MDA Chairman of the Board R. Rodney Howell issued a statement on
August 3, saying that Jerry Lewis “will not be appearing on the telethon”
and “we will not be replacing him as MDA national chairman.” The 85 
year old Lewis had announced in May that he was retiring as host of
the show, which he has done since 1966. Lewis also had said  that he
planned to make his final appearance on this year’s telethon which is 
scheduled for this evening. The nonprofit agency made no explanation
for the moves. 

    Arthur Godfrey (August 31, 1903 – March 16, 1983)

Arthur Godfrey was a pioneer radio and television broadcast entertainer
who enjoyed prominent success during the 1950s. He was at the helm of 
two CBS-TV weekly series and a daily 90-minute television mid-morning 
show through most of the decade. Godfrey was one of the early masters
of the commercial pitch. He identified with many of his sponsors such as
Lipton Tea and soup.

 Arthur Godfrey Time (above) was a Monday-Friday radio show that ran
until 1972 on CBS.

David Soul is a actor and singer, best known for his role as Detective Kenneth
"Hutch" Hutchinson in the ABC-TV show Starsky and Hutch (1975-1979). Soul
first gained attention as the "Covered Man" appearing on The Merv Griffin Show
(NBC) in 1966 & 1967, on which he sang while wearing a mask. He explained:
"My name is David Soul, and I want to be known for my music.” The same year,
he made his television debut in Flipper. In 1967 he signed a contract with
Columbia Pictures and following a number of guest appearances, including
one of the first episodes of Str Trek.

Mason Williams is an accomplished guitarist and composer who is best
known for his 1968 instrumental “Classical Gas”. He is also a comedy writer
and wrote material for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour on CBS from
1967 to 1969. He was head writer for the show at the time “Classical Gas”
was released and premiered the composition on the show. Williams is also
a poet and lyricist who has published several books.