Television Reviews : ‘Mondo Beyondo’ Worth Enduring for La La La

“You won’t see any of this gang on ‘Hollywood Squares’,” says Bette Midler in her third HBO special, and she isn’t kidding. Among the acts showcased by Miss M in her role as Mondo Beyondo, a “public-excess” cable channel hostess, are:

--A man who does a bad Jonathan Winters imitation in a garbage dump (Paul Zaloom).

--Two men wearing inner tubes who dump food on each other (the Kipper Kids).

--A woman in several layers of clothing jumps in the ocean to avoid nuclear attack (Pat Oleszko).

Pretty weird stuff--as is everything else we get on “Bette Midler’s Mondo Beyondo,” premiering Saturday at 10 p.m. and repeated several times next week on HBO. Is all this outrageous eccentricity worth exposure on (relatively) mainstream TV?

Sure, if it had been funny. Or thought-provoking. Or enthralling. Or something . But, with only one exception, six of the seven trendy, cutting-edge artistes showcased here are as dull as the worst of the “normal” acts on TV.

The exception is a strong one: Canada’s La La La Human Steps (one of the most talked-about dance attractions at the L.A. Festival last year). The troupe’s segment is an enticing introduction to its innovative, acrobatic choreography.

So, for dance fans and some others, “Mondo Beyondo” is worth enduring to see La La La in frenetic action. Others may want to ask HBO for a one-hour refund.

Still, it’s an hour full of Midler’s good intentions--though “Beyondo” may have been more the idea of her hubby, who just so happens to be one of the food-flinging Kippers. Whoever’s responsible, they picked the wrong people to represent performance art, neo-comedy, et al. Obviously meant to turn more people on to such work, “Beyondo” will probably have just the opposite effect on most viewers, even adventurous ones.

Nor is there much comfort for those who’ll be tuning in just for Midler’s between-acts bits. Her mock-Italian hostess masquerade is also a big disappointment. See goofy Bette accidentally unplug the studio lights. Ho, ho, ho. See her sing a la Mrs. Miller. Hee hee hee.

Well, at least she had her heart in the right place. But that, and La La La Human Steps, are about the only things that are.