‘Theatre’ Stands Out With ‘Moonstone’
For 27 years Mobil Corp. has been bringing quality, culture and intelligence to the small screen under the guise of “Masterpiece Theatre.”
This weekend’s “Theatre” especially stands out, supplying us with a mystery tale rivaling any on either “Murder, She Wrote” or “Matlock.”
Wilkie Collins’ 1868 novel “The Moonstone” is considered the first detective novel. Collins’ Sergeant Cuff became the model for such famous detectives as Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot and Jessica Fletcher.
“Moonstone” is a whodunit centered around a giant diamond given to a young woman (Keeley Hawes) on her birthday. The gem had been stolen from a Hindu shrine, and on the night of the celebration, the diamond is taken again. We are left to ponder who took the gem and for what reasons.
Highlights
“Figure Skating,” ABC tonight at 8: Brian Boitano, Katarina Witt, Rudy Galindo and other familiar skating faces compete in the U.S. Pro Championship taped Oct. 18 in San Jose.
“The Pretender,” NBC tonight at 8: Jarod (Michael T. Weiss) kicks off season No. 2 by posing as a professor.
“Wonderful World of Disney,” ABC Sunday at 7: “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘Cinderella”’ serves up Brandy Norwood as Cinderella, Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother and Whoopi Goldberg as the prince’s mom. It’s true to the original 1957 version - music and all. A family treat.
“The X-Files,” FOX Sunday at 9: Season No. 5 kicks off with assistant director Skinner under suspicion for causing Scully’s fatal disease. Fans will not want to miss this Part 2 of a tense trilogy. It’s filled with conspiracies, surprises and tension you can cut with a knife.
“Before Women Had Wings” (1997), ABC Sunday at 9: Go out and get hit by a Mack truck - that’s how you will feel after viewing this heavy-duty film about domestic abuse. Ellen Barkin plays the boozing mom who verbally and physically abuses her two daughters (Tina Majorino and Julia Stiles).
“House of Frankenstein 1997” (1997), NBC Sunday and Monday at 9: This violent movie may share a title with the 1944 classic, but that’s where similarities end. This horror movie is set in contemporary Los Angeles where vampires, werewolves and even Frankenstein seem to rule the streets.
There’s not much plot during the four-hour-long film, which focuses more on showing us monster make-up and special effects than keeping the facts straight. The main monster is played creepily by Greg Wise.
Movie Marquee
“Sleepers” (1996), HBO tonight at 8: This get-even tale, based on Lorenzo Carcaterra’s novel, centers on boyhood friends in a crisis after two of them are accused of killing their former reform-school warden (Kevin Bacon). Brad Pitt, Jason Patric and Robert DeNiro star.
xxxx MR. BEAN MARATHON Rowan Atkinson only starred in 14 episodes of the wildly popular “Mr. Bean” as a quiet, bug-eyed boob who wreaks havoc wherever he goes. The videos of his BBC show are big sellers, and now he stars in a big-screen version, “Bean,” which opens in some cities Friday. But before, Spokane’s KSPSChannel 7 will air a “Mr. Bean” Marathon today from 7-11 p.m. The opening program is a compiliation of vignettes, followed at 8:30 by a look behind the scenes of the series followed by three episodes. Bean can be seen regularly on Tuesday nights at 10 on KSPS.