Despite stodgy Stiers, 'New York' film flows

There are moments during "New York: A Documentary Film," the 12-hour PBS project from Ric Burns, Lisa Ades and James Sanders, when it seems the line separating solemnity and absurdity is about to disappear. Maybe it's the tone of David Ogden Stiers' voice as he narrates this 375-year survey of New York City history. Stiers, who sounds like he's trying to sound important, effects a clipped, pretentious sing-song not unlike how Major Charles Emerson Winchester might have read a script on "MASH." Then there are those adjectives. "Astonishing" comes up a lot during "New York," with "startling" not far behind. New Yorkers always seem to be doing something startling in an astonishing amount of time, or vice versa, with "dramatic" results "that would change New York forever," as if New Yorkers had a patent on irrevocable change. But ultimately "New York," airing on five consecutive nights at 8 on Channel 19 beginning Sunday, justifies its creators' sense of grandeur. And if the narrative is overblown at times, it never strays from the film's mission, which is to sketch, then outline, then paint in vibrant colors the modern New York we all recognize: a massive, wealth-making hive teeming with people from all nations, portal to the world and showcase of America's strengths and shortcomings. As the film makes clear from the outset, New York City was always set apart. Its location uniquely positioned it for colossal growth. When expansion stalled, some epochal figure always seemed to arrive on the scene to get it going again: Peter Stuyvesant, the Dutch governor who brought order into the chaos that was New Amsterdam; DeWitt Clinton, builder of the Erie Canal and inarguably the greatest of New York's planners; Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Central Park. And as the turnstile for generations of immigrants, New York redefined America as it continually reinvigorated itself. "New York's" finest moment is a dirgelike telling of the events leading up to the Triangle Shirtwaist fire of 1911, which killed 146 garment workers. The segment will air Wednesday, along with an elegy to Emma Lazarus that includes a heart-wrenching rendition of her unforgettable poem now posted at the Statue of Liberty. The sixth and concluding part of the series will air in 2000. (See related story Page E-11.) Over on CBS, New York will not be venerated Sunday night so much as obliterated. I'm referring, of course, to "Aftershock: Earthquake in New York," which also begins at 8 p.m. Sunday and concludes at 8 p.m. Wednesday on Channel 5. An all-star cast watches helplessly as Manhattan buckles and heaves, raining skyscraper parts down on them. (See related story Page 11.) Robert Schimmel might be the most foul-mouthed comedian working today. Even when telling a few cleaned-up jokes to Conan O'Brien's audience at 12:30 a.m., you sense his jokes are just squeaking by the censor. Ironically, it's Schimmel's gift for the well-chosen non-four-letter word and his understated delivery that make him so effective. He talks about having sex the way Jerry Seinfeld might discuss a shopping trip gone awry. "Robert Schimmel: Unprotected," which will have its debut at 9 p.m. Saturday on HBO, is a version of a live performance Schimmel gave in Kalamazoo, Mich. Don't tell the kids, but it's a scream. "King of the Hill," desperately seeking those viewers it had during its first year on the air, rolls out a star-studded episode at 6:30 p.m. Sunday on Channel 4. Meryl Streep and Dixie Chicks supply voices to the football-themed effort, as does whatever-happened-to "Dandy" Don Meredith. To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com