St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 42

6D ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH SUNDAY, AUGUST 13, 1995 JOE POLLACK GAIL PENNINGTON ON TV Dynamic Duo? Rev. Rice, Fox Kids Shows Battle Over Has Trevor Tradition As Victim TJ'fr. iAVt pushing the envelope in kids programming, playing to sophisticated modern children, particularly boys, who like plenty of slam-bam action. Shows like "X-Men," "Batman and Robin" and "Spider-man," all based on comic books, are edgy, dark and almost ceaselessly violent.

In "X-Men," the darkest of the lot, the heroes (if you can call them that) are weird mutants, including one called Wolverine whose knuckles sprout razor-sharp claws. "Power Rangers," which has attracted the most negative attention because of its vast popularity, seems almost lighthearted by comparison, although the live-action teens employ not only martial arts but also swords, spears and laser guns to fight gruesome, evil monsters. Other weapons I saw used in the Fox kids block in its last Saturday morning airing on Channel 30 ranged from a medieval spiked ball to flamethrowers to major explosives. Half to two-thirds of each show was filled with combat of some kind. So why does Rice want these shows that seem so out of step with the rest of his lineup, which leans heavily to church services and vintage reruns? It's not even entirely clear that the deal will be lucrative for the station if Rice doesn't sell his commercial time.

Padden would say only that the network would "bring a lot of value" to Channel 24. But what is clear is that the deal will draw many more children to the station than ever watched it before. One of the things Rice says he'll tell them is that "there is a higher power, and it's not the 'Power And that makes me wonder will he be able to keep his Christian message separate from his help-others message? Will he try? Non-Christian parents, agnostic parents and parents who simply want to guide their own children's spiritual education aren't likely to want a sermon served up with the cartoons. ft A for (as Padden put it) "the No. 1 children's programming franchise." Before the agreement with Channel 24, the only option seemed to be breaking up the network's weekday and Saturday packages, with just the Saturday shows airing on Channel 2.

Channel 11 might have been persuaded to take some of the weekday shows, but contracts with Warner Bros, and Disney filled much of its schedule. Although two Fox executives visited St. Louis during the negotiations, Padden himself admitted that he hadn't even watched Channel 24, except to check its transmission quality, before affiliating with it. (The quality check must have been cursory. Channel 24's signal is weak, and even with cable its picture is notoriously fuzzy or flawed by rolling, flashing, blackouts or other glitches.) And speaking of sight unseen, Rice indicated that he hadn't watched many of the shows before contracting for them.

He could be surprised when he does. One way the Fox Children's Network has gained popularity is by A The mutants of "X-Men," a Fox cartoon based on a comic book, are coming to the Rev. Larry Rice's Channel 24 in September. THE Rev. Larry Rice and "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers." Is it a match made in heaven, or somewhere else? Rice is a very persuasive man, an evangelist, and if you listen to him very long, you're likely to be convinced that his Channel 24 is the ideal home for the "Power Rangers," which until he picked them up stood to go homeless in St.

Louis. (They're off the air now, along with the rest of the Fox Children's Network programs, but will return Sept. 9 when all the shows begin their fall seasons.) Rice talks about creating an old-fashioned kids club for young TV viewers, like the ones many of us enjoyed in the '50s and '60s. He talks about involving children and inspiring them to "do something constructive rather than just be entertained." For example, Rice might urge kids to collect supplies for the homeless people he works with through his emergency housing shelter downtown, which also is headquarters for Channel 24. "We could create a 'Power Ranger of the Month' award to honor the child who brings to the station the most school supplies for homeless kids," he said when the deal was announced.

"We'd interview the winner, have a special gift for him. Rice talks a mile a minute, and his ideas tumble over one another. "And we'll have a 24-hour line children can call, with counselors offering direct help, letting them know they've got a friend, since you know a lot of them don't have anyone, they're out of school, many are latchkey kids, they're alone, and they may have a personal problem, they may be depressed, and we'll encourage them to call." Rice made a point of saying the station won't be selling advertising in the children's shows. Nevertheless, none of the shows will actually air commercial-free. They'll arrive with most of their ad spots pre-sold by the network, which will keep the revenue.

Stations are intended to make money by selling the remaining spots. But Rice said, "Particularly in September and October, we'll be filling those spots ourselves." He said he'd appear personally in the station's spots, which may include bringing children into the studio, as the old kids clubs did. Since the studio is also the homeless shelter, that could include "introducing them to the staff, personalizing it for them, getting them involved, maybe asking them to bring in things, gather food." Preston Padden, Fox's vice president for network distribution, waxed rhapsodic about the concept. In fact, he said in announcing the deal, "I plan to come in to St. Louis myself to get involved with Mr.

Rice and some of his colleagues and the great work they're doing." But there's more involved than altruism. What Padden didn't say is that Fox was desperate to maintain a presence for its children's network in St. Louis, the nation's 20th-largest TV market. That would have meant a big dent in both prestige and profitability WHAT AND WHEN HERE'S the schedule for the Fox Children's Network programs as they'll run on Channel 24 beginning Sept. 9.

Some of the shows are new for fall. Saturday, 7-11 a.m.: "Where in the World is Carmen "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers," "The Masked Rider," "EEKlstrava-ganza," "Spider-man," "The Tick," "X-Men," "Life with Louie." Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. "Bobby's World," 8 a.m. "Fox Cubhouse." 3-5 p.m. "TaZmania," "X-Men," "Batman and Robin," "Power Rangers." UIJIU IIIMlll in St.

Charlesy A A a. T'VE known Jeannie Trevor -since she was singing torch songs in Gaslight Square about a thousand years ago, and I've known Michael Hamilton and Jack Lane, the young men who run Stages St. Louis, ever since they set up shop in Kirkwood, bringing a new theater to our city. When I learned they had cast her for a part in "Guys and Dolls," I was pleased. My pleasure was short-lived.

To make a long story short, Jeannie was fired two weeks ago, just before rehearsals started, and the musical, which opens Aug. 23 as the third and final produc- tion of the season, will have Bob Del Pazzo in her place. Del Pazzo portrayed Horace Vandergelder in "Hello, Dolly!" a year ago. Why? Because someone complained to Music Theatre International that Stages had made some changes in the original script, including the casting of a black woman in a role originally played by a white man. MTI, which has the rights to the musical, insisted the casting and the script hew to Frank Loesser's original, which included getting rid of Jeannie, who had been tabbed to play Gen.

Arvide Abernathy, the Salvation Army general who sings the lovely "More I Cannot Wish You." Lane, managing director of Stages, insisted that any changes were inserted only to help the actors get a handle on their roles, and that Stages and director Hamilton always had planned to use the original script. Jeannie Trevor was a different story. Lane and Hamilton had cast the longtime St. Louis favorite during the spring. Like some smaller theater companies, Stages prints one program for the entire season, and when the first production opened in June, I had noted it, and given a quiet cheer.

The part of Gen. Abernathy, though played by a man, is not gender-specific, as far as I am concerned, nor is it race-specific. The general is something of a grandparent, or uncle, figure who gives advice to Miss Sarah Brown, the "Mission doll" who is one of the two key female characters. The advice can as easily come from a woman as from a man, or from a black person instead of a white one, and it's an ideal role for expanded, non-traditional casting. "We thought it was terrific that Jeannie was able to do the role," Lane continued.

"We never made a secret of it, and we did not expect a problem. And then, suddenly, they told us to get rid of Jeannie or else we could not do the show. "They wouldn't even listen to It's Slatkin's farewell season. Make sure you get tickets to hear some of the greatest artists of all time with Leonard Slatkin as Music Director and Conductor of the Saint Louis Symphony. Mile you still can Qaiumm.

SAINT LQUIS ORCHESTRA Leonard Dimtonmd Ontixw. Just when you thought you'd heard it all It's VOLina. It's frPfih a A nH it'c in (ho Dnrt us," Lane went on, his voice rising with anger. "And they told us it was a gender issue, not a racial issue." Actually, it's neither and it's both, and it raises some interesting issues. Jo Sullivan Loesser, widow of the composer-lyricist, is extremely protective of his work.

She wants his songs performed tne way tney were written, and she doesn't want someone playing fast and loose with a Frank Loesser musical. As a writer, I find myself mostly agreeing with her. I don't want someone, down the road, altering something I wrote for no good reason. That's the people copyright their reason writing, and why the Post-Dis patch, for example, copyrights the entire newspaper. If you want to quote something I ve written, ask for permission, and use it properly so as not to embarrass either me or my employer.

Composers are a notch ahead of writers; they get money, known as royalties. If the Stages people had asked for permission up front, they might have received it Jo Sullivan Loesser was born in Mounds, 111., and went to high school here, and after a trip to New York to get into show business, she returned to play Dorothy in "The Wizard of the Muny in 1951. Her daughter, Emily, reprised it three years ago, making them the first mother-daughter team ever to play the same starring roles in Forest Park. Lane said that he never foresaw the problem, and by the time things got out of hand, there was insufficient time to straighten them out. It's a shame that Jeannie Trevor got caught in the middle.

And an oversight: The discussion of "Faust" in this space last week mentioned that Kurt Deutsch would be in the title role but neglected to point out that he had grown up here, as had Ken Page, who will be the Lord. Deutsch, 29, is an alum of John Burroughs and of Syracuse University, and has been on Broadway in "A Few Good Men" and "Broadway Bound." The show is in rehearsal now in San Diego and will open there next month, with hopes for a New York opening later. Samuel Butler, defining genius, said: "It might be more fitly described as a supreme capacity for getting its possessors into trouble of all kinds and keeping them therein so long as the genius remains." mm Join the4frican Drum Ensemble in a musical journey through the history of rhythm lb learn more about our W-W Family Series, coIMWOOl SAINT LQUIS ORCHESTRA Lttmnl Slalfiin, Music andor and faukfor Just when you thought you'd heard it all It's ahni it uhat'c hannoninn rVonnt. tAl I A 0tk mtm "Fast Funny!" Joe Pollack, Post-Dispatch "the biggest hit on the Goldenrod!" St. Charles Journal Order Today! Don't Miss It! Labor Coming ISM Season Finale! Sponsors Starring: Christine Toy and Lewis Cleale Tickets Available: Forest Park Box Office, Open 7 Days A Week 9 a.m.

to 9 p.m., All MetroTTx Outlets Group Saks or more) call 314-361 1900 ext 308 2 am is ECIAL HOLIDAY EVENT fiUiiit iJWm'ffs iu ii me i u9i uiopuLui i cveiy vvcuilcsUdy. ST. LOUIS POST-OSWICH.