Preview ’95 : Starry, Starry Nights at the Movies

Big-name stars will be on the small screen in a big way this fall. Major actors from the film world will appear in television movies in full force--from Jessica Lange and Alec Baldwin in CBS’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” to John Turturro and Mary-Louise Parker in HBO’s “Sam & Phyllis.” Other powerhouse actors turning up in TV movies this fall include Joe Mantegna, Annabella Sciorra, Mary McDonnell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Laura Dern, Vanessa Redgrave, Meg Tilly, Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, Shirley MacLaine and Liza Minnelli.

As for fare, expect the usual based-on-a-true-story and based-on-a-novel selections. And sit tight--there are scores of thrillers. And Broadway buffs can get ready for ABC’s version of the musical “Bye Bye Birdie” starring “Seinfeld’s” Jason Alexander.

ACTION-ADVENTURE

“Alistair MacLean’s Night Watch”: A pre-James Bond Pierce Brosnan plays a special agent hired by the U.N. to track down a stolen painting. William Devane and Alexandra Paul co-star. Oct. 4. USA. Family Channel.

BIOGRAPHY

“A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes”: The story of Annette Funicello’s life from her days as a Mousekeeter to her ongoing battle with multiple sclerosis. Oct. 22 at 9 p.m. CBS.

“Deidre Hall’s Story: After All”: Hall stars as herself in the story based on her real-life experience with infertility and her decision to use a surrogate mother. November. ABC.

COMEDY

“Here Come the Munsters”: Edward Herrmann stars as Herman Munster and Robert Morse is Grandpa in the Halloween-time movie based on the campy 1960s TV series about the Munster clan. TBA. Fox.

“National Lampoon’s Favorite Deadly Sins”: Joe Mantegna, Andrew Clay, Denis Leary and Annabella Sciorra star in this spoof on the sins of lust, greed and anger. Nov. 5 (tentative). Showtime.

DRAMA

“The Affair”: A black American World War II soldier has an affair with a married white British woman. Courtney Vance and Kerry Fox co-star. Oct. 14. HBO.

“Blue River”: Based on Ethan Canin’s novel. A man finds that the disheveled homeless man on his doorstep is actually the brother he once adored. TBA. Fox.

“Cagney & Lacey: Playing for Keeps”: Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly are reunited once again in their Emmy-winning roles. TBA. CBS.

“Dare to Love”: Josie Bissett stars as a woman, who with the help of a drug, recovers from schizophrenia and reclaims her life. October. ABC.

“Dazzle”: Lisa Hartman Black, Linda Evans, Dixie Carter, James Farentino and Cliff Robertson star in a four-hour drama about a prominent California family who own a ranch. Based on Judith Krantz’s bestseller. Oct. 15 and 17 at 9 p.m. CBS.

“Deadly Love”: Susan Dey stars as a woman who has it all, including a deep, dark secret: she’s really a vampire. Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. Lifetime.

“Deceived by Trust, A Moment of Truth Movie”: A high school social worker uncovers evidence that a principal may be sexually harassing his students. With Michael Gross. October. NBC.

“Down Came a Blackbird”: Raul Julia died shortly after completing production on the drama about survivors of politically motivated torture. Laura Dern and Vanessa Redgrave co-star. Oct. 22. Showtime.

“Full Body Massage”: Mimi Rogers and Bryan Brown star as two complex people involved in deep conversation during an erotic full body massage. Nov. 12 (tentative). Showtime.

“Have You Seen My Son”: Lisa Hartman Black plays a mother in search of her asthmatic son who has been kidnaped by her ex-husband. TBA. ABC.

“The Heidi Chronicles”: Jamie Lee Curtis stars as Heidi in this adaptation of Wendy Wasserstein’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play about the life of a contemporary woman. Tom Hulce co-stars. Oct. 15. TNT.

“In the Lake of the Woods”: The Hallmark Entertainment Presents drama is based on novelist Tim O’Brien’s book about what happens when a man’s secret is finally told. TBA. Fox.

“In the Line of Duty: Hunt for Justice”: Adam Arkin and Nick Turturro star in this continuation of the “In the Line of Duty” movie series. A detective and an FBI special agent join forces to track down a murderer. October. NBC.

“Journey”: A family is left to cope after a mother abandons her children. All-star cast includes Jason Robards, Meg Tilly, Brenda Fricker and Max Pomeranc. Dec. 3. CBS.

“Kissinger and Nixon”: Ron Silver portrays the former secretary of state and Beau Bridges is the late President in this drama based on the Walter Isaacson biography. December. TNT.

“The Man Next Door”: The neighbors aren’t happy when a recently paroled criminal moves into their community. Michael Ontkean, Annette O’Toole and Pamela Reed star. TBA. ABC.

“Radiant City”: Kirstie Alley stars as a mother in the drama about a family struggling to make ends meet in a 1950s low-income housing project in Brooklyn. TBA. ABC.

“Recollected Memory” (working title): Two daughters reveal long-buried memories of sexual abuse by their father. William Devane, John Shea and Bess Armstrong co-star. TBA. ABC.

“Sam & Phyllis”: John Turturro plays legendary crime boss Sam Giancana in the story of his affair with Phyllis McGuire (Mary-Louise Parker), one of the singing McGuire sisters. November. HBO.

“She Fought Alone”: Real-life girlfriend and boyfriend Tiffani-Amber Thiessen and Brian Austin Green co-star in a story about a teen-age girl who is raped by a classmate and sues the Department of Education. October. NBC.

“The Silver Strand”: The wife of a hard-core Navy SEALs commander meets a handsome young recruit. Nicollette Sheridan stars. Oct. 15. Showtime.

“A Streetcar Named Desire”: Jessica Lange stars as Blanche DuBois and Alec Baldwin is Stanley Kowalski in a new version of the Tennessee Williams play. Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. CBS.

“Trail of Tears”: Pam Dawber and Katey Sagal star as two mothers who hit the road in search of their children who were stolen by their ex-husbands. October. NBC.

“Trial by Fire”: Gail O’Grady (“NYPD Blue”) stars as a high school teacher who is charged with sexual assault when one of her students commits suicide. Keith Carradine co-stars. Oct. 1 at 9 p.m. ABC.

“The Unspoken Truth”: A young wife and mother (Lea Thompson) confesses to a murder her husband committed; her older sister (Patricia Kalember) comes to her rescue. Sept. 24 at 9 p.m. NBC.

“When Summer Comes”: Kellie Martin stars as a woman who escapes from a juvenile detention center to clear her name. November. NBC.

“When the Vows Break”: Patty Duke plays a woman whose supposedly simple divorce goes awry because of a certain jurist out to get her. TBA. Lifetime.

“The William Coit Jr. Story”: Neil Patrick Harris stars as a young man who suspects his mother (Bonnie Bedelia) is keeping a deadly secret. TBA. Fox.

“Whose Daughter Is She?”: Two women (Joanna Kerns and Stephanie Zimbalist) are involved in an emotional battle over the right to raise a child (Gaby Hoffmann) they both love. Sept. 24 at 9 p.m. CBS.

FAMILY

“Annie II”: A new, non-musical TV sequel to the story of orphan Annie starring Ashley Johnson in the title role and Joan Collins. November. ABC.

“Annie O”: Inspired by the tale of plucky Annie Oakley. A teenage girl tries out for the boys’ varsity basketball team. Oct. 29. Showtime.

“The Barefoot Executive”: A remake of the Disney movie about a TV network employee who becomes a star when he finds a chimp who can predict hit television shows. TBA. ABC.

“Brothers of the Frontier”: Real-life brothers Joey, Matthew and Andrew Lawrence star in this adventure story set in frontier America. TBA. ABC.

“The Canterville Ghost”: Patrick Stewart and Neve Campbell (“Party of Five”) star in the contemporary version of Oscar Wilde’s novella about a haunted castle. December. ABC.

“The Great Mom Swap”: A popular cheerleader and a brainy nerd trade families for a month. With Valerie Harper, Shelley Fabares and Sid Ceasar. Sept. 23. ABC.

“Kidnapped”: Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale is retold in a four-hour movie featuring shipwrecks and romance. Armand Assante stars. Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 6 at 8 p.m. Family Channel.

“Prince for a Day”: Joey Lawrence stars in an updated version of Mark Twain’s “The Prince and the Pauper.” Richard Belzer and Lainie Kazan co-star. October. NBC.

“The Song Spinner”: Tony-winner Patti Lupone plays a musician who finds herself in a kingdom where all noise has been banned. Nov. 19. (tentative). Showtime.

MYSTERY

“Blown Away”: A Princeton senior returns home to find his mother and sister murdered--and his father nowhere to be found. Tori Spelling and Patrick Muldoon co-star. October. NBC.

“A Touch of Frost: No Refuge”: The clever detective Frost investigates a murder at a glass factory. Nov. 28 at 10 p.m. A&E.;

“The Turn of the Screw”: A ghost story based on the Henry James novel set in 1890s England. Valerie Bertinelli and Diana Rigg star as a governess and a housekeeper who try to save their two young charges from being possessed. Oct. 31 at 9 p.m. CBS.

MUSICAL

“Bye Bye Birdie”: The Broadway musical comes to television. “Seinfeld’s” Jason Alexander stars as Albert, Tyne Daly is his domineering mother, Vanessa Williams is his girlfriend Rosie. Chynna Phillips and George Wendt also star. Tony winner Gene Saks directs. TBA. ABC.

SCI-FI

“Alien Nation: Body and Soul”: The cast and creators of the Fox series are reunited for a second TV movie sequel. TBA. Fox.

“Dead Weekend”: The earth must be defended from alien invaders. Stephen Baldwin stars. Dec. 3 (tentative). Showtime.

“The Invaders”: Scott Bakula stars in the thriller based on the 60s science-fiction series. TBA. Fox.

“Out There”: A vintage Brownie camera provides information about an alien plot in this comedy. Starring Bill Campbell, Julie Brown, Bobcat Goldthwait, June Lockhart and Rod Steiger. Nov. 19 (tentative). Showtime.

SUSPENSE

“Beauty’s Revenge”: Courtney Thorne-Smith stars as a local beauty queen who will stop at nothing to attract a Midwestern farmer. Tracey Gold co-stars. Sept. 25. NBC.

“Bloodknot”: A mysterious woman moves into the home of a family grieving over the loss of their son in a military accident. Margot Kidder, Patrick Dempsey and Kate Vernon star. Sept. 17. Showtime.

“A Child is Missing”: Henry Winkler stars as a hermit suspected of kidnaping a young boy. But the boy he finds in the woods helps him reclaim his zest for life. Oct. 1 at 9 p.m. CBS.

“The Courtyard”: Who’s killing the tenants of a Southern California apartment complex? An architect (Andrew McCarthy) and his love interest (Madchen Amick) try to find out. Cheech Marin co-stars. Sept. 24. Showtime.

“Dead by Sunset”: Ken Olin and Lindsay Frost star in a four-hour drama based on Ann Rule’s upcoming true-crime book. November. NBC.

“Degree of Guilt”: Daphne Zuniga stars in a four-hour movie based on Richard North Patterson’s suspense novels, “Degree of Guilt” and “Eyes of a Child.” Nov. 5 and 6 at 9 p.m. NBC.

“Element of Truth”: A scheming woman (Donna Mills) marries an unassuming man (Peter Riegert) and makes him, then his friends, into millionaires through a so-called lucrative investment portfolio. Sept. 26 at 9 p.m. CBS.

“Hart to Hart”: Stephanie Powers and Robert Wagner reunite to solve the mystery of a German clock. Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. Family Channel.

“Into the Fire”: A doctor tries to help a young woman accused of killing her parents--but ends up becoming the real killer’s target. Mel Harris stars. Sept. 27. USA.

“Nothing Lasts Forever”: Sidney Sheldon’s best-seller set in a big-city hospital stars Vanessa Williams, Brooke Shields and Lloyd Bridges. October. CBS.

“Remember Me”: Kelly McGillis stars in the thriller about a family on vacation at a summer house. Based on the mystery novel by Mary Higgins Clark. November. CBS.

“Shadow of a Doubt”: Brian Dennehy stars (he also wrote the film and directs it) as a defense attorney who is surprised by the truth about one of his clients. October. NBC.

“Stolen Innocence”: Tracey Gold stars as a rebellious teen runaway who falls in love with a dangerous trucker (“Melrose Place’s” Thomas Calabro). Bess Armstrong plays her mother. Oct. 3 at 9 p.m. CBS.

“Terror in the Shadows”: A Colorado family is stalked by an insane woman who secretly lives in their basement. Soap divas Marcy Walker and Genie Francis star. Oct. NBC.

“W.E.I.R.D. World”: Executive producer Joel Silver ventures into television with a story about a group of young scientists at the Wilson Earmey Institute for Research and Development (W.E.I.R.D.) who get a little too involved in their work. Sept. 26. Fox.

“The West Side Waltz”: Ernest Thompson (“On Golden Pond”) directs Shirley MacLaine, Liza Minnelli and Jennifer Grey in his adaptation of his Broadway play about friendship. December. CBS.

“With Murderous Intent”: A young man discovers his mother is plotting a murder. Corbin Bernsen stars. Oct. 24. CBS.

“Woman Undone”: Mary McDonnell stars as a woman suspected of murdering her husband (Randy Quaid). Oct. 8. Showtime.

WESTERN

“Larry McMurtry’s Streets of Laredo”: James Garner, Sissy Spacek, Sam Shepard, Sonia Braga, Randy Quaid and Wes Studi are part of the all-star ensemble cast appearing in McMurtry’s own adaptation (with Diana Ossana) of his best-selling novel about the dying Old West, which is the sequel to “Lonesome Dove.” November. CBS.