Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 6, 1995 TAG: 9505080019
SECTION: SPECTATOR PAGE: S-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB THOMAS ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Medium
The karate instructor-turned-action star traveled here from his Texas digs to hustle the movie, ``Top Dog,'' being released this month. It's a story of a tough San Diego cop and his partner, a police dog just as ornery as its master.
``I had no intention of doing a movie last summer,'' said Norris, whose CBS series ``Walker, Texas Ranger'' occupies most of his year.
Then, his brother, director Aaron Norris, sent the ``Top Dog'' script, and Chuck's resolve melted. His only reservation: his co-star.
``I'd done little scenes with dogs, and it's not fun,'' he admitted. ``In `Lone Wolf McQuade,' I had a malamute that I was supposed to have a relationship with. I tried to get the dog to lick me, but he didn't want to do anything. I tried to grab him around the neck and hug him. I almost got my face bitten off.''
Fortunately, Reno, a 90-pound briard, proved to be a real pro.
Norris marveled at the French hunting dog's skill: ``We would run across a square and he would hit his mark every time. I thought, `How the devil does he do that? I'm looking for mine.'''
Norris was talking in his manager's penthouse office in downtown Beverly Hills, accompanied by his fiancee, beautiful blond interior designer Monica Hall. She is 25; he is in his mid-50s.
``I'm getting married next year - August 10th,'' Norris said. ``That's what she wanted. I got divorced six years ago, and it was really tough. So I kept going to my best friend's house, who was living with her sister. I didn't think I wanted a relationship, but I started taking the three of them out, and it happened. We've been together two years now.''
``Walker, Texas Ranger'' is one of those rare TV series that succeed in the face of great odds.
Norris was cast as a modern Texas Ranger who uses Old West methods to nail the miscreants. Backed by his longtime film partner, Cannon Films, ``Walker'' was slotted in the traditional graveyard for series, Saturday night at 10.
Norris traced the tortuous history.
``Cannon was handling the deficit financing,'' he said, referring to the difference between what the network paid and what the show cost. ``Four weeks into the show, Cannon went belly-up. So we stopped. Then, I guess CBS saw the potential of it and brought in their in-house financing group.
``Four months later, we start back in midseason with a whole new team. Now, CBS is treating us as a second-year show. Which means they don't give us the push for a new show. I said, `Wait a minute, guys. We only had four episodes before we went on hiatus. We need the push for a new show.' We didn't get it.
``We were rated about 48-50 in the list of shows. But slowly, we started catching on when people realized this was a good action, family oriented show. Now, we're in the 20s sometimes, number 16 one week. For Saturday night at 10, that's good. We're the No. 1 show on Saturday.''
A pickup for a third season seems a sure thing.
Norris said he believed he would never do television, unless the right vehicle came along. When Cannon offered ``Walker,'' he thought he had found it. A distinct advantage: The series would be shot near his ranch, halfway between Dallas and Houston.
``Before I said yes, I called Tom Selleck and other friends who had done series,'' he said. ``They told me, `You're going to work harder than you have ever worked in your life.' I've always worked hard, but I had no idea what they meant.
``I tell ya, it's hard. It really dominates your life. These last two years have been tough, tough years. You're doing a movie every seven days! An hour-and-a-half movie like `Top Dog,' I spent eight weeks shooting that. We do a one-hour movie in seven days and I'm in all of it.''
The series has proved the biggest challenge of his career, Norris said, not merely because of the hard work, but because of interference by the network.
``I knew what I wanted with `Walker,''' he said. ``When they tried to drift in another direction, I wouldn't let 'em do it. I knew in my heart what would make the show work. Now, they're very happy, because it was the right direction.''
A two-hour episode of ``Walker, Texas Ranger'' will air tonight at 9 on WDBJ-Channel 7.
by CNB