A prep course for the month-long World Cup soccer tournament, a worldwide pheno

 piece and things don't go away . Laws change that 's a real accomplishment for 

women in this century , but I think that any woman who has a child and has to le

ave their child to go to work grapples throughout their life : Did I do the righ

t thing ? That went on in 1901 and it goes in 1994 . '' Though the documentary p

rofiles such well-known women as first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton , feminist Be

tty Friedan and writer Edna St. Vincent Millay , most of the women are not house

hold names . `` A lot of the women who really changed the laws are just average 

women , '' Atlas explains . One such `` average '' woman was Ida May Phillips wh

o , in the 1970s , was a waitress with seven children . The family breadwinner ,

 she wanted a better job and applied to become an assembly trainee at Martin-Mar

ietta Co. . `` They said , ` You can't take this job because you have small chil

dren , ' ' ' Atlas says . `` So she took it all the way to the Supreme Court . T

he Supreme Court said you can't tell a woman with children she can't have a job 

unless you say the same thing to a man with small children . Ida Phillips had no

 background to say she would be able to go and do this , but she changed the wor

ld for all of us . '' ( Optional add end ) Determining who to include in the doc

umentary was difficult . One prominent woman not profiled is former first lady J

acqueline Kennedy Onassis . Atlas says Onassis ' life had been so dissected and 

publicized that the production team didn't think it could add anything to her st

ory , especially because the extremely private Onassis didn't give interviews . 

Nor did the people close to her . `` I 'm not sure we could have offered any ins

ights that would have done her justice , '' Atlas laments . Former first lady El

eanor Roosevelt , though , is prominently featured . According to Atlas , the do

cumentary 's historical advisers all agreed that Roosevelt was the most influent

ial woman of the 20th century . `` I gained tremendous respect for her , '' Atla

s says . `` She took stands that she hadn't been raised to take . She took a sta

nd against racism in this country . She took a stand against anti-Semitism , bot

h of which were prevalent in her husband 's administration . She also defended J

apanese-Americans during World War II , who were rounded up . '' For Kopple , di

recting fiction was not much different from making a documentary . `` In a sense

 , it was a documentary because we were searching for something that was deeper 

and going sort of underneath and being intimate , '' she explains . `` When we s

tarted out to do the fictional , we had a rehearsal the first day and all the se

ven actresses sat around and read through the entire script . There was just thi

s explosion of all of these women suddenly being so intimate with each other . I

t was if there was a bond between all of us . They talked about their mothers an

d being mothers and different things that happened to them in their lives . Ever

y second we weren't shooting was an excuse to talk to each other . '' `` A lot o

f the women that we deal with in the documentary led very public lives , '' Atla

s adds . `` The women in the fictional lead what would be called small lives . W

e were always concerned if the balance would seem OK . Can the fictional family 

compare to ( birth control pioneer ) Margaret Sanger ? She was dealing on such a

 public level that impacts all of our lives and would some of the small concerns

 that we go through during the day hold up in the bigger world ? '' Documentarie

s , Kopple says , `` have so much drama and passion what we were afraid , ` Woul

d the fictional hold up to the documentary because the documentary is so strong 

? ' Not until we got into the editing room did we see that yes , this is going t

o work . '' `` A Century of Women '' airs Tuesday-Thursday on TBS ; all six hour

s repeat June 18 .

 The last thing most kids want to do when they grow up is work 14-hour days with

 their dad . But Barry Van Dyke who co-stars in his father Dick Van Dyke 's `` D

iagnosis Murder '' doesn't mind at all . `` I 'd work with him any time , '' say

s Van Dyke , 42 , from his Conejo Valley , Calif. , home . He adds that his dad 

, long labeled one of Hollywood 's nicest actors , is `` the best to work with ,

 very creative . He has a lot of integrity and he 'll work no matter what , incl

uding physical discomfort . He set a fine example . We 've always talked about w

orking together . '' On the CBS comedy-drama , where father and son act as fathe

r and son , Van Dyke plays police investigator Steve Sloan , who often helps his

 physician and mystery-solver dad , Dr . Mark Sloan , get out of hot water . Pro

ducers thought it would be easier if they made the local police investigator Slo

an 's son . `` He doesn't really want to arrest his meddling dad , '' Van Dyke s

ays , laughing . Of the Sloans ' relationship , he adds , `` It 's an easy role 

for me to fall into . My dad pretty much plays himself . You 're seeing the real

 him . All that warmth and humanity really comes across . So I tend to play myse

lf . So their relationship is pretty much ours . '' While Van Dyke 's siblings o

ne brother and two sisters all considered careers in show business , he was the 

only one who took it seriously . His father , well aware of the trappings of a f

ickle industry , advised his oldest son to wait . `` He wanted me to have my chi

ldhood , '' says Van Dyke . `` He told me that if I still wanted to act after I 

graduated high school , then it would be OK . '' Even though the family moved to

 Los Angeles when he was 9 for `` The Dick Van Dyke Show , '' he never felt they

 were part of the show-business community . `` My father didn't travel in those 

circles . We were aware he was on TV and watched the show and knew it was succes

sful , but we didn't socialize with a lot of show-business types . '' Yet some o

f Van Dyke 's best memories include visits to the set of his father 's show . Wa

tching Carl Reiner , Mary Tyler Moore and his father work together was `` the gr

eatest thing to see , '' he recalls . When his father worked on location , it be

came the family vacation . Trips to England and Hawaii are remembered fondly . H

e acknowledges that , initially , his father 's name may have helped him get an 

agent , but it certainly didn't help him get work . `` There 's too much at stak

e for producers and casting directors to get you in on just a name , '' Van Dyke

 says . Eventually , it comes down to : `` You either perform or you don't . You

 work or you don't . '' And he worked , beginning as a `` go-fer '' on `` The Ne

w Dick Van Dyke Show , '' shot at his father 's small production studio in Arizo

na , where the elder Van Dyke had decided to `` retire '' before being persuaded

 to return to television . Dick 's son held cue cards , ran the transportation d

epartment and basically gathered production experience . But he always wanted to

 be in front of the camera . Finally , he got his wish : He landed a job as an e

xtra . More extra work and small parts followed . Then he got really lucky . He 

landed a development deal with ABC . Although initially pigeonholed in comedy , 

his father 's milieu , Van Dyke found he had more of an affinity for action-adve

nture . Regular series work followed , including `` Battlestar Gallactica '' and

 `` Airwolf . '' And Van Dyke may be following in his father 's footsteps in mor

e ways than one : He 's got his own family dynasty in the works . During his fir

st foray into `` entertainment , '' Van Dyke took tickets at a local movie theat

er , where he met his wife Mary , when they were both 16 . They married seven ye

ars later , when Van Dyke was working as an extra . The Van Dykes have four chil

dren : Carey , 18 ; Shane , 14 ; Wes , 9 , and Taryn , 7 . It seems his kids are

 eager to work with their dad too . The Van Dyke family , who surf and dirt-bike

 together , is hoping to start its own production company soon . `` Diagnosis Mu

rder '' airs Fridays on CBS .

 One glimpse at the new `` Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle '' and you know that it 's a produ

ct of Shelley Duvall ( `` Faerie Tale Theater , '' `` Bedtime Stories , '' `` Ta

ll Tales and Legends '' ) . Based on the popular children 's stories by Betty Ma

cDonald , `` Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle '' is filled with colorful , exaggerated sets wi

th costumes and characters to match . Jean Stapleton stars as the eponymous lead

 character , a wise and loving lady who lives in an upside-down house and offers

 uncommon cures for such common childhood problems as `` The Not Truthful Cure ,

 '' `` The Never Want to Go to Bedder 's Cure , '' `` The Fraidy Cat Cure '' and

 `` The Tattletale Cure . '' `` Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle , '' the fifth original serie

s Duvall has done for Showtime , offers `` a wonderful , uninhibited creature , 

fearless and able to relate to children in a perfectly comfortable , uncondition

al way , '' Stapleton says . Most of all , the actress notes , Mrs. Piggle-Wiggl

e is child-like , but not childish . `` She has a great sense of humor , with a 

lot of common sense , '' Duvall adds . Not only was she drawn to the series of b

ooks because they were hilarious but also because they offer great information f

or families . Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle gets her message across without using the waggi

ng finger . `` She never says , ` do this or do that , ' ' ' Duvall says . Throu

gh suggestion , the errant children always `` end up understanding the right way

 on their own . '' As Stapleton puts it , `` She helps them see the light . '' T

he hourlong `` Special Parents ' Sneak Peek '' of `` Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle '' airs 

Tuesday . Beginning June 14 , the show begins its regular time slot on Showtime 

. For ages 2 and up. -0- Beginning Monday , `` Storytime '' the award-winning se

ries produced by KCET in Los Angeles , will be carried by PBS affiliates nationw

ide . The show 's goal is to show how much fun reading can be , using new books 

and classic stories read aloud by celebrities . Many read to their own children 

, as well as to members of the kid audience . `` What 's great is that everyone 

is passionate about one story that 's their favorite , '' notes producer Steve K

ulczycki . He hopes that the show can encourage youngsters to find a favorite of

 their own . `` A lot of the show depends on the imagination of the kids , '' he

 says . `` Maybe parents will do some reading with their own kids , too . '' Cel

ebrity readers include Tom Selleck , Mariel Hemingway , John Goodman , Shari Bel

afonte , A Martinez , Paul Rodriguez , Edward James Olmos , Fred Savage , Cloris

 Leachman , Valerie Bertinelli , Paula Poundstone , John Ritter , Patricia Richa

rdson , Cindy Williams , Amanda Plummer , Mayim Bialik , Meshach Taylor , Regina

ld Veljohnson , Maria Conchita Alonso and Hector Elizondo . Puppet Kino and host

 Mara ( Marabina Jaimes ) are joined by a new co-host named Lucy ( Anne Betancou

rt ) . Lucy adds a grandmother-like appeal , Kulczycki points out . Twenty new s

hows have been added to the original 20 , which will be presented in rotation na

tionally . The 67 new readings bring the total of books read on the show to 137 

. On June 20 , Charles Dutton of `` Roc '' hosts a prime-time `` Storytime '' sp

ecial . Dutton reads `` Muckey Moose , '' and Jamie Lee Curtis reads her own boo

k , `` When I Was Little . '' The special will feature excerpts from the new sho

ws . `` Storytime '' airs daily . For ages 2 and up .

 Arts & Entertainment 's 7-year-old `` Biography '' series has developed into th

e most popular show on the cable channel that offers an eclectic mix of document

aries , British mysteries and drama , arts programming and vintage movies . `` B

iography '' has become so successful over the last 18 months that last week the 

series went from airing once a week to five times a week . Michael Cascio , vice

 president of documentary programming , explains why he believes the series , ho

sted by Peter Graves and Jack Perkins , has become an audience favorite : `` Whe

re a big network might give you 10 minutes on a person , we will give you a whol

e hour , '' he says . `` You get detail . That 's one thing we can do that the o

ther people can't . I think the reason why ` Biography ' succeeds is that it liv

es on the name of the persons being profiled . If you do an Alfred Hitchcock or 

Margaret Thatcher or Hillary Clinton or John Belushi , these are people whom eve

rybody knows who they are . They have an interesting life and can sustain detail

 that can last for an hour . Generally , you look for people who are popular and

 have a little bit of weight behind them . '' The type and era of personalities 

the series chooses have evolved since the series premiered April 6 , 1987 . Orig

inally , most of the biographies were culled from the '60s Mike Wallace-hosted C

BS series , also entitled `` Biography . '' These days , `` Biography '' profile

s more than recent historical figures . `` We have covered a lot of historical f

igures from the '30s and '40s Churchill and Roosevelt . We will still do some of

 those . But we have gone way forward . We have just done Sid Caesar and Milton 

Berle . We have done Madonna and Elizabeth Taylor . '' Because production techni

ques have become so sophisticated , `` Biography '' also can examine the lives o

f such not-so-recent historical figures as Ulysses S . Grant , George Washington

 and Davy Crockett . `` You can go back in time and use drawings and paintings ,

 '' Cascio says . `` We can have some fun . There are a lot of people that you c

an choose that are going to have audience appeal . The range is phenomenal . We 

have so much fun figuring out who we want to do . '' `` Biography '' aspires to 

give viewers a fresh look at a particular person . `` You have an obligation to 

the public , '' Cascio says . `` We are not sensationalized . We are not tabloid

 . Our goal is fairness not to highlight the bad stuff or just dwell on the good

 parts . It 's to present a balanced portrait of a person or a particular portra

it . Generally speaking , the biography is meant to deal with people in all of t

heir aspects and look at them as a whole , which is more difficult to do than yo

u might think . '' ( Optional add end ) Members of the Hollywood community have 

become more receptive about participating in the series . `` You can do anything

 , '' Cascio says . `` We can do a biography , but it 's difficult to do not imp

ossible without ( the subject 's ) direct approval . Even if they don't talk , t

hey can say to their friends , ` Don't talk to them . ' When we told Sid Caesar 

we were doing this , he had a choice of cooperating or not , and he cooperated .

 He knows his life has had ups and downs . He said , ` It 's better for me to co

operate and give you my side of the story rather than have a bunch of people tel

ling stuff they don't know about. ' ' ' Famous folks , Cascio says , also percei

ve the documentaries as a way to leave a legacy . ` I 'm sure that for Milton Be

rle , aside from the fact he 's a natural ham , this was a chance to get on reco

rd his life in an hour . '' And what have been the highest-rated `` Biography ''

 subjects ? Elizabeth Taylor , Milton Berle , Bruce Lee , Shirley Temple and How

ard Hughes . `` Right below that there is a surprising middle pack including Nap

oleon and Vincent Price , '' Cascio says . A&E plans to produce between 70 and 1

00 original biographies this year , including John Belushi , Sherlock Holmes ( `

` We can do fictional people as well , '' Cascio says ) , Steve Allen , Davy Cro

ckett , George Washington and Lucille Ball . `` Biography '' airs twice weeknigh

ts on A&E . Several `` Biography '' documentaries are also available on A&E Home

 Video .

 NEW YORK Outside Henry Bookbinders , the street is polyglot and polychrome : a 

wonderful collision of languages spoken by men and women of every hue , multicol

ored storefronts and awnings awash in alphabets and ideograms whose messages run

 in every direction . Inside the bindery , it 's only a bit less so : Two alphab

ets predominate , Hebrew and Roman , and two languages , Yiddish and English alt

hough there 's a smattering of medical Latin on some of the pages as well . Shul

em Halpert , Henry 's proprietor , speaks English with the pronounced accent and

 imperfect grammar that marks those for whom it is a second language . It theref

ore comes as something of a surprise to learn that he is American-born . `` I co

me from America , '' he says . `` My father came from Hungary . English is for m

e a second language . I learn it in school ; also , I catch it from the streets 

. '' His first language , and the one most used for communication in the shop , 

is Yiddish . Halpert is a Satmar Hasid , a member of a sect so strict and inward

-looking that it exists in enclaves . The nearest is in Williamsburg , where Hal

pert was born and grew up . Another enclave is Kiryas Joel , a Satmar community 

in Monroe , N.Y. , where Halpert moved 19 years ago , and where he still lives w

ith his wife and those of his 16 children who are as yet unmarried . He is 45 ye

ars old , looks quite a bit younger , and already has eight grandchildren . ( Be

gin optional trim ) Halpert is an intense and voluble man with an aggressive sen

se of humor . `` I like a joke , '' he says . `` Even a Jewish joke you know , a

 joke that makes fun of someone ? As long as it is not meant to hurt . As long a

s the person is a friend . '' Bookbinding is a second career for Halpert . His f

irst was as shammes for the Grand Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum , who led the Satmar unt

il he was succeeded , in the dynastic tradition of the movement , by a nephew . 

Halpert cannot find a term in English that matches shammes . `` I help him , '' 

he says of the rebbe , Yiddish for rabbi . `` He was an old man . Before I was m

arried I stayed with him I helped him eat , dress . I write things . He was a re

al rebbe . Not a phony baloney . Everybody liked him like a father . '' His expe

rience with the printed word then was restricted to parchment . `` Really , I wa

s an artist , '' he says . `` I wrote the parchments , the mezuzah , the scrolls

 . '' But after the rebbe 's death about 15 years ago , he decided to come to th

e bindery , which was then run by his brother 's father-in-law , Itzak Glanz . (

 End optional trim ) Henry Bookbinders is precisely what the name says , a place

 that binds books . It does not print them , publish them , sell or distribute t

hem . Customers must supply the text ; Halpert supplies the outside . Some of th

e outsides are probably at least as satisfying and instructive as the material t

hey shelter . Halpert does very nice work with some very nice leathers . These e

xceed the chromatic variety of the street outside : They are blue , green , crea

m , red , yellow , maroon , white and brown of many shades . Pretty much everyth

ing is done at least in part by hand . For instance , Halpert stitches the books

 together with the aid of a big , foot-operated sewing machine . He takes a stac

k of loose pages about a quarter-inch high , sets them in place and steps on a t

readle . A bank of threaded needles descends to sew the pages together . The sew

n batches are folded and fastened into covers held down in presses until the glu

e dries . Leather is hand work , and the tools Halpert produces for a demonstrat

ion speak eloquently of how long Henry Bookbinders has been going about its busi

ness : Halpert hones an old kitchen knife ( whose blunt , broken blade had been 

all but worn away in past sharpenings ) on a whetstone that was once the size of

 a pound of butter . Now it is down to the equivalent of perhaps nine ounces . H

alpert sets a scrap of leather on a granite slab whose once-sharp edge has been 

dulled by long wear . He takes a board , the cardboard that stiffens the cover o

f a hardbound book , and traces one corner onto the back of the leather . He cut

s a generous triangle around this corner and bevels the edges with the razor-sha

rp knife . When he has the leather slimmed down to his satisfaction , he fits it

 to the corner and , using a flat , round-cornered rectangle of plastic called a

 bone , bends the leather over the board and glues it down in a neat bedsheet co

rner , with Elmer 's glue . This is a leather corner ; Halpert will also bind or

 rebind books entirely , or partially , in leather . He will also put hubs , tho

se horizontal raised bands , on the spine . It is the labor , not the material ,

 that makes leather binding expensive , Halpert says . He always has a selection

 of leather on hand for customers , but occasionally someone will come in with h

is or her own piece of leather . `` Someone brought me an old leather briefcase 

once , '' Halpert says . `` It had belonged to his great-grandfather . He wanted

 to make a book from it , to save something . '' Halpert offers a choice of endp

apers to liven the insides of the covers , and also will decorate the page edges

 . This he does with a sponge and inks of various colors , dipping and dabbing t

o give the blank edges an interesting design . You also can have the edges gilde

d but Halpert sends this work out to a specialist in Soho . Most of the books th

at leave Henry Bookbinders are less elegantly clad in what the trade calls libra

ry binding buckram , or imitation leather , or fabric , in the unadorned style f

amiliar from library shelves . Halpert uses a stamping press to print the titles

 on the spines of these books in plain gold block letters . In the past , Halper

t says , Henry Bookbinders was quite well known in the city as a binder of city 

documents . The company did a great deal of work that wound up in the libraries 

of city hospitals . `` A lot of journals , medical books , magazines , '' Halper

t says . ( Optional add end ) Lawyers , too , are among Henry 's clients ; the b

etter-off ones use a roomful of leather to impress laymen with their prowess . H

e takes on other projects as well , such as an order from a television productio