Waterston Asks Fans to Back ‘I’ll Fly Away’

“It’s more than a job,” says actor Sam Waterston. “This is very good stuff.” Waterston, best known for the film “The Killing Fields,” is talking about his NBC series, “I’ll Fly Away,” which won a fistful of Emmy nominations this year but is near extinction.

Probably the only thing that can save it--barring a change of heart by NBC--is viewer tune-in and higher ratings during a monthlong January run that is regarded as its last chance.

Waterston, who plays a 1950s Southern lawyer during the blossoming of the civil rights movement, phoned from the show’s Georgia location and urged fans to contact NBC in support of the series.

Warren Littlefield, the Burbank-based president of NBC Entertainment, has given “I’ll Fly Away” three added episodes to prove itself next month. And Waterston says:

“I think that they (NBC) would like to keep it on the air. If there ever was a time to speak up, it’s now.”

Like another splendid series that has been yanked--CBS’ “Brooklyn Bridge”--”I’ll Fly Away” has a tough weekend time slot. After holiday pre-emptions, it will be seen at 10 p.m. Fridays, where the competition includes ABC’s potent “20/20.”

“I’ll Fly Away,” which has been compared to the Gregory Peck film “To Kill a Mockingbird,” is built around the relationship of the Waterston character and his independent black housekeeper (Regina Taylor).

“A show that is off the beaten path, as ours is, usually takes some time to find its audience,” says Waterston. “While it’s finding its audience, it’s weak. And while it’s weak, it’s susceptible to all the winds of pressure.

“But I think that the networks are trying to figure out who they are going to be. And it will be a good thing if shows like ours can hang on so that the broadcasting possibilities are greater in the future.”

In today’s competitive show-business climate, says Waterston, “If you’re going to survive, you have to do some farming--developing audiences and being courteous to them.”

Now there’s a truly revolutionary thought--being courteous to viewers.

THE WAY THINGS WERE: Another worthwhile but struggling series, ABC’s “Homefront”--about GIs returning home after World War II--deals with a 1940s polio epidemic in Thursday’s episode. Like “I’ll Fly Away” and “Brooklyn Bridge,” this is a series that grows on you.

In January and February, it’s expected to deal with the advent of TV, the suburban housing boom and repercussions of the Red Scare.

OLD RELIABLE: On Sunday, Bob Newhart hosts a two-hour CBS special, “Holiday Greetings From the Ed Sullivan Show.” And on Monday, his new sitcom, “Bob,” gets a one-shot outing between “Evening Shade” and “Murphy Brown.” Hmmm.

Well, of course, “Newhart” was a Monday fixture for years. And CBS’ two new Monday sitcoms, “Hearts Afire” and “Love & War,” haven’t exactly been dazzling in the ratings of late.

THE KING’S ENGLISH: “That’s between Andrew and I,” Fergie said to Diane Sawyer on “PrimeTime Live” last Thursday. Sawyer didn’t correct her.

SPEEDING: CBS’ “48 Hours” zonked the competition last Wednesday with its broadcast about car-jacking. “48 Hours” and “PrimeTime Live” are suddenly very hot items as 10 p.m. entries. Throw in “20/20” at 10 p.m. Fridays and it’s getting tougher and tougher for competing dramas at that hour.

UP FRONT: NBC’s ratings-hungry new sitcom, “Mad About You,” had this line near the end of its last episode: “Stay tuned--we need friends.” By the way, we saw this Wednesday’s show, which deals with how the attractive married couple of the series (Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser) first met, and it’s very amiable.

ON BOARD: Add Lily Tomlin to the cast of HBO’s upcoming, all-star production of Randy Shilts’ book about the AIDS epidemic, “And the Band Played On.” She plays a San Francisco public health official.

SHUFFLE: CBS said it was pulling last night’s “Hearts Afire” with Hillary Clinton’s dad so the series could air a Christmas episode instead. That’s show biz.

FAMILY TIES: Well, you just know that Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” will be shown uncut on KTTV Channel 11 next Tuesday, with “limited commercial interruptions.” His son, Tom Capra, is the new boss of the station.

BALLOT: “Northern Exposure” was voted TV’s best series for the third consecutive time in a semi-annual critics poll conducted by the trade publication Electronic Media.

MAXI-SERIES: Now here’s a show bigger than “The Winds of War” and “Roots” combined: On Jan. 2, KSCI Channel 18 will begin 94 weekly one-hour episodes of “Mahabharata,” the Sanskrit epic of India. It drew 89% of the TV audience in India and will be seen here Saturdays from noon to 1 p.m., in Hindi with English subtitles.

SLUGFEST: ABC’s “Good Morning America” won’t go quietly. On the rebound, it has now beaten NBC’s “Today” show four consecutive weeks in the ratings. The two series are in a virtual dead heat during the fourth quarter of the year.

IMAGE: What’s the most unforgettable TV footage of 1992? For many, it’s the Rodney G. King beating verdict or the riots. Tough to beat. But for me, it will always be that poor 15-year-old boy swept away down the Los Angeles River during the February flooding.

PLAY BALL: That nifty series, “Baseball’s Greatest Games,” is getting a weekly, year-round spot on the Prime Ticket network. There’ll be daylong marathons of the games on Christmas and New Year’s Day.

BEING THERE: “Enter, whoever. If it’s nobody, I’ll call back.”--Molly Goldberg (Gertrude Berg) in “The Goldbergs.”

Say good night, Gracie . . .