REMOTE PATROL

Lifetime salutes one of the most intriguing ladies of American public life with "Intimate Portrait: Pamela Harriman," at 10 tonight, following a 2-hour made-for-Lifetime movie on her life starring Ann-Margret. In the course of her 76 years Harriman (left) moved from aristocrat's daughter to social climber - she married Randolph Churchill and became one of Winston's favorite people - and eventually to wealth and prominence as the U.S. ambassador to France. Critics called her a gold-digger, but many women admired her ambition and determination to succeed in the masculine milieu of power and politics. Her biographer, Sally Bedell Smith, figures prominently in this hour documentary, narrated by Julie Harris.

Soon-to-retire newsman Overbay looks back with pride

In less than a year two of the men who made KCTV, Channel 5, the undisputed news leader in Kansas City in the 1980s will have signed off for good. Last fall former KCTV general manager Phil Jones stepped down from running the group of 11 TV stations owned by Meredith Corp. of Des Moines (including KCTV). And at the end of this month the station's news director from 1980 to 1992, Jim Overbay, will pack up his office of mementos from 35 years in local TV and move on. It's actually the second time the 61-year-old Overbay has quit the business. A Kansas City native, he was hired in 1961 at KMBC, Channel 9, by Claude Dorsey, the station's longtime news director. At Channel 9 he worked his way up from reporter to assistant news director. But in 1980, after he was fired as part of a newsroom purge that also claimed weatherman Fred Broski and anchor Stan Carmack, Overbay decided he would "try something outside the business. " He took a position with the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. "I had no real thoughts of getting back into television," Overbay recalled in a recent interview with TVKC. "Then Mike Casserly, who'd been the news director at Channel 5, left to take a position in Houston. I knew Mike, and called him to wish him well. And he said, 'Why don't you take a shot at this job? ' "And I said, 'Gee, I don't know if I want to get back into the business. ' Then I got a call from Wendall Anschutz, who said, 'If you're interested I'll put in a good word for you. ' So I put in a note to Phil and got a call from him. I kind of stumbled back into it." It didn't take long for Overbay, a first-time news director at 43, to gain his footing. Under his watch KCTV remained No. 1 for the next eight years. Though he now claims he was just someone who helped "keep the boat afloat and not rock it too much," Overbay made at least one move that is still paying dividends at Channel 5: In 1981 he tapped the station's community affairs director, Stan Cramer, to take an on-camera job as head of the new Call for Action unit. In 1992 Overbay was promoted to dual roles as news manager for the Meredith-owned stations and station-relations manager for KCTV. His current project is a mobile weather van that will visit area schools - sort of a Bookmobile for Live Power Doppler. "My decision to bail out at this point was made in July, and I've deliberately forced myself not to give it a lot of thought," said Overbay, who exercised the same early-retirement clause Jones did last year. "I'm busy. There's a lot to do here." What's been the biggest change since Overbay got into local news? "There's certainly much more emphasis on research and marketing," he said. "When I began in the business, hey, we just took our battered old film cameras out, shot some film, wrote the stories and then put on the air what we thought would be interesting to our viewers. Of course, today local news operations still are attempting to do that, but now there are other factors influencing those decisions, chief among them this insane drive for demographics. "That's the way of the buyer mentality these days. Advertisers want to reach certain audience demographics - who, by coincidence, tend to be younger people. Who, by and large, tend not to be news watchers. "The loyal news watchers are 50-plus, and nobody cares about reaching them these days. And that's a very disturbing trend in this business, in my opinion." That said, Overbay will cherish his 18 years at 5 even more than his 17 years at 9. "It's been a great experience," he said. "Don't misconstrue from my concerns about this business - which are very real - because this has been the best part of my life." In other TV news: Between now and election day KMBC will air a series of interviews with the people competing in the local congressional and gubernatorial races. The "Ask the Candidate" spots will air during commercial breaks. J. Eddie Peck, who plays Cole Howard on "The Young and the Restless," is scheduled for a visit to Jo-Ann etc, 11401 Metcalf Ave. in Overland Park, from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday. StarTouch: 889-7827 andenter 8852 (TVKC). E-mail:writeme@tvbarn.com.

Remote patrol

Comedian John Leguizamo (above) adapts his high-energy one-man Broadway show "Freak" in a 90-minute special at 9 tonight on HBO. Leguizamo, raised in the ethnic candy bowl of Queens, New York, paints wild caricatures of life in an extended Latino family in the 1970s. His impersonations of his long-suffering dad, worshipful mom, loony religious-zealot grandmother and countless other relatives are naughty, sacrilegious and so unrelievedly dark that they overwhelm his occasionally hilarious observations. Spike Lee directs. Rated TV-MA for the usual HBO reasons.

Remote patrol

UPN's most promising new series of the fall has nothing to do with science fiction. It's "Legacy," from "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" producer Chris Cooper, debuting at 7 tonight on Channel 29. A period piece set in the post-Civil War era, this super-wholesome drama about a Kentucky family committed to doing right and taking care of others has "the new Dr. Quinn" written all over it. Also tonight, cable's highest-rated Friday series isn't just a movie, it's "Dinner and a Movie," which marks its 100th episode on TBS with a special 30-minute program at 7 p.m., followed by back-to-back blockbusters "Raiders of the Lost Ark" at 7:30 and "Jaws" at 10:25.

Remote Patrol

It looks like ABC is less interested in the "Frasier" audience than the "Diagnosis Murder" crowd. How else to explain the return of one of TV's longest-running franchises in "Columbo: Ashes to Ashes" at 8 tonight on Channel 9? Peter Falk dons the rumpled raincoat one more time to solve a mystery that only older viewers are likely to buy: the disappearance of a Sunday-night gossip queen (whose dog, hint hint, is named Louella). As usual, the crime is fully explained in the first act, and the drama, such as it is, revolves around the cat-and-mouse between the eccentric detective and the savvy if guilt-stricken perp.

Remote patrol

"Nova" (7 tonight on Channel 19) tells an enchanting story behind a topic almost none of us today pays attention to: longitude. But when the seas were the key to a nation's power and prosperity, the wild inaccuracy of clocks made it impossible to sail a boat or draw a map with any certainty. Two hundred years before Charles Lindbergh won a prize for flying across the Atlantic, a "longitude prize" was offered to whoever could chart their way precisely across the ocean. Tonight's program, narrated by Richard Dreyfuss, re-creates the drama of that competition and how a village carpenter and clockmaker, John Harrison, and his superaccurate wooden timepiece challenged the scientists and the astronomers. Based on Dava Sobel's book, Longitude.

Remote patrol

Here's something you won't see on PBS very soon: "Transgender Revolution," a sympathetic portrait of people who've undergone sex changes through surgery, hormones or plain old cross-dressing. It's on "Investigative Reports" at 8 tonight on A&E. Among those profiled in this documentary: a sheriff's deputy in Florida whose sex-change operation had the full support of his wife - and their 8-year-old adopted daughter. You'd think a program like this would engender (pardon the pun) howls of protests from certain quarters. But apparently not: A&E quietly aired "Transgender Revolution" earlier this year and the show did well enough to merit this encore and a publicity boost.

A life of 'Legalese' Things weren't always easy for co-star of new TNT movie

Anyone who doubts that Kansas City native Edward Kerr has learned what is required of a young male lead need only see his entrance in the new made-for-TNT movie "Legalese. " In it he is run over by a car driven by James Garner. Garner's high-profile, big-talking lawyer - similar to the high-profile, big-talking corporate honcho he played in "Barbarians at the Gate" - bursts from the car, litigating. But Kerr's freshly barred attorney does not entirely give in to these flourishes. He's flustered but stands his ground, informing Mr. Bigshot that the security camera over his shoulder "made my case five minutes ago." The star lawyer likes this kid. And so do we. "Legalese," which runs three times Sunday beginning at 7 on TNT, is a smartly written satire on today's celebrity-driven scandals. It asks us to consider whether, in an age of mass communications, the court of public opinion has supplanted the court of law. Garner and his aggressive secretary (Mary-Louise Parker) prop up Kerr as the ostensible defender of a B-movie starlet (Gina Gershon) accused of murder, while they pull his strings. A suspicious TV reporter (Kathleen Turner) is soon onto their ruse, but she may not be enough to stop Kerr, who enjoys playing the junior Matlock role and soon is basking in as much fame as his famous client. The cringe factor Aided by an intelligent screenplay from newcomer Billy Ray (in his first solo effort), Kerr gives a notable performance in his biggest movie role to date. But the 31-year-old actor didn't stick around a screening last week in Los Angeles long enough to see it. The next morning, in a telephone interview, he cited the "high-cringe factor" of watching himself act. "I had to leave it because I realized I still have a long way to go," Kerr said. "There's a lot to learn in this profession. When I started, I was so young and so uninformed, I think my ignorance helped me. Because if I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have packed up my car and $ 325 and come out here, which was really stupid." Kerr attended Rockhurst High School his freshman and junior years before his parents, Day and Whitney Kerr, sent him to a private school in Virginia. At Vanderbilt University, Kerr majored in history. So what made him head for Hollywood Hills? "I loved movies. It was something I wanted to explore, and I decided that if I didn't try to do it at an early age, I'd regret it." He adopted the Hollywood lifestyle - "took acting classes, took a waiter job, the whole deal" - and two years to the day after his arrival, got his break: a development deal with NBC. "I went in and read for the head of casting. She liked me, and she organized a network meeting. And I went ahead and read for a group of executives. They signed me to a holding deal." Soon Kerr was making forgettable nighttime soaps ("The Secrets of Lake Success" for NBC) and commercials ("I was the Old Spice guy for a couple of years"), just like scores of other promising actors. He also was a co-star in "Above Suspicion," a movie that has since gained some notoriety because it features a pre-riding accident Christopher Reeve as a murderer who fakes paralysis to beat the rap. Although "Legalese" may be his coming-out for Middle America, Kerr has already debuted to the art-house crowd as the title character in "Confessions of a Sexist Pig," the new indie film from writer-director Sandy Tung ("Across the Tracks"). It played to raves at the Santa Barbara and Minneapolis film festivals, and Paramount's TV group has optioned the movie for development as a one-hour "dramedy" that would star Kerr. So the gamble the young college graduate took when he pointed his car west paid off. But even today, Kerr realizes how lucky he was. "Every day there are thousands of people who arrive in this town with big dreams," he said. "I mean, it was only eight years ago, but when you're young, you think the world is your oyster. In fact, if it weren't for a fraternity brother who was living out here at the time, I'd have been living out of my car."

Readers tell Channel 9: Give us 'Nightline' at the right time

KMBC's policy of delaying "ABC News Nightline" has been raised from time to time in these pages. Each time we get an earful from readers, and my Sept. 12 column was no exception. "I have written and called over the years to no avail about this continuing problem," wrote Barbara Chiles of Parkville in an e-mail. "Working people cannot stay up until midnight when they have to arise at 5 a.m. every day." "It strikes me as funny that KMBC, Channel 9, calls itself the station 'Where the News Comes First' when they don't even have a noon broadcast of the news and they delay 'Nightline' until the early morning hours just so they can show repeats of lame sitcoms," said Bill Strausbaugh of Kansas City, Kan. "CNN is great, but Ted Koppel sparks interest and prompts viewers to think of things they might otherwise fail to consider," wrote e-mailer Amy Schaff. "Does Mr. Dinovitz believe the people in the Kansas City area too uneducated to prefer 'Nightline' over 'Roseanne' reruns?" Barbara Glauz of Kansas City doesn't think so. She wrote KMBC general manager Paul Dinovitz a letter and sent TVKC a copy. "Several times over the years I've been tempted to write to you after we have traveled and realized that most other cities are able to see that show right after their local news," she wrote. "Though you are our favorite channel, at 10:35 p.m. our TV is either off or switched to a different channel." But Channel 9 is not No. 1 in late nights for nothing, as TVKC was reminded by some viewers who like things just the way they are. Almost to a person, the sitcom fans who phoned in found little difference between the news at 10 and "Nightline." "Ted Koppel, what is he? He's just a news program," said Elizabeth Hampton. "He's just being egotistical and he needs to grow up!" "There's enough of that news mess on TV," said Caroline Garner of Kansas City. "It's not even news, it's their personal opinions. When I'm trying to get to bed at night I'd much rather watch sitcoms than that news mess and get upset about nothing." Kansas City, the 33rd-largest market in the country according to the new Nielsen rankings, is now the second largest in which "Nightline" is delayed, after Milwaukee (No. 31). KCPT's election coverage KCPT, Channel 19, kicks off its fall election coverage with a full night of debates and analysis Sunday night. At 7 p.m., KCPT airs a live debate between the two U.S. Senate candidates from Missouri in St. Louis. That's followed at 8 by a live PBS election special from Washington. At 9, KCPT plays host to the Kansas gubernatorial debate involving Gov. Bill Graves and three challengers. The Star's Steve Kraske will be among the panelists. KCTV's Tracy Townsend moderates. At 10 p.m., the four U.S. Senate candidates from Kansas hold their live debate. Kurtis visits Topeka Independence native Bill Kurtis, a nightly fixture on A&E, will speak at 7:30 tonight at the Kansas History Center in Topeka. He'll also sign copies of his book The New Explorers, based on his A&E series of the same name. Admission is free. Kurtis, a Washburn University graduate whose career began at WIBW-TV in Topeka, is joining the Kansas State Historical Society board of directors. Jones Intercable has begun carrying CNN/SI on Channel 44 in Missouri and Channel 68 in Kansas (in upgraded zones) when Metro Sports is not on the air. StarTouch: 889-7827 and enter 8852 (TVKC). E-mail: writeme@tvbarn.com

Remote patrol

The second season of the moody PBS performance series, "Sessions at West 54th," premieres with new host David Byrne (above) at 11:30 tonight on Channel 19. Appearing tonight are Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams and fun-loving honky tonkers The Mavericks. Each act gets a full 30 minutes on camera, performing and being interviewing by Byrne, the world-music buff and former Talking Heads lead man.

Remote patrol

In case you haven't been channel surfing lately, local independents KCWE ("KC 29"), KMCI ("38 Family Greats") and KSMO ("WB 62") rolled out new syndicated fare this month. On Channel 29, repeats of "NewsRadio" air at 6 and 10 p.m., with an I-can't-believe-they-syndicated-this "The Nanny" repeat at 6:30. Two new dating shows air on Channel 38: a revival of "Love Connection" with Pat Bullard at 10:30 p.m. and "Change of Heart," in which people dump their dates on the air at 11 p.m. And Channel 62, with daily "Mad About You"-"Frasier" tandems at 6 and 10 p.m., adds a new action-archaeology drama, "Air America," starring "Renegade" pretty/macho tough guy Lorenzo Lamas, at 9 tonight.

Remote patrol

If you're one of those guys who likes movies, then ABC's new Thursday film feature is for you. "Futuresport" airs at 8 tonight on Channel 9. With Wesley Snipes and Vanessa L. Williams (left) starring and Ernest Dickerson directing this thriller about a deadly game played in the year 2025, it has all the signs of being the black "Rollerball. " If you're a whodunit lover, a new five-part "Mystery! " cycle, "Touching Evil," begins at 8 tonight on Channel 19. Inspector Dave Creegan (Robson Green) plays by his own rules because, after all, he's on TV. He pursues a kidnapper whose psychic powers allow him to see the killings he's going to commit.