CBS Re-Evaluates Reruns After Sunday Successes

TV or not TV. . . .

THINK TANK: The success of CBS’ prime-time reruns of “All in the Family” has the network contemplating the consequences.

“I don’t think we should rule out classic material and using it again,” says Peter Tortorici, CBS senior vice president of program planning.

It was Tortorici who conceived CBS’ attention-getting weekend of retrospectives of “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “All in the Family” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in February.

He admits that “very few classic shows can hold up” as prime-time network reruns. But, noting that films such as “Citizen Kane” and “Gone With the Wind” are re-released, he says:

“TV deserves the same respect. Look, we all know the lines from ‘Casablanca,’ but we still want to see it again.”

Viewers can expect to see another retrospective of “The Ed Sullivan Show” next season, Tortorici says. This season’s Sullivan special was the top-rated program of the week.

There are also, he confirms, discussions about possible retrospectives of “MASH,” “The Bob Newhart Show” and Carol Burnett’s longtime one-hour variety series.

Rerunning old series, along with putting on hot new reality shows, could cause problems with Hollywood’s creative community, Tortorici says, because there’s less employment of actors, writers and directors who do comedy and drama.

The public couldn’t care less about such matters, of course. And, Tortorici says, “Our job is to serve the viewer.”

Well, truth be told, CBS is being served as well. Great old reruns are terrific, but it’s also true that the networks save big money by running repeats and inexpensive reality programs.

Tortorici seems pleased that Fox moved “The Simpsons” away from Sundays, which has allowed CBS to continue strong on that night with “60 Minutes” and “Murder, She Wrote.”

“I think Fox gave up more than they got” by breaking up the lineup of “The Simpsons,” “In Living Color” and “Married . . . With Children,” Tortorici says. “Sunday could have been their powerhouse signature night.”

On other CBS matters, Tortorici says:

* “The Trials of Rosie O’Neill,” with Ed Asner joining Sharon Gless, has a decent shot against NBC’s “Cheers” this fall. “If we get just an 18 share (18% of the audience), we’ll be doing well. If you’re expecting it to beat ‘Cheers,’ you’re sending it on a fool’s errand.”

* “Murphy Brown” gave him doubts when its title character, played by Candice Bergen, discovered she was pregnant in the cliffhanger season finale. But, he says, “when you’re dealing with someone you trust and respect as much as Diane English (the show’s creator) and Candice, you resolve the benefit of the doubt in favor of the producer.”

GENTLEMAN JOE: Make a note: “Joe DiMaggio--The Way It Was,” a special on Arts & Entertainment cable July 16. Enough said.

UNFORGETTABLE: Pure magic on “The Tonight Show” when Natalie Cole sang a song combining her voice with that of her late dad, Nat “King” Cole. Host Jay Leno immediately sensed the electricity in the air, telling her: “You made the show look classy tonight.”

WORDS TO LIVE BY: Leno wonders if it was a good idea to dig up President Zachary Taylor to see if he was poisoned: “I say, any time you have a politician in the ground, leave him there.”

THE PARTY’S OVER: The dance series paired with Arsenio Hall in syndication, “The Party Machine With Nia Peeples,” is dead. Produced by Hall, it’s due to disappear in September.

SUMMER BREAK: Katie Couric, who has jump-started the ratings on NBC’s “Today” show, goes on maternity leave Monday, with Faith Daniels taking over as co-anchor. Couric, who replaced Deborah Norville, returns Sept. 9.

REVOLVING DOOR: Maybe the trouble at NBC News is that the wrong executives are leaving. The latest out the door is the highly respected veteran David Browning, who produced “Real Life With Jane Pauley.” Before that, it was producer Marty Ryan of the “Today” show. Believe me, they’re both better off.

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS: First, Bill Cosby updated the “Father Knows Best” school of sitcoms with his series, “The Cosby Show.” And now, signing for a new syndicated version of Groucho Marx’s old program, “You Bet Your Life,” he may have made an even better move to showcase his special talents. He’s the perfect choice.

WAR AND REMEMBRANCE: Bob Simon, the CBS reporter imprisoned in Baghdad during the Gulf War, returns to the city for a July 4 prime-time special. Title: “Bob Simon: Back to Baghdad.”

MARCH OF TIME: The 50th anniversary of Pearl Harbor will be marked by a two-hour Dec. 7 special that is a joint venture of CBS and the Tokyo Broadcasting System. The program will originate live from the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, where Japan launched its attack at 7:55 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1941.

ADVISER: Johnny Carson says he discouraged Magic Johnson from quitting, reminding him that he has 15 weeks of vacation each year and only plays three games a week.

YESTERDAYS: Hard to believe, but “American Bandstand” debuted nearly 40 years ago, as a local Philadelphia dance show in 1952, and ABC recalls the four decades of the series with a special next season.

NO RESERVATIONS: If you missed Suzanne Pleshette’s gutsy performance as the lovely Leona Helmsley, you can catch the rerun tonight at 9 on CBS. It’s called “Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean.”

BEING THERE: “God don’t make no mistakes--that’s how he got to be God.”--Archie Bunker in “All in the Family.”

Say good night, Gracie . . .