Tomlin's lib spoofs are larger than life

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It was all Lily live and on film as comedienne Lily Tomlin entertained a responsive audience last night in Public Music Hall.

Perched on a stool, standing on her head, lying flat on her back or jiggling from side to side, the versatile performer offered a nonstop flow of words in various voices and dialects.

For each of her clever charac-

ter sketches, the actress was duplicated on a large movie screen so that the crowd could catch all the expressions on Miss Tomlin's rubbery face.

Among the characters she created were Ernestine the telephone operator pulling no punches with the AMA, the world's oldest beauty expert sharing the secrets of her temporary youthfulness, Mrs. Judy Beasley testing her new hairspray in a car wash, a harassed mother in a violent society, a 1950s teenager in bobby sox and saddle shoes and a screaming soul sister selling boogie.

Between sketches, Miss Tomlin inhaled helium from pink and blue balloons, made the inevitable cracks about Cleveland, told members of the audience they were imbeciles and demonstrated an erotic cheer.

She also sprinkled cold water on people in the front row, read a note from the Cleveland Lesbian Feminists and thanked the Greater Cleveland International

[2]|||In Review

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Women's Year Congress for giving her Betty Ford's dressing room.

Popping in and out of the twohour intermissionless show was Lily on screen as a gossipy Hollywood reporter asking leading questions of Lily onstage as herself.

Prior to the star's appearance, a film had shown her backstage plucking her eyebrows and applying her deodorant. As the audience left the hall, the film concluded with Miss Tomlin's own special version of the National Anthem.

Though Miss Tomlin's materials were not specifically geared to the Women's Congress (which presented the free show), many of her remarks were relevant to feminism today, and several of her observations were cheered.

Altogether, "An Evening with

Lily Tomlin...a dose of humor for the Women's Congress

Lily Tomlin" was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for the appreciative capacity crowd.

Wilma Salisbury