While "Citizen Kane" is often said to be the finest movie ever made, its creator Orson Welles spent the last quarter-century of his life outside of the Hollywood community, reduced to doing commercials and bit acting parts to produce his own films.
Peter Bogdanovich produced and narrates "Orson Welles: The One-Man Band" (5:05 p.m. Sunday, Showtime), an inspiring look at this visionary filmmaker in his twilight years.
AP Photo
Orson Welles, shown in the 1959 film "Touch of Evil," is the subject of "Orson Welles: The One-Man Band" at 5:05 p.m. Sunday on Showtime.
"Band" presents dozens of clips from unfinished Welles projects, including his adaptation of "Don Quixote," "The Merchant of Venice" and the sprawling Hollywood saga called "The Other Side of the Wind" with a cast including John Huston, Lilli Palmer, Dennis Hopper and Bogdanovich. There's also a complete nine-minute clip from Welles' documentary "F is for Fake," a film that could not find a U.S. distributor.
Fans of the terrific 1989 thriller "Dead Calm," starring Sam Neill and Nicole Kidman, should note that Welles was working on a version of the same story years before.
l Dweezil Zappa narrates "Weird Worlds: Cults and Secret Societies" (7 p.m. Saturday, TLC). This hour-long documentary lumps together a collection of fringe religions, cults and conspiracy theories. "Cults" contends that as far out as some of these groups are, they all meet a basic human need � the desire to belong to something bigger than oneself and to find a purpose in life.
Cult expert Steven Hassan interviews a former "Moonie," a follower of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon. There's also a chat with members of the Unarius Academy of Science who believe there are 33 planets out there with perfect societies. True believers or "transceivers" can "raise the antennae of the mind" and get information from these other worlds.
Viewers will witness an "auditing" session conducted by a former member of the Church of Scientology. These interviews are designed to clear the mind of traumatic memories. We also learn some of the principles and beliefs behind Scientology and Dianetics.
l Banished from PBS for its frank and often funny depictions of free love both gay and straight, Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the City" sagas have found a safe harbor on Showtime. Starring Oscar nominee Laura Linney as aspiring journalist Mary Ann Singleton, "Furthur Tales of the City" (9 p.m. Sunday) picks up the story in 1981. Maupin's effervescent page-turners have a way of slicing and dicing contemporary events with slam-bang plotting and deliriously contrived coincidences.
Today's highlights
l Bruce Willis stars in the 1998 thriller "Armageddon" (7 p.m., ABC). Repeated from Monday.
l A brash hockey failure brings something new to the game of golf in the 1996 comedy "Happy Gilmore" (8 p.m., NBC).
l George Jones performs on the "Gaither Gospel Hour" (8 p.m., TNN).
l The Rock guest stars on "Mad TV" (10 p.m., Fox).
Sunday's highlights
l Scheduled on "60 Minutes" (6 p.m., CBS): the "compassionate" distribution of cancer drugs; Qatar's cable news network; crop insurance scams.
l Jim Carrey stars in the 1994 comedy "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" (6 p.m., ABC).
l Homer helps Flanders build a faith-based theme park called Praiseland to honor Maude's memory on "The Simpsons" (7 p.m., Fox).
l Chris Noth and Edward James Olmos star in the legal thriller "The Judge" (8 p.m., NBC) based on a novel by Steve Martini. Lolita Davidovich, Sonia Braga and Charles Durning also star. Concludes Monday.
l A creature targets Doggett on "The X-Files" (8 p.m., Fox).
l Meadow has her doubts about Jackie Jr. on "The Sopranos" (8 p.m., HBO).
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