to see them As being Down so Low that their big stars Are defecting. On the other hand they Are lobbying in Congress for a share of the production and syndication business a now denied them by Federal communications the Noble space ship commander in the tie claimed la 56 Sci i epic forbidden planet or As the righteous police chief in the Nik series 77/e protectors. After taking off with the Loko comedy air plane Nielsen is in his element. Quot it s of now to be funny Quot he said. Quot and its a wonder Ful  commission regulations a by claiming they Are indeed Down so Low that added Revenue opportunities Are required to survive. Their Only on the record response to Cosby a defection came this week in a Brief reaction from Nik. Quot its Odd that cosy did t come to Nike and offer it for a daytime show or prime time maybe a Curt Bloch an Abc vice president for Media relations told the Baltimore Sun. Robert Jacobs president of Carcy we incr distribution which is Selling you bet your life in syndication said there is nothing a a Odds about Cosby a decision not to offer the new show to Abc. Quot the networks have made it As Clear As they can make it that they re going out of the daytime business not into it Quot Jacobs said. �?�1 would guess that in three or four years at least one of the / three networks will be out of the daytime business  prime time the networks Domain runs lion n . To 11 . Prime time Access which the affiliates May program As they wish is bom 7 . To k . And enjoys significantly greater viewer slip than daytime periods. You bet oui life will air at 7 10 . In most