European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 19, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse Paramount pict Roi the Enterprise gang James Doohan Deforest Kelley Walter Koenig Mejel Barrett William Shatner Niche Lac Nichols Leonard Nimoy and George Tasci. A Star trek not the Only Oldie making a comeback by Jerry Buck a television writer now that television is old enough to have a past and the baby Boomers Are growing Long of tooth old shows have taken on new life. Vintage series Are endlessly recycled on Independent stations and Cable. The hit movie the Addams family is based on a 25-year-old comedy series. The sixth Star trek movie came out Date last year and a sequel to the hugely successful Batman is in the works. The commercial networks Are examining the past with keen interest As they warily anticipate a risky and unpredictable future. A i done to know quite what to make of it Quot says Judd Parkin Abc s vice president for miniseries. Quot these Are troubled times financially. We be just come out of a limited War. People could be looking Back to simpler David Poltrack lbs vice president of research says Quot television is old enough to have a past and the generation that has been called the television generation is now at an age where they re looking backward instead of Forward. Quot there is a resold aspect to them. The aging baby Boomer audience is doing what people have always done in midlife. They tend to look Back to the entertainment they enjoyed when they were younger. That creates a natural environment for presenting these the recycling of old shows goes deeper than Mere nostalgia. It Speaks to the uncertainty of network programmers today As they face a sagging National Economy and increasing Competition from Cable to Independent stations and videocassettes. Bringing Back an old show for a retrospective or producing a new movie with the original cast and concept seems More attractive than taking a Chance on something new. Cd so first classics weekend in february 1991 scored big in the ratings with the return of the de Sullivan show the Mary Tyler Moore show and All in the family. In fact it inspired lbs to bring Back All in the family last summer As a companion series to a new Normal Lear comedy sunday dinner. Earlier this season Abc brought Back dynasty for a miniseries lbs staged retrospectives for the Bob Newhart show a a so and the de Sullivan show and Abc telecast new movies based on i dream of Jeannie and the untouchables. Its an idea that works a but not always. The recent retrospective for the Bob Newhart show was in a three Way tie for 81st place. Lbs turned to Carol Burnett to revive one of televisions earliest forms the variety show but it did no to work. In january detective Mike Stone goes Back to the streets of san Francisco to find the killers of his former partner inspector Steve Keller. The series was televised on Abc from 1972-77, but the movie is on Abc. Karl Malden returns in his role As Stone now a Captain and Darlene Carr reprises her role As his daughter. Michael Douglas played Keller before he left in 1976 and went on to win an Academy award As Best actor for his role in Wall Street Abc has two More Perry Mason movies scheduled f r this season and lbs is planning another weekend retrospective for the 1992-93 season. A the revivals we re involved in we would not bring Back if we could not get the Lead from the series Quot says Ruth Slawson vice president for movies and miniseries at Abc. A they Are the focal Point. Maybe we would not have done the Perry Mason movies if we could t get Raymond Burr or Jeannie if we did no to have Barbara James Arness has returned As Matt Dillon in gun smoke movies and the dynasty miniseries starred the original cast theatrical movies on the other hand rarely cast the actors from the series. The major exception is Star trek which has been a phenomenal Success in reruns of the original series a series of Best Selling books and the current series Star trek the next generation. Star trek i the undiscovered country released dec 6, is expected to be the last motion Pic Ture with the original cast. Undoubtedly Paramount pictures a particularly with former Abc president Brandon Tartikoff at the Helm a is considering future movies with the cast of the next generation series. Such movies As the Addams family Batman and the untouchables All had new casts. Kevin Costner played Eliot Ness on film in 7vie untouchables but Abc has the original Robert stack. A i done to think our movies would have the same Appeal without the original people Quot Slawson says. Quot i think these people Are so intertwined with the product and so identifiable. People simply prefer Raymond Burr As Perry Mason. When you think of the untouchables you think of Robert the Addams family had the biggest fall opening in motion picture history says Paramount pictures when it took in $24.2 million in its first weekend. The original Addams family series is still on television As is an animated series. A collection of the new yorker cartoons by Charles Addams on which the series and movies were based Are also on display at the National Academy of design in new York the current preoccupation with the past is not new a and is in fact a rerun itself. Jackie Gleason was Chester a. Riley in the life of Riley in the 1949-50 season. Three years later the show was revived with William Bendix in the role of the bumbling Riley. It ran for another five years. Dragnet made its appearance on Abc in 1952 and ran until 1959. Jack Webb brought the laconic sgt. Joe Friday to the big screen in 1954. The series was revived in 1967 and inspired a television movie in 1969, a year before it finally left the air. It was revived once again in 1989 As a feature movie comedy with Dan Aykroyd As fridays Nephew such dramas from televisions so called Golden age As Marty the Bachelor party requiem for a heavyweight patterns and 12 angry men were made into motion pictures. Marty won an Oscar As Best movie in 1955. Ernest Borgnine a 1960s series Mihalc s Navy was made into movies twice. An occasional look at the past by the networks can be fun but not if it serves As a Means to ignore new projects that Are risky innovative provocative and controversial. Watching old to shows is no worse than rereading an old Book or looking at an old 19, 1992 sunday a Page 7
