Holiday TV Fare: Football, Parades--and Bart

Today’s Thanksgiving television fare will include those traditional favorites--parades, football games, a “Twilight Zone” marathon and “It’s a Wonderful Life,” along with such unlikely offerings as “The Simpsons,” a Connie Chung special and a professional wrestling spectacular.

The TV event that has become most synonymous with Thanksgiving--the 64th annual Macy’s Day Parade--airs at 8 a.m. on Channels 2 and 8 and at 1 p.m. on Channels 4, 36 and 39. This year’s new balloons include a skateboarding Bart Simpson. CBS’ coverage also features highlights of parades from Disneyland, Hawaii and Toronto.

There will also be a Simpson joining the troops stationed in the Middle East for Operation Desert Shield, but not Bart, Homer, Marge, Lisa or Maggie. Football legend O.J. Simpson will report live from Saudi Arabia on NBC’s “NFL Live” (9 a.m., Channels 4, 36 and 39.)

Befitting the mediocrity that has generally characterized this professional football season, today’s NFL games feature teams with a combined 16-25 record. The 3-7 Detroit Lions, last in the NFC Central, play host to the 3-7 Denver Broncos, last in the AFC West, at 9:30 a.m. on Channels 4, 36 and 39. The 4-7 Dallas Cowboys, fourth in the five-team NFC East, face the 6-4 Washington Redskins, tied for second in the same division, at 1 p.m. on Channels 2 and 8.

At 9 a.m., KTLA Channel 5 begins its 11th annual “Twilight Zone Marathon.” Episodes include “To Serve Man” (noon); “Two” (12:30 p.m.); “The Big Tall Wish” (3:30 p.m.); “The Dummy” (8 p.m.) and “Night of the Meek” (9:30 p.m.).

KDOC Channel 56 has a marathon of its own, airing 20 consecutive episodes of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

With Thanksgiving the traditional start of the Christmas season, two cable outlets will show what has become the quintessential Christmas movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” TBS airs Frank Capra’s increasingly contemporary tale of a troubled savings and loan executive at 9 p.m., while American Movie Classics shows an uncut version without commercial interruptions at 11 p.m.

The Family Channel attempts to capitalize on the popularity of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” debuting a made-for-cable movie, “Clarence” at 8 p.m. Robert Carradine stars in the title role, based upon the angel of “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

While many prime-time series are preempted or in reruns because of the holiday, “The Simpsons” airs its first Thanksgiving episode (8 p.m., Channels 11 and 6) with Bart running away from home after being blamed for ruining Thanksgiving dinner.

Connie Chung, who earlier this year bristled at suggestions that her “Face to Face” series was dominated by celebrity-oriented stories, interviews Kevin Costner, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in a special to be broadcast at 10 p.m. on Channels 2 and 8. “Face to Face” also has a report on a family whose two daughters suffer from a rare genetic disease that makes any exposure to sunlight potentially fatal.

In what may well be the day’s unlikeliest tradition, the World Wrestling Federation will conduct its “Survivor Series.” Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior headline the 5 p.m. pay-per-view show, which replays at 8 p.m.