European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 19, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse Flood of Calls helps solve stack of mysteries by Daniel Cerone los Angeles times the male caller identified himself Only As a Reader of Tarot cards a look for the baby boy on Maui. He a staying with his father at one of the largest hotels on the Island. Look near a Volcano that is erupting or about to erupt i also see a Bright Pink Orchid the operator dutifully typed the information into her computer. A thank you for calling a she said. A that child is going to be found a the Man said confidently As he was hanging up the phone. The Anonymous fortuneteller was one of the roughly 1,500 callers who dialled the 800 number after watching no cd a unsolved a mysteries recently. From the moment the program airs on the East coast each week phone Calls ranging from viewer tips to personal pleas for help pour into the 24-hour phone Bank in los Angeles where 28 operators record information that leads to a substantial number of resolutions. Unsolved mysteries hosted by the stately Robert stack emmy award Winner for the untouchables has solved an average of nearly two mysteries per episode this season. The most curious mystery May be the popularity of the reality based series produced for an estimated $700,000 per episode a or slightly More than half the Cost of most one hour dramas. Tagged by critics As tabloid to when it premiered in 1987, unsolved mysteries has steadily added fans to become a ratings bastion for Abc. The series which has been renewed for next fall ranks no. 11 among 131 primetime network shows that have aired this season. Ratings show that the majority of those viewers live outside the nations big cities. A Sample of an evenings phone Calls discloses the far reaching net that unsolved mysteries casts each week. Quot i was on an air plane last saturday from new York to Cincinnati and i swear that Guy was sitting beside me a exclaimed poppy Forman 18, who was watching with her husband two weeks ago in Oceanside calif., when she telephoned. The profile she was referring to involved an estranged husband from los Angeles Sergio Farina who allegedly ran off with his 7-month-old son Marcus. Marcus has a malfunctioning thyroid gland that May result in Graves disease if not properly cared for. A the had an unforgettable face a Forman said excitedly. A the had Short hair no sideburns and a heavy Abc Robert stack on to s unsolved mysteries. Accent. He was really cute a a i know How to eliminate what leads to Graves disease a volunteered one ornery Man who phoned in. A has to do with fluoride in the water. Nobody will listen to me because i done to have no . But in a the Only Man to beat Colon cancer. In a 70, and i could outrun Bob by evenings end the unsolved mysteries staff had whittled the Farina Calls Down to five a hot lips a or serious leads. He was a a recognized As an apartment tenant in los Angeles a hotel guest in Washington and at a health spa in Oregon while believed to be working As an actor in new York and a dancer in Las vegas. Quot that a typical. But we u have agents run each of these leads Down Quot said Karen Gardner a special agent with the Federal Bureau of investigation in i of Angeles who haunts the phone Bank wednesday nights. Law enforcement officials from around the country frequently travel there when crimes from their jurisdictions arc portrayed on unto Ved a mysteries. Three weeks earlier Gardner was on hand when a a hot tip Quot came in on Cheryl Wooten suspected by police of the murder of her aunt and unde in Lewis Chapel Mountain Tenn. Quot the show was t off the air 45 minutes before she was in custody in Texas a Gardner said proudly. Quot the Calls that we Roll troops on Are those where the people insist they know who the person is or when Calls come in clusters when several phone Calls identify the same person a Gardner explained. Each week unsolved Afy Starics showcases carefully staged re enactments Matching details and often using people who were involved in the real Lilc occurrence. The events depicted fall into such categories As unexplained deaths wanted fugitives missing persons lost loves and lost heirs. There s also an occasional big foot or ufos sighting tossed in a Quot what we Call the ooga Boga stories Quot executive producer John Cosgrove said. A a we re on at 8 p.m., and to do a solid hour of crime stories just seems a Little bit heavy Quot Cosgrove said. A so what we want to do is keep the audience involved by throwing change ups at in 1985, Cosgrove and his partner Terry Mcgurer did three missing children specials for Abc called missing have you seen this person to their Surprise 25 people were found As a result of those specials. A the missing children movement was a trend sadly that became less a headline and moved into the background Quot Cosgrove said Quot so we expanded the idea of audience interaction to include All kinds of the executive producers a who have a new reality series against All Odds premiering on Abc today a believe the interactive nature of their show is what keeps viewers coming Back. Research has shown that the update segment where cases Are solved is the programs most popular recalling Kinison with a smile by Rob staggenb0rg staff writer a full week later its still hard to believe. Sure people had their gripes with him much like they had their gripes about Andrew Dice Clay. The Gay bashing the women bashing All of it had to go. Comedian Sam Kinison died last weekend and so did a Small piece of me. Andy Warhol who probably would be hated Kinison uttered the famous �?o15 minutes of Fame line. Sam will no doubt be eulogized As the a live for today l9&%$ tomorrow Type but for one Guy a namely me a Sam Kinison will be remembered differently. My 12 minutes 35 seconds came with Sam Kini son the Banshee comedian whose trademark a a scream will no doubt Echo throughout Many a Cable special honouring the former preacher in the months to come. Kinison he of the rotund Girth and wild berets gave a show in Northern Virginia and literally had the audience in tears with his jokes. A Friend and i managed to pull a few strings and got invited backstage to meet Sam and his outlaws of comedy group of comedians that opened for Kini Sam Kinison son. The coup of All time in our Young demented minds. Security was thick but our escort was Carl la Bove an air Force brat and an outlaw of comedy. Carl shunned the Security and we were readying for the ultimate party. With Sam. As Wayne and Garth would say the door swung open. We peered inside like two children coming downstairs to Check out a Christmas tree. Sam was not there. Bumming major we thought. Carl assured us Sam would show and within 10 minutes he waltzed into the room with two Beautiful women on his Arm. Give him dark sunglasses a slicked Back Hairdo and head be Jack Nicholson i swear. Being the dorks we were we ambled up and asked something stupid although 1 forget exactly what it was. Wed been accustomed to being shunned so we figured head Belt out a slew of obscenities and he i his Way. But he actually talked to us. He was actually Nice. This was Sam the wild thing himself most Anticlimactic dude. We did the picture thing the fruit of which was still buried in a closet somewhere. After his death 1 uncovered it kind of my Way of remembering the Guy he a gone a dead at 38 after a car crash a not to be forgotten but you know How these things work. The dead Are forgotten after some time. In the picture i have Sam is smiling which is How at least one person in this world will remember him. 19, 1992 Cir Flay a Page 11
