‘Undercover’ Takes Wraps Off Talk Shows
It bears repeating: The best documentaries on television are on HBO.
The latest installment of “America Undercover,” at 10:15, a fascinating hour titled “Talked to Death,” reveals the dirty secrets of daytime talk shows and takes a hard look at the infamous “Jenny Jones” murder case.
Behind the scenes at “Geraldo” you’ll see producers doing everything they can during commercial breaks to provoke rage in a guest who has turned unexpectedly timid. If you think that these shows are totally honest, just watch the way the producer acts when a guest is noncombative.
A woman recalls her horror when she tuned in “The Charles Perez Show” and found that her own marriage was being discussed by an impostor - a woman producers may have known was not whom she said she was. And there’s a sickening account of the bitter fight between “The Maury Povich Show” and “Sally” over a guest who used a razor to remove her breast implants.
The show’s final 15 minutes detail how “Jenny Jones” producers allegedly lied to guest John Schmitz about his appearance on a show in which a homosexual acquaintance, Scott Amedure, revealed a “secret crush.” Three days later, Schmitz shot his admirer to death.
Included is testimony by Jones and her producers in the murder trial.
Granted, these moments are talk shows at their worst. But they reveal the inherent cutthroat nature of the ratings-mad genre.
“Talked to Death” suggests that the Schmitz case led to a re-evaluation of talk-show ethics. Let’s hope so.
Highlights
“Housesitter” (1992), FOX at 8: Steve Martin plays an architect who builds a New England dream house for his girlfriend (Dana Delany). When she shuns his marriage proposal, he meets a free-spirited waitress (Goldie Hawn) who is soon pretending to be his wife.
Funny moments are dulled by an overdose of screwball-romance fluff. Repeat.
“Frontline,” KSPS at 9: “The Godfather of Cocaine” is a shocking profile of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. Repeat.
“Home Improvement,” ABC at 9: In a funny repeat, Tim (Tim Allen) discovers that Wilson (Earl Hindman) has some very interesting house guests - his cousins, the Beach Boys!
“A Husband, a Wife and a Lover” (1996), CBS at 9: Judith Light (“Who’s the Boss”) stars in this affecting melodrama. She plays a woman whose deceitful husband (Jay Thomas, “Love & War”) suffers a stroke. William Russ (“Boy Meets World”) co-stars as a border who offers new opportunities to the long-suffering wife.
Can she find lasting love without everlasting guilt? Repeat.
“Spin City,” ABC at 9:30: Woody Harrelson guest-stars as a school janitor who wins a “Mayor for a Day” contest. Repeat.
Cable Calls
“The Phantom of the Opera” (1943), AMC at 5 p.m. and 1:30 a.m.: Between Lon Chaney’s definitive 1925 silent-movie version and the megahit Broadway musical “Phantom” came this faithful adaptation of the tale. Claude Rains plays the disfigured composer who falls for the beautiful young soprano (Susanna Foster).
Elaborate production makes the opera house more than a flat backdrop for the drama, and Rains is captivating as the pathetic hero.
“Three Masters on Ice,” TBS at 5:05: Paul Wylie, Brian Boitano and Scott Hamilton are the featured skaters in this two-hour-long special taped in New Haven, Conn. In my opinion, and I’m a fan, these guys are so overexposed on television that you couldn’t pay me to watch them right now.
Talk Time
“Tonight,” NBC at 11:35: Actor Dana Carvey, model Amber Valletta and magic group The Pendragons. Repeat.
“Late Show With David Letterman,” CBS at 11:35: Actor-comedian Mike Myers, actress Sophie Marceau and singer Alison Krauss.
“Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher,” ABC at 12:35 a.m.: James Coburn, Robert Townsend, author Mary Karr and Sen. Robert Torricelli (D-N.J.).
“Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” NBC at 12:35 a.m.: Actor Jackie Chan and actress Thora Birch. Repeat.