Powers Boothe: A Nod as Hollywood’s Biggest Underrated Star

TV or not TV. . . .

HEAVYWEIGHT: Is Powers Boothe, whose CBS miniseries “Family of Spies” ends tonight, Hollywood’s most underrated film star?

Here’s one yes vote.

Boothe’s vivid performances include the title roles in TV’s “Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones” and “Philip Marlowe, Private Eye,” plus the feature films “The Emerald Forest” and “Southern Comfort.”

And then there was that memorable night in 1980 when, despite the Screen Actors Guild strike, he turned up at the virtually boycotted Emmy show to accept his award for his portrayal of the Rev. Jim Jones.

Remember?

After two hours of no-shows for the awards, he strode to the stage to accept his statuette, and disarmingly said:

“This is either the most courageous moment of my career or the stupidest.”

It wasn’t stupid. He got an ovation. His career is solid. And he’s still only 40.

Boothe has an understated presence that gives the impression he could polish off Arnold Schwarzenegger in two rounds without working up a sweat.

But the Texan is on a suicide ratings mission from 8 to 11 tonight, facing “Who’s the Boss?,” “The Wonder Years,” “Roseanne,” the premiere of “Elvis” (Presley), “Matlock” and “In the Heat of the Night.”

Historical footnote: Boothe’s “Jim Jones” special in the stretch run of the 1980 ratings race propelled CBS to a victory over ABC for the season.

MORNING GLORY: It’s now four weeks in a row that NBC’s “Today” show, minus Jane Pauley, has lost to ABC’s “Good Morning America” in the ratings.

JUDGMENT CALL: Nice gesture by CBS to plan a film about Lucille Ball for next season--but sheer madness to think anyone could be accepted in the role so soon after her death. And then there are all those reruns showing the real Lucy day after day.

SNOOZE AT 11: A night without KABC Channel 7 sports guy Todd Donoho is like a month in the country. If we said that before, we can only admire our wisdom.

PAYOFF: With Ted Koppel’s “Nightline” returning to Johannesburg this week, you can’t help but think that his historic 1985 broadcasts from South Africa contributed mightily to world opinion that surely influenced the nation’s new and sweeping apartheid reforms.

ENQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW: CBS’ “48 Hours” devotes its entire hour Thursday to psychic phenomena. Absolutely no comment. Well, one: It’s sweeps, you know.

BIG DEAL: How many NBC executives did it take to decide that Mike Tyson should referee the Hulk Hogan-Randy Savage wrestling nonsense in prime time Feb. 23? It’s called “The Main Event.” Says who? And after all those TV millions from his fights, does Tyson really need the money that much?

PUNCH: Jayne Meadows blistered the New York Museum of Broadcasting last year because her husband, Steve Allen, incredibly, wasn’t included in the brief history-of-TV film that’s a trademark introduction to its events--including the sessions of its annual L.A. festival. Well, she won. Museum president Robert Batscha says L.A. audiences will note that Allen now is indeed in the film when the festival arrives again next month.

BUSH LEAGUE: Disgraceful that Fox couldn’t muster more than 5% of viewers for the TV Academy’s annual “Hall of Fame” show even with spectacular inductees such as the late Fred Astaire, Carroll O’Connor and Barbara Walters. It finished dead last in the ratings. Memos should have been flying--and fast--over this egg-on-your-face fiasco right in Hollywood’s own back yard.

TAKE NO PRISONERS: David Letterman was talking to his buddy, Connie Chung, on “Late Night,” and the name of her husband, Maury Povich, host of “A Current Affair,” came up. “He does that awful show over there on Fox,” observed Letterman. Merciless, but who would plead for clemency in this case?

FREDDY’S NIGHTMARE: After a two-hour preview this Friday, “The Bradys”--the reincarnation of “The Brady Bunch”--debuts as a CBS series Feb. 16 and, in the first episode, freeway construction threatens to level their house. Seems like an excellent idea to me.

A COUPLE OF SWELLS: Real treat this Saturday on ABC’s “Columbo” as two TV greats square off--Peter Falk and Patrick McGoohan (“The Prisoner,” “Secret Agent”), who not only plays the villain deliciously, but also directed the show. “McGoohan is a mountain of an actor,” says Falk.

ATTACK OF THE KILLER MBAs: Jeff Sagansky, the CBS entertainment boss who holds an MBA from Harvard, has appointed a special projects chief, Steve Warner, who also holds an MBA from Harvard. It takes years of education and very special preparation to work for a network that puts on “The Bradys.”

TIPOFF: Wally George says he’ll be a regular on Rick Dees’ new late-night ABC series that will follow “Nightline” starting in July. He says that Dees asked him and he replied “Terrific,” and he’ll play the disc jockey’s antagonist. Terrific.

HAPPY NEW YEAR: You can catch the nation’s biggest Chinese New Year’s parade, live from San Francisco, Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m. on KSCI Channel 18. It’s in Mandarin, which means it won’t be any harder to figure out than Johnny Mountain’s weather reports on KABC Channel 7.

BEING THERE: “I am your father. I brought you into this world and I can take you out.” Paternal advice from Cliff Huxtable in “The Cosby Show.”

Say good night, Gracie. . . .