Randall Batinkoff captures Hefner's many contradictions

Apparently, Hugh Hefner's mother never kissed him; she was too afraid of germs. This is one of the hundreds of odd facts that come to life in the TV bio, "Hefner: Unauthorized" (8 p.m. Sunday, USA).

Randall Batinkoff gives a memorable performance as the adult Hefner, the pill-popping, workaholic, nerd-next-door who franchised the swinger fantasy for millions of men. Batinkoff's Hefner walks a neurotic tightrope between passion and repression, duty and indulgence, affluent sophistication and eternal adolescence.

Unfortunately, "Hefner" is narrated from beyond the grave by the fantasy voice of Bobbie Arnstein (Natasha Gregson Wagner). Arnstein was Hefner's longtime assistant and companion who committed suicide in 1975 rather than face prison for trumped-up drug charges. Apparently the narcs and "powers-that-be" were counting on Arnstein to rat on Hefner. According to this movie and popular legend, Arnstein was "the girl who died for Playboy."

While Wagner is rather perky as the living Arnstein, her portentous narration adds an aura of doom and paranoia to an otherwise enjoyable, if weird, biography. Logically, the film should end with Arnstein's death. But then we'd never get to see Hef hire his own daughter to run his bunny empire, or look back at his 1990s marriage to Kimberly (Rebecca Romijn Stamos). When Arnstein continues to narrate events that took place after her death, and assumes the role of Playboy's guardian angel, the film lurches from peculiar to ridiculous.

The realities of a mobster's family entering the federal witness protection program make for riveting personal drama in "Witness Protection" (8 p.m. Saturday, HBO). After mob associates botch an attempt on his life, gangster Bobby Batton (Tom Sizemore) testifies for the feds and agrees to enter the program with his wife, Cindy (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), teen-age son, Sean (Shawn Hatosy) and 5-year-old daughter, Suzie (Skye McCole). Forest Whitaker stars as a no-nonsense Federal counselor who exudes both authority and compassion.

After a wrenching scene in which Cindy's parents condemn her for marrying a brute who has robbed them of a daughter and their grandchildren, the family enters a "safe house." There they come to grips with the mundane realities of assuming new lives in a secret location with new pasts and identities. But the most difficult step is the family's adjustment to Bobby's loss of power and income. Cindy finally explodes at Bobby's many infidelities, and Sean vents his Oedipal rage at a father who has robbed him of his high-school friends, his good grades and his chance to attend Harvard.

While some of Sizemore's dialogue may remind viewers of "The Godfather" and other gangster films, there isn't a cliché moment in this surprisingly powerful family drama.

Gene Wilder returns as Larry "Cash" Carter in the smart and engaging whodunit, "The Lady in Question" (8 p.m. Sunday, A&E, TV-PG). Carter is a Broadway director who moonlights as a sleuth, using his theatrical knowledge of character and motivation to ferret out the truth. He is aided by Rossini (Mike Starr), a shrewd local detective who never met a meal he couldn't finish.

Featuring a great cast, "Lady" concerns the apparent murder of an anti-Nazi activist, Emma Sachs (Claire Bloom) in the dark days before World War II. Cash's sunny fiancée and flight stewardess Mimi (Cherry Jones) meets Sachs on a return flight from Germany. She also encounters a boorish American businessman John Wheeler (Michael Cumpsty) who is actually working undercover for the Third Reich. As she leaves the airport, Sachs slips Mimi a fateful note. "I am going to be murdered." Within 24 hours, she is proven right.

While Wilder dominated the first Cash Carter mystery, this time he lets the wonderful cast of possible killers to take center stage as Cash and Rossini quietly dissect their actions and contradictory testimony. A handsome production and several period musical numbers evoke the dangerous, if stylish, prewar years.

Saturday's other highlights

A selfish cat learns the spirit of the holidays in the 1987 animated special, "A Garfield Christmas Special" (8 p.m., CBS, TV-G).

A gifted musician (Richard Dreyfuss) feels stifled in his job as a music teacher but proves inspirational in the 1995 drama, "Mr. Holland's Opus" (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).

Lauren Bacall narrates "Radio City Music Hall: The Story Behind the Showcase (8 p.m., AMC).

Britney Spears, 'N Sync, Puff Daddy and others perform for charity on the "Big Help Concert" (8 p.m., Nickelodeon).

Olympic Skaters from the U.S. and abroad perform on "Stars on Ice" (8:30 p.m., CBS, TV-G).

Sunday's other highlights

Scheduled on "60 Minutes" (7 p.m., CBS): the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy; agent Orange's toxic legacy; a profile of British author John Mortimer.

Scheduled on "Dateline" (7 p.m., NBC): Father and son plane-crash survivors.

Twins (Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen) trade places on their soccer team in the film, "Switching Goals" on "The Wonderful World of Disney" (7 p.m., ABC, TV-G).

Brendan Fraser ("The Mummy") hosts "Christmas in Washington" (8 p.m., TNT) featuring performances by Jewel, 98 Degrees, Christina Aquilera and B.B. King.

William Baldwin, Peter Gallagher and Kelly Lynch star in the drama "Brotherhood of Murder" (8 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA, L, S, V) concerning a gang of neo-Nazis.

Tom Hanks discusses his career on "Inside the Actors Studio" (8 p.m., Bravo, TV-PG).

Professional tornado chasers (Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt) find their prey in the 1996 thriller, "Twister" (8:30 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).

James Earl Jones narrates "In Search of Liberty Bell 7" (9 p.m., Discovery, TV-G) chronicling the efforts to raise Mercury astronaut Gus Grissom's capsule that sank in 1961. The film also reviews Grissom's role as a Mercury and Gemini astronaut and his tragic death in 1967.

An angel/waitress (Patty Duke) helps a homeless family find a home in the TV drama, "A Season for Miracles" (9 p.m., CBS, TV-G).