The Times from Shreveport, Louisiana • Page 102

i ii ii TV Tune Answer Man Young an Ex-Alcoholic? Uy RICHARD K. I'nile rf Feature Syndicate strati I read something I find bard to I'tiieve. Is it true that Robert Young of "Marcus Welby" once was an alcoholic? T. I San Antonio, Tex. He had quite a bout with the hot tie lfore he conquered the problem.

That was in the years between "Father Knows Pest" and "Marcus Welby." I say it would be a good thing to have movies and all of TV's present and future programs brought in on pay cable. 1 believe we are not actually getting free television anyway, because our money for nil commodities that we buy are advertised on TV, supporting tremendous salaries all the way down the line in television. It makes sense to pay only for what one views on television, thus bringing prices down on commodities. O.H.C, Shreveport. La.

Aj.J?. 'our It'gic would be wasted on millions who make commercial TV the hub of their existence, watching anything that moves from sign on to sign off. How are TV shows rated? Why can't the general public rate the shows? Programs that are very good are taken off, hile the terrible stuff is left on. Why don't they put post-paid polls in newspapers for people to mail in? IS.M.A.. Kimball.

Neb. The Nielsen ratings are supposed to be a dem ographically accurate microcosm of the entire viewing public. 4-' I I Of course, they indicate only what people watch, not what they like or prefer. You're suggesting a jxjularity poll. Does Fob Hope have more money (ban Elvis Presley? R.S., Hartford, Conn.

That's no contest. Hop is in the $200-million class. No one else in show business is even close. Where is the ranch where Wayne Newton raises Arabian horses? F.J.M., Sunnyvale, Calif. Wayne has a small place 18 acres just outside Las Vegas, which he calls Casa de Shenandoah, where he has a house and training track.

Then farther out, northeast of Las Vegas, he has an additional 218 acres, which is the breeding ranch for his horses. If you have a television or movie question, send it io the TV Answer Man in care of the Shreveport Times, P.O. Box, Shreveport, La. 71130. Those of general interest will be answered in this column.

The Answer Man gets so many letters he is unable to send personal rep lies. Late-Night TV ABC "Wide World of Entertainment." MONDAY and TUESDAY "On Location: With Howard Cosell Training With the Super Bowl Champs" (Cosell interviews players, coaches, fans at training camp of Miami Dolphins); WEDNESDAY and THURSDAY -Movies. See page FRIDAY "In Concert" with Black Oak Arkansas, John Sebastian, Electric Light Orchestra, l.ee Michaels, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Programs Monday through Wednesday, 10:30 Thursday, 11 p.m.; Friday, following the "Eig Movie." CBS Movies. See page 2.

NBC "The Tonight Show." Guests wii! be: MONDAY Shecky Greene guest host), Delia Reese, Mel Tor me: TUESDAY Larry Kert, Roger Miller; WEDNESDAY Sen. William Proxmire, D-Wis Tnr.i Lopez, actor Robert Bake: THURSDAY pro golfer Tom Wc-iskopf. James Brown, Rich Little. Suanne Pieshette: FRIDAY Joan Rivers, singer Dean Scott. All programs begin at 10:30 p.m.

Note: All late-night programming subject to last-minute change. iors Setting vV'l A NfwsfcaWres Pholo Richard Ilounritree brings his movie portrayal of "Shaft" to TV this fall. The new -SO-minute series will rotate on Tuesday nights with James Stewart's new series about a country lawyer and made-for-TV moies. Will CBS Score With TV Precedent With 2 Series? Lee Majors may have a television first. He stars in two different series for the same network, concurrently.

This is his third year as Jess Brandon, the young partner of the Santa Barbara-based attorney on "Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law." In the spring of this year he starred in "The Six Million Dollar" Man," and "ABC Movie of the Week." It became the pilot for "Cybord: The Six-Million Dollar Man," which will air as part of "ABC Suspense Movie." the new Saturday night series to premiere this fall. Majors' introduction to television was in a costarring role in "The Big Valley," the California-based western series that ran four years on ABC. Majors was chosen from among 400 actors for the role. NBC Special Broadcast Probes Watergate 's Long -Range Impact EMTCR'S NOTE Shaft is coming to television. Some at CBS have worried about acceptance of a black superhero, but not star Richard Roundtree who says, if you have a good enough story, you're going to capture the audience." By JERRY BUCK Associated Press Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) Richard Roundtree figures John Shaft is, astrologically speaking, a Taurus.

Roundtree is a Cancer. Taurus the Bull is strong, silent, solid, tenacious, strong-willed. Cancer the Crab is moody, pessimistic and secretly craves the limelight. "Night and day," said Roundtree. who will bring his movie portrayal of "Shaft," the black superdetective, to CBS this fall.

The Mi-minute series will rotate on Tuesday nights with James Stewart in "Hawkins" and made-for-TV movies. "Shaft is quick to make a decision and stands on it, will die by that decision," said Roundtree. "I'll sit on a decision, procrastinate until 1 figure out what's the best thing to do. "I surround myself with people who I think are better equipped in certain areas. Shaft wouldn't do that.

If he makes a mistake that's, well, you know, that's my decision. But 1 don't trust myself that way. 1 think there's a tremendous difference between the two of us. Obvious things. Of course, I'm playing a character.

That's where the acting comes in." CBS obviously hopes to capitalize on the enormous popularity of the three "Shaft" movies. The question is whether that appeal can be condensed for the small screen. "It's got to be scaled down," Roundtree agreed. "As I'm learning, television is so tremendously different from features. The obvious things to be toned down are the sex and the violence.

And hen you do that you have to have a heck of a story to keep people's interest. You need more character development." Shaft's exploits will be less razzle-dazzle, Roundtree said, but still flashy enough to pique interest. In one episode he or rather a stunt man ill break through the glass in the second floor of an athlete club and dive into a pool. A more important consideration is whether white Middle American viewers will accept a black super hero. There's never been anything like it on television before.

One high-ranking network official who is black said he does not think they will accept such a romantic black hero. NBC, hich will also offer a black detective, "Tenafly," as part of its Wednesday Mystery Movie, has opted for a quiet, unspectacular sleufh who is family oriented and compulsively middle class. Roundtree said, "I think with the stories that have been chosen we won't have any problems whatsoever. We're dealing with a detective ho has cases to solve that are of interest to people, as opfiosecl to colors. in a network release, more than separate laws have been passed since 1933 which add to the power of the president.

Westfeldt said many Americans now feel particularly as a result of the multi-faceted Watergate scandal, that the power of the executive branch is diminishing, or ill diminish. The program will include the findings of a poll conducted for NBC News by Oliver Quayle Inc. The poll examines the confidence of the American people and political leaders in the presidency. Il asks respondents what they think its future strength should be whether, if the presidency has lost some of its power, that power should he returned, or placed in other hands. Tim: Siihk m'oh i Timis "How Watergate Changed Government" is the topic of an "NBC Reports" special broadcast Tuesday, 9-10 p.m.

John Chancellor will anchor the program, which ill be presented live and on film. The broadcast will look at the Watergate affair in terms of its long-range impact on the power of the presidency. The show's producer, Wallace O. Westfeldt, said. "It is important to note that President Nixon did nothing to add radically to the strength of his office.

The build-up over the years resulted from wars and economic crises, during which Congress relinquished a lot of its power." The special will document the growth of presidential power over the last 40 years. According to a Congressional study cited 6-G SumJay, Aug. 1 2, 1.