Hart To Hart

Stefanie Powers is better known for her love of animals than for musical theater. So it's hardly surprising that a dog is one reason the star of "Applause" is looking forward to coming to Baltimore."

Here's a cool example of what-goes-around-comes-around: In 1965, a British -made thriller called "Die! Die! My Darling!" hit the movie houses. This study in strangeness and sadism starred the indelibly foggy-voiced, deliciously irreverent Tallulah Bankhead in her last film. She plays Mrs. Trefoile, a religious fanatic who keeps a tight rein on her country house and her suspiciously loyal servants. Obsessed with the recent death of her son, Mrs. Trefoile is only too happy to welcome as a guest her son's former fiancee, the decidedly worldly Patricia Carroll.

Elisabeth Brooks, 46, an actress seen on television shows such as "The Rockford Files" and "Hart to Hart" but perhaps best-remembered as the villainess in "The Howling," died of cancer Sept. 7 in Palm Springs, Calif.Roger Frey, 84, a close aide to Gen. Charles de Gaulle who as interior minister crushed a revolt by French settlers opposed to Algerian independence, died Saturday in Paris of a stroke.Will Hare, 81, a founding member of the Actors Studio who appeared on Broadway, in television and in movies over a four-decade career, died of a heart attack Aug. 31 in New York.

When a lavish new production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I arrives at the Hippodrome next week -- its third stop on an 11-month national tour -- theater fans will have a chance to see the work of one of America's more prodigious actresses. Millions know Stefanie Powers as the glamorous, crime-stopping star of such TV series as The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. (1967-68) and Hart to Hart (1979-84), but in a five-decade career that began in Hollywood at the age of 15, she has also starred in multiple motion pictures (The Interns, McClintock!

The ABC telecast of "The American Comedy Awards" ought to be good for a few laughs -- but other than that, if you want some good first-run entertainment, put on your sneakers and first run. TV's got very little to offer, except on cable.* "Hart to Hart: Secrets of the Hart" (9-11 p.m., Channel 11) -- Lionel Stander, whose long, blacklist-interrupted career was revived by the original "Hart to Hart" series, died two weeks after this latest "Hart to Hart" telemovie completed production. Not only does he appear here, but so do many other familiar faces: Marion Ross of "Happy Days," Jason Bateman of "The Hogan Family," Pat Morita of "Mr. T & Tina," and Michael Parks of "Then Came Bronson."

Tonight's best bet: the new "Hart to Hart" movie. Nah -- only kidding. Just wanted to see if you were reading this paragraph before jumping down to the individual program notes.* "Family Matters." (8 p.m.-8:30 p.m., WJZ, Channel 13) -- Donna Summer guest stars as Urkel's Aunt Oona from Altoona, a dowdy woman who no soona visits a karaoke bar than she turns into a real croona. ABC.* "Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die." (9 p.m.-11 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2) -- They just star in TV remakes. NBC.* "The X-Files" (9 p.m.-10 p.m., WBFF, Channel 45)

Connie kay, 67, a drummer who joined the Modern Jazz Quartet in 1955, died in his sleep Wednesday in New York. He played or recorded with Miles Davis, Lester Young's group, Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, Chet Baker, Cannonball Adderley and others.Lionel Stander, 86, the gravelly voiced actor whose career included the screwball comedies of the 1930s and the chauffeur Max on TV's "Hart to Hart," died Wednesday of cancer in Los Angeles. He was among the actors blacklisted in the 1950s as Communist sympathizers by the House Un-American Activities Committee.

One new series begins, an old one returns, and other shows offer eminently watchable installments. For a Friday night, not bad at all -- give or take a few exceptions.* "The Adventures of Brisco County Jr." (8-9 p.m., WBFF, Channel 45) -- The stunning Kelly Rutherford repeats her role as Dixie in a story that gets her and Brisco (Bruce Campbell) even more involved. Fox.* "George" (8:30-9 p.m., WJZ, Channel 13) -- There are a few reasons to root for this sitcom, beginning with the fact that George Foreman, to borrow Bill Cosby's phrase, is a very funny fellow, and ending with the fact that the show, mirroring elements of Foreman's real-life activities and concerns, has him trying to inspire problem kids in an after-school program.

Double dribbles or double axels? Traveling or lutzing? Television has them all tonight, with basketball on CBS and figure skating on NBC.* "Figure Skating World Championships" (8 p.m.-9 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2) -- Nine days ago, NBC sent out a press release promoting its coverage of tonight's World Figure Skating Championships, televised on a delayed same-day basis from Japan. Five prime-time hours are earmarked for NBC's coverage, but the lineup is a little thinner than when NBC made its announcement March 16. At that time, NBC trumpeted that Tonya Harding was among the expected competitors.

There's some bad news for fans of ABC's "Lois & Clark" and NBC's "seaQuest DSV." Although both new series are doing fairly well in ratings with young adults, one of them is probably not going to make it to the end of the year.The reason is the two networks have locked into a counterprogramming battle and each says it will not back off by moving its show out of the head-to-head matchup at 8 p.m. Sundays."We're not going to blink," Don Ohlmeyer, NBC West Coast president, said over the weekend.

Elisabeth Brooks, 46, an actress seen on television shows such as "The Rockford Files" and "Hart to Hart" but perhaps best-remembered as the villainess in "The Howling," died of cancer Sept. 7 in Palm Springs, Calif.Roger Frey, 84, a close aide to Gen. Charles de Gaulle who as interior minister crushed a revolt by French settlers opposed to Algerian independence, died Saturday in Paris of a stroke.Will Hare, 81, a founding member of the Actors Studio who appeared on Broadway, in television and in movies over a four-decade career, died of a heart attack Aug. 31 in New York.

Stefanie Powers is better known for her love of animals than for musical theater. So it's hardly surprising that a dog is one reason the star of "Applause" is looking forward to coming to Baltimore."

The ABC telecast of "The American Comedy Awards" ought to be good for a few laughs -- but other than that, if you want some good first-run entertainment, put on your sneakers and first run. TV's got very little to offer, except on cable.* "Hart to Hart: Secrets of the Hart" (9-11 p.m., Channel 11) -- Lionel Stander, whose long, blacklist-interrupted career was revived by the original "Hart to Hart" series, died two weeks after this latest "Hart to Hart" telemovie completed production. Not only does he appear here, but so do many other familiar faces: Marion Ross of "Happy Days," Jason Bateman of "The Hogan Family," Pat Morita of "Mr. T & Tina," and Michael Parks of "Then Came Bronson."

Connie kay, 67, a drummer who joined the Modern Jazz Quartet in 1955, died in his sleep Wednesday in New York. He played or recorded with Miles Davis, Lester Young's group, Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, Chet Baker, Cannonball Adderley and others.Lionel Stander, 86, the gravelly voiced actor whose career included the screwball comedies of the 1930s and the chauffeur Max on TV's "Hart to Hart," died Wednesday of cancer in Los Angeles. He was among the actors blacklisted in the 1950s as Communist sympathizers by the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Reruns of "Fantasy Island" and "Wonder Woman," a pet show with a dog named Jack as co-host, and a morning show featuring lots of coffee and chat.This is the brave, new future of cable TV?Well, part of it, if you believe what Rupert Murdoch and Fox say about their new cable channel, fX, which arrives today. With 18 million viewer households, it's the largest launch ever for a basic cable channel.Fox calls it a "fresh, new approach to television." But there's not much evidence of that in the preview material Fox made available.

Tonight's best bet: the new "Hart to Hart" movie. Nah -- only kidding. Just wanted to see if you were reading this paragraph before jumping down to the individual program notes.* "Family Matters." (8 p.m.-8:30 p.m., WJZ, Channel 13) -- Donna Summer guest stars as Urkel's Aunt Oona from Altoona, a dowdy woman who no soona visits a karaoke bar than she turns into a real croona. ABC.* "Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die." (9 p.m.-11 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2) -- They just star in TV remakes. NBC.* "The X-Files" (9 p.m.-10 p.m., WBFF, Channel 45)

Reruns of "Fantasy Island" and "Wonder Woman," a pet show with a dog named Jack as co-host, and a morning show featuring lots of coffee and chat.This is the brave, new future of cable TV?Well, part of it, if you believe what Rupert Murdoch and Fox say about their new cable channel, fX, which arrives today. With 18 million viewer households, it's the largest launch ever for a basic cable channel.Fox calls it a "fresh, new approach to television." But there's not much evidence of that in the preview material Fox made available.

For Olympics watchers, tonight's biggest draw probably is the ice dancing compulsories, but the men's 1,000-meter speed skating is bound to provide the most drama. It's the last shot at these Olympics for American Dan Jansen to earn a medal.* "The 1994 Winter Olympic Games" (8-11 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11) -- In addition to the sports named above, there's coverage of men's doubles luge. Which reminds me: During Pat O'Brien's nightly rock 'n' roll selection on CBS, why doesn't he use that classic Beatles winter-sports song?

Double dribbles or double axels? Traveling or lutzing? Television has them all tonight, with basketball on CBS and figure skating on NBC.* "Figure Skating World Championships" (8 p.m.-9 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2) -- Nine days ago, NBC sent out a press release promoting its coverage of tonight's World Figure Skating Championships, televised on a delayed same-day basis from Japan. Five prime-time hours are earmarked for NBC's coverage, but the lineup is a little thinner than when NBC made its announcement March 16. At that time, NBC trumpeted that Tonya Harding was among the expected competitors.

For Olympics watchers, tonight's biggest draw probably is the ice dancing compulsories, but the men's 1,000-meter speed skating is bound to provide the most drama. It's the last shot at these Olympics for American Dan Jansen to earn a medal.* "The 1994 Winter Olympic Games" (8-11 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11) -- In addition to the sports named above, there's coverage of men's doubles luge. Which reminds me: During Pat O'Brien's nightly rock 'n' roll selection on CBS, why doesn't he use that classic Beatles winter-sports song?