COLEMAN: Victor French returns as Landon's loyal sidekick Continued from page 1C It into a hit. grace by Jonathan's constant Who's your boss?," French demands. programs among this season's flood them and by just talking to them," Landon said. But nice guys are often misunderstood in this rotten world in which we live, so he decided that the character should be more than human. "I would've liked to play this as a normal human being, but I'm not sure the way we feel about each other at this point in time that anyone would've accepted a character like that. A majority of people today would think a guy that was so nice was someone who wanted to get something from them." Landon's angel is so nice that "Highway to Heaven" has been called "Jesus of Malibu" by some cynics. But Landon doesn't want anything from anybody, except that everyone watch his show and make Brooklyn Center Roundup! And there's the rub. "Highway to Heaven" is one of the most stupefyingly boring TV shows ever broadcast by a major network. It has so many cliches that cliche -counters will go off the scale. It has more bromides than a bottle of BromoSeltzer. We first see Landon's angel walking down a highway. When a truck stops, Jonathan asks for a lift down the road. The driver asks for $10, saying, "Nothing is free in this world." Our angelic hero replies, "Kindness is." But this doesn't sway the driver, who starts down the road without him. At this point Jonathan casts his eyes heavenward and the truck backfires and stops. Jonathan helps get the truck started, explaining, "A truck is like anything else; you treat it nice, it'll treat you nice." He gets his ride, showing not only that kindness is free but also that it helps to be able to short-circult engines with a silent prayer. Unlike Elizabeth Montgomery, the witch in the old "Bewitched" TV series, Jonathan doesn't have to wiggle his nose to work miracles. All he has to do is look up and ask for help from the Great Propman in the Sky to put steaks in empty refrigerators. He even fixes an air conditioner for poor old Helen Hayes, a sweet lady stuck in a nursing home. After a while, Jonathan has fixed so many mechanical devices that he seems like Mr. Goodwrench with wings. But it's an awfully thin plot device that starts to get on your nerves very quickly. Eventually people get suspicious of a guy who can work in a garden all day without sweating, go without food and live in an apartment without furniture and without any clothing in the closets. Victor French, Landon's sidekick from "Little House," is on hand as a boozing ex-cop who is restored to sermouizing ("Never underestimate the power of love"). But before French is converted (and decides to hit the road with Jonathan) he demands to know the angel's angle. "In my job I'm sent various places by my boss to try to help people," Jonathan says. "God," Jonathan replies. It's not unusual, of course, for God and religion to be treated so tritely on TV. But God can survive "Highway to Heaven." What might not survive is the idea of family TV programs. "Come on, what's the set-up here? There are precious few new FXT Need addressed Minneapolis information? Star envelope and Fixit for will Tribune, reply. answer 425 Only one your Portland question questione, Av., per or Minneapolis, letter help and you Q. As a former active Marine, I am greatly concerned about the missing servicemen left behind in Vietnam. Can you please give me some background information and put me in contact with the National Organization of P.O.W.'s/M.I.A.'s? A. The National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia's sole purpose is to obtain the fullest possible accounting for the missing and the repatriation of remains of those who died serving our nation. The league is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization financed by contributions from concerned citizens, and the families and friends of servicemen who are or were prisoners, missing, or unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, as well as returned Vietnam prisoners of war. The National League of Families of / American Prisoners and MissIng In Southeast Asia, 1608 K Street NW., Washington, D.C. 20006 Q. Last spring, a beaver did a real job on one of our nicest trees. The leaves came out in the spring, and up to now the tree shows no sign of dying. But with winter coming, is there a filler or grafting technique we could use to protect the tree on the area where the beaver chewed? of violence- and sex-filled shows that are meant for family audiences. With one of the few that will be offered as vapid and dull as "Highway to Heaven," one can only pray y that God will send angels to work in the network programming departments. Soon. answers. Write Fixit, in care of the 55488. Please send a stamped, selfphone calla, please. A. If the beaver removed I the bark all the way around the stem of the tree, the tree will gradually die. Food moves downward through the inner bark to the roots. Water and minerals move upward through the sapwood. This explains why the tree has leaved out and appears healthy. Gradually roots will starve and die and then the top will die. This may not happen until fall or even next spring. I know of no filler that will support the tree. Leon Snyder, Landscape Arboretum, University of Minnesota, Chaska Q. How do you go about determining the date of issue of a patent once you know its number? How many years does a patent cover? What type of design changes are necessary for me to make to a current patent to enable me to file for a new number? A. If you know the number of a United States patent, you can determine the date of issue by contacting the nearest U.S. Patent Depository. The only one in Minnesota is at the Minneapolis Public Library in downtown Minneapolie. Patents are issued for a term of 17 years. On patents issued after the fall of 1982, three maintenance fees must be paid at intervals during the life of the patent; if one of these is not paid, the patent lapses at that time. It is not possible to state just what type of changes must be made in a patented invention in order to enable an inventor to obtain a further patent. However, the general rule is quite clear: To be patentable over an existing patent, an invention must disciose an improvement over the invention in the patent which is more than an ordinary worker skilled in the subject matter would ordinarily be able to produce. William Braddock, Minnesota inventors Congress, Redwood Falls, Minn. Q. I would appreciate any information you could give me about eliminating mouse odor in my car. E Evidently mice got into the upholstery while it was stored in my garage. A. There really is very little that can be done in short order to remove such a smell. Airing of the car, and in the sun, would diminish it a bit. You may wish to remove the seats from car, clean everything, including the floorboards, etc. replace the foam rubber cushions, and then re-upholster with new fabric. The floor mats may need replacing or at least a scrubbing with a disinfectant. You may wish to replace cushione, floor mats, etc. with some from similar cars found in junk yards. All of this is dependent on the value of the car, if you wish to refurbish it entirely, how intense the odor, etc. Hennepin County Extension Service, Plymouth, Minn.