Presidents Lead the Holiday Lineup

Presidents Day doesn’t quite measure up to other holidays when it comes to offering up television fare.

For example, although many of the nation’s chief executives have been subjects of movies, and one starred in many, there’s nothing cinematically equivalent to that Christmas season perennial, “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

However, cable’s Arts & Entertainment network has almost a full day of presidentially themed programming, opening at 9 a.m. with “Abraham Lincoln,” the 1930 film biography directed by D.W. Griffith and starring Walter Huston as the 16th President.

Next are profiles of Theodore Roosevelt (11 a.m.); Woodrow Wilson (11:30 a.m.); Herbert Hoover (noon); Franklin Delano Roosevelt (12:30 p.m.); Harry S. Truman (1:30 p.m.); Dwight D. Eisenhower (2 p.m.), and Richard M. Nixon (3:30 p.m.). “JFK: In His Own Words,” home movies of John F. Kennedy, airs at 2:30 p.m.

“David L. Wolper Presents: Seven Days in the Life of a President,” a look at the Lyndon B. Johnson Administration, has its A&E; premiere at 5 and 9 p.m.

Several men who would eventually become President are portrayed in “A More Perfect Union: America Becomes a Nation” (1 p.m., Channel 28), a look at the years between 1786-89, when squabbling among the states under the Articles of Confederation would eventually lead to the adoption of the Constitution.

Presidents’ Day also falls during the all-important ratings sweeps period, and all three broadcast networks have prime-time specials or new made-for-TV movies. Capitalizing on the larger than usual number of viewers at home, there are also some morning and afternoon sporting events, and the start of a new story line on ABC’s “General Hospital,” as Anthony Geary returns after a seven-year absence (but not as his former character, Luke Spencer).

In sports, the Chicago Bulls visit the Cleveland Cavaliers at 12:30 p.m. on Channels 4, 36 and 39; the Kings skate against the Washington Capitals at 1 p.m. on Prime Ticket, and college basketball’s No. 1 team, Nevada Las Vegas, takes on Cal State Long Beach at 9 p.m. on ESPN.

In women’s basketball, the Liberty Basketball Assn. debuts at 9:30 a.m. on ESPN with the Detroit Dazzlers facing the LBA All-Stars.