‘L.A. Law’ and ‘Cheers’ Capture Major Emmys : ‘War and Remembrance,’ ‘Roe vs. Wade’ Share Honors; ‘Lonesome Dove’ Takes Seven Awards

In an eclectic ceremony that scattered honors across the television landscape, the longest, most expensive miniseries in TV history shared top honors with one of the medium’s most controversial TV movies at the 41st annual Emmy Awards for nighttime programming Sunday.

“War and Remembrance,” ABC’s 29-hour, $110-million saga about World War II, was named the best miniseries of the 1988-89 season and “Roe vs. Wade,” NBC’s movie about the case that established a woman’s right to an abortion, shared the award as best drama or comedy special.

Top-rated NBC also scored in the series categories, as “L.A. Law” was chosen best drama and “Cheers” was selected best comedy by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

NBC won the most awards Sunday night but, counting the Emmys handed out Saturday in nontelevised ceremonies for the so-called craft categories, wound up second with 25.

CBS was first with 27 while ABC garnered 13. PBS captured 8, HBO got 3, syndicated programs collected 2 and TBS got 1.

And 3-year-old Fox Broadcasting, which telecast the Emmy ceremonies from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, picked up its first Emmys--four for “The Tracey Ullman show,” including one as best variety, music or comedy program.

Both “L.A. Law” and “Cheers” had been similarly honored in the past--”L.A. Law” in 1987 and “Cheers” in 1983 and 1984.

But typical of the lack of consistency among this year’s winners, “L.A. Law” won only one other award--for supporting actor Larry Drake--and “Cheers” two, for supporting actress Rhea Perlman and supporting actor Woody Harrelson.

The biggest winner of the year proved to be the CBS Western miniseries “Lonesome Dove,” with seven. Six of those, however, came in the craft categories, which were awarded in nontelevised ceremonies Saturday. And the production lost out as best miniseries to “War and Remembrance,” which won only two other awards--for editing and special effects.

The failure of any single program to sweep a number of categories stems from the fact that each category is voted on by a separate peer committee, rather than by the full academy membership.

The win for “War and Remembrance” was indicative of a preference among the Emmy voters for programs with serious themes.

Named best drama or comedy special, in a tie with the abortion-themed “Roe vs. Wade,” was “Day One,” a CBS movie about the development of the atomic bomb.

“Roe vs. Wade” also picked up an Emmy for star Holly Hunter, who played a character based on Norma McCorvey, the woman whose efforts to obtain an abortion led to the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that established the federal abortion law.

‘Continuing Fight’

In her acceptance speech, Hunter thanked McCorvey for “continuing to fight to keep women from being second-class citizens and also for refusing to give up her right to reproductive choice.”

The movie came under fire before it even aired last May by the anti-abortion movement, which charged that it was unbalanced and sought to dissuade advertisers from buying commercial time.

Many sponsors did drop out and NBC officials said the network may have lost as much as $1 million on the telecast.

Hunter and executive producer Michael Manheim acknowledged that fact Sunday.

The actress thanked NBC “for getting this movie on the air,” and Manheim thanked “our sponsors, each of whom stood up to be counted when it would have been easier to run and hide.”

“War and Remembrance’s” executive producer and director, Dan Curtis, also touched on the serious intent of his mammoth miniseries in his acceptance speech, noting that he had undertaken the project--”it took longer than World War II”--to depict the horror of the Holocaust.

“If it has taken one step toward making people understand what happened, and if it takes one step toward keeping it from ever happening again, then we’ve accomplished our mission,” he said.

There were other unique thank-yous as well.

Candice Bergen Wins

Candice Bergen, daughter of the late comedian-ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, won as best actress in a comedy series for her portrayal of a hard-edged television news reporter in the first-year series “Murphy Brown.” She ended her remarks by saying, “Dad, if you’re watching, this is for you.”

Dana Delany, who won for her portrayal of an American nurse in ABC’s Vietnam War series “China Beach,” thanked the women who really did serve in that conflict “for sharing your experiences with me and for allowing us to pay you the tribute you deserve, even if it is late.”

Other acting Emmys went to James Woods as best actor in a miniseries or special for the ABC movie “My Name Is Bill W.”; Carroll O’Connor” as best actor in a drama series for NBC’s “In the Heat of the Night,” and Richard Mulligan as best actor in a comedy series for NBC’s “Empty Nest.”

All three had won in the past--Mulligan for “Soap,” O’Connor four times for “All in the Family” and Woods for the TV movie “Promise.”

Colleen Dewhurst was a double winner. She was named best supporting actress in a miniseries or special for the TV movie “Those She Left Behind” and, in the nontelevised ceremonies Saturday, won as guest actress in a comedy series for an appearance as Candice Bergen’s mother in “Murphy Brown.”

Emmys for Comedy Writing

“Murphy Brown” also picked up Emmys for the comedy writing of creator Diane English and for editing.

Last year’s best comedy series, ABC’s “The Wonder Years,” won only one Emmy this year, for director Peter Baldwin.

ABC’s “thirtysomething,” which won as best drama series last year, got four Emmys this year--for supporting actress Melanie Mayron, writer Joseph Dougherty, costuming and editing.

“Lonesome Dove,” which had been considered a favorite going into Sunday’s ceremonies because it had received 18 nominations to lead all programs, got only one in the major categories, for director Simon Wincer. Its seven Emmys left it two shy of tying “Roots” for the most statuettes ever awarded a miniseries.

Jim Henson, the Muppet maestro, won an award for directing an episode of his now-canceled NBC series “The Jim Henson Hour.”

Altman Best Director

And Robert Altman, best known for his film directing, captured best director honors in a drama series for the HBO political satire “Tanner ’88.”

Other winners Sunday were Derek Jacobi as best supporting actor in a miniseries or special for “The Tenth Man”; Linda Ronstadt as best individual performance in a variety or music program for “Canciones de Mi Padre” on PBS’ “Great Performances”; “Saturday Night Live” for best writing in a variety or music program; Abby Mann, Robin Vote and Ron Hutchinson for writing HBO’s “Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story”; Thomas R. Burman, Carol Schwartz, Bari Dreiband-Burman and Robin Lavigne for the makeup on “The Tracey Ullman Show,” and Paula Kaatz, Andrea Weaver, Janet Lawler and Stephen Chudej for the costuming on the TV movie “Pancho Barnes.”

Lucille Ball, the “First Lady of Television,” who died earlier this year, was given the academy’s Governors Award for career achievement. The award, presented by Bob Hope, was accepted by the actress’s second husband, Gary Morton.

The Emmy program, broadcast locally on KTTV, Fox Channel 11, ended five minutes short of its scheduled three-hour time slot--the first time that has happened in a decade. RELATED STORIES, PICTURES: Calendar