Robert Young, the former star of “Father...

Robert Young, the former star of “Father Knows Best” and “Marcus Welby, M.D.,” will play an elderly man who kills his terminally ill wife in “Mercy or Murder,” a two-hour TV movie for NBC. It’s based on the case of Roswell Gilbert, a Florida man who killed his Alzheimer’s disease-stricken wife last year and then was tried for murder. Frances Reid of “Days of Our Lives” plays the wife and Michael Learned portrays the couple’s daughter.

Tim Matheson and Margaret Colin play a married couple in “Babytalk,” a comedy film that’s being made for CBS. The film deals with the wife’s pregnancy and the couple’s jobs at competing newspapers. Elizabeth Ashley portrays Colin’s mother.

Tribune Entertainment Co. says it is going to develop a new talk show that would feature Geraldo Rivera as host. If the company can drum up enough interest from individual stations around the country, it would start producing “Geraldo Live!” next year.

Robert Culp, Dick Van Patten and Sherman Hemsley are starring in a comedy film for NBC called “Combat High.” It’s about two teen-age pranksters (Wally Ward and Keith Gordon) who are sent to a military academy. Also in the film are Richard Moll of “Night Court,” John Ratzenberger of “Cheers,” George Clooney, Dana Hill, Bernie Kopell and Jamie Farr.

KCET Channel 28 has received a $250,000 grant from the Mericos Foundation to develop a four-part series about the history of California. To be called “California,” the series would trace the state’s evolution from prehistoric times through the Gold Rush and up to the present day.

Amy Grant, the gospel singer who also has proven successful on the pop charts, will star in a musical special for NBC during the holiday season. The show will be filmed in Montana and will feature appearances by Dennis Weaver, Art Garfunkel and Ed Begley Jr.

The country music group Alabama will star in its first network special Nov. 28. Joining the group on the CBS program will be Willie Nelson, Charlie Daniels and the Judds.

A coming episode of NBC’s “St. Elsewhere” has the doctor played by Howie Mandel getting shot by the wife of a patient. While wounded, he hallucinates that he’s in heaven, hell and purgatory. The show is scheduled to air Nov. 26.