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Show 1 ' STAHvlEl J 1 , Searching beyond a character's reputation fighting to have that Ripples nickname phased out. 3y Rath Thompson Susan Flannery recently iispelled any notion that there were hidden virtues in the character she played on 'Dallas" the manipulative counselor to J.R. Ewing she introduced last season. "She's a match for J R.; just as mean," said the cool, blonde Susan. "But she was fun to play though I don't know how she might fit into the f uture of the series." Jean Marsh, the co-creator of the classic "Upstairs, Downstairs" series, enjoyed playing her Emmy-winning, starring role as the maid Rose. But she sounded surprised to find we all loved dear hard-working Rose. "I never intended her to be all that nice and if you think it over, she wasn't," Ms. Marsh once told us. "But, of course, she was fun to play." Somebody else In "Upstairs, Downstairs who came across as a lovely heroine, though her strong will often got her into scrapes, was the aristocratic aristo-cratic Georgina, the step-niece-in-law and ward Chris NorrU "I didn't want her to be called that in the first place. No matter bow friendly the original intention, there are sexual connotations that are a put-down pegging her into a category. I think of her as Gloria of Lord Bellamy. Lesley-Anne Down, due to be seen in February in thes new Hallmark production ofL "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (with Anthony Hopkins as Quasimodo) on CBS, looks back on Georgina with less sympathy than most of us. She recalls that many people got hurt, and a few got killed (or killed themselves), because Georgina was so self-centered. self-centered. Ms. Down's cold shoulder to Georgina is in contrast to the fierce defense that Loretta Swit has undertaken on behalf of her head-nurse Maj. Houlihan Houl-ihan role in the "MASH" series. Ms. Swit knows the major bas no sense of humor, but "is very good at her job." And yes, the major likes men, "but ' usually the wrong ones." Most of all says the actress, the era is long past when the major could be snickered at as "Hot Lips" Houlihan. And Loretta Swit herself always charitably charita-bly refers to the major as Margaret. Margaret isn't the only current cur-rent television nurse with a sexy image being defended these days. Asked recently if there were any changes ahead for her as Ripples in "Trapper John" (CBS), lovely young Chris Norris froze. Yes, she knows that the producers have been freeing up the styling styl-ing of her character (hair flowing wild on occasion, things like that) but she is |