REAL CHARACTERS TEST FOR ‘CRAZY HOUSE’

The man who brought the world “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” and “Real People” is at it again.

“Crazy House” is the tentative title of the TV comedy project executive producer George Schlatter is developing for CBS. If all goes well, Schlatter hopes to do for comedy in the ‘80s what “Laugh-In” did in the late ‘60s: provide a proving ground for character comedians who otherwise might never come to the public’s attention.

“ ‘The Tonight Show’ and the Letterman show are available to stand-up comedians, but the character actors are pretty much relegated to auditioning for sitcoms,” said Schlatter, who, as executive producer of “Laugh-In” provided exposure for Lily Tomlin, Goldie Hawn, Eileen Brennan and others at the start of their careers.

Once upon a time, the kind of actor-comedians Schlatter is shopping for might have been showcased on the 16 or so variety shows that existed in TV’s first two decades, the producer noted. Today, he said, “Saturday Night Live”--which was created not incidentally by former “Laugh-In” writer Lorne Michaels--offers the only widely viewed platform for young character comics.

But Schlatter noted that the actor-comedians he seeks are not necessarily young and there are more of them out there than “Saturday Night Live” could possibly employ. Besides that, they don’t necessarily do stand-up comedy and would be hamstrung portraying the same character every week on a sitcom.

To find his actor-comedians, Schlatter turned the Mayfair Theatre in Santa Monica into a crazy house of sorts over the weekend, auditioning a different performer every five minutes for nine hours both Saturday and Sunday.

If a three-hour sampling of acts is any indication, here’s what Big-Time TV Character Comedy in the latter ‘80s might look like:

--Norman from Atlantis, a pitchman in striped pants and gaudy jacket who talks as if he’s underwater. Norman and a street-wise Latino doing “Julius Caesar” were among the characters presented by Jonny Solomon, who arrived from New York two weeks ago after failing to make the new team at “Saturday Night Live.”

--A female Soviet defector who swam all the way to America in six weeks. “Are you married?” Schlatter quizzed actress Melanie Graham, still in character as the ex-Soviet. “No,” she said in a Russian accent, and then, puffing her chest proudly: “I’m lesbian.”

--A social-etiquette tipster, the creation of Edie McClurg, who demonstrated how to turn used disposable razors into bud vases and name-card holders.

--Two housewives, Pat Benson and Ann Shalla, age 50-ish, who did borscht belt shtick while sporting punk hairdos.

--A samurai, essayed by comic Rick Overton, who has to commit ritual suicide but delays the moment with nervous chatter and slugs of sake. When he finally works up the courage to stab himself, the phone rings and he crawls across the floor to take a message from his daughter’s boyfriend.

--A Dear Abby impersonation in which Bridget Sienna lispingly relates how “my sister and I conducted a survey in which we asked women if they would rather have sex with a man or just take cold hard cash.”

The less notable acts among the 500 or so Schlatter said he auditioned included at least a dozen comics each portraying Southern hicks or New Jersey dopes; a handful of caricatures of William Morris agents; numerous make-believe TV hosts or performers, and hundreds more who were truly not ready for prime time.

Schlatter, a big, bearded man with a booming laugh, lent his encouragement even to those, but he became more visibly enthused when an unusual or memorable face appeared before the two video cameras set up to tape the proceedings.

“I’ll make a star out of this kid,” he said privately during Jonny Solomon’s routine, praising his unique look and his obvious commitment to his craft. “If I told him to jump off the stage, he would.”

By Monday morning, Schlatter figured about 25 comic actors emerged from the auditions as potential “Crazy House” residents. “There’s a marvelous wealth of people dreaming up these rich characters,” he said.

If CBS likes what it sees, Schlatter said, he could be on the air by January with an hourlong format of sketches of varying lengths. It could, in the words of Arte Johnson--who was selling suits at Carroll’s in Beverly Hills before being discovered for “Laugh-In”--be verrrry interesting.