Abc's Saturday Night at the Movies the Barefoot Executive

 ((Sat. (11), 9-11 p.m., ABC))

By JOHN P. MCCARTHY

Far from being an inoffensive family affair, telepic has a bite, though in the end TV's power to soothe is affirmed. Chimp antics are kept to a minimum while Chris Elliott and Julia Sweeney, among others, indulge in farcical monkey business.
 

Filmed in Los Angeles by ZM Prods. in association with Walt Disney Television. Executive producers, George Zaloom, Les Mayfield, Scott Immergut; producers, Joan Van Horn, Irwin Marcus; director, Susan Seidelman; writers, Tracy Newman, Jonathan Stark, Tim Doyle, based on the feature screenplay by Joseph L. McEveety, story by Lila Garrett, Bernie Kahn, Stu Billett; camera, Russ Alsobrook; editor, Andrew Mondshein; production designer, Peg McClellan; sound, David Barr Yaffee; music, Philip Giffin. TX:Cast: Jason London, Eddie Albert, Michael Marich, Terri Ivens, Jay Mohr, Ann Magnuson, Shannon O'Hurley, Alan Blumenfeld, Stanley DeSantis, Willie Garson, Yvonne DeCarlo, Julia Sweeney, Chris Elliott, Ellia English, Richard Penn, Greg Wrangler, Maria von Hartz, Dorian Gregory, Christine Romeo, Bob Glouberman, Kyle Gass, Kathy Griffin, Monica Allison, Arik Levy, Julie Benz, Michael McLafferty, Jenny Morris, Grant Hoover, Roy Fegan, Alex Bookston, Zaid Farid, Murray Rubin, Brian Evans, Nathan Anderson, Scott Immergut, Jeffrey Lampert, Saige Spinney. This remake of the 1970 Disney feature doesn't showcase a barrel of monkeys but rather a barrel of boobs, as in TV execs scrambling to pick winners. A trio of writers have sharpened the material into a wicked parody of the TV biz, and director Susan Seidelman ("Smithereens,""Desperately Seeking Susan") delivers a neat package. Sweeney opens the pic as vulgar sitcom star Thelma (clearly modeled on Roseanne), who belches, eats monkey chow and hints at a taste for bestiality. When she blows up during taping and fires her primate co-star, Archie, the door is open for studio mail boy Billy Murdoch (Jason London)to hit on Archie's minder (Terri Ivens) and discover Archie's knack for picking ratings winners.

Billy's knowledgeable and passionate about TV, yet Archie is so reliable at predicting Nielsen success that the eager kid uses him to enter the ranks of UBC network suits.

Net is run by weasel Jase Wallenberg (Elliott), who's either being yessed to death by underlings (Michael Marich, Shannon O'Hurley) or intimidated by his enigmatic boss in New York (Eddie Albert). Jase tries to lift UBC out of the ratings cellar using the slogan "All New Shows, All the Time." His slavish reliance on research numbers --"I want a talking-dog show, now!"-- can't equal Billy's sure-fire touch.

Based on the monkey's reactions, Billy substitutes "Sausalito" (extremely attractive twentysomethings on houseboats) for "Maui Medical" ("surf, sand, surgery") on the West Coast feed and becomes VP of development when it wins the night.

After Archie is exposed as the genuine tout, the newest whiz kid (lauded in a series of Daily Variety headlines) must choose Hollywood or his integrity and girl. Of course, this is television, so Billy can have it all. Incidentally, Archie is returned to an animal habitat, apparently for his own good, and "The Player" meets "Free Willy" on network TV.

Small touches amuse, as when a focus group gets sandwiches and soda pop for lunch, while studio honchos behind a two-way mirror enjoy lemon mustard salmon.

Primary perfs are good. London looks to have a bright future; Elliott and Sweeney are in their milieu; Marich's restraint is effective. Smaller perfs are excellent.

Seidelman displays her agility as a satirist and storyteller. She and scripters Tracy Newman, Jonathan Stark and Tim Doyle are more interested in lampooning the medium than in putting on a madcap animal show. The cute chimp is kept in just the right position to serve as foil.

Tech work achieves an appropriately breezy feel. Review tape had temp music and sound effects, so broadcast version could be more raucous.

"The Barefoot Executive" captures a truism about TV: Everyone feels compelled to criticize it, while simultaneously embracing it. Movie also conveys a more entertaining message: TV execs, chimpanzees, same thing.