KHJ TO JUGGLE LINEUP, ADD GAME SHOW

In the wake of a poor performance during the November ratings sweeps, KHJ-TV Channel 9 will be overhauling its weekday programming schedule next month, moving reruns of “Dallas” to an afternoon slot, introducing a million-dollar game show and dropping its 10 p.m. movie.

“Dallas” ran last in its time period during the sweeps period, and the movie package barely managed to stay even with some of the newscasts on the other Los Angeles independents.

Highlighting the lineup changes, which take effect Jan. 6, is a new game show called “The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime,” hosted by Jim Lange. The program’s producers boast that its top prize of $1 million is 10 times larger than any other TV game show has ever offered.

“The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime” will air weeknights at 7:30 p.m., following “Love Connection,” the video dating show, which is moving to 7 p.m. from its current 4:30 p.m. slot.

“Dallas” reruns, currently in the 7-8 p.m. period, will move to 3 p.m., replacing “Family Feud” reruns and shifting “Divorce Court” to 4:30 p.m.

In other changes, KHJ-TV is dropping reruns of “Hart to Hart” at 6 p.m. and substituting reruns of “Police Story.” From 10 p.m. until 11:30 p.m., its movie will be replaced by reruns of “The Saint,” the comedy series “Bizarre” and the game show “Pitfall.”

BUT ELSEWHERE: “Dallas” is still going strong in prime-time, however, ranking No. 7 on the season-to-date ratings chart. As evidence of its ongoing popularity, Lorimar is at work now on a three-hour TV movie special for CBS called “Dallas: The Early Years.”

Written by “Dallas” creator David Jacobs, the film will trace the origins of the infamous Ewing-Barnes feud from the 1930s through the 1950s.

Cast as the young Ellie and Jock are Molly Hagan and Dale Midkiff, with David Grant as Digger Barnes, David Wilson as Jason Ewing and Hoyt Axton as Miss Ellie’s father. The characters of J. R., Bobby, Gary, Pamela and Cliff will be seen as children.

TOGETHER AGAIN: The recent TV movie that revived fictional defense attorney Perry Mason was the most-watched program of the week. Not surprisingly, NBC has ordered another such film for 1986.

This one will be called “Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun” and will reunite Raymond Burr as Mason with Barbara Hale as Della Street. They starred in the original “Perry Mason” series from 1957 to 1966 on CBS. Joining them as Paul Drake Jr. will be William Katt, Hale’s son, who played that role in the recent film, “Perry Mason Returns.”

ALMOST TOGETHER AGAIN: Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy are going to be reteamed again, in a way. She will serve as host and narrator for “Spencer Tracy, the Actor,” a documentary about the late movie star that is being produced for public television by station WNET and MGM.

The retrospective will include film clips, interviews with friends and associates of Tracy (including Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Widmark, Robert Wagner, Joan Bennett and Stanley Kramer) and Hepburn’s own reminiscences. She starred with Tracy in nine films, including “Adam’s Rib,” “Pat and Mike,” “Woman of the Year” and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?”

Tracy, who died in 1967, won two Academy Awards as best actor, for “Captains Courageous” in 1937 and for “Boys Town” in 1938. His other films included “San Francisco,” “The Last Hurrah,” “Bad Day at Black Rock” and “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.”

Producing the documentary are David Heeley and Joan Kramer, who have collaborated on earlier such programs about Fred Astaire, Judy Garland and Hepburn. “Spencer Tracy, the Actor” is expected to be broadcast next spring.

STILL GROWING: About 46% of the nation’s homes are now wired for cable TV, according to the A.C. Nielsen Co. The ratings company estimates that as of November, there were more than 39.8 million cable households--up 5.7% from November, 1984.

Palm Springs has the highest cable penetration of any market in the country, Nielsen said, with 88% of the homes there hooked up. San Angelo, Tex., with 86.8%, is second and the Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-San Luis Obispo area is third with 84.7%.

The San Diego market has 66.8% of its homes receiving cable TV, while Los Angeles stands at just 36.2%.

SOAP STUFF: Robin Mattson, who has starred in three daytime soap operas, is adding a fourth: She’s joining the cast of “Santa Barbara” on NBC, where she’ll play Gina DeMott, wife of C. C. Capwell (Charles Bateman). Mattson previously played Hope Bauer on “The Guiding Light,” Heather Webber on “General Hospital” and Delia Ryan on “Ryan’s Hope.”

David Doyle and Martha Scott have signed on with “General Hospital.” Doyle is best known for his role as Bosley in the series “Charlie’s Angels,” while Scott has appeared in numerous TV programs and films, including “Ben-Hur” and “The Ten Commandments.” On the ABC serial, Scott will portray Jennifer Talbot and Doyle will play her attorney. . . .

Country music singer Gary Morris, currently on the charts with the song “I’ll Never Stop Loving You,” will become a regular on ABC’s new prime-time soap “The Colbys.” Beginning next month, he’ll be seen as a country singer named Wayne Masterson who is signed to a recording contract by Monica Colby (Tracy Scoggins).

TRAVELING: The annual “Gala of Stars” that public television produces to close out its spring fund-raising drive is going on the road. The 1986 show, scheduled for broadcast March 16, will originate at the Vienna State Opera.

Beverly Sills will host the program.