Fuse Lit for the Fourth Celebrations : Television: Despite being largely ignored by the networks, there are still opportunities to cheer the nation’s 215th birthday.

Independence Day parades and celebrations don’t receive the same interest from programmers at the major television networks as do those on Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Only CBS has a Fourth of July-themed special planned. Most of the holiday-related fare is confined to low-rated cable and PBS outlets.

However, there still are plenty of opportunities to cheer the nation’s 215th birthday and the Persian Gulf War veterans via television Thursday, and a bevy of thematic marathons, movies and baseball are also scheduled.

Additionally, an eclectic lineup of James Stewart, John Wayne, James Cagney, Rod Serling, Tony Bennett, Steve Martin, Buck Henry and prolific murderer Jason Vorhees of “Friday the 13th” will all get plenty of air time.