The Salina Journal from Salina, Kansas • Page 18

18 Monday, December 12,1988 The Salina Journal Some gems can be found on TV's holiday specials menu Florence Henderson revives her role in "A Very Brady Christmas" on Dec. 18. By KATHRYN BAKER NEW YORK (AP) Ah, December. Time to turn on the television and get set for those wonderful, warm-hearted holiday specials. But what's this? Pee-Wee Herman and Grace Jones? The Brady Bunch with gray hair? John Denver schmoozing in upscale Aspen? It's not that bad, really.

Selective viewers can pick through the junk like so much wrapping paper to find some gems this month. For instance, Jason Robards and Julie Harris star in "HBO Showcase: The Christmas Wife," a different kind of Christmas story about two lonely strangers. Here is a list of remaining holiday fare specials: Various times throughout the month: "The Nutcracker," PBS. The Tchaikovsky ballet performed by Mikhail Baryshnikov and the American Ballet Theatre premiered in 1976 and has become a TV classic. Dec.

12: "HBO Showcase: The Christmas Wife," HBO. Dec. 12: "I'll Be Home for Christmas," NBC. Eva Marie Saint and Hal Holbrook star in a wartime drama. Dec.

13: "Miss Ruby's Southern Holiday Dinner," PBS. Pearl Bailey, Annie Potts, Roy Blount Jr. and Craig Claiborne join New York restaurateur Ruth Adams Bronz of Miss Ruby's Cafe for down-home cooking and conversation. Dec. 17: "Bob Hope's Jolly Christmas Show With the All-America Champs," NBC.

Hope's annual holiday special, this time from Florida and featuring the usual oddball array of guests: Dolly Parton, Don Johnson, Olympic gold medalist Florence Griffith Joyner, Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser and The Associated Press All- America Football team. Dec. 18: "A Very Brady Christmas," CBS. Reunites the family that has achieved cult status in syndicated reruns. Dec.

19: "The Little Match Girl," NBC. A repeat of last year's surprisingly good movie starring Keshia Knight Pulliam Cosby in the title role. Dec. 19: "Christmas in Aspen," CBS. John Denver is host.

Dec. 20: "Frosty the Snowman," CBS. The 1969 animated perennial, narrated by Jimmy Durante. Followed by "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," first broadcast in 1966, a Dr. Seuss classic narrated by Boris Karloff.

Dec. 21: "Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special," CBS. Pee-Wee Herman gets his own one-hour special. Celebrity guests who visit the playhouse include Grace Jones, Joan Rivers, Charo, Oprah Winfrey, k.d. lang and Dinah Shore.

Dec. 21: "Christmas in Washington," NBC. James Stewart is host of this holiday music special, featuring soprano Kathleen Battle. Dec. 21: "A Child's Christmas in Wales," PBS.

A repeat of the lovely 1987 film of the Dylan Thomas recollection. Dec. 22: "A Very Special Christmas Party," ABC. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny De Vito, Barbara Mandrell, Mike Tyson and members of the Kennedy family celebrate Christmas with retarded children who participate in Special Olympics. Dec.

22: "A Christmas Carol," CBS. A repeat of the 1984 all-star production. George C. Scott as Ebeneezer Scrooge. Edward Woodward, David Warner and Susannah York co-star.

Dec. 22: "Season's Greetings," Arts Entertainment Network. Dec. 23: "The King's Singers' Holiday Special with the Kansas City Symphony," PBS. Selections range from Bach's "Oratorio" to "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." Dec.

23: "Season's Greetings: An Evening With John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra," NBC. A musical special featuring Andy Williams, John Candy, Robert Flack and Reba McEntire. Dec. 23: "One Magic Christmas," NBC, starring Mary Steenburgen and Harry Dean Stanton. A young mother regains her faith thanks to her daughter and an angel.

Dec. 25: "The Gift of Love: A Christmas Story," CBS. A repeat. A woman whose life seems to be crumbling dreams about simpler childhood days in New England. Lee Remick and Angela Lansbury.

Dec. 25: "Christmas Snow," NBC. A repeat. A widow (Katherine Helmond) and her adopted children face eviction because of a mean landlord (Sid Caesar). Kansas stations reject Kassebaum's TV programs WICHITA, Kan.

(AP) A television program produced by Sen. Nancy Kassebaum's staff in Washington is getting a thumbs down from some Kansas public television stations. The program will feature Kassebaum and guests being interviewed by Kansas journalists who cover Washington, said press secretary Larry Shainman. The first of the monthly 30-minute programs will be produced in late January. Dave Pomeroy, program director of KTWU in Topeka, said he had looked at a similar program produced by another senator and had declined to schedule Kassebaum's program based on that model.

He said the station is interested in broadcasting programs involving Kassebaum, but said journalists, and not the senator's staff, should decide who the guests, journalists and topics would be. But he said the station would take a look at the program before making a final decision. Jim Lewis, program director and Briefly 'Christmas in Cabin' at Abilene ABILENE The Dickinson County Historical Society will be host for "Christmas in the Cabin" from 7 to 9 p.m. Dec. 19.

A traditional Christmas tree, entertainment and refreshments will be provided at the museum. Small groups will be taken to the historic Volkmann Cabin, where a pioneer family will be preparing for Christmas. A special exhibit, "Keeping Jack Frost Away," will be on display at the museum. It will feature items from the society's collection that pertain to surviving the rigors of winter on the prairie. A sleigh, blankets and lap robes, footwarmers, quilts and comforters, ice skates, long underwear and photographs will be included.

Entertainment will be provided by The Hieberts on the hammer dulcimer, a Victorian streetcorner brass band, caroling by the Chapman Junior Ensemble and carols by Terry Tietjens on the antique pump organ. There is no admission charge. The museum country store, featuring gift ideas, will be open. Swedish yule exhibit at McPherson MCPHERSON An exhibit featuring a Swedish Christmas is on display through December at the McPherson Museum. Decorations include antique light crowns, traditional Swedish decorations and a live Christmas tree.

The exhibit commemorates the 350th anniversary of Swedish people coming to America. Admission is free or by donation. McBride Nativity scene displayed A Nativity scene loaned by Frank McBride is on display through-Dec. 23 in the Marymount College library. The large Boehm porcelain figures are complemented by one of McBride's handcrafted stables.

He uses old barn siding to make his Nativity stables, building his first in 1965 and beginning commercial production in 1980. 'A Christmas Past' at Fort Hays HAYS "A Christmas Past" will be celebrated at Historic Fort Hays from 7 to 9 p.m. Dec. 15, 16 and 17. There is no admission fee for this annual event, which last year attracted about 1,200 visitors.

The blockhouse and officers' quarters are lighted by candles and kerosene lamps and have handmade Victorian-style decorations. Staff members and volunteers in period clothing explain the Victorian Christmas and serve refreshments. Walkways are lined with lighted luminaries. A Christmas film is shown in the guardhouse, and music greets blockhouse visitors. Central College plans yule pageant MCPHERSON The Central College Children's Theater will present "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" at 7 p.m.

Dec. 15 and 16, plus a matinee at 2 p.m. Dec. 17. Performances will be in Greer Auditorium on the college campus.

Making up the cast are about 30 community children and adults. The comedy is the story of a married couple who attempt to put on the annual church Christmas pageant despite having to cast the mean and nasty Herdman kids. The Bradley family is played by Jan Stucky, Richard Ferree, Becky House and Scott Ferree. The Herdmans are played by Tarl Dennett, Joe House, Myron Bruce, Mark Ferree, Erica Stucky and Amy Ferrell. Others in the cast and choir are Candi Alexander, Emily Hale, Hilary and William Berndt, Sunday and Heidi Potts, Josh Ebaugh, Jeremy and Calleen Kenney, Tina Brown, Lynn Sherry, Cindy House, Sue Ferree, Sharon McCrate, Lindsay and Lani Richardson, Melissa Long, Brad Ferree, Aaron Dennett, Yohann Iwald, Jackie McCrate, Jessica Mohr, Claire Hagen and Dave Hale.

Mushrooms topic of photo exhibit HAYS A traveling exhibit, "Fruits of Decay: Mushrooms of the Midwest," is showing through Jan. 22 at Fort Hays State University's Sternberg Museum. The photographic exhibit highlights some of the more common mushrooms found in the Midwest, and is organized into categories based on the major role each species of fungus performs in the ecosystem. Such topics as "Mushrooms in Children's Books" and the mushroom-growing industry are examined. There is no admission charge, but contributions are welcome.

Abilene plans luminarias display ABILENE A special Christmas lighting tradition will be followed in Abilene from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 18, provided by members of the Heritage Homes Association. Luminarias will be lighted at 29 homes of members, calling attention to historic structures in the area. vice president of KPTS in Wichita, said his station also had refused the program.

"We do not air programs with a journalistic thrust which are produced by the subject of the coverage, "he said. But Wichita viewers will see the program, according to Mary Jobe, marketing director of Multimedia. The company holds the Wichita cable television franchise. The program will be run on the cable system's public-service chan- nel, which is used to broadcast Wichita State University sports and want ads. "We thought it would be a way for viewers to find out what is going on on a first-hand basis in Washington," she said.

KCPT of Kansas City also will broadcast the program to its Missouri and Kansas viewers, said program director Katheryn Soden. "As I understand it, this is a way for Sen. Kassebaum to communicate with her constituents," she said. Caine finds comedy the toughest ByDALESTEVENS Scripps Howard News Service Michael Caine is not only bright and funny, but, like so many British actors, he'll tackle any question silly or nasty as if it were the most natural idea of the day. Caine was out promoting "Without a Clue," the funny Sherlock Holmes movie spoof, in which he plays a loutish, boozy actor hired by Dr.

Watson to be Holmes a Came nonexistent person, in this version. It's a nice little comedy made funnier by the performances of Caine and Ben Kingsley (who plays Watson). Caine has been a serious leading man so long File" was 1965) that his audience seems surprised when he's comical. But his timing is impeccable, on screen and off. Like so many actors, he insists that comedy is more difficult than drama.

"If you're not a comedian," he explained, "it's very difficult, be- cause you must be a real person. You can't do 'shtick' like a nightclub comic can. The moment you say 'I am you're not. You have to be real." Caine says that with authority, because just before doing "Without a Clue" he starred with comedian Steve Martin in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," opening soon. The two films were completely different experiences.

"With Ben, it's another actor exactly the same as me," Caine said. "He's experienced in theater, and in films as well, and we're doing the same sort of acting, basically. With Steve, it's the opposite of what I was saying before about being real. He has turned 'shtick' into reality. "He does a couple of characters in 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' that are so outlandish, but from him you say, "That's how he would You might suppose a Michael Caine, then, would do one kind of comedy performance with Ben Kingsley but quite a different one with Steve Martin.

But no. "I stay constant," Caine said. "I just do my'real'thing." Events 12 Monday City commission: 4 p.m., room 200, City-County Building; 2 p.m., pre-eommission meeting. Noon Hour Monitor: "United States Bases Abroad," Center for Defense Information video tape, noon, Fellowship Hall, First United Methodist Church, 122 N. Eighth.

Concert: South High School, 7:30 p.m. Concert: Seventh and eighth grade bands, junior jazz band, 7:30 p.m., boys gymnasium, Roosevelt-Lincoln Junior High School. Concert: Salina Symphony, with Salina Chorale, 8 p.m., Fine Arts Theatre, Marymount College. Ell-Saline School Board: Happy Corner library, 7 p.m.; budget hearing, 6:45 p.m. 13 Tuesday County commission: 10 a.m., room 209, City-County Building.

Community Housing Resource Board: 4p.m., room200, City-County Building. Human Relations Commission: room 200, City-County Building. Concert: Chorale and band, 7 p.m., auditorium, South Junior High School. Christmas program: Franklin Elementary School, kindergarten, 7 p.m. Christmas program: Gleniffer Hill Elementary School, Christmas program: Hawthorne Elementary School, K-3, 7p.m.

Christmas program: Meadowlark Ridge Elementary School musical, p.m., Central High School Auditorium. Area event: Lindsborg, sculpture dedication, 10:05 a.m., outdoors near Burnett Center, Bethany College. MOVIE HOTLINE 825-9105 SCHWARZENEGGER DEVITO vw BBS! DOLBY STEREO Bill Murray in SCROOGED iggni DANAYKROYD KIMBAS1NGER My Stepmother IsAnAten (WPH i PC 131 PRESENTS BOB GOLDTHWAIT DABNEY COLEMAN LOUIS GOSSETT, JR. He's bock! And this time Ernest saves MOVED Christinas OVER ZJ You'll wish it was only make-believe. ENDS TUBS.

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