The Palm Beach Post from West Palm Beach, Florida • Page 250

image Built Expertly Mr. Kids' New Superhero Ask Bob If I read your column each week and noticed you have bad aeveral questions about Mr. 10 here's another. Is the character of B.A. Baracus on The A-Team based on Mr.

T's personality? For example, Mr. loves children and so does B.A. J.P., North Palm Beach. A I think a more accurate representation would be to say B.A. Baracus is patterned after T-Man's "image" rather than personality.

Children's television in recent years has had precious few positive role models whom the kids could look up to. Back in the old days, every kid in my neighborhood had his favorite Western star on Saturday mornings and I think the shift to animated cartoons during the 1960s just about wiped out hero worship. I mean, how does a kid grow up planning to be just like Scooby Doo or The Road Runner. This left a definite void that, in part, has been filled recently by super heroes like The Incredible Hulk. Here was a cartoon character (played by a real man), whose might stood on the side of right and woe be unto anyone who stood in his way.

Putting aside whatever prejudices you might have against The A-Team, Mr. T's acting or the character he plays, Mr. was smart enough to realize there was a gold mine out there if he approached it correctly. In my opinion, he's made all the right moves. On several occasions, he's turned down lucrative roles because they would have involved playing unsavory characters he felt might disillusion his young fans.

As a decidedly maverick anti-hero, Mr. manages to cut across class lines and his appeal among children seems universal. He's the strong father image some kids have never known. He's the guy you always prayed would happen along when some bully picked on you at the playground. And, he's the guy grownups secretly envy for his ability to deal decisively with confrontations most of us might run from.

Even if he's a short-lived phenomenon, the T-Man is currently riding the crest of a well-orchestrated public relations campaign that will leave him a very wealthy man. I think he deserves every buck he makes. What is happening to the Bob Newhart show on Channel I think it was sometime during the past year that it started showing on Channel 4, but very quickly went into reruns. Then they started switching the day and hour of showing, interspersed with a lot of preemptions. Now it's not listed at all in TV Post.

What's the story? Are we to be deprived of this show for good? I hope not, since It's the best one on TV. Connie Nelson, Boynton Beach. A Relax. CBS says Newhart will be back this Monday for its new season, following a three-part new season premier of The Jeller-sons in its time slot. A friend and I would like to know if yon have any more Information on when and if Tie Tae Donga will be running a contestant search In this area.

Also, we would like to know why there Is now a $50,000 limit on contestant winnings. Louise Marshall and Don Hofele, West Palm Beach. A OK, kiddies, dust off your dunce caps and get ready for the real deal. Representatives of WPTV (Channel 5) and Barry-En-right Productions in Los Angeles say West Palm Beach will get its very own Tic Tac Dough contestant search sometime in late February or early March of I9S4. The winner and hisher guest will then head for the West Coast (expenses paid, of course) during May for the actual tapings.

Exact dates haven't been established, as yet, but I'll try and break the news here when they are. As for the recent $50,000 cap that has been put on winning, a representative for Tic Tac Dough explained it thusly. The show is sold nationally through syndication, which means local stations from all three commercial networks, plus independents like WFLX (Channel 29), can carry it if they choose. When the CBS 040 (owned and operated) station in New York City decided to buy the show, however, a slight problem arose since CBS Broadcast Standards and Practices forbids its own stations from carrying game shows in which the contestants win more than $50,000 a rule ironically inspired by the quiz show scandals of the 1950s precipitated by (guess who?) Jack Barry or (you got it) Barry-Enright. Anyway, to avoid losing the New York market, the producers decided that since only 6-8 people annually ever win more than $50,000 they would place a cap on Turn to ASK BOB, Pag 11 Ms- Mr.

who plays the inimitable B.A. Baracus on NBC's The A-Team. has now passed into the echelon ol superheroes and has his own animated Saturday morning show for kids called Mr. at 1 1 on Channels 5 and 7..