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Show r rSTABVf EWl s Cheers and jeers for TV villains By RUTH THOMPSON When J.R. slumped into unconsciousness in last season's closing episode of "Dallas," was he shot dead? "No, no, no. Let him live," is the reaction of fans on both sides of the Atlantic (the series, seen in the United States on CBS, is also exported export-ed to Great Britain). And, providing pro-viding Larry Hagman, who plays the role, signs a fat new contract, magnetic J.R. will resume his evil ways. Which brings up the question ques-tion of why some villains get cheered while others get jeered. Hagman, who is himself an extremely gentle soul, theorized theor-ized in a recent television interview that J.R. is a power figure ... and people are attracted to power. He added that J.R. deserves a spot of sympathy now and then. He isn't just a double-crosser; he also gets double-crossed, most notably bv his wife. Could ' it be Hagman's defense of J.R. as not 100 percent per-cent rotten and it shows in his portrayal aids viewers, too, in finding reasons to let themselves be charmed by JR.? Who knows? One thing we all know though, from hearing it so often, is that actors and actresses relish roles as evildoers, evil-doers, at least most of the time. Patrick O'Neal, who even when he's sweater-and-slacks' casual always looks elegant enough to board the biggest yacht off Monaco, was one of the favorite villains of Peter Falk's "Columbo" series. He gladly accepted such guest starring roles on other shows, too. A shrewd policy. "If it isn't your series, they write for the series' hero. The only other big role is the heavy." Patrick's screen villains, unlike Hagman's in "Dallas," were seldom cheered, and that bothers him a bit. It's why, though he's right now fulfilling his dream of directing and is committed to the Liberty Mutual syndicated syndi-cated specials, he will return to acting. O'Neal onscreen is all suave salt-and-pepper charm. Offscreen Offs-creen he is a devoted and concerned con-cerned father. He continued. "It's the first time I've said this, but I want to do one picture, at least, in which my two sons will like me and want to root for me. Maybe it should be a Western with me riding a horse." Sophisticated villains, he added add-ed quietly, weren't the worst characters he's played. The image he most wants to counteract coun-teract in the minds of his offspring is that of dear old Dad portraying a psycho who throws people off buildings. But, of course, not all fictional fic-tional villainy on television is perpetrated by males. In fact, in the daytime drama (oh, all right, the soaps), several glamorously dressed ' actresses, who play treacherous, manipulative characters, are as mobbed and adored as movie stars of the golden age whenever they appear in public. Petite, strawberry-blonde Eileen Fulton, has for circa two decades now drawn the kind of tune-in to "As the World Turns" (CBS) that rates her such perks beyond a big salary as a chauffeured limousine when she lived in the suburbs. Then there's the less than noble-hearted Iris on NBC's "Another World." Beverlee McKinsey has endowed the role with such devious charms that Iris spins off to a new series ("Texas") next month, which, it's reported, ups Beverlee's already substantial checks to a degree that proves it isn't always the meek who do well on earth. |