OFF-CENTERPIECE : A look inside Hollywood and the movies. : The Movie Obviously Gave Her Big Chills

Faithful readers of the Cathy comic strip already know the character’s fondness for Lawrence Kasdan films, but Cathy’s affection for Kasdan’s “Grand Canyon” has become a passion as consuming as dieting, shopping and her relationship with her boyfriend Irving.

Cathy, the creation of cartoonist Cathy Guisewite, first noticed “Grand Canyon” in the Dec. 27 strip, when Cathy went to the movies with Irving and her parents. In three of the strip’s four panels, a “Grand Canyon” poster appears in the background.

Two days later, Cathy’s cranky boss Mr. Pinkley demanded to know the whereabouts of his staff. “They’re discussing the emotional poignancy of the brilliant new Lawrence Kasdan film, ‘Grand Canyon!’ ” Cathy explains.

The weekend Kasdan’s film widened from limited engagements in New York and Los Angeles to national release, Cathy told her office mate Charlene “Irving’s taking me to see ‘Grand Canyon’ tonight.” Two panels later, she declared “It’s time to wrench myself from my petty concerns and spend two hours focusing on what really matters in life!”

But Cathy’s affinity for Kasdan films goes way back:

* In one 1989 installment, Cathy is shown bolting out of her house. “Seeing ‘Accidental Tourist,’ winner, New York film critics best picture of year” she shouts at her parents as she dashes past.

The following day, Cathy is shown in the theater thinking about how “beautiful,” “touching,” “sad” and “romantic” the movie is. In the concluding installment, Cathy’s mother calls and asks how Cathy liked the movie. “Oh yeah. ‘Accidental Tourist.’ I loved it, Mom. It’s a great movie.”

* In 1985, two weeks after the opening of “Silverado,” Cathy and her friend, Andrea, went to see it, describing the qualities of a perfect man as they entered the theater. As they file out, Cathy and Andrea bawl “I want a cowboy!”

* In 1983, two weeks after “The Big Chill” opened, Guisewite’s characters excitedly cite favorite scenes from the movie. They ignore Mr. Pinkley when he asks them why they are “still rehashing that movie at 11 o’clock.” Giving up, the boss makes a beeline to the movies himself.

* In 1981, Cathy and Irving are shown exiting a theater and passing a poster of “Body Heat.” “What a great movie!” Cathy exclaims. When the film was released on videotape, Cathy used it to create some heat with a boyfriend.

Guisewite’s practice is “obviously a commercial message,” said Jill Savitt, a spokeswoman of the Center for the Study of Commercialism, based in Washington, D.C. “To me, it looks like blatant placement.”

Lee Salem, editorial director of United Press Syndicate, defended Guisewite and his syndicate’s distribution of the strips.

“Cathy and Kasdan are good friends, and have been for a number of years,” said Lee Salem, editorial director of Universal Press Syndicate, which distributes Cathy to 1,200 newspapers worldwide. Both attended the University of Michigan in the early ‘70s.

Guisewite, who lives in Los Angeles, declined to comment, according to Salem. Kasdan couldn’t be reached for comment.

“We generally would not tolerate it,” said Salem, “except Cathy does mention other cultural trappings in the strip.” The TV shows “Dallas” and “Cheers” and the movies “Flashdance” and “An Officer and a Gentleman” also have been mentioned.

Mentioning films and other commercial commodities “used to cause concern for newspaper editors,” Salem said, but it is one way for Guisewite to “ground” her character in the present day.

“No one pays anyone anything,” Salem said.

Tom Sherak, executive vice president of 20th Century Fox, said that the studio had “no idea” that “Grand Canyon” would be mentioned in “Cathy.”

“It just showed up,” said Sherak. “The first time we thought it was cute. By the third time, we were ecstatic. Someone seeing the script might say to themselves, ‘Boy, it might really be interesting to see ‘Grand Canyon.’ She hasn’t hurt us.”