Honolulu Star-Bulletin from Honolulu, Hawaii • 260

TV a Year of Vast Variety rv they weren't funny but because they went out of their way to be pointlessly "adult." Robin Williams's suggestive gestures and Eddie Murphy's relentless gutter language unnecessarily upset a good many subscribers. On the other hand, HBO has been deservedly applauded for some of its pop-music specials, featuring performers such as Billy Joel and Hall and Oates. And, shades of public television, the service has dabbled in several first-rate imports. A British production of Terrence Ratti-gan's "Separate Tables," directed by John Schlesinger and starring Alan Bates and Julie Christie, was virtually flawless. And even a rather obvious potboiler entitled "Mr.

Halpern and Mr. John son" succeeded nicely as a fascinating acting lesson provided by its two stars: Laurence Olivier and Jackie Gleason. Elsewhere on cable, the pay channel Showtime offeree! a sturdy revival of "The Hasty Heart," this one featuring a touching performance by Gregory Harrison as the dying Scottish soldier. Cinemax, HBO's sister pay channel, brought back the wacky and wonderful comedy of the former NBC series "SCTV." And the USA Network, a regular cable channel, came up with a marvelous British TV version of Ben Kingsley in his one-man show "Kean." In brief, given some care in the selection process, there was a world of entertainment, high and low, to be found on the home tube. PBS' 1983 lineup included a number of imports including 'The Citadel' with Ben Cross.

3 Hawaii's new all-Japanese TV station celebrates with a week of specials! Continued from Page 5 of-the-totem-pole form known as the made-for-TV movie. The TV movie has gained a reputation for being preoccupied either with standard romantic fare or manipulative disease tragedies. True enough, but some of these efforts have had their distinctive moments, usually because of good performances. Ann-Margret, for instance, was outstanding in ABC's "Who Will Love My the story of a dying mother who decides to put all of her many children up for adoption. Cloris Leachman was equally impressive in an "ABC Afterschool Special" entitled "The Woman Who Willed a Miracle," telling of a woman who adopted a severely retarded infant who grew up to have extraordinary musical abilities.

Occasionally, though, the TV movie tackled broader social and moral themes and, not infrequently, the finished product turned out to be quite worthy of attention. The subject of nuclear terror was explored earlier in the year with chilling force in NBC's "Special Bulletin." Devised cleverly as a simulated television newscast, the film was constructed around a "crisis" in which a group of terrorists threatened to blow up a major American city unless the government moved toward unilateral nuclear disarmament. It was a fascinating exercise. In more recent weeks, all three networks have been pushing weightier TV movies. ABC had "Heart of Steel" with Peter Strauss as an unemployed steel-worker.

CBS's "Prototypes," starring Christopher Plummer and David Morse, confronted the issue of science developing possible weapons of destruction, one that was raised this year by, among others, Pope John Paul. And NBC posited significant questions about El Salvador with "Choices of the Heart," starring Melissa Gilbert as one of the four churchwomen who were murdered in that country three years ago. In each case, the performances were far above the ordinary. Outside of the networks, Operation Prime Time offered "Sadat," a sympathetic portrait of the late Egyptian leader that starred a remarkably convincing Louis Gossett in the title role. As usual, the perpetually impoverished public-television system relied heavily on imports for many of its more memorable highlights.

But the domestic side managed to score its own strong points once in a while. The "American Playhouse" series was in the forefront. A fine adaptation of Nathaniel West's "Miss Lonelyhearts" contained a haunt-ingly sensitive performance by Eric Roberts, the actor who can currently be seen as the psychotic husband in the Bob Fosse film "Star 80." Arthur Kopit's play "Wings," re-creating the painful recuperation of an elderly woman who has had a stroke, was redesigned masterfully for television, with Constance Cum-mings repeating her award-winning performance. And "The File on Jill Hatch," a three-part series, looked at racial prejudice in this country and in Britain with an unblinking clarity that was rare, in and outside of tele-t While commercial television took care of the popular-music front, most notably in NBC's "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever," an anniversary celebration that covered the rock, rhythm and blues explosions of everybody from The Temptations to a mesmerizing Michael Jackson, public television focused largely on the classical or "serious" side of things. Some eight hours were devoted, live, to the historic extravaganza marking the 100th anniversary of the Metropolitan Opera.

And then the established series were back with their quality intact. "In Concert at the Met" had Placido Domingo and Sherrill Milnes teaming up for a splendid serving of solos and duets. "Live From Lincoln Center" captured the magic of the New York City Opera's "Cunning Little Vixen," designed by Maurice Sendak. And, just this past week, "Live From the Met" presented a magnificent performance of Verdi's "Ernani," starring Luciano Pava-rotti, Milnes, Leona Mitchell and Ruggero Raimondi. Still, public television had its usual generous share of imports.

From Britain came more of "The Shakespeare Plays," distinguished by an imaginative "War of the Roses" cycle and a powerfully lean "Macbeth" starring Nicol Williamson and Jane Laportaire; three exceptional "Masterpiece Theater" entries: an adaptation of Ford Madox Ford's brooding "The Good Soldier," a brilliant rendering of Frederick Lonsdale's deliciously witty play "On Approval" and the current minis-eries, "The Citadel," containing a beautifully modulated performance by Ben Cross. FROM Ireland, a cultural documentary looked revealingly at "The World of James Joyce." From Italy, there arrived a sumptuous dramatization of "The Life of Verdi." And, perhaps most impressive of all, Germany was represented by "The Opper-manns," an Egon Monk film based on a 1933 Lion Feucht-wanger novel that recognized the beginnings of the Nazi horror with astonishing precision. Back in the music arena, there was the full version of Richard Wagner's "Ring" cycle, this one taped in Bayreuth, with Pierre Boulez as conductor. The Patrice Chereau production was, and remains, controversial, but its interpretation of the work through Industrial Revolution imagery was undeniably provocative and, however perversely, illuminating. The year also witnessed the steady progression of cable into trie nation's homes.

About 40 percent of the country is now reportedly wired for cable reception. Garnering most of the attention are the pay-cable channels that are still in the process of trying to figure out what kind of programming will inspire viewers to pay a regular premium on top of the basic cable fee. Home Box Office, the biggest pay operator, has been especially active in expanding its schedule beyond the standard lineup of theatrical-release movies. It has gone into children's programming this year with "Fraggle Rock," created by Jim Henson's "Muppets" gang. "Fraggle Rock" is equally charming.

HBO has been burned slightly on some Hawaii's newest and most powerful television station, KHAI-TV Channel 20, will begin operations on December 30, 6:00 p.m., presenting all-Japanese programming with English subtitles FREE through off-air or cable service reception. Thurs. 15 6:00 Utsukushii Nihon No Uta 8:00 Drama Wed. 14 6:00 Hit Stage 7:00 Samurai Drama Edo Wo Kiru 8:00 Nihon Sak-kyoku Taisho Tues. 1 3 6:00 Nihon Re-Co-Do Taisho 7:30 Enka Tappuri Utai Panashi 8:00 Special Drama Tonarl No Onna Watashio" Fri.

1230 Sat. 1231 Sun. 11 Mon. 12 6:00 6:00 6:00 6:00 Dai Kyukai Ryori Tengoku Enka Ju Nen Haru No Enka Taisho Kokoro No Minyo 6:30 Ula Matsuri 7:30 Drama MisoraHibari 7:00 7:30 Special Special Drama "Ooka 7:00 "Atsui Arashi" Echizen" 8:30 Sokkuri Mane Utsukushii Mane Taisho 8:30 Nihon No Uta Ninon Yusen 8:00 Taisho Minyo Hit Parade 8:30 25Shunen Kinen Re-ko-do Taisho 9:00 Samurai Drama rKurama Tengu" from tbs KIIAI-TV.