Indiana Gazette from Indiana, Pennsylvania • 16

Page 16 'Seinfeld' co-star going where others have failed litlLiiil atom. By BERNARD WEINRAUB New York Times News Service HOLLYWOOD The success of NBCs "Seinfeld," one of the most enduring comedy series of the 1990s, has not been auspicious for its co-stars who tried to duplicate that success with sitcoms of their own. "The Michael Richards Show," about a frantic detective, died after nine episodes on NBC Jason Alexander's heavily promoted "Bob Patterson about a motivational speaker, lasted only five episodes on ABC. Next month "Watching Elite, a new comedy series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a harried lounge singer, will arrive on NBC amid another burst of promotion. But even before its premiere, scheduled for Feb.

26, some NBC executives are nervous about early reactions to the sitcom, which have generally been negative, and about its cost Talent agents and executives at rival networks who have seen the pilot episode have given it a cool reception, saying it was not especially funny. "Watching ElMc" could of course prove successful; after all. it took the unorthodox "Seinfeld" as well as shows like "Cheers," "The X-Files" and "The Practice" several seasons to become established hits. leff Zuckcr, NBC's entertainment president and prime mover behind the show, said he believed that Louis-Dreyfus "is a huge television star," adding, "We've got a terrific star with a terrific concept." Because she had starred in "Seinfeld," Louis-Dreyfus, like Richards and Alexander, was given almost carte blanche by network executives, who hoped that lightning would stiike again with another huge com Seminarians calling themselves the Union 8 were on the way to prison for refusing to register for the World War II draft when this undated picture was taken. (AP phofoj Film tells story of WWII conscientious objectors production company of Carsey-Werncr-Mandabach whose successes include "The Cosby Show and "Roseanne" and more recent shows like "Grounded for Life" dropped out, and NBC itself took over making the scries.

At one point, network executives said, Hail and Louis-Dreyfus even made the unusual demand, which they ultimately dropped, of having some say about which companies would be allowed to run commercials on Uie series. The show itself was turned down by other networks, partly because of its concept and partly because of its costs, die executives said. Each episode of "Watching EUie" takes place in "real a clock in a comer of die screen counts down 22 minutes in the escapades of the title character, EUie Riggs. Each week she faces a crisis: singing at a friend's wedding, giving a dinner party, enduring an earthquake. "This is, from an artistic point of view, challenging, a little different," Louis-Dreyfus told television reporters recently.

"I'm able to play a character that you really gel to know rather intimately, I believe, over a period of time. It just felt correct. It felt right." Despite reservations about the show in and out of NBC, Zuckcr said there were no automatic audiences for anyone, even if they had appeared in "Seinfeld." Numerous actors from successful television shows liave tried to make the leap into their own sitcoms and generally failed. An exception was Kelsey Grammer, who played Crane on "Cheers," a role he continues on the successful spinoff "Frasicr." Other actors on "Cheers" Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman, George Wendt and Kirstie Alley tried repeatedly and with limited success to create their own sitcoms. The star of "Cheers," Ted Danson, failed with "Ink," but came back with the current CBS hit "Becker." Louis-Dreyfus shied away from discussing the setbacks to her former ''Seinfeld1' co-stars.

"It's hard," she said. "It's hard to do anything well." Asked if she learned anything from those failures, she responded, "Well, 1 wasn't on their shows." JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS Plays lounge singer corns, partly because Louis-Dreyfus and Hall together earn about $350,000 for each episode, and partly because of the way the show is recorded. The show is shot with a single camera, as are a handful of other comedies like "Malcolm in the Middle" on Fox. The technique enables television directors to give a fluid and natural style to their shows. Since the days of "I Love Lucy," most sitcoms have used three or four cameras shooting a stationary set, wtiich can look artificial and stagey, often using a laugh track to cue viewers' reactions.

The single-camera technique is more expensive because it requires eight days to shoot one episode; with the traditional method a sitcom episode can be finished in as little as six hours. Beyond this, the series is especially risky financially because Louis-Dreyfus and Hall insisted on making only 15 episodes each season instead of the customary 22, as she said she wanted to spend more time with the couple's children. Fewer episodes mean it would take the series longer to reach second-run syndication, for which a minimum of at least 100 shows is usually required. Partly because of this demand, the MTV fiKV rnMftl NATION MP A I I TT? 171) 1717 VJ-Lj J. JTAVCtfEt a ddv nr1 id I HArfX HUUK (BvOnlj) 0 1 Enjoy Margaritas By LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer LOS ANGELES When Rick Tejada-Flores and Judith Ehrlich began work in 1997 on a film about World War conscientious objectors, they saw it as a quiet coda to the many projects saluting combat veterans.

Tejada-Flores even wondered, lie recalled wryly, if "we'd hold any- body's attention with a bunch of 80-year-olds telling what they didn't do during the war." But the filmmakers discovered that refusing to serve was, for a number of men, the beginning of significant contributions to both the war effort and to social and political movements. The documentary's timing also made it less of a historical exercise than Tejada-Flores and Ehrlich expected; The rights and obligations of a citizen opposed to war are newly pertinent issues in an America fighting terrorism. "Wider issues arc in play, too," Tejada-Flores said in an interview. "Is it patriotic to dissent? What are the limits of dissent? What ate the rights of dissenters?" The debate comes alive in the provocative "The Good War and Those Who Refused to Fight It," which combines rare Him footage and interviews with conscientious objectors COs who remain firm in the beliefs that inspired them sue decades ago. "People say 'What would happen if everybody would do what you did?" one CO says in the film.

"Well, I said, if everybody would do that there'd be no problem." The hourlong documentary on national support after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and about 16 million Americans registered tor military service. COs were a conspicuous minority. "These people were built to be pacifists. These guys are wired in an unusual and interesting way" that ensured their numbers would be small, said an admiring (In contrast, the filmmakers said, there were about 500,000 draft evaders.) Some men went to prison because of their religious or philosophical beliefs, refusing any part in die war effort. But of the 42,000 who declined to Tight, 25,000 served as combat medics while 12,000 others joined a civilian public service program.

Scorned by fellow Americans and even family as cowards, the film says, the COs sought ways outside of combat to prove their bravery and patriotism. Some risked their lives as firefighters or in war-related medical experiments. "The Good War" includes an interview with former U.S. Surgeon General Everett Koop, who ruefully recalls participating as a young doctor in dangerous experiments intended to help hepatitis-infected soldiers: Some of the volunteer COs died. The objectors acted in wartime on beliefs forged in peace.

"We thought all of the men would have this psychological moment of crisis after war had broken out: 'What will I do, will I serve my Tejada-Flores said. "It turned out they had already readied that point years ago. They were so committed to pacifism and those values that they didn't have any choice at that point." PBS, narrated by Ed Asner and sensitively edited by filmmaker Ken Schneider, airs locally on WPSX Channel 3 out of Clearfield (Channel 14 on the Adelphia cable system). Ehrlich, who had taken a broader look at American conscientious objectors for a radio series, said she and Tejada-Flores decided to tighten the focus for their film, "World War II crystallizes ihe issues of conscientious objection," Ehrlich said. "You can argue about the right-eousness of the Vietnam War, but everyone agrees if there ever was a 'good war' it was World War II." As with recent films and books about WWII soldiers, 'The Good War" became a final chance to hear from the eldcriy COs: Several have died or become ill since they were interviewed.

The film begins with a brief history of America's stance toward men who refuse to take up arms, including George Washington's decision to excuse from Revolutionary War service "those with conscientious scruples against war." The right to conscientious objection was weighed as a Constitutional amendment but ultimately was seen as a state rather than federal issue because a standing U.S. Army was not envisioned, Tejada-Flores said. Because of concern over the treatment of COs during World War pacifist religions began negotiations with the government in die 1930s as the threat of war with the Axis powers drew closer. With substantial peace and Isolationist movements afoot, federal officials felt compelled to work with the Quaker, Mcnnonitc and Church of the Brethren faiths on alternatives to military prison for objectors. But the war quickly gained broad edy success.

The new show is a family affair: Louis-Dreyfus' husband, Brad Hall, a comedy writer, created iU Louis-Dreyfus is listed as a co-producer; and her half-sister, Lauren Bowles, plays her sister. "Watching EUie" is also very expensive, even by current television standards. One person involved in the show estimated that each episode costs as much as $1.5 million, nearly twice as much as some other sit- 'RETRO NIGHT" '80's Music DISCO! SpnvMidnit. D.J. BRIAN PITCHER SPECIAL! PH10 Olio PM H.fcO NO COVER ID REQUIRED OPEN DA1Y 12 NO0N4 AJML" RT.

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