The New Shows

TV Reader's Digest (Mon. 8 p.m., ABC-TV) is a good series or a dismal one, depending on which of its first two shows are considered. The opener, called The Last of the Old-Time Shooting Sheriffs, was a witty debunking of the classic western with its quick-drawing, deadshot badmen and goodmen. The veteran sheriff of the title, played with creaking excellence by Russ Simpson, was a gun slinger who preferred a donkey to a spirited stallion, avoided trouble when he could, and in a gun battle, always got his man by holding onto his revolver with both hands while lie fired. Last week's show, Trouble on the Double, was a forced and unfunny farce about an expectant father, and Sponsor Studebaker-Packard would have been better served by replaying the film about the sheriff.

The Millionaire (Wed. 9 p.m., CBS-TV) is the kind of sudsy show that would be happier in an afternoon spot than competing for grownups' attention at night. The peculiar theme of the series: an anonymous tycoon has decided to distribute $1,000,000 each week to some member of the deserving poor. So far, all the series has proved is that, if money will not buy happiness, it will at least make a happy sponsor (Colgate-Palmolive).

The Eddie Cantor Comedy Theater, a syndicated film series shown locally across the nation, should be perfect for all ardent Cantor fans. Eddie sings his old songs, pats his hands, rolls his banjo eyes, bounces on tiptoe and mixes large doses of sentimentality with a succession of harmless jokes. On the opening show, Brian Aherne labored through a too-cute skit dealing with a talking dog and an equally gabby child.

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