Hype by Association

It’s always curious what figures to be a “credit” in Hollywood.

Like the recent KCET-TV promo for the airing of a 1966 British comedy classic: “Before Weight Watchers, Lynn Redgrave was ‘Georgy Girl.’ ” Outtakes would like to add that “After Lynn Redgrave’s Oscar-nominated performance, there was Weight Watchers.”

Like NBC, which loudly exploited the Bruce Springsteen name in its rerun promos for “His Mistress,” a 1984 TV movie with Julianne Phillips--a.k.a. Mrs. Bruce Springsteen--in the title role opposite Robert Urich. Phillips, not married when the film was shot, was ID’d in the spots as “the wife of a rock star” and “Mrs. Bruce Springsteen” . . . even as the couple is going through the pangs of a public separation being celebrated in the tabloids.

Said an NBC spokesperson, “We made sure we were legally accurate with how we used their names with each other, and wanted to identify her in the public mind.”

Molly Madden, Phillips’ manager: “We were very, very surprised. I had thought it a somewhat classy network.”

How to prevent this type of hype? “I don’t know that anyone can do that. I’m not an attorney and really don’t know how to prevent this. It’s embarrassing for the network, I would think,” said Madden, “Julianne did two movies for NBC in good faith and then they do this. I think it’s tacky.”

Like ABC, whose recent promos for Robin Givens have given in to labeling her “Mrs. Mike Tyson” for their “Head of the Class” sitcom.