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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Saddle Up On ‘Pale Horse’ For Mystery

Faye Zuckerman New York Times Syndicate

Grabbing a trashy novel and heading for the beach is one of the joys of summer.

While you can’t take your living-room TV set to the shore, you can continue the summer ritual, after the sun goes down, by grabbing an ice cream cone and viewing a solid Agatha Christie whodunit Sunday at 5 (repeated at 9) on A&E.

“The Pale Horse,” made for British television, plays out similarly to any escapist novel on the best-seller list. There are twists, turns and a red herring thrown in to keep viewers guessing.

Set in the 1960s, “Horse” fills the screen with nostalgic “mod” styles and music and even a handsome leather-jacketed amateur sleuth named Mark Easterbrook (Colin Buchanan).

Easterbrook is wrongly accused of murdering a town priest. His attempt to clear his name brings him to a small town where he believes three occultists (one of whom is played by Jean Marsh) are causing a series of so-called “natural” deaths.

Easterbrook also falls in love with the best friend of one of the victims.

The romance adds an element of suspense when the love interest (Jayne Ashbourne) becomes a victim of the occultists’ “death wish” scam.

This tale, based on Christie’s 1961 novel, requires your full attention. If you look away for a few seconds, you’ll miss a key clue that tips you off to the killer’s identity.

Highlights

“National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1” (1993), NBC tonight at 9: The “Lethal Weapon” movies are skewered in this uneven comedy in which things remain interesting thanks to the cameo appearances by such folks as Bruce Willis, Charlie Sheen and Whoopi Goldberg. Emilio Estevez and Samuel L. Jackson star.

“Chasers” (1994), NBC Sunday at 9: Dennis Hopper directed this comedy about two Navy guys (Tom Berenger and William McNamara) who end up escorting a sexy female prisoner (Erika Eleniak). After sitting through all the misfired gags (and sexist jokes), you’ll be determined to chase Hopper out of Hollywood.

“A Passion for Justice: The Hazel Brannon Smith Story” (1994), ABC Sunday at 9: A woman publisher in 1950s Mississippi speaks out against segregation, racism and an evil sheriff who refuses to abide by the law.

Sounds like a great idea for an intriguing movie? Only here it receives the usual sappy TV treatment with its star Jane Seymour (as newspaperwoman Hazel Brannon Smith) feeling sorry for herself and reciting too many speeches.

Parents’ Pick

“The Aristocats” (1970), DISN tonight at 7: Here’s an animated feline fest for the younger set. The tale about a cat and her children who inherit a fortune features Phil Harris as the voice of heroic Thomas O’Malley Cat. He rescues the wealthy cat family from a greedy butler.

Cable Calls

“Biography: This Week,” A&E tonight at 5 and 9: CBS newsman Charles Kuralt, who died last week, is profiled.

“The Birdcage” (1996), SHOW tonight at 8: This remake of “La Cage aux Folles” has new, improved and even more hilarious lines as Robin Williams plays a nervous gay father. He asks his lover (Nathan Lane) to dress in drag and pose as his wife while he entertains his son’s future in-laws (Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest).

It’s a laugh a minute.

“A Time to Kill” (1996), HBO tonight at 9: Matthew McConaughey and Sandra Bullock teamed up for this riveting courtroom drama set in the south.

“Oz,” HBO tonight at 11:30: The pay-cable channel delivers its first drama series, which is grimy, gritty and violent. The setting is the Oswald Maximum Security Penitentiary, dubbed Oz.

Every kind of stereotype of an inmate is walking around cursing. You would expect something less predictable and gratuitous from Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana (producers of “Homicide: Life on the Street”).

“Ultimate Guide: Great Apes,” DISC Sunday at 8: Go ahead and go ape over this documentary about the animals who share most of our genes. They are evasive creatures with an interesting history and lifestyle.

“Dead Man’s Gun,” SHOW Sunday at 10: Henry Winkler serves as executive producer of this weekly anthology series set in the Old West.

The series follows a fateful firearm as it affects the lives of the people who come in contact with it.

In the first of back-to-back episodes, Winkler plays a drifter-peddler who assumes the identity of a well-dressed dead man.

In the second episode, Larry Drake (“L.A. Law”) plays a crooked undertaker. He keeps the cursed gun despite specific instructions to bury it.

“Apt. 2F,” MTV Sunday at 10: A new “sitcom, stand-up and sketch-comedy” series stars brothers Randy and Jason Sklar as twins living in New York City.

Movie Marquee

“The Godfather, Part III” (1990), CBS Sunday and Tuesday at 9: The Corleone saga continues as Al Pacino attempts to retire as don of the infamous crime family. Just as his character, Michael Corleone, gets close to his dream of becoming legitimate, he’s pulled back into the underworld.

Andy Garcia plays a gun-toting Corleone nephew. Eli Wallach is Don Altobello, and Sofia Coppola bombed as Michael’s daughter.

Similarly to the earlier “Godfather” tales, this one is beautifully filmed. The story, at times, is engaging. It’s filled with unexpected moments and a few romantic interludes.

Still, where’s Marlon Brando when you need dramatic grunts and groans to keep an overlong film enticing?