Hallmark draws older actors, viewers

Hollywood is not a nostalgic town. The TV stars of yesteryear might get a star on the sidewalk, but they are often shunned when it comes to what they truly covet: another juicy role.

But in recent years, veteran actors have thrived on the Hallmark Channel, television’s most popular “retirement” center.

The marquee names – Ed Asner (“Lou Grant”), Corbin Bernsen (“L.A. Law”), Meredith Baxter (“Family Ties”) and Greg Evigan (“My Two Dads”) – may not get invitations to the Teen Choice Awards, but they’re big draws for viewers of a certain age who still think Patrick Duffy is dreamy.

“I think the people watching the Hallmark Channel are happy to see us,” says Donna Mills, best known as Abby Ewing on the hit ’80s soap opera “Knots Landing.”

Mills appears in the upcoming Hallmark movie “Ladies of the House” (Oct. 18) alongside Florence Henderson and Pam Grier as three women who try to renovate a rundown house.

Henderson, who ruled the Brady bunch in the early ’70s, says the channel serves an underrepresented, yet valuable, demographic.

“I feel very strongly about the baby boomer generation, and they’re sorely neglected on TV,” she says.

“We’re the fastest-growing segment of the population and I think advertisers forget that we are the ones with the most money. For that reason, I’m very grateful to Hallmark.”

Among the other upcoming movies on Hallmark (cable channel 77 in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene):

•“Dear Prudence” (Saturday, 9 p.m.): Jane Seymour plays an advice columnist who isn’t smart enough to stay away from murder cases.

•“For The Love Of Grace” (Aug. 30): A hunky firefighter can’t get over his wife’s death until sparks fly with a woman he rescues.

•“Generation Gap” (Oct. 25): Asner, Hallmark’s go-to grump, attempts to bond with his rebellious grandson.