THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 14, 1994 TAG: 9407140026
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E01 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: By Larry Bonko, Television Writer
DATELINE: UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIF. LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines
IT WASN'T SO very long ago when that super-duper, colossal filmmaker George Lucas - he created the ``Star Wars'' trilogy and is thinking about making three more pictures with the same theme - appeared before the nation's television writers to promote ``The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles'' for ABC.
How could it miss, the ABC people asked, three TV seasons ago? The series had Lucas behind it, spectacular locales from all over the world, a young hunk in the lead and a character from the fiction Hall of Fame (Indiana Jones) that everybody is crazy about.
In its brief run on ABC, ``Young Indy'' was a prime-time series in search of an audience that never found one, no matter where it was scheduled. When ABC canceled the show, everyone figured that it had gone to TV heaven, and that was that.
But this is George Lucas, the guy who brought back rousing adventure stories to films, and who put together a company that redefined the way movie special effects were done. He likes Young Indy, and wanted him back on TV.
When Paul Krimsier, Bob Chemiel and other executives at The Family Channel headquarters in Virginia Beach told Lucas that they liked Young Indy, too, negotiations began to revive the series on cable.
And so, on the first day of the semi-annual Television Critics Association meeting with TV's movers and shakers, Lucas and The Family Channel brass came to this area gone mad with World Cup soccer fever, to say Young Indy is coming back to TV in the all-new ``Young Indiana Jones and the Hollywood Follies'' film on Oct. 15.
Young Indy's back, and The Family Channel has him for at least four films, and perhaps, in re-runs of the old ABC series. Never mind that Pat Robertson is the founder and force behind The Family Channel, the same Pat Robertson who decided the theme and content of programming on the Christian Broadcasting Network.
Lucas working for Pat Robertson? Can such an independent, free-thinking and somewhat liberal-minded filmmaker stand to be in business with arch-conservative Robertson?
Question: Will you, George Lucas, be uncomfortable in league with Pat Robertson?
Answer: ``I can't really get involved with the philosophies of the people who show my movies. My films are shown all around the world in different countries with different philosophies about life. As long as nobody tries to tell me how to make my movies, I won't be concerned where they are shown.''
Lucas won't tolerate anyone messin' around with his films, even a man who says he has daily conversations with, you know, Him.
With Lucas aboard for the new Young Indy movies, The Family Channel is on a roll as far as fresh programming for cable is concerned. Said senior vice president for programming Krimsier, ``We have a major commitment to to make movies and entertainment and information specials that will be as good as any you'll see on other cable channels or on broadcast television.'' He did not say what that programming will cost.
The TV critics were told that The Family Channel recently completed filming ``The Good King'' in the Czech republic. It's the story of King Wenceslaus - a fairy tale with roots in fact. Also new to The Family Channel this year will be 91 more episodes of ``The Waltons,'' and the ``Evening Shade'' sitcom starring Burt Reynolds, which will be launched with an eight-hour marathon on Labor Day.
Getting back to Young Indy, Lucas was asked why he wants to revive a series that both adults and young people greeted with great big yawns when it was on ABC.
His answer was short.
``I like doing the series.
``I love the subject matter. I love the process of doing them. I love the subject matter. It's a pleasure for me.''
Heck. It only costs Lucas and his distributor, Paramount, about $350,000 to do one of the movies. So why not go for it?
``In some countries the `Young Indy' series was a very big hit, and in some, including this one, it wasn't. Here we were up against some stiff competition. We got a few bad reviews. We bounced around the schedule, and were finally relegated to the black hole of Saturday night,'' Lucas said.
Could America be telling Lucas that it flat-out doesn't like Young Indy? If so, the man isn't hearing America. He has about 20 Young Indy scripts piled on his desk.
When will Lucas find the time to start writing scripts for the new ``Star Wars'' trilogy? He said here that he will do it, and perhaps do it soon. MEMO: Television writer Larry Bonko is attending the twice-yearly press tour
in Los Angeles this week.
ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Young Indy, played as a child by Corey Carrier, will return to TV
Oct. 15 on The Family Channel.
Photos
George Lucas won't let the ``Young Indy'' series die.
Sean Patrick Flanery plays Indy as a teenager.
by CNB