TV & VIDEO - Nov. 29, 1990

Mother and Child Reunion: Burger King, which recently placed an ad in several hundred newspapers trumpeting its support of “traditional American values on television, especially the importance of family” and proclaimed it would support only programs that reflected those values, was among the commercial sponsors of CBS’ “The Stranger Within,” a violent television movie that aired Tuesday night. The thriller features Rick Schroder as a psychopath who claims to be Kate Jackson’s long-lost kidnaped son. The teen-age Schroder appears to be an earnest, loving son, then emerges as a deranged killer. Some of the movie’s scenes include the Schroder character shooting at the family dog, drowning his “mother’s” boyfriend under the ice, attempting to bury her and a policeman alive after he’s just about done them in. Schroder, who’s beaten and verbally abused Jackson, comes at her with a hammer after she’s shot him; another policeman finally puts him to rest. Burger King said the movie had been reviewed by its advertising agencies and marketing staff and “found to be within the guidelines the company has set forth,” according to spokesman Michael Evans.