Wyatt Earp

What do Jay Silverheels, Chuck Conners, Adam West and Mike Mazurki have in common?Let's try this one: What do Ronald Reagan, Henry Fonda, Joel McCrea and James Stewart have in common? You guessed, respectively, fallen one-time TV stars and conservative politics?You are wrong.The answers are: Geronimo and Wyatt Earp.Each of the above, in works of magnificent tackiness (i.e., Mazurki as Geronimo on "F-Troop") or works of magnificent magnificence (Fonda as Earp in John Ford's classic "My Darling Clementine")

THIS NOVEMBER, the networks seem to be taking their cue from the hero of NBC's four-hour two-parter that starts Sunday night, "The Gambler."They know when to hold 'em -- hanging on to re-treads and re-makes -- and know when to fold 'em -- closing down the tent of "thirtysomething," "China Beach," "Twin Peaks" and the like was clearly no accident.It's a sweeps month -- when the Nielsen and Arbitron services measure audiences in every one of the country's TV markets, meaning that these ratings are very important to local affiliates -- and the networks are playing their cards close to the vest, betting only on their version of sure things.

This summer, television viewers have had the opportunity to go behind the scenes for the making of the films "Wyatt Earp" (CBS), "The Lion King" (ABC), "Baby's Day Out" and "True Lies" (both on Fox) and, on HBO, specials on the making of "Wolf," "Maverick," "Speed," "Forrest Gump" and "Airheads."They have seen footage from the films, artfully interwoven with sound bites from the actors, directors, producers, writers and, if the movie warrants, the stunt coordinators.They have seen verite-style shots of the directors talking to their actors, looking through the cameras or conferring with the cinematographers.

The best thing on TV tonight is the hearings -- and I'm not talking about Whitewater. It's the Watergate hearings, part of the territory covered on tonight's installment of "Watergate" on the Discovery Channel.* "Dave's World" (8:30-9 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11) -- Here's the story / of a star from "Brady" / who shows up as a guest star on "Dave's World" . . . It's Florence Henderson of "The Brady Bunch," who here plays the pushy mother of Dave's wife, Beth (DeLane Matthews). CBS repeat.* "Murphy Brown" (9-9:30 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11)

A foundation aimed at cultivating leadership qualities in high school sophomores is considering Columbia as its Maryland chapter's permanent home.The Hugh O'Brian Youth Foundation, founded by 1950s television actor Hugh O'Brian, has held several of its annual Maryland Leadership Seminars at the Columbia Inn. Members of the foundation's state board of directors are considering making that the permanent location and setting up a state chapter office in...

Maggie Sheer of Atholton High School has been selected to attend the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Foundation's (HOBY) 1995 Maryland Leadership Seminar from April 6-9 at Columbia Inn.HOBY is an international organization committed to recognizing and developing the leadership potential of high school sophomores.The Maryland Leadership Seminar, held annually since 1978, builds leadership skills through workshops and discussion groups. Students are provided an opportunity to interact with leaders from business, government, education and science.

You have got to be kidding me! In Anne Arundel County's investigation, they discovered an independent witness who not only verified Bear's guardian's account of the shooting, but verified that Keith Elgin Shepherd immediately drew and fired his weapon almost before the words were out of his mouth requesting the control of Bear-Bear; and all he is being charged with is two misdemeanors ("Man faces two charges in shooting of dog," Aug. 19)? Why and who is protecting this guy? This was a malicious attack of a loving animal, who I'm sure greatly suffered his injuries until he was mercifully euthanized.

HOLLYWOOD -- Tamra Davis has a problem. The rising 30-year-old director is about to start filming "Bad Girls," a western. "But New Mexico is booked and almost all of Arizona and a lot of Montana," she said. "It's crazy."Ms. Davis has finally found a town, outside Sacramento, to start shooting her film in June about female gunslingers in the 1860s. Ms. Davis, who directed "Gun Crazy" and "CB4," said: "Props are hard to find and so are clothes."The successes of Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven" and Mr. Costner's "Dances With Wolves" have infected Hollywood with western fever.

I suspected that the worm would slowly turn to point the finger to Bear-Bear's guardian ("Prosecutors: Inquiry into dog park shooting may take another week," Aug. 17). And the worm just happens to be the off-duty federal officer, who shot a dog in a dog park with his off-duty weapon which was loaded with hollow point bullets. Let's break this down, as I have gotten between two fighting dogs three times in my past and am well aware of how an aggressive dog behaves. First off, not one of Bear-Bear's caregivers ever noticed any aggression.

Looking for some TV to go with your cold turkey sandwiches? The pickings look a little slim (especially for those who don't have cable), but we'll find something.pTC * "Free Willy" (8 p.m.-10 p.m., WJZ, Channel 13) -- Boy meets whale, boy loses whale, boy and whale live happily ever after. If you're a boy (or a girl) or a whale, you'll love this movie. Adults could do worse. CBS.* "Reba: Starting Over" (10 p.m.-11 p.m., WJZ, Channel 13) -- It's an hour of Reba McEntire, much of it taped during a performance in Nashville.