THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 5, 1994 TAG: 9411040073
SECTION: TELEVISION WEEK PAGE: 1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY BONKO, TELEVISION COLUMNIST
LENGTH: Long : 112 lines
It seemed certain that detectives Cagney and Lacey had worked their last case in 1988. Tyne Daly, who played Mary Beth Lacey for six years, said she was burned out and quitting network television. Sharon Gless said she didn't want to grow old playing Chris Cagney.
When ``Cagney and Lacey'' signed off in 1988, that appeared to be it for the two women who defined feminism on TV a decade ago.
Who can ever forget the scenes of them standing on some hostile turf, both hands on their pistols, jaws as firm as granite, closing in on the perp.
``Freeze!''
The memories of street cops Cagney and Lacey faded as Daly succeeded on Broadway, and Gless married producer Barney Rosenzwieg and worked in TV movies whenever she wished.
Cagney and Lacey. Gone? Yes. Forgotten? Not on your life.
In this era of revivals, CBS is bringing them back for at least two prime-time movies, including ``Cagney and Lacey: The Return'' on Sunday night at 9.
What next? A new ``Rockford Files''? You betcha.
It was at first a reluctant reunion, Daly told TV writers in Los Angeles not long ago. ``There was a time when I said I'd never appear in this role again. Ever. But for some reason at this time in my life - maybe it's something in how the stars line up - it felt good to come back and check in with this broad Lacey. It was nice to hear from her again.''
Gless didn't want to come back as a married Christine Cagney, which is how we meet her in Sunday's film. She lives in an elegant townhouse with her wealthy husband. (Daly as Mary Beth Lacey retired from the police force, but she goes back to work after her husband, Harvey, has a coronary.)
``I've always maintained that you shouldn't see Christine Cagney on the screen after she has reached a certain age,'' Gless said. ``But I think we made the transition very well. She's been married and promoted to investigator in the district attorney's office. But she's still a little immature.''
CBS succeeded in rounding up the old gang from Cagney and Lacey's precinct house - Carl Lumbly, Al Waxman, Robert Hegyes and Martin Kove as Isbecki. ``Cagney and Lacey'' wouldn't be ``Cagney and Lacey'' without Isbecki.
What other goodies will the networks dispense as the November sweeps start?
On Sunday at 7 p.m., NBC finally gets to show us its long-delayed new sci-fi series, ``Earth 2.'' Earth people in the 22nd century boldly go looking for a pristine planet and find, among other things, 6-foot-7 creatures called Terrians.
A much shorter creature, Shannon Doherty, stars as author Margaret Mitchell on NBC Monday night at 9 in ``A Burning Passion: The Margaret Mitchell Story.'' Doherty is about 50 percent convincing as the Southern belle who thought up Scarlet O'Hara. Mitchell's first husband, Red Upshaw, was dead certain that he was the inspiration for Rhett Butler. He wasn't, Mitchell said.
My nomination for offbeat TV film of the year goes to ``Genghis Cohn,'' which will air on A&E Sunday night at 8. Robert Lindsay stars in a very dark comedy about a Jewish ventriloquist (Cohn) who was the victim of Nazi butchers at Dachau. He returns in ghostly form to haunt the SS officer who had him shot. The lesson here: The evil that men do lives after them.
Lindsay is wonderful in this demanding role. Diana Rigg is a hoot as a sexy, rich widow who longs for the good old days when Hitler was in power. While its subject matter is sensitive, I would be surprised if ``Genghis Cohn'' offended anyone. Don't miss it.
Ever wonder how the folks on TV look so great while the rest of us are frightened by our mirror images? The answer may be found on E! Entertainment Television on Monday at 11:30 p.m., when Jodie Bissett of ``Melrose Place'' hosts ``Celebrity Beauty Secrets.''
Is it yoga? Aromatherapy? Bean sprouts? Good genes?
Public Broadcasting, your network with a conscience, brings violence against women to prime time. ``Behind the Picket Fence'' will air Wednesday at 8 p.m., followed by a discussion in the WHRO studios, ``No Longer Secret.'' Remember that women die by the thousands at the hands of husbands or mates.
Following at 10 will be ``Nova: What's New About Menopause?''
WHRO remembers the U.S. soldiers who fought in snow and plunging temperatures 50 years ago in Hitler's last great push to win the war for Europe. ``The American Experience: The Battle of the Bulge'' airs Friday night at 9:30 and again the following Tuesday at 9 p.m., just in time for Veteran's Day. U.S. fighting men never fought a bloodier battle. The battle touched the lives of 80,000 U.S. troops.
TNT also is saluting Americans who served in uniform. ``Suki's Box: An Operation TNT Special'' will be hosted by Cliff Robertson on Thursday at 10 p.m. This is about the reunions that took place after the Operation TNT series of war films. The title segment features a nurse who is reunited with a GI she met while on duty in Southeast Asia.
In a definite change of mood, TNT on Sunday at 8 p.m. will premiere a two-hour film about the man who never had children but produced best-selling children's books starting in 1937. I'm talking about Dr. Seuss himself, Theodor Seuss Geisel. ``In Search of Dr. Seuss'' stars Kathy Najimy as the snoopy reporter - aren't we all? - who aims to learn about the private life of Geisel. Bet you didn't know that 28 publishers rejected his first work.
To get you in the mood for all of this, TNT is reeling off eight Seuss TV specials, starting with ``The Butter Battle Book'' on Saturday at 5 p.m. and going all the way through to ``The Grinch Grinches Cat in the Hat.''
That's enough Seuss for any man, woman or child.
But who can get enough of the ``Saved by the Bell'' gang? With that thought in mind, TBS is showing six hours of ``Saved by the Bell: The College Years'' starting Saturday at 12:05 p.m. This series, which ran briefly on NBC, proved that even Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tiffani-Amber Thiessen can outgrow their cuteness.
And what kind of a guide on the TV trail would I be if I didn't alert you to Sunday night's spectacular on ABC featuring the illusions of Siegfried and Roy? Starting at 8, you'll see elephants and white tigers appear and disappear. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Sharon Gless, seated, and Tyne Daly reprise their award-winning
roles...
by CNB