TV Guy Once Again ABC Starts Its Engines 2009: Holiday Traditions

TV Guy Once again ABC starts its engines

Some holiday traditions endure.
ABC has been broadcasting the Indianapolis 500 (noon, ABC) since Memorial Day 1965. To put the passage of time into some perspective, that weekend, “Help Me Rhonda” by the Beach Boys had just edged out “Ticket to Ride” by the Beatles for the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts. “Bonanza” was the top-rated show during that TV season. ABC had only two shows in the top 30 for that year, “Batman” and “The Lawrence Welk Show.” Racer Jim Clark would win the Indy 500 that day, putting him on top of the racing world until his fatal crash on April 7, 1968. Sunday’s coverage includes interviews with many of the starting drivers, a profile of Helio Castroneves and a look at Danica Patrick’s relationship with her father. There’s also a celebration of the enduring appeal of the Indy 500, a tradition that has been very good for racing and for ABC as it has evolved (or at least changed) from the days of “Shindig” to the era of “Dancing With the Stars.” In other racing news, Fox will cover the Coca-Cola 600 (5 p.m., Fox) from Concord, N.C. Another tradition continues as PBS broadcasts its 20th consecutive National Memorial Day Concert (8 p.m., PBS). The program will look back at highlights from the past 20 concerts. This year’s performance pays special attention to the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth in 1809 and honors the sacrifices of the families who are caring for severely wounded soldiers returned home from Iraq and Afghanistan. Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna co-host the event, which showcases musical performances by Katharine McPhee, Trace Adkins, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Colm Wilkinson, Denyce Graves, Lang Lang and Robert McDuffie. The National Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of maestro Erich Kunzel, also performs. Repeat reports scheduled on “60 Minutes” (7 p.m., CBS): two sides to the “Buy American” movement a fake officer’s drug crackdown and an anti-aging element found in red wine. A fetching archaeologist (Mira Sorvino) joins forces with the FBI to unlock the secrets of a spiritual conspiracy in the 2009 miniseries “The Last Templar” (9 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14, part 1 of 2). A senator (Judy Davis) looks into the death of her daughter in an African diamond mine and the shadowy world of the precious-gem trade in the 2009 miniseries “Diamonds” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG, L, S, V, concludes Tuesday). Tavis Smiley and 10 friends talk about the black male experience in the documentary “Stand” (9 p.m., TV One). “Media Project” (11 p.m., IFC) looks at the bleak economics of serious journalism.
William Holden and Alec Guinness star in director David Lean’s 1957 prisoner-of-war epic “Bridge on the River Kwai” (5:15 p.m., TCM), part of the network’s 72-hour marathon of war films running Saturday through Monday.

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