ABC Entertainment announced yesterday that it is very close to signing a deal with Donna Rice, whose friendship with former senator Gary Hart led to the latter's withdrawal from the Democratic presidential race in May ...
In the movie, tentatively called "The Donna Rice Story," she will disclose whether she slept with former candidate Hart, according to Ted Harbert, vice president of motion pictures for the network ...
"Yes, she will reveal in the movie what she did with Gary Hart," Harbert told a press conference of visiting TV writers at Redondo Beach, Calif. ...
Although Rice refused to tell ABC's Barbara Walters in a televised interview whether she had slept with Hart, her agreement to tell the network the truth was requisite to ABC's committing to broadcast the movie, Harbert said. So far, she hasn't told ABC the answer, he added ...
Regardless of what Rice says, however, Harbert said the movie "will not go behind closed doors" with any graphic depictions. "That's their business," he said ...
Harbert said "the likelihood is small" that Rice will play herself in the movie, expressing doubt she had the acting skills for the role ...
He said Rice, who plans to write her autobiography soon, did not approach ABC with the idea of selling her story. Rather, the idea had come from within: "Donna Rice is friends with a guy who used to work for ABC" ...
The friend, said Harbert, once worked in ABC's casting department ...
Harbert justified the value of ABC's pursuing the Rice story by saying that her life style is a metaphor for that of many single men and women who lead responsible working lives but "like to go out and have a good time on the weekends" ...
He said that ABC does not need Hart's permission to do the movie but that several of Rice's friends and family members will be asked for permission to include them in the movie ...
"She didn't intend to get herself into this mess," he said, adding that the movie would fully explore what happens to an ordinary person "who wakes up one morning and finds her picture on the cover of People magazine" ...
The film would be produced by New World TV, which currently produces, among other network series, "Crime Story" for NBC, "Tour of Duty" for CBS and ABC's "Sledge Hammer!" ...
Tamara Asseyev would produce the movie for New World, according to Harbert ...
The network hopes to air the movie "as early as March or April" of next year, according to Harbert ...
Harbert also noted that ABC plans to do a tasteful movie on the life of Liberace ...
On another TV front, Lorimar announced that it expects a resolution of the "Valerie" problem before this week is out. Last week, it was revealed that star Valerie Harper had refused to report to work after she was turned down for a big raise. Either Harper returns or another star -- who will not be cast as "Valerie Hogan," Harper's original role -- will probably be named, according to a Lorimar spokesman ...
Suit Settled
Seven women -- all former employes of CBS News "Nightwatch" -- have settled their $14 million lawsuit against CBS Inc., which was filed in D.C. Superior Court last September ...
The women had charged violations of the D.C. Human Rights Act, intentional infliction of emotional distress and sexual assault. Each plaintiff had asked $1 million in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages ...
The suit did not go to trial. Both sides agreed not to disclose details of the settlement. Reportedly, the former employes each received a money settlement. A CBS source branded as "ridiculous" a report that plaintiffs had received as much as $500,000 each. "That's way, way out of line" ...
There was speculation that the plaintiffs had settled for $100,000 each, with that sum including attorneys' fees ...
Jack Smith, CBS News bureau chief here, yesterday would only say, "It was amicably resolved among the litigants" ...
Lawyers for the plaintiffs failed to return phone calls yesterday and an attorney for CBS Inc. in New York declined to comment...
The suit charged that CBS, "through its agents and servants, created and maintained a working environment in its Nightwatch program that was offensive and hostile to women employes, including the plaintiffs" ...
In June of last year, "Nightwatch" executive producer John Huddy resigned following an internal investigation at CBS News after staff members, including the seven plaintiffs, complained to management. In their suit, they alleged that management had been notified "on a number of occasions of the sexual harassment by John Huddy and other of its agents and servants against the plaintiffs" and contended that several plaintiffs had been discharged in August 1986 on "pretextual grounds" after "speaking out against sexual discrimination and harassment" ...
Plaintiffs in the suit were Susan Balsam, until recently a unit manager of "Nightwatch"; Amy Gutman, former associate producer; S. Beth Homan, a former assistant producer; Anita Lemonis, a broadcast associate; Rachel Ray, a broadcast associate; Laura J. Schwartz, an assistant producer; and Marylynn Vosburgh, a personal secretary and administrative assistant to Huddy ...
In June of this year, Huddy and his wife Erica filed a suit in Superior Court here against a former "Nightwatch" producer for $4 million, charging slander, libel, intentional infliction of emotional distress and tortious interference with contract ... citing events arising from the internal CBS probe of a year ago ...
That producer, now employed by CBS in Philadelphia, was not a party to the suit just settled by CBS. That suit is still pending ...
On the Mend
A spokesman for Universal Television said yesterday that Edward Woodward is "resting very comfortably and doing much better" after last week's heart attack in Edgehill, England ...
Bob Crutchfield said the the 57-year-old star of CBS' "The Equalizer" expects to learn results of extensive tests at Warwick Hospital early this week. Crutchfield said the studio has been assured the heart trouble "was much less serious than originally believed. Our information at first was second or third hand" ...
Universal has completed a two-hour season opener for "The Equalizer" as well as three one-hour episodes. Depending on when Woodward's doctors approve a return, Crutchfield said, it will be CBS' decision whether to air the five hours now ready when the season begins or wait until later in the year when the actor has returned to work ...
"He's a wonderful man," said Crutchfield, "and we're delighted to know he's resting very comfortably" ...
And in Houston, Bob Keeshan, TV's Captain Kangaroo, was discharged from Methodist Hospital yesterday and vowed to use the extra years given him by heart surgery to improve the welfare of America's youth ...
Keeshan, 60, did a quick jig for reporters to show how strong he was feeling after triple-bypass surgery July 23 ...
Also in the News
Ginger Rogers will appear in the season opener of ABC's "Hotel." She won't dance (don't ask her), she'll play a psychic. Merci beaucoup ...
And here's a note to the folks who have expressed interest in that project out at MTM for a major ABC series that would revolve around a powerhouse Washington PR firm:
The producers want you to know that because of union rules and contracts, the producers can not, repeat not, consider unsolicited manuscripts or story ideas for the series ...
They're sorry, but they didn't realize, when they gave Captain Airwaves a mailing address, that some readers had such ideas in mind. They appreciate the attention, but unsolicited material is a no-no ...
Meanwhile, executive producer David Milch is reportedly about ready to go to work on a script for the pilot ...
Purdue University has announced the creation of the Public Affairs Videotape Archives, which opened for business this past weekend ...
One early contribution to the Archives: C-SPAN and C-SPAN II broadcasts, some 6,500 a year, which will be available for historians from now on. Over the past eight years, C-SPAN has erased most of its tapes. The public affairs cable system hopes to have this summer's complete Iran-contra hearings intact to help kick off the collection ...
The archives will be supported by a grant from the university, which is also seeking corporate support for the project ...