Television was in its infancy, and it shows. Early TV was a combination of recycled ratio shows (with pictures) and vaudeville, done live, so there were plenty of glitches which were often the most entertaining part of the show. Here a youngish Jack Albertson performs his dance routine, an old-time shuffle/buck-and-wing which the audience applauds madly, because they think he is an "old man" who can barely stand up. But no - it's Jack Albertson in aged makeup, which becomes apparent when he sticks his face right into the camera lens. These weird closeups were common in early TV, a way to impress the folks at home, or scare them half to death. Jack Albertson went on to be a successful character actor who actually WAS an old man when he appeared in such '70s sitcoms as Chico and the Man.
