TV & VIDEO - Jan. 2, 1989

A provincial court in Egypt has ordered the television series “Falcon Crest” off the air on grounds it undermines public morals, according to a newspaper report. The newspaper Wafd, published by a centrist opposition party of the same name, said Thursday the ruling banning the show was in a provincial court in the Nile Valley town of Shibin el-Kom. “Falcon Crest” began appearing several years ago on local television and quickly became a favorite among both poor and wealthy Egyptians, despite its depiction of a society generally foreign to the mostly conservative Egyptians. Television censors, for example, routinely cut kissing scenes from “Falcon Crest” that they consider too passionate. The TV series “Dallas,” a predecessor of “Falcon Crest,” also was widely popular until it was stopped six years ago after a member of parliament complained it was corrupting the morals of Egyptian youth.