Posted on: Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Tube Notes
By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service
Tonight's Must-See
"American Masters: James Dean: Sense Memories," 9 p.m., PBS. A great series opens its season with a fascinating subject: Who was James Dean? He was "sweet and rustic," says "East of Eden" co-star Lois Smith. He was obnoxious and distant, others say. He was all of that, director Mark Rydell says. "Strange and peculiar and arresting — you couldn't take your eyes off him." What people saw as coldness may have been other things — a young man with extreme insomnia, nearsightedness and a tendency to suffer from melancholy. "He understood pain," says actor Martin Landau. "Young people usually don't have that kind of pain, or don't wear it externally."
Dean was 9 when his mother died. He was sent from California to the Indiana farm of an aunt and uncle; he wouldn't see his dad again for almost a decade. This hour views Dean's final year, as told by people who knew him — Landau, Rydell, Smith, Eartha Kitt, Budd Schulberg and more. There are also compelling clips from the three movies Dean made before his death in a 1955 car accident. He was 24, a true original. "Elvis" conclusion, 7 p.m., CBS. The first half of this miniseries was fascinating, with a young Presley booming to the top. The second half is merely OK; Presley bumbles through his career (with lots of bad guidance from Col. Tom Parker) and romance. That isn't terribly entertaining, so the film wisely closes with a comeback. Randy Quaid is superb as Parker and Jonathan Rhys Myers is fine in the title role, lip-syncing to the power of Presley's recorded voice. "Lost," 7 p.m., ABC. Viewers were perplexed (and disappointed) by the toy plane Kate seems obsessed with. Tonight, we learn more about that and her. Meanwhile, the monsoon season nears and the raft project is rushed. "Revelations," 8 p.m., NBC. In a secret library in a Prague crypt, Massey and Sister Josepha find a puzzle that could tell them about the arrival of the antichrist. Meanwhile, Haden tries to escape from prison, and his followers rush the convent to get Olivia. "Law & Order," 9 p.m., NBC. After committing murder, a man says he now has a newfound faith and a changed personality. "Eyes," 9:02 p.m., ABC. Let's hope ABC doesn't dump this excellent series as it did last week. Tonight's hour pits Harlan (Tim Daly) against an old rival. Both are accused of stealing an invention from a woman they knew.
Of Note
