TELEVISION REVIEWS : THE NEW FALL TV SEASON : ‘ANGEL IN GREEN’

“Stupid, but interesting.”

So says the hateful Ramon, leader of a small band of rebels on a South Seas island, as he surveys the spunky nun who defies him. He might say the same for the movie of which he’s a part--”Angel in Green” (tonight at 9 on CBS, Channels 2 and 8).

The title refers to a Green Beret captain (Bruce Boxleitner), whose men try to teach the islanders how to fight Ramon. Boxleitner says things like “Yo” and “It’s gotta be done.” In a moment of pique, the nun calls him “a bad John Wayne imitation.” But Wayne was never this bland.

Naturally, the nun (Susan Dey) and the dimpled hunk fall in love, despite her doubts about his methods and his about her faith. After a good night kiss, the nun even undresses in front of what looks like a picture window. Not surprisingly, the captain is awe-struck.

This nun does more than pray, teach and undress. She fixes generators. She whips Boxleitner at chess and baseball, hitting two home runs in a row off his pitches.

The islanders idolize these two white paragons. Because Boxleitner arrived via helicopter, the local kids think he’s an angel even before he bites the . . . well, we won’t reveal the ending. Let’s just say that events conveniently spare the nun from having to choose between her vows and her man.

Considering that “stupid, but interesting” is a reversal of the line Arte Johnson’s German soldier used on “Laugh-In,” one wonders if Michael Patrick Goodman wrote this pack of cliches as a gag. If so, no one let director Marvin Chomsky or the actors in on the joke.

So why is “Angel” interesting, despite its stupidity? Because of its sweeping disregard for the political implications of its story. Look where “Top Gun” has taken us.