Tube Notes
By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service
TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE (or tape):"Trading Places" (1983), 7 p.m., NBC, and/or "Beverly Hills Cop" (1984), 9 p.m., USA Network. As a young actor, Eddie Murphy could do it all. He could be silly, reflecting his comedy-club and "Saturday Night Live" days, and he could also be dead serious. Now two of his best films share the night (in case you can't make it out to his latest films, "Dr. Dolittle 2," and "Shrek." "Trading Places" is sort of a hip "My Fair Lady." On a bet, a mogul moves a low-life schemer (Murphy) into corporate splendor and a preppie (Dan Aykroyd) into ruin. There's some fine work by the supporting cast, including Jamie Lee Curtis; there are also some overblown parts, usually overcome by Murphy's comic brilliance. "Beverly Hills Cop" also has lots of comedy, with a raggedy Detroit cop pursuing killers in California. Other parts, however, provide a crackling-good adventure, beautifully directed by Martin Brest. Watch one, tape the other, and catch a young talent at his peak.
"Encore: Old Friends Quartet," 6:30 p.m., Pax TV. There's some magnificent four-part harmony as gospel veterans Jake Hess and George Younce join younger singers Ernie Haase and Wesley Pritchard. Rounding out the night are the Gaither Vocal Band, some weak comedy and the terrific Talley Trio; still, things peak when the quartet unleashes its gospel glory.
"Walker, Texas Ranger," 7 and 8 p.m., CBS. These reruns wrap up the story of The Chairman (Michael Ironside), a nasty sort who leads a gang of hackers. The first hour involve his accountant who might be ready to talk; the second has Alex (Sheree J. Wilson) being kidnapped.
"12 Monkeys" (1995), 7 p.m., ABC. Here's a tough, tangled story. Bruce Willis plays a bitter criminal who's sent into the past to find out how 1990s plague began. Brad Pitt (brilliant as a maybe-madman) and Madeleine Stowe co-star. Director Terry Gilliam, tossing aside the fun of his Monty Python days, has made a dark, brooding film, with just enough strong moments to keep us watching.
"Stranger Inside," 9 p.m., HBO (analog, 46); 6 p.m. HBO (digital, 611). A young prisoner (Yolanda Ross) deliberately gets sent to a rougher prison to meet the mother she's never known. This new film soon has some sharp jolts for her and for the audience. Beautifully acted, the drama ends powerfully.
