rumrifl by Joey Sasso CONFIDENTIAL REPORT: According to Hollywood in siders, sexy Suzanne Somers of ABC's "Three's Com pany" is planning to switch channels following secret talks with CBS. She's been offered top spot in a.copycat series that could knock the ABC show out of the ratings. The leggy blonde's role as-Chrissy Snow has been slowly squeezed out of "Three's Company." And a CBS source confirmed she's been having long talks with top brass there about her own series. He said: "CBS would really like to call it 'Chrissy' or maybe 'Chrissy's New Life'--but they have to consult their attorneys to see whether ABC has legal right to the character. Maybe we could call it 'Missy' or even 'Sissy'." Meanwhile, Somers will do her first CBS show in June when she slips into uniform as a navy entertainment officer in a sonj-and-dance special aboard a carrier in the Persian Gulf. Husband Alan Hamel confirmed the variety role -but shot down rumors of marital breakup. He said: "Our troubles have brought us closer together." Hamel would not say if his wife has managed to get the $150,000 per episode from CBS that ABC had refused her. "Nothing is finally settled," he said. Somers' big-dollar demands--she wanted nearly $4 million a year salary plus a $20 million a year profit slice--outraged "Three s Company" producers and led to her freezeout. "All I want is more money--more of the pie," she said, after refusing ABC's $850,000 a year compromise offer. She then complained that co-stars John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt shunned her and she was escorted by guards on the set and "treated like a criminal." Now she is so mad she says she is suing ABC officials "who won't even talk to me. TV BACKSTAGE: James Garner has won an un precedented commitment from NBC for his new "Maverick" series beginning in September. The show will be on the whole year regardless of the ratings. But that's probably a safe bet for NBC execs who know Garner has one ' of the best track records among all TV actors . . . Praise, anger and frustration--that's what sur faced when some critics viewed "The American Short Story" series of adaptations of classic American short fic tion. The apparent paradox was prompted by the pro grams' quality--as one critic asserted, not because they are bad, but because they "are so good. One got an ex asperated sense of literary riches available to the net works," he added, "if program executives ever dared to film anything but topical best sellers." "American Short Story," initially televised several years ago, is currently being rebroadcast Saturdays nationally on Public Broad casting Service stations, funded in part by a grant from Xerox Corporation. Henry Fonda hosts the 13-week series. TV CLOSEUP: A leading actress on the TV sitcom "Soap" says she would be mortified if her husband cheated on her. And Katherine Helmond swears she'd feel even worse if husband David Christian betrayed her in his heart. "I think it's worse if a husband is mentally un faithful," she told me. "I mean if he's secretly emotionally involved with another woman. You know, sex is one thing, very casual for some men, and it doesn't mean a man is necessarily in love, or that he doesn't love his wife. Of course, I think a husband shouldn't cheaj^pffitol, but I'd rather have mine cheat physically than mentally, and I'm pretty sure David feels the same way." Benny Hill Show I 0 Today In Chicago TUESDAY, APRIL 14 0 Tlme-Out Thaatar Marathon Fever' • NCAA Vollayball Golden Dome Classic-Final 0 Movie (Jolnad In Progreea) 12:30 0 ABC Captioned Newa 12:45 0 Newa 12:55 0 Newa 1:^0 0 WBBM Editorial Marcua Walby, M.D. * itbeat Lova Special Joe Franklin Show Atlanta Bravea Baaeball Re play Atlanta Braves va Houston Astros 0 Odd Couple 1:02 0 Movie-(Adventure) •• "Big Steal" 1049 Robert Mit chum, Jane Greer. Army officer recovers missing payroll, rounds up gang after exciting pursuit through Mexico (90 mins ) 1:05 0 Movie -(Drama) •• "Her 12 Men" 1955 Greer Garson, Rober Ryan. The story of a dedicated woman teacher in a boys' school (115 mins.) 1:25 0 Movie -(Myatery) ** "F.B.I.Girl" 1952 Audrey Totter. George Brent. Clerk is bait to ob tain evidence on mob trying to un cover governors former criminal record. (75 mins.) 1:30 0 Health Field 0 Movie -(Drama) **4 "Searching Wind" 1948 Robert Young. Sylvia Sidney. A diplomat isabouttoforaakehisfamily.when tragedy makeshimreelizehismis take (2hrs , lOmins ) O SportsCenter 2:00 0 Movie-(Western) •• "Raw Deal" Gerard Kennedy. Gus Marcurio A charming hustler and a hard-nosed bounty hunter band together to take on a gang of out laws who are terrorizing the countryside (2 hrs ) 0 1981 Top Ace Handball Champlonehlpa Match 1 0 Movie -(Mystery) "13 Rue Madeleine" 1947 James Cagney. Anna Bella. AcleverNazi spy enrolls and is accepted in the U S. Secret Service School (119 mins ) 0 Movie -(Adventure) "Kaahmlrl Run" 1969 Pernell Roberta, Alexandra Bastedo Two man and a girl racing for the Kashmiri border to avoid capture by a Chinese Communist detsch- ment. find a dying doctor and his young wife (119 mins ) 0 Big Valley 2:10 SS0 Newa 2:20 0 Newa 2 30 0 Health Field 0 PKA Full Contact Karate World Super Lightweight Championship ' Reflections Editor! al-TV Chapel Movie -(Adventure) ••• "Untamed" 1955 TyronePower. Susan Hayward A wagon train fighta and dies for the establish ment of the Dutch free state in the nineteenth-century Boer trek through the dangerous Zulu f jntry (2 hrs , 20 mins ) Meditation Newa-Oay'a End 3:30 0 Rat Patrol 3:40 0 All Nlte Show 4:00 0 Movie -(Documentary) * 4 "Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?" 1975 Eddie Cantor. Cab Calloway Compilation of news- reel footage and film clips that offers a glimpse of the American way of life during the 1930's (2 2:32 2:50 3:00 ia imoic 1 i'4 Prayer MlMto" Impossible 4:04 00 Newa 4:30 0 NCAA Volleyball Golden Dome Claaaic-Consolation 0 Ooaniel Boone 5 20 0 Meditation 5:30 00 Newa ((Wednesday)) APR. 15, 1981 EVENING I Barney )0 D.C D.C. Circuits MacNeil-Lehrer Report Tic Tec Dough Happy Daya Afeein American Angler I Movie -(Comedy) ••• "Rich Kida" 1979 Trina Alvardo, Jer emy Levy. Perceptive comedy about divorce, its impact on par ents. andeffectaonchildren (Rat- I PG) (2 hrs.) 1 Hollywood Squares 10 All In The Family ' Roaa De Lajos... (Contin ued From Daytime) 03$ Outer Limits 0 SportsCenter 099 DaveBreeeeReports 0 Studio See 0 Bulleeye 69 Barney Show 6:15 ® 0 Program Unannounced > 0000 Family Feud I Joker's Wild liBfi Alt in The Family irol Burnett And Frienda MacNeil-Lehrer Report Wild Wild World Of Animate I Magazine Sanford And Son Connie Martinson Show Boxing's Beet: Jerk Demp- aey From hobo to heavyweight champ of the world, relive Demp- sey'a career through vintage 1920 film clipa I Newlywed Game 0 Carter Country 1(29 Informackm 26 18 Metrovtew Uvewlre Face The Mualc 6^ 0 7: WBBM Editorial WLS Editorial £0 0003* Enos OOO Reel People Sarah Pur - cell takes part in a roller derby and John Barbour talka with a man whoae hobby is going through famoue paople'a garbage. (60 mins) (Cloeed-Captioned. 0 0 0 T h e G r e a t e s t A m e r - SnHero Movie West Side Story' Part N 1961 Natalia Wood. Rita Moreno Concluaion of the atory of a young gang member who falls in lova with airl from the rival gang (2 hrs ) PM Magazine MKE At 7: Business Of Wisconsin O Civilisation The Great Thaw' P®rl II lis A Great Idea Mike Douglaa Co host Leigh McCloskey Guests: Elka Sommer. Jake LaMotta. Johnny Djrk_ Bowling Game Al Ro)o Vtvo ) Movie -(No Information available) "Prince And The Pauper" (Paid Subacription Television) No Other Information Available (2 hrs ) 0 F.A. Soccer The Road to Wembley . Opening Round 10 Chicago Night Gallery Movie -(Blogrephical) ** H "Wings Of Eagles" 1987 John Wsyne. Maureen O'Hara. The story of a pioneer World Warlavia- tor who later turna to screenwrit- ing (2 hrs.)- 0 GilMoan's island 7:30 052 Joker's Wild