(Sun., Nov. 14, 9 p.m. ET)
B+
Plotwise, this seven-hour sequel begins right where the 1989 TV classic left off: Having buried his compadre and Texas Ranger riding partner Gus McCrae down by the Rio Bravo, old Woodrow Call (the Tommy Lee Jones role, now played by Jon Voight) determines to drive a herd of mustangs back up to his spread in verdant Montana. The members of the new trail gang include William Petersen, Louis Gossett Jr., Johnny Mathis look-alike Reginald T. Dorsey and Nia Peeples. (Yes, the hip-shakin' hostess of Party Machine plays a vengeful vaquera.) Barbara Hershey assumes the Anjelica Huston role of Clara Allen, the proud Nebraska homesteader. Dennis Haysbert plays the villain, a smiling sidewinder named Cherokee Jack. Oliver Reed, who looks less than thrilled to be bouncing around on horseback, plays a wealthy Scottish rancher. Rick Schroder (see page 17), Chris Cooper, William Sanderson and Tim Scott reprise their parts.
With its sweeping landscapes, the mini is easy on the eye and tells a story that becomes increasingly involving. But the acting is less artful, the illusion less persuasive than in the original. And director Mike Robe's formal approach to dramaturgy makes the film quite reminiscent of Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate. A truly touching ending bumps the mini, which plays out on Tuesday and Thursday, up one mark to a...
NBC (Mon., NOV. 15, 9 p.m. ET)
B-
Everyone else has had their opportunity, so why not? Here are the events leading up to the JFK shooting, from the point of view of the assassin's wife. It's a skittish, highly subjective account, starring British actress Helena Bonham Carter as Marina Oswald Porter.
The best scenes are set in the Soviet Union at the beginning of the '60s, as Marina meets and is awkwardly wooed by an odd American defector working at a Minsk radio and TV factory. As soon as they move to Texas, his conduct toward her becomes increasingly volatile and angry. Also, she keeps finding him in front of their Fort Worth house, sitting in nondescript sedans, having heated arguments with men in dark suits, thin ties and shades.
The problem is this film adds nothing to our understanding of Oswald. Was he a double agent? A triple agent? In the end, all we learn is that he was as obdurate a puzzle to his wife as he has been to the rest of us.
Frank Whaley (Career Opportunities) presents a callow portrait of Oswald. Bonham Carter, on the other hand, gives a soulful performance as Marina, expertly simulating an Eastern European accent. Distracting, however, is the fact that Bonham Carter, with that tucked-up '60s pageboy hairdo, looks spookily like Sandra Bernhard.
NBC (Tues., Nov. 16, 8 p.m. ET)
B
Stumble across this special and you may wonder if you've fallen into a time warp or, for some of you, drifted into an acid flashback. The Bee Gees doing "Jive Talkin' "? KC & the Sunshine Band clamoring through "Get Down Tonight"? Is this a hellish rerun of Don Kirshner's Rock Concert? And where is Tony Orlando? (You see, boys and girls, the world was a pretty desperate place before MTV.)
Actually it's a silly but well-stocked bit of premature nostalgia. The scary part is that the young people at L.A.'s Wiltern Theater have not only mastered the florid dress and disco steps of the '70s, they even know the lyrics well enough to sing along. Well, at least those in the front rows do.
>MOURNING A FALLEN PRESIDENT
A SAD ANNIVERSARY—THREE DECADES since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (see story, page 42)—prompts a raft of TV specials. The Disney Channel's With the President 1961-1963 (Tues., Nov. 9, 9 p.m. ET) uses the archives of White House photographer Cecil Stoughton. PBS has JFK: In His Own Words (Mon., Nov. 15, 10 p.m. ET) and a Frontline investigation, Who Was Lee Harvey Oswald? (Nov. 16, 9 p.m. ET). CBS presents Jack (Nov. 17, 9 p.m. ET), a rich bio from filmmaker Peter Davis, and an investigative piece anchored by Dan Rather, Who Killed JFK? The Final Chapter? (Fri., Nov. 19, 9 p.m. ET). TNT has a live Larry King special, November 22, 1963: Where Were You? (Sun., Nov. 21, 8 p.m. ET). Clearly, Kennedy struck a chord with the American public that continues to resonate.
>Mike Wallace
25 YEARS OF GIVING THE HOT SEAT
A QUARTER CENTURY AGO, WHEN 60 Minutes premiered, no one suspected the gangly newsmagazine would evolve into the biggest ratings juggernaut television has ever seen. Even charter correspondent Mike Wallace was pessimistic. "I figured it would last a season," he admits. "Maybe."
The network celebrates Mike's misjudgment on Sunday with a must-see two-hour special 60 Minutes...25 Years (Nov. 14, 7 p.m. ET). Wallace credits the show's popularity to its mix of on-air talents. "There is no finer essayist than (Morley) Safer," he says. "Ed Bradley has a remarkable capacity to lake charge of a TV screen. (The late Harry) Reasoner was the heart of America." And how would he assess himself? "Tough but fair."
Durable too. Though fitted with a pacemaker, the 75-year-old wants to extend his contract past his 80th birthday. "I'll work," he says, "until my toes turn up."
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
