European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 16, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Television St. Elsewhere concludes 6-season run on an by Wendy Bourland six seasons of Abc s St. Elsewhere come to an end tuesday on the american forces network. In the final episode of this poignant irreverent series St. Eligius Hospital is faced with imminent closure which or. A Schlander Norman Lloyd is determined to Stop. There to help is or. Westphall de Flander who returns at a Schlander s summons with his autistic son Tommy in Tow. Funding a popular series in its prime is definitely in Vogue right now other examples include magnum p.i., and Miami vice the demise of the latter won t affect arts viewers for quite some time. The last St. Elsewhere episode is a real powerhouse though the final scene May disappoint those who enjoy lets live happily Ever after endings. Southern european broadcasting viewers have another two months Worth of St. Elsewhere to go. Anchors aweigh it was a package Deal. Arts negotiated for the seven part 18-hour miniseries the winds of War and also got the 38-hour follow up War and remembrance. Winds starts its run on an on wednesday. The 1983 miniseries is based on the novel by Herman Wouk about Navy Captain Victor pug Henry Robert Mitchum and his family devoted yet ditzy wife Rhoda Polly Bergen oldest son Warren Ben Murphya Navy Pilot wilful daughter Madeline Lisa Elba her and youngest son Byron Jan Michael Vincenta rebel who becomes a submarine officer. The Henry family s friends lovers and relatives Are followed All around the world in the turbulent years leading up to world War ii. Like most television movies dramatic License is taken so fans of the Book should t be surprised. The Star studded drama also features Ali Macgraw As Natalie Jastrow the late John Houseman As her father Aaron and Peter Graves As Palmer Kirby. Celebration the first 20 years of the negro ensemble company Are highlighted in an hour Long special saturday afternoon. Scenes from its most notable plays Are shown including the River niger starring Rosy Roker and Nec founder Douglas Turner Ward an actor playwright and Soldier s Story starring Adolphe Caesar and Denzel St. Elsewhere Washington. Don t bother the Premier of the series leg work airs saturday evening. The show failed utterly in the states and with Good reason it s As believable As Whf s superstars of wrestling and not nearly As funny. You know leg work is a loser in the first 10 minutes. One memorably tasteless scene goes like this new York City private investigator Claire Mccarron Margaret Colin meets a client at a Yuppie restaurant. As she sits at the bar he cheerily crosses the room calling to the bartender for a bottle of Dom Perignon but All Claire wants is a Check for the photos she brought him. As he returns to the table where his Date sits to retrieve his Check Book a fellow with a gun sidles up to him and blows him away. As the mortally wounded Man stands there dying his Date pipes up do you think the soft Shell crabs Are in season enough said. Viewing tips if your children Are underachiever you May just want them to stay that Way after watching the brotherhood of Justice the an late show monday. A group of High school hotshots form a vigilante group to clean up the drugs violence and vandalism running rampant around them. Kennedy Robert Desiderio has his hands full trailing after a killer who strikes with scissors and dealing with the arrest of daughter Robin Christina Applegate for the Sale and Possession of cocaine on heart of the City on tuesday. A family sues the Chez Louisiane when a Patron Dies after drinking there on Frank s place thursday. This episode received a lot of notice in the states. New returning series full House about a widowed sportscaster who lives with three pre teen daughters a Rock Star brother in Law and a Friend who is trying to make it As a comic begins Friday night. It s already been axed in the states so Don t get too fond of it. Religious program search begins sunday morning perfect strangers returns sunday night. In the opener Larry Mark Linn Baker bets Balki Bronson Pinchot he can lose seven pounds in a week. From Start to finish St. Elsewhere has sparkled by Kathryn Baker associated press or. Wayne Fiscus soon to depart for humanitarian work in Nicaragua reminisces about his three years at St. Eligius grueling hours bad food egomania death and moral confusion. It la be hard to  for its Loyal viewers too it la be hard to leave St. Elsewhere the Abc series that after six seasons becomes television history on the american forces network feb. 21 with the final episode the last one in terms of unbridled creativity it was arguably the Best series Ever on network television. The conclusion is suitably Daft and won t be revealed Here. Suffice it to say that the Impact of the final seconds will take a minute to sink in but the ending is perfect. Think Kafka. When St. Elsewhere premiered it was compared to the still new Hill Street blues also from atm productions that broke ground with a similar Messy style characters talking Over each other and shaky hand held camera shots. Writing set St. Elsewhere apart. Hip weird Heartfelt and very funny no subject was too taboo no character Safe from bizarre plot twists. Or. Caldwell Mark Harmon turned from Playboy to victim of aids. Or. Peter White Terence Knox was a rapist. Or. Morrison David Morse got raped. Fiscus Howie Mandel had a near death experience and took a tour of the afterlife. Or. Axelrod Stephen furst died of a heart attack. Nurse Helen Rosenthal Christina pickles got breast cancer and addicted to drugs. A patient was killed by a folding Hospital bed. Doctors performed surgery in the nude. A Coroner Only got turned on in the morgue. And or. Westphall de Flander the Saint of St. Eligius told off his new corporate Boss Ronny Cox by Baring his behind in prime time then left the staff. He s called Back to lend a hand in the final episode the show figuratively mooned Abc after the network made the producers change the name or. Westphall de Flanders is called Back to St. Eligius in the final episode on an next week. Ecu Mena the corporation that bought St. Eligius at the Start of the season because the real life Hospital Chain Humana inc., sued for copyright infringement. The writers put a lawsuit plot line in the show and characters complained about corporate Bosses folding under pressure. The writers poked fun at television especially atm. In one episode a male patient fervently believed he was Mary Richards from the Mary Tyler Moore show and was ecstatic when guest Star Betty White showed up sue Ann there were jokes on atm shows the White Shadow and Newhart too and on to in general. In the final episode Fiscus treats a Man suffering eyestrain from watching too much tube. St. Elsewhere writers perfected the unlikely Art of the hip Pun and managed to tuck a Rock Lyric into the dialogue of virtually every show. Samples from Bruce Paltrow and Mark tinker s final script jumping Jack what was that Flash and move that Gurney Hal a reference to Hal Gurnee director of late night with David Letterman. What can be revealed of the final plot without disservice to fans is that snooty or. Craig William Daniels is banished to Cleveland. Reminded that the City is Home of the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame he sniffs yeah yeah  the move Sheds his sycophant or. Victor Ehrlich de Begley or who declares after another fawning surgery session i d follow you to the ends of the Earth. But not to Cleveland Early in the episode an air plane crashes through a Wall but it is never mentioned by anyone except Westphall s autistic son who mutters with mild interest  despite unfounded rumours that the producers intended to kill off every character in the final episode the Only one to succumb is or. A Schlander Norman Lloyd the liver cancer specialist who got liver cancer. But he does manage to arrange the return of the Hospital to the Catholic diocese and the return of Westphall to run it. Paltrow tinker and Tom Fontana have a promising new series Wattinger son Abc. The real reason St. Elsewhere won t be Back is financial. Hour shows Are not Selling Well in syndication and atm has been producing the show at a loss. There could have been Many More years in St. Elsewhere but it might not be so bad for a Fine show to leave at the top of its form. 8 stripes Magazine february 16, 1989