Courier-Post from Camden, New Jersey • Page 56

1 40 COURIER-POST, Wednesday, June 16, 1993 DiBona goes back to well Television Preview Storm the Castle Tonight at 8 p.m., on Ch. 10 By MIKE HUGHES Gannett News Service You and I aren't TV profes-; eionals. We don't understand the nu-' ances of human tastes and artis-, tic appeal. So let's listen to an expert. "Basically," Vin DiBona ex-! plains, "we love to see people fall in the mud." Hey, he's looked into these things internationally.

DiBona is producer of America's Funniest Home Videos. Based on a Japanese concept, it proves that all civilized lands like to see pants fall down at weddings. Now he goes further. Storm the Castle, at 8 p.m. tonight on CBS, is the latest attempt to build an action game show.

"Basically, we built a giant Nintendo game," DiBona says. "It's designed so ordinary people can do it and sometimes fall down That's what the premise is to watch people fall down." Action games have scored well in other countries, but failed in the United States, with three exceptions: American Gladiators, a syndicated show that's sleek and a (MM Kids Challenge, which is running this month in syndication. Challenge has kid stars playing everything from videogames to dodgeball. Jenna Von Oy (Blossom) says her favorite moment came at the end of a relay involving huge jigsaw pieces. "They made this humongous puzzle," says Von Oy.

"It was much harder to put together than you would imagine, even though there were only eight pieces." Can this sort of action show be turned into a series? Earlier this year, Di Bona went the Gladiators route, with a pilot called Conquer Fort Boyard. Now Storm the Castle expands the Double Dare style. Di Bona says he spent a million dollars re-creating the sets from a Japanese show. Then he unleashed 10 U.S. families.

Many approached it with macho zeal. One set (built to Japanese specifications) had to be modified, because the first U.S. man to try it ripped out all the doors. The muscles didn't help, though. The surprise hero was a slight 15-year-old named Toni.

"She approached it with some strategy," Di Bona says. "Some of the people just panicked, I think." Like Fort Boyard, this game is tough to care about. Its rules and scoring are almost imperceptible. Still, people do fall down a lot. That's a start.

AV YfrXm I III II At Action: Nely Galan and Michael Burger host CBS' new 'Storm the serious enough to satisfy sports buffs. Double Dare, the goofy game that's made a fortune for cable's Nickelodeon. Celebrity battles like Star TV Movies nun 1r 1 0 If 0i li Pno lf7 grave. A teen-ager uncovers a smear campaign aimed at his father. (120 mins.) 12:05 a.m.

"One Hundred and One Dalmatians" (1961 Adventure) Voices of Rod Taylor, J. Pat O'Malley. Animated. Two London canines set out to rescue their pups. 'G' (79 mins.) 8 p.m.

DISN "One Million Years B.C." (1966, Fantasy) Raquel Welch, John Richardson. Ray Harryhausen's prehistoric saga of love, lust and death. (120 mins.) 1 1 p.m. WTBS "Only the Lonely" (1991, Comedy-Drama) John Candy, Maureen O'Hara. An overbearing mom threatens a cop's new-found romance.

'PG-13' (105 mins.) 9 p.m. PRISM "The Pit and the Pendulum" (1991, Horror) Lance Henriksen, Rona De Ricci. A mad inquisitor's lust for a suspected witch leads to death. (100 mins.) 2:35 a.m. TMC "Poison Ivy" (1992, Suspense) Drew Barrymore, Sara Gilbert.

A teen-age temptress disrupts a wealthy household. 'R' (91 mins.) 10 p.m. MAX "Primary Motive" (1992, Drama) Judd Nelson, Justine Bateman. A press secretary uncovers a political conspiracy. 'R' (93 mins.) 11 p.m.

PRISM "A Private Matter" (1992, Drama) Sissy Spacek, Aidan Quinn. Controversy rages over a pregnant woman's decision to abort. (95 mins.) 10:45 p.m. HB02 "Reunion" (1989, Drama) Jason Robards, Christian Anholt. An elderly Jewish man returns to Germany after 55 years.

(115 mins.) 12:50 a.m. HB02 "Ring of Fire" (1991, Drama) Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Maria Ford. Two kick-boxing clubs take their gym rivalry onto the streets. 'R' (99 mins.) 3:45 a.m. SHOW "Rising Storm" (1989, Adventure) Wayne Crawford, Zach Galligan.

Four rebels revolt against futuristic televange-lists. 'R' (99 mins.) 12:35 a.m. PRISM "Split Second" (1992, Horror) Rut-ger Hauer, Kim Cattrall. A futuristic cop obsessively pursues an unearthly murderer. 'R' (91 mins.) 11:30 p.m.

HBO "Stolen Babies" (1993, Drama) Mary Tyler Moore, Lea Thompson. A welfare worker exposes an illegal adoption ring. (120 mins.) 9 p.m. LIFE "Taking the Heat" (1993, Comedy-Drama) Lynn Whitfield, Tony Goldwyn. A cop and her murder witness brave heat and hit men.

(90 mins.) 9:30 p.m. SHOW "Warlock" (1989, Horror) Julian Sands, Lori Singer. A 17th-century satanist is hurled 300 years into the future. 'R' (103 mins.) 8 p.m. HBO "Where the Sidewalk Ends" (1950, Drama) Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney.

A detective accidentally kills a murder suspect. (95 mins.) 9:30 p.m.; 2:30 a.m. AMC "White Men Can't Jump" (1992, Comedy-Drama) Woody Harrelson, Wesley Snipes. Two basketball hustlers form an unlikely partnership. 'R' (1 14 mins.) 11:30 p.m.

MAX Continued from Page 13D fiia teens unearth a Cro-Magnon man. 'PG' (89 mins.) 8 p.m. SHOW "Everybody's Fine" (1990, Comedy-Drama) Marcello Mastroianni, Michele Morgan. An old man embarks on a journey to visit his grown children. 'PG-13' (115 mins.) 7 p.m.

PRISM "Eye of the Storm" (1992, Suspense) Dennis Hopper, Lara Flynn Boyle. A woman becomes the focus of two brothers with dark pasts. (110 mins.) 12:15 a.m. TMC "Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster" (1965, Science Fiction) Yosuke Nat-suki, Yuriko Hoshi. Godzilla, Mothra and flodan defend Earth from a monster.

(90 Jhins.) 2:35 a.m. WTBS "Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster" it 966. Science Fiction) Akira Takarada, Tom Watanabe. Godzilla and Mothra team up to battle a gigantic lobster.

(90 mins.) 4:05 a.m. WTBS Good Day for a Hanging" (1958, Western) Fred MacMurray, Maggie Hayes. A lawman tries to convince folk his prisoner is guilty. (110 mins.) Midnight TNT "Gunfighters of Casa Grande" (1965, Western) Alex Nicol, Dick Bentley. Desperadoes plot to rustle cattle across the Mexican border.

(120 mins.) 3:50 a.m. TNT "Happy Hell Night" (1991, Suspense) Darren McGavin, Nick Gregory. An ax-. Wielding maniac sizes up a college frater-' nity house. 'NFT (86 mins.) 2:30 a.m.

PRISM "Hot Spell" (1958, Drama) Shirley Booth, Anthony Quinn. A middle-aged housewife wearies of her loveless marriage. (86 mins.) 7 p.m.; 4:30 a.m. AMC "House IV" (1992, Horror) Terri Treas, "William Katt. Ghastly occurrences threaten a widow and her daughter.

'R' (93 mins.) 11:30 p.m. SHOW "The Last Dinosaur" (1977, Fantasy). Richard Boone, Joan Van Ark. A big-game hunter enters a prehistoric wasteland. (120 mins.) 9 p.m.

WTBS "Livin" Large!" (1991 Comedy-Drama) Terrence T.C." Carson, Lisa Ar-rindell. A young black reporter begins to lose his identity. 'R' (96 mins.) 1 a.m. HBO "Loverboy" (1989, Comedy) Patrick Dempsey, Kate Jackson. A pizza delivery boy satisfies the cravings of his clientele.

(105 mins.) 9 p.m. HB02 "The Mambo Kings" (1992, Drama) Armand Assante, Antonio Banderas. Oscar Hijuelos' novel about two Cuban musicians. 'R' (104 mins.) 8 p.m. MAX "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" (1956, Drama) Gregory Peck, i Jennifer Jones.

A businessman searches for the true meaning to his life. (153 mins.) 11 p.m. DISN "Morgan Stewart's Coming Home" (1987, Comedy) Jon Cryer, Lynn Red Ik- 4 1' 4 ft' I 3 ft ,.1 1u) ri A A 1 HAH IMIIUi III 1 Wil Oil I nl I Uf, LJKJLJ fcJvJLJLIIJl LJ wu ffl uu Cut 15 interest down to 6 APR with the NatWest Debt Cruncher Home Equity Credit Line. The Debt Cruncher is designed to reduce your interest payments. It has no points, origination fees inn or closing costs, lets you write checks to pay off credit card balances as you see fit, is Parhvts Without Partners will be holding their OPEN DANCE this Sunday June 20, 1993 the Silver Lake Inn tax deductible," and for a limited time is available at prime interest rate.

For example, if you have a credit card balance of $15,000, it could cut your monthly payments by $300. Apply in person or over Open Buffet Dress to Impress Members Guests $500 $goo Like to Dance, Have Fun, Date or Ho Date, Come Join Us Place: Silver Lake Inn Time: 8:00 PM to 12AM Fa More Information call 435-3537 ify the phone, and in most cases you'll get conditional approval in 3 business days, Call us and get crunching today! nuBumi-dress to impress 1-800-999-8237 Yiui Source For Affordable Functional Furnishings Cjjflt iSMIS) 1 ruCi" rn 1 I TV fi fl 1 a uinerent Kina or rurmiure aiure NaWfest Save on Convertible Chairs, Loveseats Couches for your summer guests. Solid Wood Solid Value Specializing in 826 Haddonfield Road A National Westminster Bank A member of the National Westminster Bank Group Member FDIC tJ FITTYVT VHUmSM Next to Nonua npcj rUlUrN in fhPrrvHill.NI 111 Tues-Fri 12-6 Sat 114 "Interest rate quoted 6 an awageot ere card rates netted as otApnl 16. 1993 fAnnual Percentage Hate rs based an the Prime Rate as putstiedn fheWalStreefJoumaonApnl2. 1993 Introductory APR of Prime Rate iipptes until January 1, 1994.

wtwi APR wi be Prime pkjs 1.75. APR may vary monthly, but wil never exceed 16. $25 annual lee for 5-year draw penodolaccounl waived for 1993. Property reurance reourod Offer ocod for new NatWest Home tquty customers tKy Must apply Oetore Jury 31 1993, to receive introductory rate Offer subtect to credit approval, tConsult your tax advisor regarding deducibility Jtf finance charges. 1993 National yestmhster Bancorp Inc i ffmvTi nt rm turn na I II Jl.