Stupid Freckle Tricks

If NBC is successful, the old “Howdy Doody Show” will be resurrected--with David Letterman involved. No, the late-night TV host--who bears something of a resemblance to the gap-toothed cowboy marionette of TV legend--would not play Howdy. He’s been approached to take over the role of host from Buffalo Bob Smith, NBC chief Brandon Tartikoff tells us.

“We have had several conversations with David Letterman and his production staff about doing a new version of ‘Howdy Doody’ for Saturday mornings,” Tartikoff says.

The discussions are only at the talking stage; Letterman’s representatives aren’t commenting.

If Letterman agrees, the network is considering the show for fall, 1991. The original show ran 1947 to 1960 on NBC, then was syndicated briefly in 1976.

The proposed “Howdy Doody” revival is part of Tartikoff’s plan to beef up Saturday mornings at a time when network cartoon programs are steadily losing viewers to offerings from cable and independent stations.