European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 29, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Television a tour of duty begins new season monday on Anby Sarah Bottorff 1 he distinction Between China Beach fans and 7our of duty fanatics seems to be blurring. A lot of people who thought China Beach was Mushy women s stuff have come around. Those Vietnam vets who thought nurses stories would mean nothing to them Are staying Home on monday nights sometimes so one air Force Captain says glad if no one s there to see them in tears at the end of a particularly telling episode. Remember the one on superstition an last week the paraplegic cheering Mcmurphy and shouting Quot that s my nurse Quot and now tour of duty is Back in All its unrelenting Green of Jungle and bus. In the season s first episode on an monday at 10 40 . Central european time the lieutenant and Anderson Are taken prisoner and trapped in pc Bamboo cages. Tour of duty s strength is often in the Way it shows the closeness Between its people and the realism. Quot thirty Quot says the colonel when they re taking a pc body count after a Battle. Quot hell make it 50.&Quot and what it lacks in characters like China Beach s . And the late Cherry it makes up in combat scenes a really Sharp combat scenes stuff you Don t see on to except in ancient movies. Whichever show one likes better there s a lot to be grateful for in that both Are still being aired. Lobbyists for Vietnam vets have helped keep tour of duty alive As it limps along in less than stunning Nielsen ratings in the states. As for China Beach a Virginia based group calling itself viewers for Quality television launched an instant and apparently successful letter writing Campaign last month when Abc announced the show would go in a Brief hiatus. Naturally the network sent the show into hiatus just As it was winning the television Industry s Peabody award for excellent programming. All you be got to be is Good it seems and they Start looking to cancel you. Abc has now promised to bring China Beach out of hiatus. So far so Good. Meanwhile As noted tour of duty starts its third year on an monday. Southern european broadcasting gets it in late May. It s familiar ground in the Amateur thursday night s movie on an scenes of Munich and Eastern Europe attacks of terrorists and the average american Man s response. In this Case the average american is a Cia Man John Savage whose Girlfriend is killed because she is at the wrong place at the wrong time a in the american consulate in Munich when terrorists arrive to demand the release of some bad Guys being held at Ramstein a. The terrorists Fly off Scot free to the East bloc and the Cia Man his Agency refusing to do anything about the situation goes behind the Iron curtain to take matters in his own hand. This is an above average movie even though Savage seems to have Only one facial expression a pained. It s very plausible and very fast paced dead bodies and ethical dilemmas begin to pile up in the first few minutes of the movie which airs at 11 40 . Get thursday. Also Worth watching on an this week Young Frankenstein has Gene Wilder Teri Garr and a lot of other idiots doing their Best to make fun of the Frankenstein legend at 8 10 . Get wednesday. If its tuesday this must be Belgium is Llu a. ,9m forerunner of the Chevy Chase vacation movies european and otherwise at 8 30  Cut Toad a month of Shirley Temple movies begins y tuesday at 8 30 . Get with dimples family ties comes Back to an for its final year the show gracefully bowed out while still High in stateside television ratings and perhaps none ton soon. It becomes harder and harder to suspend  and see Michael j. Fox As Sweet obnoxious Young Alex Keaton now that he s a movie Mem or the jokes seem to be fading a Little too and it does t help that the first episode we see Here wis air Quot i the states before the 1988 election and a full of Michael Dukakis gags. Still if you watched this show grow up you la probably want to see it out. The last 26 weeks Start an at 8 10 . Get monday and on seb like the rest of the above programs in late May. Baseball lives but in delayed form. Monday was to be the official Start of the season but the lock out pushed it Back to april 9. Meanwhile As noted last week the Mcaa s final four basketball games Are set for a half hour past Midnight saturday and the final game for tuesday at 3 . Get on both an and seb. As for the rest of seb s week this May be a Good time to rent videos or figure out which Channel airs that new italian strip tease quiz show. The seb programmers have pulled North to Alaska the 1960 John Wayne classic from the Library to air at 1 30 . Sunday. Other than that the highlights include Rosalind Russell and Natalie Wood in Gypsy at 1 15 . Saturday and Audrey Hepburn and Robert Wagner in love among thieves at 9 20 . Friday As for new series Bonanza will be revived this weekend at a time to be announced later and Barbie and the Rock stars the latest cartoon offering for kids comes on at 10 . Saturday. That s it. Wright would rather discuss gardens than a Alf c #1 a 4 Yum n at i Quot i i a. 1 a t editor s note Alf is broadcast at 6 30 . Sundays on superstition an and on fridays at 8 . On Southern european broadcasting. By Jerry Buck associated press Max Wright is an actor who d much rather talk about the thrills and perils of gardening than his starring role in Abc s Alf. Quot i m passionate about gardening Quot says Wright a target of the alien s antics in the hit comedy. Quot i did t know How therapeutic it was until i  he talks about keeping snails and insects at Bay of the dangers of the hot California Sun. Quot i have to defend my delphiniums Quot he says. Quot you have to pack Lilac roots with ice to give it the cold it  after a while after talking about his Garden tour of England Wright is persuaded to talk about Alf. Alf or alien life form is the Story of a cantankerous intergalactic alien who lands in the tanners garage and stays for dinner a and stays and stays. Despite his sometimes obnoxious behaviour and his freeloading he endears himself to the tanners. T he show also stars Anne Schedeen As Kate Tanner and Andrea Elson Benji Gregory and Charlie Nickerson As the children. Wright had worked mostly in the theater and films before he got into television. He was in such movies As All that jazz reds and the sting ii. In the in movie playing for time he played the infamous Joseph Mengele who performed experiments on humans at Auschwitz. His last show on Broadway was lunch flour with Gilda Radner. Quot i came out from new York to do a Pilot that was t picked up Quot he says. Quot i stayed and made some guest appearances on shows then was cast in my first series Buffalo Bill. I was the station manager who was intimidated by Bill. I d played that kind of role before. The Guy Between a Rock and a hard place who s frazzled and modest and  his character in Alf has some of those qualities. Quot he has to defend the undependable. He has to smooth Over Alf s gaffes. He gets hauled up in a Cage and Alf hits him with a stick. That makes me laugh. I come prepared with my Stock character ready to forgive his appalling  the premise of the show Calls for Willie to be at once horrified by Alf s manners and values and attracted to him As a Friend. Quot he s my pal Quot Wright says. Quot i care about him. No matter How outrageous he is i can keep the Bond. It s much easier with Alf than with Buffalo Bill. You can forgive Alf. It was hard to forgive  Wright grew up in Detroit where he became a music student at age 4. At 5 he was playing the piano on television and at Church. Quot i also began reciting at an Early age Quot he says. Quot i have a Good memory. I could recite pages and pages of poetry. I did a play in the third Grade. I got the part because i was the Only one in class who would kiss the girl in the play on the  Quot i went to medical school on a musical scholarship Quot he says. Quot i was planning to become a doctor. My first semester i came under the influence of a drama teacher and began doing play after play. I liked it. I really liked it. I then switched to Wayne state University to study drama. Next i went to the National theatre school in Montreal. Quot after that i launched my career. I did a season in Michigan then went to the Arena stage in Washington. I never worked As a waiter i never the tanners and their permanent House guest. Drove a taxi. I always worked As an actor. Quot i did seven Broadway shows in five years. I worked hard and fast. It took me a Long time to get out of the habit of rehearsing Days and working  24 stripes Magazine March 29, 1990