'The Deer Hunter'

Should "The Deer Hunter," last year's Academy Award winning film about Vietnam, be shown on TV? According to "The National Coalition on Television Violence," at least 15 Americans have killed themselves after watching the film, which continues to be aired on on cable TV and over-the-air independent TV stations. The major networks have refused it because of its violence.

According to the coalition, which claims to represent "individuals and organizations concerned about the high level of violence on TV," many people who see the film try the dangerous "Russian roulette" routine which is an intricate part of the story line.

Some members of the organization feel that showings of "The Deer Hunter" should be limited to restricted audiences at movie box offices but now shown on TV at all.

The death count seems to have been calculated from regional newspaper stories , some of which cannot be specifically attributed to the rather limited TV airi ngs but which might have stemmed from theatrical airings.