Best-bets for April 12: The strangely funny “Strangelove”

1) “Dr. Strangelove” (1964), 8 p.m ET., Turner Classic Movies. A black-and-white tale of nuclear war? It might not sound like fun, but the American Film Institute calls it (quite reasonably) the third funniest film ever, trailing only “Some Like It Hot” and “Tootsie.” Peter Sellers — whose “Being There” (1979) follows at 9:45 — got an Oscar nomination for his great multiple-role performance; Stanley Kubrick got three — for best picture, for directing and for co-wriing the darkly satiric script. Read more…

1) “Dr. Strangelove” (1964), 8 p.m ET., Turner Classic Movies. A black-and-white tale of nuclear war? It might not sound like fun, but the American Film Institute calls it (quite reasonably) the third funniest film ever, trailing only “Some Like It Hot” and “Tootsie.” Peter Sellers — whose “Being There” (1979) follows at 9:45 — got an Oscar nomination for his great multiple-role performance; Stanley Kubrick got three — for best picture, for directing and for co-wriing the darkly satiric script.

2) American Masters: Joseph Pulitzer,” 9 p.m., PBS (check local listings). After a brutal start – family bankruptcy, the deaths of his father and six of his seven siblings – Pulitzer moved from Hungary to the U.S. at 17. He had no money, little English and a job as a Union soldier in the Civil War. He would go on to own two newspapers, champion the common man and create awards for great journalism. It’s a feel-good story … until this fine film adds the flip side, as Pulizer’s papers descend into sensationalism.

3) “Speechless,” 8:30 p.m., ABC. It’s graduation time, which is usually festive in comedyland. But Maya frets about JJ’s departure. And Kenneth wants a grand finale for their time together. And then … well, some news arrives from New York University that changes everything.

4) “Proven Innocent,” 9 p.m., Fox. A turn in the Davon Watkins case forces Madeline to return to Ohio. That leaves Easy and Bodie to focus on a new case, a former frat guy, charged with rape and murder.

5) “20/20,” 9-11 p.m., ABC. Rebecca Schaeffer was a teen newcomer when she landed the title role in the comedy “My Sister Sam.” It ran two seasons; she made a couple TV movies and was set to talk to Francis Coppola about playing Al Pacino’s daughter in “Godfather 3.” Then, at 21, she was killed by a stalker. ABC talks to her father, boyfriend and co-stars; it also talks to Marcia Clark, who successfully prosecuted the case, before losing the O.J. Simpson one.

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