The Times and Democrat from Orangeburg, South Carolina • 6

llll'l'ill jg muni Page 6A, Orangeburg, S.C., Tuesday, July 23, 1991 nitacrat Private eye named Veronica Clare arrives in new cable series By JAY SHARBUTT AP Television Writer NEW YORK "Veronica Clare" is about a lovely private eye who co-owns a jazz club. It's in Los Angeles. You can tell. The decor is nouvelle Art Deco. The men wear dark suits and ties.

The waiters serve food. On the bright side, there are flickers of fun in the premiere of this new one-hour series, arriving Tuesday as part of the Lifetime cable network's first-ever night of original programs. For example, Veronica's sweetly dotty aunt (Jaquelyn Hyde) refers to her late husband's boss, a mobster, as "a man of dubious integrity." Why, he never even provided a pension plan, she says. Later, when the hood (Dan Hedaya) meets Veronica, he says in passing that he's 55. "I was guessing 40," she sort of lies.

He explains that "it's a lift," or what some call plastic surgery. never would have known, Louis," she murmurs. But the show has a problem its star, Laura Robinson, late of CBS' "Night Heat." As Veronica, she is blonde, sleek, sultry, tough, vulnerable, smoky- voiced, and even packs a rod. But as an actress, she's no Ali McGraw. A pity.

Because the script by Jeffrey Bloom, creator and co-executive producer of the series, has a lot of verbal playfulness. It faintly echoes the black-and-white film '40s, when private eye flicks had a certain class, not today's hordes of wild-eyed geeks fresh from the University of Uzi. But then, Lifetime is programmed for female viewers. Conventional wisdom says only men like mayhem and buddy movies in which the buddies always scream "YAAAAAAAHHHHHHH" as their car accidentally roars over a cliff. It's kind of nice, though, that not one shot is fired in Tuesday's show.

No cars go over a cliff, either, al-' though Veronica does drive briskly in her fine old cream-white Mercedes as her off-camera voice narrates her thoughts in the best gumshoe-movie manner. (You learn the thoughts are part of letters about her adventures that she writes to an old flambee. She does not mail them, as he has blown town. Boy, will he have a lot of reading to do if they meet again.) Tuesday's premiere plot concerns $1 million, give brightness department, he may go only 30, 40 watts max. The show lights up each time guest players Hyde and Hedaya take their respective turns.

In fact, the whole thing could have been a sly, funny hour because Bloom's dialogue is usually snappy, if not his plotting. But Robinson's Veronica is oddly stiff. Her delivery of the lines tends to make them go thud more often than not. In her blonde sort of way, she has the sultriness of a Lauren Bacall, but not the timing. Maybe things will improve in coming episodes.

Let us pray, because all the star has to do is live up to the promise of the show's premise. Incidentally, "Veronica Clare," which has a nice, bluesy sax, piano and bass opening theme, isn't the first private eye series to feature a jazz club as part of the proceedings. In 1958, NBC had a nifty series, "Peter Gunn," about a private eye whose sweetie owned a jazz club. It was a good, honest dive called Mother's. It didn't serve food.

Ah, well. Nostalgia just isn't what it used to be. or take. Her auntfe late husband, a genius accountant and father of their two no-good daughters, skimmed the loot or some of it from the mobster during 30 years of loyal service. The aunt summons Veronica and says she's gotten a threatening call, not from the mobster but "a man with a very gravelly voice." She asks Veronica to negotiate "a reasonable settlement" of say, ohhh, $25,000.

Seconds later, the sound of a cuckoo clock is heard in the house. In due course, a meeting is arranged. He professes no knowledge of the threats, but then at another meeting, shows anger at what he thinks his accountant did. The mobster, no student of anatomy, says this: "When I figured out what was going on behind my back, it was like he ripped my chest open and took my heart After a small settlement is agreed on, she enlists a former boyfriend, a police lieutenant (Tony Plana), to help pull a sting on the mobster that will pay off the balance. This should not be hard.

The mobster is a basically decent guy. But in the Tuesday's television (NASH) Be a Star (In Stereo) NICK) Looney Tunea (SHOW) Orchestral "Lower Strings" Dudley Moore and Sir Georg Solti discuss changes in the use of the viola, cello and double bass. (In Stereo) Picture Show OOUI (TM (WG 7:45 (MT TMU) (MTV) VGN) Andy Griffith MTV Prime (2 15 min.) 8:00 89 Who's the Boss? Tony regrets i InTil 1 1 I I ll.j 'Davis Rules' The romance between school principal Dwight Davis (Randy Quaid) and teacher Cosmo Yeargin (Patti Clarkson) enters a critical phase in a rebroadcast of "Davis Rules," airing Tuesday on ABC. EVENING 7:00 Wheal of Fortune CI Inside Edition II CBS Newt (In Stereo) Newt (3 CD Current Affair 69 Who's the Bote? 68 Cheer 9 Cotby Show fa MacNeilLehrer Newehour (t hr.) Hunter (AMC) Movie "Marine Raiders" (1944, Adventure) Pat O'Brien, Robert Ryan. (2 hrs.) (BET) Our Voice (CBN) Scarecrow and Mr.

King (CNBC) Smart Money (Live Phone-In) (CNN) Moneyline (ESPN) SportsCenter (LIFE) Great American TV Poll (MTV) 12 Hour Comedy Hour (NICK) Inspector Gadget (SHOW) Tale of Peter Rabbit, and the Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher Based on Beatrix Potter's tales, Meryl Streep tells the adventures of mischievous Peter Rabbit, and the angler frog, Mr. Jeremy Fisher. Music by Lyle Mays. (R) (In Stereo) (WGN) Night Court 7:05 fl Jefferson 7:30 fi CI Jeopardyl fl Major League Baseball Atlanta Braves at Pittsburgh Pirates.

From Three Rivers Stadium. (Live) (2 45 min.) fl Current Affair (J Entertainment Tonight Celebrities talk about their former occupations. (In Stereo) Amen 63 Cheer 63 Family Feud 227 (BET) Uve From LA. (R) (CNBC) Steal Deala (CNN) Crossfire (ESPN) Major League Baseball Teams to Be Announced. (Live) (3 hrs.) (HBO) Movie "The Monster Squad" (1987, Comedy) Andre Gower, Robby Kiger.

(1 30 min.) (LIFE) Duet (MTV) Day In Rock OB National Audubon Society Lauren Bacall hosts a profile of seven conservationists working to preserve Costa Rica's rain forest, (1 hr.) (AMC) Movie "Top Hat" (1935, Musical) Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers. (2 hrs.) (BET) Video Soul (R) (2 hrs.) (CNN) Larry King Uve (1 hr.) (DIS) Return of Sherlock Holme (HBO) Movie V2 "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1969, Adventure) Harrison Ford, Sean Connery. (2 1 5 min.) (LIFE) Confessions of Crime Marriage turns to murder as a wife, held hostage by an enraged and brutal husband, finds her escape with a knife. (NASH) Nashville Now Scheduled: Vern Gosdin; Jerry Reed. (In Stereo) (1 30 mlnj (NICK) Oet Smart 9:30 69 Coach Hayden's ex-wife reenters the picture during the Christmas season.

(R) (In Stereo) (CNBC) Steals Deals (R) (LIFE) Hidden Room A woman, encounters a mysterious little boy while recuperating at home from a miscarriage. (MAX) Movie Vi "Crazy People" (1 990, Comedy) Dudley Moore, Daryl Hannah. (1 30 min.) (NICK) Dragnet 10:00 BBSS thirtysomethlng Elliott and Nancy's marriage suffers further strain; Hope discovers that two children are more than enough for her to handle. (R) (In Stereo) (1 hr) CD E9 Law A Order Stone Is forced to dismiss a gang rape case when the victim cannot identify her attackers; the detectives reinvestigate to gather more evidence. (R) (In Stereo) (1 hr.) 60 Cheers 69 Movie "Berkeley in the Sixties" (1990, Documentary) (2 hrs.) 69 Arsenio Hall Scheduled: "Morton Hayes" co-stars Kevin Pollak and Bob Amaral, and series host Rob Reiner.

(In Stereo) (1 hr.) (CBN) 700 Club (1 hr.) (CNBC) Real Story Update (R) (1 30 min.) (CNN) World News (1 hr.) (DIS) Mary Martin In the Sound of Ameri-' can Music Host Mary Martin reviews Rodgers and Hammerstein's musicals, featuring clips from their movies, stage scenes and interviews with those involved. (R) (1 30 min.) (LIFE) Veronica Clare Aunt Clare calls on Veronica for help when her late husband's employer threatens her. (1 hr.) (MTV) Most Wanted (1 hr.) (NICK) Alfred Hitchcock Presents (SHOW) Just for Laughs: The Montreal International Comedy Festival Mary Tyler Moore hosts a collection of comics from around the world including Ellen DeGe-neris, Kevin Nealon and Mark Schiff. (R) (In Stereo) (1 45 min.) (TMC) Movie "Schizoid" (1980, Horror) Klaus Kinski, Mariana Hill. (1 45 min.) ms promise to help a friend daughter when she falls for him.

(R) (In Stereo) OiO Matlock Special Prosecutor Matlock faces a top defense attorney in his prosecution of two judges and a lawyer. (R) (In Stereo) (Part 2 of 2) (1 hr.) BOO Rescue 911 Rebroadcasts: Santa saves a choking boy; loggers find an abandoned baby; a firefighter has a heart attack while driving. (R) (In Stereo) (1 hr.) S3 Backtalk Tonight (2 hrs.) 69 Nova A look at a dinosaur expedition to the Gobi desert, undertaken by Chinese and Canadian paleontologists. (R) (In Stereo) (1 hr.) Movie V4 "Critters 2: The Main Course" (1968, Science Fiction) Scott Grimes, Liane Curtis. (2 hrs.) (BET) New Odd Couple (CBN) Movie Yi "I'd Climb the Highest Mountain" (1951, Drama) Susan Hay-ward, William Lundigan.

(2 hrs.) (CNBC) Real Story (1 30 min.) (CNN) PrimeNews (1 hr.) (LIFE) LA. Law (MAX) Movie Vi "Ghosts Can't Do It" (1990, Fantasy) Bo Derek, Anthony Quinn. (1 30 min.) (NASH) On Stage Featured: Bill Anderson. (In Stereo) (NICK) Mork A Mindy (SHOW) Movie "Steel Magnolias" (1969, Comedy-Drama) Sally Field, Dolly Parton. (2 hrs.) (TMC) Movie Vz "Betsy's Wedding" (1990, Comedy) Alan Alda, Madeline Kahn.

(2 hrs.) (TNT) Movie "Kingdom of the Spiders" (1977, Science Fiction) William Shatner, Tiffany Boiling. (2 5 min.) (WGN) Major League Baseball Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs. From Wrigley Field. (Live) (3 hrs.) 8:30 BOS Davis Rules Dwight and Cosmo Yeargin yield to their mutual attraction with a kiss. (R) (In Stereo) (BET) Screen Scene (R) (NASH) Church Street Station Featured: Robin Lee; Ray Kennedy.

(R) (In Stereo) (NICK) Bewitched 9:00 BQO Roseanne Dan confesses his sexy dreams to Roseanne and she's not in them. (R) (In Stereo) 89 CD In the Heat of the Night Gillespie appears to be apathetic about prosecuting Harriet DeLong's ex-husband, who has been arrested on a murder and robbery charge. (R) (In Stereo) (1 hr.) BOO Movie "Out of Africa" (1985, Drama) (Part 2 of 2) Meryl Streep, Robert Redford. (2 hrs.) XuncSi Laat8JwlheHoyHOriurtHwy.3(ll& Iuesdl 11 JO a.m. 20 p.m.

tried thicken Cube Steaks Lasagna $4.25 10:05 (TNT) Movie '4 "The Vengeance of She" (1967, Fantasy) John Richardson, Olinka Berova. (2 10 min.) 10:15 Movie "Freebie and the Bean" (1974, Comedy) Alan Arkin, James Caan. (2 hrs.) 10:30 SI Johnny on the Loose (In Stereo) (ESPN) Major League Baseball Teams to Be Announced. (Live) (3 hrs.) (NASH) Crook and Chase (In Stereo) (NICK) Green Acres 11:00 fl CD GS News Andy Griffith S3 Arsenio Hall Scheduled: "Morton Hayes" co-stars Kevin Pollak and Bob Amaral, and series host Rob Reiner. (In Stereo) (1 hr.) (SB Night Court 9 Love Connection (AMC) Movie "Creature From the Black Lagoon" (1954, Horror) Richard Carlson, Julia Adams.

(1 30 min.) (BET) Sanford (CBN) Scarecrow and Mra. King (CNN) Sports Tonight (LIFE) Tracey Ullman (MAX) Movie Vt "Blue Thunder" (1983, Adventure) Roy Scheider, Malcolm McDowell. (1 50 min.) (MTV) 12 Hour Comedy Hour (NASH) On Stage Featured: Bill Anderson. (R) (In Stereo) (NICK) Best of Saturday Night Live (WGN) News 11:15 (HBO) When It Waa a Game A look back at baseball's golden era from the late 1920s to the '50s, including never-before-seen home movie clips. (R) (In Stereo) (1 hr.) 1 1 :30 Cosby Show CI fj) 0 Tonight Show Guest host: Jay Leno.

Scheduled: actors John Stamos and Lesley Ann Warren; writer Edwin Newman. (In Stereo) (1 hr.) 69 Nightline 19 Exile (In Stereo) (1 hr.) CD Sanford and Son (Si Hard Copy iBET) Screen Scene (R) CNBC) Steala Deals (R) CNN) Moneyline (R) (DIS) Movie Vfc "The Diary of Anne Frank" (1 959, Drama) Joseph Schildkraut, Millie Perkins. (2 30 min.) (LIFE) Days and Nights of Molly Dodd Molly gets to know her new neighbors over a game of "Twist of Fate." (MTV) Club MTV (R) (NASH) Church Street Station Featured: Robin Lee; Ray Kennedy. (R) (In Stereo) (NICK) Mister Ed (WGN) Magnum, P.I. 11:35 0 Exile (In Stereo) (1 hr.) 11:45 (SHOW) Movie "The Paleface" (1948, Comedy) Bob Hope, Jane Russell.

(1 40 min.) (TMC) Movie "Cobra" (1986, Drama) Sylvester Stallone, Brigitte Nielsen. (1 30 min.) 12:00 fl Three's Company Arsenio Hall Scheduled: "Morton Hayes" co-stars Kevin Pollak and Bob Amaral, and series host Rob Reiner. (In Stereo) (1 hr.) Exile (In Stereo) (1 hr.) fQ s9 Party Machine With Nia Peoples (In Stereo) 69 Twilight Zone 69 Nightly Business Report Scheduled: The Money File. (BET) Midnight Love (1 hr.) (CBN) Movie Vi "Chief Crazy Horse" (1 955, Western) Victor Mature, Suzan Ball. (2 hrs.) (CNBC) Real Story Update (R) (1 30 min.) (CNN) Newsnight (1 hr.) (LIFE) Hotel (MTV) Totally Pauly (2 hrs.) (NASH) Nashville Now Scheduled: Vem Gosdin; Jerry Reed.

(R) (In Stereo) (1 30 min.) (NICK) Looney Tunes 12:15 E) Movie Is That You?" (1976, Comedy) Redd Foxx, Pearl Bailey. (2 hrs.) (HBO) 1st A Ten: The Bulls Mean Business (TNT) Movie "Pretty Maids All in a Row" (1971, Mystery) Rock Hudson, An-gie Dickinson. (2 hrs.) 12:30 ll Nightline OOO Late Night With DavM Letter-men Scheduled: comic Jimmie Walker. (In Stereo) (1 hr.) Night Heat Giambone uncovers a murder when he refuses to believe that a failing industrialist took his own lite. (R) (1 7 mm.) 69 Tail el Into the Night (In Stereo) (1 hr.) SB Newhart (AMC) Movie "Marine Raiders" (1944, Adventure) Pat O'Brien, Robert Ryan.

(2 hrs.) (NICK) Ooble Olllls (WGN) "The Final Battle" Ham (Michael Ironside) confronts Donovan (Marc Singer) about the rescue of a captive, Donovan surrenders In order to save his son, and Robin (Blair Tekfin) gives birth to the, "child" fathered by one of the alien invaders. (Part 2 of 3) (2 hrs.) 12:35 Night Heat Giambone uncovers a murder when he refuses to believe that a fail-' Ing industrialist took his own life. (R) (1 7 min.) 12:45 (HBO) Movie "Friday the 13th, Part VI: Jason Lives" (1986, Horror) Thorn Mathews, Jennifer Cooke. (1 30 min.) 12:50 (MAX) Movie "Cobra" (1966, Drama) Sylvester Stallone, Brigitte Nielsen. (1 30 min.) 1:00 CI The Judge 13 Party Machine With Nia Peeplea (In-Stereo) 09 Simon A Simon 6fl Movie "The Year My Voice Broke" (1 987, Drama) Noah Taylor, Loene Carmen.

(2 hrs.) CB Movie "The Ice Pirates" (1984, Scl-. ence Fiction) Robert Urich, Mary Crosby. (2 hrs.) (BET) Our Voices (R) (CNN) Showbiz Today (R) (LIFE) Paid Program (NICK) Patty Duke 1:15 (TMC) Movie tt "Keaton's Cop" Drama) Lee Majors, Abe Vigoda. (1 45 min.) 1:25 (SHOW) Movie "Watchers II" (1990, Horror) Marc Singer, Tracy Scoggins. (1 45 min.) 1:30 Newe (R) CD S3 Later With Bob Costas From February 1 991 comic-actor Dana Carvey.

(R) (In Stereo) 69 Fall Guy (BET) Uve From LA. (R) (CNBC) Steals A Deala (R) (CNN) Newsnight Update (ESPN) SportsCenter (LIFE) Paid Program (NASH) Crook and Chase (R) (In Stereo) (NICK) My Three Sons 1:37 19 Odd Couple 1:42 News (R) 2:00 a Movie "Slaughter on the Khyber Pass" (1977, Adventure) Peter Lee Lawrence, Alan Steel. (2 hrs.) News (R) 19 E.D.J.: Entertainment Daily Journal 69 Facts of Ufa (BET) Video Soul (R) (2 hrs.) (CBN) 700 Club (1 hr.) (CNBC) Smart Money (R) (CNN) Worldwide Update (DIS) Backstage Disney: The Mam Street Electrical Parade Behind the scenes of Disneyland's Main Street Electrical parade, including interviews with its creators. (R) (1 hr.) (ESPN) Running A Racing (R) (LIFE) Paid Program (MTV) 12 Hour Comedy Hour (NASH) Club Dance (R) (In Stereo) (NICK) Donna Reed 2:12 f) Nightwatch (Joined In Progress) (1 48 min.) 2:15 Movie "Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?" (1978, Comedy) George Segal, Jacqueline Bisset. (2 20 min.) (HBO) Tales From the Crypt A dealer commissions a series of "still deaths" from a starving artist.

(R) (In Stereo) (TNT) Movie "Home From the Hill" -(1960, Drama) Robert Mitchum, George Peppard. (3 15 min.) 2:20 (MAX) Movie "A Man for Sale" (1981, Adult) bill Carati, Mircha Carven. (1 35 min.) 2:30 Headline News Silver Spoons (AMC) Movie Vi "Top Hat" (1935, Musical) Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers. (2 hrs.) (CNBC) Business View (CNN) Sports Utenlght (ESPN) Surfer Magazine Highlights and pointers. (R) (LIFE) Paid Program (MTV) Remote Control (NICK) Femwood 2-Night (WGN) Financial Freedom 2:45 (HBO) Movie "Quick Change" (1 990, Comedy) Bill Murray, Geena Davis.

(1 30 min.) 3:00 Joan Rivera (In Stereo) (1 hr.) Best of Jackie Gleason S3 Movie V4 "Helter Skelter" (1975, Drama) George DiCenzo, Steve Rails back. (2 hrs.) (CBN) (LIFE) Paid Program (CNBC) Real Story Update (R) (1 30 min.) (CNN) Crossfire (R) (DIS) Mary Martin In the Sound of American Music Host Mary Martin reviews Rodgers and Hammerstein's musicals, featuring clips from their movies, stage scenes and Interviews with those involved. (R) (1 30 mm.) (ESPN) Up Ctoee (R) Crossroads Country Restaurant IRTISH Hwy. 4 Shillings Bridge Road Intersection SEAFOOD BUFFET ALL YOU CAN EAT Fried Catfish. Perch, Whiting, Shrimp, Scallops, Flounder, Fried Chicken, Grits, Rice, Stewed Tomatoes, French Fries, Hushpupples, Slaw And Catfish Stew.

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