TV on Right Track for Special Olympics

TV or not TV. . . .

ABOUT TIME: TV is finally opening its doors to enlightened portrayals of the mentally retarded and disabled.

The recent drama series “Equal Justice” was a notable example. So is “Life Goes On,” which stars Chris Burke, who has Down’s syndrome.

Thus, the timing of Thursday’s two-hour ABC broadcast, “Victory and Valor: A Special Olympics All-Star Celebration”--built around the joyous competition of mentally retarded athletes from more than 100 nations--couldn’t be more appropriate.

“This Olympics has been an important part of my life,” Burke says in the show, which is not really a sports program at all, but a celebration of the spirit. Yes, there’s a star-studded opening ceremony in a colorful, Olympics-style extravaganza before 60,000 fans at the Minneapolis Metrodome last month. But the special tries to avoid this single dimension by focusing in part on the individual tales of four competitors, including a young Navajo man from Arizona and a boy from Nepal, following them from their homes before the Games right through the weeklong Olympics.

Singer Bob Seger, who, like the other participating stars, worked for free, went to Nepal, as did the show, which also taped sequences in Greece, home of the Olympics.

Burke, clearly moved in his appearances, is a past competitor in the Special Olympics, having won a medal for broad jumping.

In the new age of TV, with Larry Drake playing retarded office worker Benny Stulwicz in “L.A. Law” and Marlee Matlin portraying a hearing-impaired prosecutor in the fall series “Reasonable Doubts,” the approach of ABC’s Thursday special adds to the healthy trend.

It is decidedly upbeat, feel-good TV, blending the stars, the sports events and the mini-documentaries of the athletes, which include some hilarious passages--especially about a “unified” softball team of retarded and non-retarded players from Connecticut.

The team seems straight out of “The Bad News Bears.” After they get slaughtered in their first game, 18-4, the coach observes: “I wouldn’t count us out.” After they lose again, he notes: “This game was probably the worst we played.” One of the retarded players has the solution: “Base hits, base hits.”

Viewers who enjoy the spectacle of an Olympics will see the usual rituals--the running of the torch, the opening parade of the athletes and the accompanying entertainment. And there are a few eye-openers, including the 68-year-old man who is the oldest Special Olympian.

“Some people think this is a telethon,” says executive producer Bobby Shriver. “Well, it’s not. It’s a show. No one’s going to feel sorry for anybody. You don’t have to be delicate. It’s like ‘Animal House’ sometimes. And we treat this like the Super Bowl.”

Adds director Steve Binder: “We tried to capture the entire week and see it through the eyes of the Special Olympians, not just the stars.”

The lineup of stars is imposing, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Warren Beatty, Jon Bon Jovi, Gerardo, Prince, Kirstie Alley, Fred Savage, Don Johnson, Melanie Griffith, Florence Griffith Joyner, Debbie Gibson, Patti Austin, Frank Gifford, Wayne Gretzky, Richard Dean Anderson, Randy Travis, Bob Saget and Herb Alpert.

But the real stars, of course--an antidote to the age of overpaid professional jocks--are the young athletes from around the world having a great time. And Burke, as a former Special Olympian, bridges the world of the stars and athletes. Says one person connected with the production: “He was such a hero to these kids.”

JINXED: Everyone remembers PBS’ classic series “I, Claudius,” starring Derek Jacobi. But did you know that Charles Laughton was supposed to star as the Roman emperor in a 1937 film version that never was completed? The story is told on KCET Channel 28 on Aug. 25 in the documentary “The Epic That Never Was.” It details Laughton’s differences with director Josef von Sternberg and the auto accident of Merle Oberon that prevented her from continuing.

BONANZA: Republic Pictures, which syndicates “Bonanza”--the Western that brought fame to Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Dan Blocker and Pernell Roberts--says it now has rounded up 431 segments of the series, a total that surpasses all other prime-time dramas, including “Gunsmoke” and “Dallas.”

PENNY-WISE: CBS is foolishly “costing out” its unique, already-inexpensive “Nightwatch” series to see if it should replace the talk-show format with an overnight newscast. Really, how many CNNs do we need? Tonight’s “Nightwatch,” by the way, finds new Paramount Chairman Brandon Tartikoff chatting with guest host and critic Elvis Mitchell.

WHITE-OUT: Is it just my TV set, or has Dan Rather suddenly lost all his gray hair?

RULES OF THE GAME: A top Hollywood TV executive recently tried to sell his network boss in New York on a one-hour drama that would take the time slot of a reality show. The Hollywood executive said the drama would cost $1 million for each one-hour episode. His boss replied that the reality show cost him $350,000. No sale. Instead, a promise of a mid-season pickup.

HOME STRETCH: Johnny Carson’s annual prime-time anniversary special--marking his 29th year on “The Tonight Show”--airs on NBC Oct. 3. With his announcement that he’s retiring from the series May 22, the ratings should go through the roof. Definitely a TV occasion--a VCR must.

DOUBLE FEATURE: If you haven’t stopped in yet at UCLA’s summerlong tribute to four decades of TV’s “Hallmark Hall of Fame,” tonight’s a good night. “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” with Anthony Hopkins and Lesley-Anne Down, is on tap at 7:30, followed by “Beauty and the Beast,” with George C. Scott and Trish Van Devere. It’s all at Melnitz Theater on campus.

BOTTOM LINE: For those who wonder why NBC keeps sticking with the estimable “Quantum Leap” through its ratings ups and downs, a former network executive reports: “The demographics are through the roof. Next to ‘L.A. Law’ and ‘Cheers,’ ‘Quantum Leap’ is the most desired demographic show on NBC.”

BEING THERE: “If ignorance is bliss, this is Eden.”--Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) in “Cheers.”

Say good night, Gracie. . . .