The Virginian-Pilot
                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Saturday, June 3, 1995                 TAG: 9506020069
SECTION: TELEVISION WEEK          PAGE: 1    EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY LARRY BONKO, TELEVISION WRITER 
                                             LENGTH: Medium:   98 lines

A WARRIOR AND "BATMAN" REEL OFF THE WEEK

BEFORE ADAM WEST, Michael Keaton or Val Kilmer came along, Batman spread his cape on the silver screen in the person of one Robert Lowery, who 47 years ago starred in a 15-part serial that will be revived on cable Saturday at 12:30 p.m. by American Movie Classics.

AMC will reel off a chapter a week of ``The Adventures of Batman and Robin'' for the next 15 Saturdays as part of the ``AMC Movie Palace Memories'' series. The series brings back the days of the Saturday afternoon matinees, when moviegoers really got their money's worth with a double feature, cartoon, newsreel, selected short subjects and a serial.

Remember when they played bingo in movie theaters? And gave away dishes?

``The Batman serial made in 1948 is significant because it introduced many of the set pieces and characters that later became key ingredients in the comic books, television series and recent trilogy of films,'' said Bob Dorian, who hosts the ``Movie Palace'' series. John Duncan was the original Robin.

Batman's menace here is The Wizard With the Invisibility Machine.

Dorian and his colleagues are hip to the upcoming release of ``Batman Forever'' in which Kilmer assumes the dual identity of Batman and Bruce Wayne. The Hollywood premiere of ``Batman Forever'' takes place Friday at 10 p.m., and E! Entertainment Television will be there to cover it and the party that follows live! ``The Batman Forever Premiere'' will be seen again on E! at 2 p.m. June 11, at 6 p.m. June 16, and at 2 and 8 p.m. June 24.

Other special programming from E! pops up Saturday at 6 p.m. with ``E! Goes to Cannes '95.'' See the celebs mingle at parties and wheel and deal at premieres. On June 10, E! goes one step beyond the usual Cannes coverage with ``Sex on the Riviera '95.''

Sure, Batman is a hero. But is he real? No way.

If it's flesh and blood heroics you want, catch ``Tecumseh: The Last Warrior'' on TNT Sunday at 8 p.m. Jesse Borrego stars as the Shawnee leader who began waging war against the U.S. Cavalry ``long knives'' from the moment he heard the tribal elders say, ``We must take to fighting the white man to punish him.''

This is the fourth in a series of original films from Turner Network Television celebrating the Indian history and heritage. ``Tecumseh: The Last Warrior'' is no ``Dances With Wolves,'' but it's worth a look because you get history from the Indian family's point of view.

``It's a compelling story of what was happening to American culture in the 18th century,'' said executive producer Daniel H. Blatt. Now if Ted Turner were really, really serious about respecting the Indians' heritage, wouldn't he change the name of his baseball team from Braves to something else?

Six other tips for the week ahead:

With Comedy Central about to uncork the third and last season of the outrageously hip British sitcom ``Absolutely Fabulous,'' the cable channel shows you how stars Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders get the job done on ``How to be Ab Fab'' Monday at 10 p.m. See classic clips. See a preview from the final episodes as well as the winners of the Ab Fab look-alike contest. .

Brian Igelman, who was a photographer at WTKR until 1991, shot some of the footage that will be seen on PBS Wednesday at 8 p.m. in ``The New Explorers: The Crystal Laboratory,'' which is an update on life and scientific exploration in Antarctica. Meet seals that hold their breath under water for as long as 45 minutes. See an active volcano on a frozen continent. See a landscape as desolate as Mars. See the damage being done to the Earth's ozone layer.

Just in time for the TV remembrances of the end of World War II, The Disney Channel on Thursday at 9 p.m. presents ``Anne Frank Remembered.'' Kenneth Branagh directed, with Glenn Close aboard to read excerpts from Frank's diary. This special includes long-lost film of Frank, who along with her family, hid from the Nazis for years. She died in a concentration camp just three weeks before it was liberated by the Allies.

Hank Williams lived fast and died young in 1953. America is still singing his songs, still indulging in ``Lovesick Blues.'' On Wednesday at 8 p.m., The Nashville Network premieres ``The Life and Times of Hank Williams.'' The documentary includes interviews with family, friends and musicians who shared a stage with Hiram Williams of Georgiana, Ala.

By gosh, here comes Glenn Close again, this time as co-host of the 1995 Tony Awards telecast airing on CBS Sunday night at 9. Gregory Hines and Nathan Lane will share the podium with Close, who is up for a Tony herself in ``Sunset Boulevard.'' Carol Channing steps up to receive a Tony for a lifetime of achievement in the theater.

What's the best movie theme of them all? The best soundtrack? The best song to come out of Hollywood? American Movie Classics on Tuesday at 8:05 p.m. reviews the music of the movies from 1927, when sound came in, up to the present with ``Forrest Gump'' and ``Pulp Fiction.'' Movie music has been a force in the pop culture. Movies gave us Bing Crosby's ``White Christmas'' the Bee Gees' ``Saturday Night Fever'' and ``Laura.'' Hum along with ``The Hollywood Soundtrack Story.''

``The Children's Miracle Network Telethon'' starts Saturday night at 11:35 on WVEC and continues on Sunday. ILLUSTRATION: From left, Gregory Norman Cruz, Jesse Borrego and Holt McCallany

star in TNT's Tecumseh," the epic story of the great Shawnee

warrior-statesman. The show premieres Sunday night at 8.

The Hank Williams special airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. on NASH.

by CNB