Dayton Daily News from Dayton, Ohio • 20

10 Dayton Sept. 26, 1989 Television 'Dolls' live it up in fashion world fjil By Mark Dawidziak KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWS SERVICE Executive producers Phyllis Glick and Ross Brown spent much of a July meeting with television critics denying that their ABC comedy, Living Dolls, would be as jiggle-laden as the network's flesh-and-f lash promotions suggested. The ABC presentation was misleading, they said. Living Dolls would be a series about four teen-age fashion models coping with the demands of their profession. OK, Brown and Glick have delivered on their promise.

There is little to indicate that Living Dolls will be this season's equivalent of NBC's salacious Nightingales. The critics' worst fears should be dismissed by tonight's remarkably tame opener. Still, although Living Dolls is not nearly as voyeuristic as those ABC promotions, the series falls flat on several other counts. Too cute and too contrived, the ragged comedy is stocked with stereotyped characters, trite one-liners and formula plots. It's as though Brown and Glick set out to fashion the Facts of Life girls as models.

That's not aiming very high on the sitcom scale. The premise for the series will be set up in tonight's episode of Who's the Boss? (8 p.m. on Channel 2). Sam (Alyssa Milano) has a friend, Charlie (Leah Remini), who has the chance to try her luck as a model. Following the Who's the Boss? setup, Living Dolls will get a special preview at 8:30.

The new situation comedy moves into its regular time slot on Saturday. Michael Learned, who won four Emmys for her work on The Waltons and Nurse, plays Trish Carlin, the top New York agent who fills in as the four girls' teacher and surrogate mother. Charlie is the street-smart one from Brooklyn. Martha (Alison Elliott) is the unbelievably nice one from Idaho. Emily (Halle Berry) is the smart, down-to-earth one who plans on attending medical school.

And Caroline (Deborah Tucker) is the shallow, egotistical one. For a series that's trying to be realistic in its Alison Elliott, Halle Berry (top, left to right), Deborah Tucker, Michael Learned (center right) and Leah Remini (bottom) in 'Living Dolls' No joke: A funny thing happened to Barbara Walters on the way to her ABC special tonight: She was charmed off her feet by three of the funniest folks on the planet. Prior to her chat with Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and Jay Leno, Walters said, she wasn't sure she'd like interviewing three jokesters. "Truthfully, I never thought comedians were interesting enough to interview, as a group. It's usually just joke, joke, joke," Walters said.

But she was pleasantly surprised by the trio, finding them "very interesting, multifaceted men happily married with normal family lives." All three were interviewed separately in their homes for tonight's program (10 p.m. on Channel 2). Yes, but: Most Americans believe violence and sex on television are corrupting the nation, but most Americans also oppose any government efforts to regulate programming, according to the Los Angeles Times Poll. The survey, which polled adults nationwide Sept. 14-19, found that nearly two-thirds of Americans think TV violence encourages crime.

More than half believe programs depicting nudity and sex encourage immorality in society. But a majority say banning or censoring programming is not the answer. They would prefer to see controversial programming segregated in some way scheduled at a later hour, placed on a separate channel or given a rating code similar to the movie system. The poll findings come amid a surge in efforts to restrict TV programs. The House and Senate have passed legislation granting a three-year exemption from the Sherman Antitrust Act so broadcasters, cable and production companies can develop guidelines on depictions of violence, sex and drug use.

The bills are now in conference committee. Cable is able: Cable executives have been urged to fight back against "cable-bashing" as subscribers complain about poor cable TV service and increased rates and Congress debates bills that would reregulate cable. James Mooney, president of the National Cable Television Association, told colleagues at the Great Lakes Exposition cable convention in Columbus that it's time for cable operators to "stand up for cable and for what cable has achieved." He said there are 51 million cable homes, "not because they have to be they're cable homes because they want to be," thanks to an upsurge in first-run programming since cable was deregulated in 1984. Mooney reminded his audience that many cable programs are highly praised by TV critics and that a recent Roper Organization poll depiction of teen-agers and models, these four characters fit a little too neatly into a sitcom pattern. Tucker's self-centered Caroline wide-eyed and empty-headed is particularly unconvincing.

Learned just looks ill at ease trying to play straight woman to her four teen co-stars. After the failure of ABC's short-lived drama about psychiatrists, Hothouse, the prime-time veteran said she wanted the more humane working hours of a comedy. "I'm getting too old to do the hour stuff," Learned told critics. "So this is really something I've been looking to do I think (this character) has a lot of potential." Whatever promise she saw in the script is not realized in tonight's debut. The episode hits all the right themes about responsibility, discipline and education, but it does so in a cloying and hackneyed manner (right down to the final obligatory hug).

Hardly a model comedy, Living Dolls probably won't be living in prime-time for very long. Jay Leno and Barbara Walters this is the first season in which all CBS and NBC shows are captioned. Only viewers with decoders can see the captions on the screen. "It's wonderful!" said actress Marlee Matlin, who has worked with the institute to have more programs captioned. "Our next challenge will be to see more daytime and cable programming with captions." HBO movies: Three new Home Box Office movies will delve into nuclear war, art forgeries and spies.

Grand Tour, a nuclear doomsday drama, will star Powers Boothe, Rebecca DeMornay, James Earl Jones, Rip Torn and Martin Landau. In Precious, Jeff Goldblum's love affair involves him in art forgeries. And Red King, White Knight will star Tom Skerritt as an ex-CIA agent sent to thwart a plot by conservatives in the Soviet government to assassinate the Soviet general secretary. Yeah, yeah, we know Gene Hackman did that already. HBO says they'll do it better.

Salute to Sammy: ABC will air a 90-minute salute to Sammy Davis Jr. on his 60th anniversary in show biz. The long-planned event, hosted by Eddie Murphy, will be taped with a live audience at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood. Snoopy parents: Actress-singer Barbara McNair and actor-director Raymond St. Jacques have been signed for recurring roles as the parents of Daphne Maxwell Reid on the new CBS sleuth series.

Snoops, in which Reid stars with real-life husband Tim Reid. That word is just in from our Hollywood spy (who Ima Snoop. Compiled by Tom Hopkins with wire services infamous Compte de Rochefort places Louis XIV's twin brother on the French throne and imprisons the real king. 3:15 a.m. max The French Woman (1978, Drama) Francoise Fabian, Dayle Haddon.

A bordello kept open by a government subsidy is the scene of murder and political scandal when a VIP customer is photographed at play. 3:30 a.m. The Being (1983, Horror) Martin Landau, Jose Ferrer. In a small Idaho town, residents disappear at an epidemic rate, and a cop is determined to solve the mysterious case. 3:45 a.m.

Mi I Love You (Eu Te Amo) (1981, Drama) Sonia Braga. Paulo Cesar Pereio. Two people begin an explosive affair in an attempt to forget their former lovers. (Dubbed) (R) 4 a.m. 45 Day of the Animals (1977, Horror) Christopher George, Leslie Nielsen.

A group of hikers in a high-altitude forest are stalked by animals made aggressive by the destruction of the ozone layer. 4 a.m. AsE Joseph Andrews (1977, Comedy) Ann-Margret, Peter Firth. A young man's flamboyant romantic capers cause scandal among the staid and stuffy society of 18th-century England. Based on Henry Fielding's novel.

4 a.m. hbo Howling II Your Sister Is a Werewolf (1985, Horror) Christopher Lee, Annie McEnroe. Two Americans join a seasoned werewolf hunter on a mission to destroy a society of lycanthropes in Transylvania (R) 0 4 a.m. PLA American Tickler See 1 1 p.m. 4 a.m.

wgn The Beguiled (1971. Drama) Clint Eastwood, Geraldine Page. 4:55 a.m. MAX; The Stranger (1987, Suspense) Bonnie Bedelia, Peter Riegert. 5:25 a.m.

hbo The Seventh Sign See 8 p.m. HOT WATER HEATERS T. E. DUNLEVY and SON Chinese man with kung-fu skills and decide to enter him in an interstate fighting contest. 10 p.m.

IB The Beat (1987, Drama) John Savage, David Jacobson. The strange philosophies of a new student at an inner-city high school help quell the tensions between hostile street gangs. (R) 10 p.m. sho Risky Business (1983. Comedy) Tom Cruise, Rebecca DeMornay.

A high-school senior, sheltered in an affluent Chicago suburb, decides to experiment with the wilder side of life. (R) 10:20 p.m. tbs Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957, Western) Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday meet the Clantons in a shootout in Tombstone, Arizona, in 1881.

10:20 p.m. JJCf P've Branded Women (1960, Drama) Silvana Man-gano, Van Heflin. During World War II. five women ostracized for their association with Nazi soldiers get a chance to prove their patriotism. 11 p.m.

hbo American Gothic (1988, Horror) Rod Steiger, Yvonne De Carlo. A camping vacation turns deadly after three couples take refuge on an island populated by two elderly eccentrics and their demented offspring. (R) 11 p.m. pla American Tickler (1976, Comedy) Joan Summer, Jeff Alin. The world of entertainment is parodied in this spoof.

(R) 11:30 p.m. HI) Three Little Words (1950, Musical) Fred Astaire, Red Skelton. Vaudevillian Bert Kalmar and Coney Island piano player Harry Ruby join forces to become one of the most famous songwriting teams of the 1920s. 11:45 p.m. mt Big (1988, Comedy) Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins.

A 13-year-old boy, transformed into a 35-year-old man by a carnival wishing machine, becomes a successful executive by turning his juvenile intellect to toy design. (PG) midnight fam The Bible See 8 p.m. midnight Hamburger Hill (1987, Drama) Anthony Barrile, Michael Patrick Boatman. Director John Irvin's fact-based account of the 101st Airborne Division's 10-day struggle to secure a strategic mountainside location in South Vietnam. (R) 12:30 a.m.

won Angel Dusted (1981, Drama) Jean Stapleton, John Putch. A well-to-do family faces tragedy when a son smokes marijuana laced with angel dust. 12:35 a.m. MM Love at Stake (1988, Comedy) Patrick Cassidy, Kelly Preston. The appearance of a real witch complicates an insidious plot to separate townsfolk from their land in 17th-century Salem, Mass.

(R) 12:40 a.m. tnt Seven Women (1966, Drama) Anne Bancroft, Sue Lyon. Women with varying backgrounds and positions interrelate in a Chinese mission school. 12:50 a.m. tbs The Canterville Ghost (1986.

Fantasy) Sir John Giel-gud, Ted Wass A cantankerous 17th-century English ghost attempts to scare his American descendants from the ancestral estate Based on the story by Oscar Wilde. 1:30 a.m. max The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979. Comedy) Stockard Channing, Julius Erving. A 12-year-old boy and an astrologer put together a winning basketball team of players all born under the sign of Pisces.

(PG) 1:30 a.m. usa Fury in the Shaolin Temple (1979. Adventure) Liu Chia Hui, Philip Kao. A group of monks seeks to recover a valuable manuscript detailing the secrets of Shaolin kung fu. 1:55 a.m.

sho Grandview, U.S.A. (1984, Drama) Jamie Lee Curtis, C. Thomas Howell. An independent-minded raceway owner battles small-town corruption to retain control of her track, while embarking on an affair with a younger man. (R) 2 a.m.

45 Lady Ice (1973. Mystery) Donald Sutherland, Jennifer O'Neill. An insurance investigator trails a group of jewel thieves through Miami and Nassau. 2 a.m. EkA Picasso Trigger See 9 p.m.

2:05 a.m. hbo The Principal (1987, Drama) James Belushi, Louis Gossett Jr. A newly elected principal and a no-nonsense security guard set out to restore law and order at their crime-ridden urban high school. (R) 2:30 a.m. dis All About Eve See 9 p.m 2:40 a.m.

tnt Boys' Night Out (1962, Comedy) Kim Novak, James Garner Four Connecticut businessmen establish a Manhattan hideaway for a sociology student researching the sexual mores of the modern male 2:50 a.m. us To Sir With Love (1967, Drama) Sidney Poitier, Judy Geeson. Unable to find employment in his field, a black engineer accepts a teaching position in a tough East End London school. 3 a.m. 19 The Man in the Iron Mask (1977, Adventure) Richard Chamberlain.

Louis Jourdan. Based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas. The 293-4066 showed the public believes that cable is superior to broadcast TV when it comes to cultural, children's, sports and general entertainment programming. "Is it any wonder then that most people voting with their wallets think an average of $14.50 a month for over 30 channels of basic cable is a good buy?" he said. Now hear this: The entire prime-time schedule on the three commercial networks is being closed-captioned for hearing-impaired viewers for the first time, according to the National Captioning Institute.

ABC's programs have been captioned for the last four years, but Our new car phone number: i 'mm- 6 p.m. dis The Mouse and His Child (1977, Fantasy) Cloris Leach-man, Andy Devine. Animated. A mechanical mouse and his son have a series of adventures in pursuit of their dream of becoming self-winding. (G) 6 p.m.

max Die! Die! My Darling! (1965. Suspense) Tallulah Bankhead Stefanie Powers. When her fiance dies, a young woman finds herself the captive victim of his demented mother. 6 p.m. sho Sunday in New York (1963, Comedy) Cliff Robertson, Jane Fonda.

A young woman is forced to reconsider her stand on virginity after being jilted by her impatient fiance. 6:30 p.m. hbo The Man With One Red Shoe (1985, Comedy) Tom Hanks, Lori Singer. Chosen at random, a somewhat off-center violinist is thrust into the crossfire of rival CIA groups in Washington. (PG) 8 p.m.

45 The Vindicator (1986, Science Fiction) David Mcllwraith, Terri Austin. A scientist's experiments with artifical lifeforms go disastrously wrong when his creature escapes with its violent impulses out of control. 8 p.m. mm The Bible (1966, Drama) (Part 2 of 2) George C. Scott, Peter O'Toole.

John Huston's adaptation of the first 22 chapters of the Book of Genesis, recounting man creation, fall, survival and indomitable faith in the future. 8 p.m. hbo The Seventh Sign (1988. Horror) Demi Moore, Michael Biehn. An expectant mother faces the horrifying revelation that her unborn child is to be sacrificed as part of a religious prophecy.

(Ft) 8 p.m. (WUf Sunset (1988, Comedy-Drama) Bruce Willis, James Garner. Movie cowboy Tom Mix joins forces with legendary lawman Wyatt Earp to nab the killer of a brothel owner in 1929 Hollywood. (R) 8 p.m. sho Trading Hearts (1988.

Drama) Raul Julia, Beverly D'Angelo. The young daughter of an aspiring nightclub singer schemes to bring her mother together with a has-been baseball player. (PG) 8 p.m. TNI Butterfield 8 (1960. Drama) Elizabeth Taylor.

Laurence Harvey A beautiful woman who had always taken love lightly falls in love with a married man 8:05 p.m. Tjy Great Scout and Cathouse Thursday (1976, Comedy) Lee Marvin. Oliver Reed. A former Indian fighter teams up with an Indian and a dirty old man to kidnap a madam and her girls and hold them for ransom. 9 p.m.

19 Dead of Winter (1986, Suspense) Mary Steenburgen. Roddy McDowall The prospect of a choice movie role sends a struggling actress to a remote upstate New York mansion for what proves to be a most unusual audition. 9 p.m. DIS All About Eve (1950. Drama) Bette Davis, Anne Baxter Six Oscars, including Best Picture, went to this account of an ambitious actress who manipulates and connives her way to stardom.

9 p.m. lif Sin of Innocence (1986. Drama) Bill Bixby, Dee Wallace Stone The recent marriage of a widower and a divorcee is tested when two of their respective children fall in love with one another. 9p.m. PLA Picasso Trigger (1988 Drama) Steve Bond, Dona Speir.

A ruthless criminal sends his henchmen after the FBI agents who killed his brother in this sequel to Hard Ticket to (R) 9 p.m. usa The Big Brawl (1980, Adventure) Jackie Chan, Jose Ferrer. A gang of mobsters encounter a young permonthTp Suffer the little children. It's this S4. 95 monthly plus installation Full featured, hands free phone "No obsolescence" guarantee Unlimited equipment warranty Rent as long as you like It's this Installation at ProCare VISA, MC, SOHIO, Horizon and Discover cards accepted 12 month Cellular One Executive Service Agreement and credit approval required Dayton: 138-0666 IT'S FURNACE CHECK-UP TIME AGAIN LIMITED TIME OFFER ACT NOW SAVE 15 On Butler's annual pre-season efficiency and 8-polnt safety check Don't wait you'll save 15 now and maybe a lot of furnace troubles later Our radio dispatched trucks are ready and waiting.

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