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Show Monday, January 30, 'Masquerade' Sfar Comes By VERNON SCOTT UPI HoDywed Reporter HOLLYWOOD (UPI) - Rod Taylor, the affable Australian actor, has come full circle in television in a span of 24 years. Back, in 1960 Rod was the dashing star of "Hong Kong," an hour-lon- expensive, g action-adventu- series for re film- ABC-T- V Studios. ing at 20th Century-Fo- x Today, Taylor is the star of "Masquerade," an expensive, hour-lon- action-adventu- g ser- re ies which appears at 8 p.m. Thursdays on KTVX, channel 4. In both, the lead character is a smooth-talkin- two-fiste- d, ro- g, mantic rascal caught up in cloak and dagger intrigue in exotic ports of call. ','1 wouldn't have believed I'd find myself doing it all again, mate," Taylor said. "And the joy of the whole thing is it's all come about after I said I'd never go through the hassle of a series again." Taylor, in fact, starred in two series in between, "The Bearcats" (1971) and "The Oregon Trail" (1977), neither of which caught viewers' fancy. When "The Oregon Trail" expired of anemic ratings, Taylor decided to stick with movies, mostly abroad, and forget about the weekly grind of television. One recent assignment took him back to Australia to star in "On The Run" with Paul Win-fiel- d. "I've put aside a few resources," the husky Taylor said with a grin. "And I wis leading a leisurely life, not thinking about TV. I bought a ranch in Northern California and built it up. I did a movie or a television film if I liked the script and let it go at that. "But when (producer) Glen Larson offered me an opportunity to play a James Bond character every week, I couldn't turn him down. "How many actors could pass up a chance to fight the KGB with elegance and elan on a regular basis. The character I play is surrounded by intrigue. He's the only CIA man who can call the president of the United States from the field and get through. "The real clincher was the Lavender. You've guy's name got to be very macho to carry a name like that. He's a real rogue with the ladies. "When the scripts are mediocre I inject some of my own ideas, giving Lavender as much flamboyance as possible. He's got flair and an attitude with Full Circle overtones of Cary Grant. "Lavender is nothing like the average spy. Wherever he goes he stays, in plush hotels and travels in a big limousine. He's so unconventional he dragoons civilians into his adventures. The part and the show have everything going." An enormous budget and the guest stars promise of big-naincluding Oliver Reed, Ernest ll Borgnine, Tony Franciosa, Hem-minand David Shepherd were also tempting to the expansive Australian. Cy-bi- Taylor, woo became a United States citizen five years ago, plays American heroes effortlessly. Unlike many of his former countrymen, he has no trace of Australian accent. "In addition to complicated plots and a lot of second unit photography of foreign locations, we put in a lot of physical stuff," he said. "Viewers like plenty of action from a guy that men want to drink with and women want to go to bed with." - Page Farouk Story Told Tonight of "Masquerade," it appeared, had all the elements of a hit series. But ABC scheduled it opposite "Cheers" and "Simon and Simon," two of the hottest, most publicized series going. The results, unhappily for Taylor, were predictable. "Masquerade" has had chronic ratings problems. With 13 episodes already completed, the series has been put on hold temporarily while Larson works on ABC to change the time slot. The producer and his star are confident an audience for their show is waiting out there somewhere. "I think viewers have had it with situation comedy and car 2:30 P.M. life-stor- redeemer come to rid them of their poverty and their misrule. crash dramas," Taylor said. "We are offering sophistication, mum action and sex with plenty of humor. "We are doing a James Bond sort of show without the fancy 'gimmicks. Now all we have to do is find the right time on the right day of the week and we can all settle down to a nice long, run.". (H SPECIAL LIFETIME VIDEO CLUB MEMBERSHIP Trucks & Trcilors for Rent THIS WEEK of truck, vani It traiUrt to chooM from for all your moving O - WQ 0 10:00 P.M. 146 S. dio State irse,; 12 em QOO-New- s - Monty Python Frying Circus -Soap O 6:30 P.M. J Ret 29 95 Don't Mht Out! Join Today! eo I 241 Wort 500 South Provo ' 'Reilly: Ace of Spies. Reilly is sent on a mission to a German shipyard to obtain the plans of a new Krupps naval gun. (60 min.) Closed Captioned) 6:00 P.M. O O O Q O IKKT0I AUTOMOTIVE 4 fill 095 K1Y! fik, AN fOK IONG MOWS AS WtU AS SHOUT HOfSI" O - Mystery! MOVIE: 'Midway' Part 2 QOO-New- s - MacNeilLahrer Cont'd - MacNeilLehrer Newshour SD - CHiP Patrol O-P- "nr MAT 9:30 P.M. 7 y FarThe incredible who monarch the ouk, Egyptian was overthrown in Nasser's revolution of 19S2, is told in a fascinating documentary on KBYU-TChannel 11 on Thursday at 8 p.m. and repeating Sunday at 11 a.m. To many people Farouk is best remembered as one of the most infamous figures of this century. He was certianly reviled and ridiculed by gossip columnists and statesmen the world over. Yet when he had become Egypt's king in 1936 at the tender age of 16, his countrymen had idolised him, looking upon him as their longa-waite- d . Wo have g complete line Thursday TV THE HERALD, Provo, Utah, 1964 10:30P.M. Magazine - Family Feud - Prime Access - Business Report M O - Tonight Show O - Fantasy Island Q -- Dr. Who 7:00 P.M. G) 40 Leo Buscaglia - Twilight Zone O - NCAA Basketball'. Hawaii at Wyoming 10:45 P.M. O - Automan Walter and Automan cover a deadly diamond smuggling operaQ - MAS"H tion. (60 mm.) 11:00 P.M. O - Magnum P.I. O Latenight America - Trapper John, M.D. O - Fawlty Towers O - National Geographic Special 11:15P.M. - Gunsmoke - Hawaii O 7:30 P.M. 11:30P.M. Neal Gablei - Sneak Previews O Q -- Hogan'sofHeroes and Jeffrey Lyons take a look at what's hapO Thicke the Night pening at the movies. dis- PL a IfTZ&iiUABb (J -- Era-Eta!' Qiuuditl Five-- 0 12:00 A.M. 8:00 P.M. O Q- Simon Simon An emerging ballerina hires Rick and A.J. to find out who is threatening her life before her big debut. (60 mm.) & O - MOVIE: 'In Which We Serve' A Brdestroyer and her men are depicted II during crucial moments of World War Noel Coward, John Mills, Bernard Miles. '1942. - Farouk: Last of Pharoahs - MOVIE: 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' A couple of legendary outlaws refuse to surrender to a changing Amer- Night with David Letterman - MOVIE: '...And Your Name Is Jonah' A couple's deaf son is incorrectly diagnosed as mentally retarded. Sally Struthers, James Woods, Jeffrey Bravis. 1979. 12:15 A.M. itish O ica. Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross. 1969. 9:00 P.M. O - Hill Street Blues O - 2020 Landing OSneak Previews O and Jeffrey Lyons take pening at the movies. O - CBS News 31 Nightwatch 1:00 A.M. ALL OO - Hispanic Review Adam-1- 2 1:30 A.M. O- Marcus Welby, M. D. O- - Adam-1- 2:30A.M. Neal GaWei at what's hap- M. D. 4:00 A.M. - MOVIE: 'Riders of The Whistling O Skull' Three Mesquiteers rescue a professor captured by a lost Indian tribe. Bob Livings- ton, Ray Corrigan. 1937. II tZ3CZlCZ3C II AMERICAN GYMNASTICS 226-361- 2 O - Marcus Welby. 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