THE TUBE

It’s a story that could run in Ms. magazine. Fifteen years ago, Judy Polone was an Encino housewife with two elementary-school-age children and a marriage on the rocks. Once her divorce was final, she began free-lancing as a publicist for the Los Angeles Ballet Company while working as a literary agent. Today she’s one of the most powerful women in television, having produced more movies of the week than most of us have time to watch, including “A Killing in a Small Town” and “Runaway Father.” “I work really hard and cheap,” says the former president of Hearst Entertainment, who recently formed the Polone Company.

If that rags-to-riches story were not perfect enough, she started off in the industry as a secretary. “I worked as a secretary at MCA after college, and I developed relationships. I knew there was going to come a time when I wanted to do something with my life, so I kept up my contacts in the business. I always loved this business.”

But first she spent 15 years in the homemaking business. The transition from homemaker to ballet publicist/literary agent to development executive for Universal Television only took one year. “Universal needed to hire some minorities. Tom Tannenbaum, an old friend from my MCA days, was senior VP at Universal. He ran into me and asked, ‘What are you doing?’ ” I told him and he hired me. I was the token woman.”

Token or not, Polone was a corporate tiger as she ascended the ranks of Hollywood. Within five years, she was partners with Jerry Isenberg and Gerry Abrams in Phoenix Entertainment. Three and a half years later, Hearst Entertainment bought Phoenix; Polone was promoted and, a year later, got her own production company. “We all did exceedingly well.”

Despite her own spectacular ascent, Polone realizes it isn’t always that easy in Old Boy Hollywood. So she does her bit, pulling women who are usually in front of the camera behind it, where the action is. Polone has put Diane Keaton, Victoria Principal, Jill Eikenberry, Meredith Baxter, Donna Mills and Stephanie Zimbalist in the director’s and producer’s seats. “The networks are a business, and they’re in competition, and certain actresses get the ratings for them. These actresses get decent scripts sent to them. So I got them involved with the process as producers and directors,” Polone says. But it isn’t all for the cause of sisterhood. “I found out it worked. Their input is terrific, and we have a lot of fun. It’s good business.”