LOS ANGELES The actors portraying terrorized passengers aboard an airliner hijacked to Lebanon sometimes used jokes to get through the tense, emotional scenes in "The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story," an NBC movie airing from 8 to 10 tonight on WMAQ-Channel 5.

"There are moments of humor," said actress Lindsay Wagner, who stars as flight attendant Derickson in tonight's made-for-TV movie. "It was the only way to survive aboard the plane. And when we did the heavy scenes, we'd break up trying to get through it. The emotions would become so overpowering, you had to have relief."

To an extent, Wagner said, cracking up was one way the real-life hostages aboard the TWA jet coped with fear after two terrorists seized the plane.

Derickson emerged as a heroine during the hijacking.

"She was very human," Wagner said. "She ended up doing some extraordinary things. There were times when she was crying and her hands were shaking, but she didn't freeze up. She pushed through her emotions. One terrorist made her sing `Patty Cake' in German, then proposed marriage to her."

Most of the movie was filmed in a mockup of the airplane's cabin, a small and cramped space.

"They were never allowed off the plane," she said. "We shot a few scenes at Los Angeles International Airport, including one where we had to use the emergency chute exit. The entire fire department at the airport came and watched. They'd never seen one used before.

"We sometimes lost track of where we were (supposed to be). We filmed mostly in that little space. You don't realize how much you're influenced by visual stimuli. We kept asking ourselves: `Where are we now? Algiers or Beirut?' "

Derickson, who still is flying with TWA, served as a consultant for the NBC film.

"I asked her things, like what it was like moment to moment," Wagner said. "She was on the set if I had any questions. You can simply use your own instinct, but when I had a choice I wanted her input. She also relayed some of the little anecdotes. She was very good in helping me create moments.

"She passed out aspirin to the passengers to keep their body temperatures down. The air-conditioning was off, and the plane was very hot in the desert sun. She told me she thought she was doing a good job looking cool when a woman grabbed her arm and said, `I think you should take some, too, dear.' "

Wagner is best known for playing the lead role in "The Bionic Woman," which ran on ABC from 1976 to 1978. She and Lee Majors, who was "The Six Million Dollar Man," made a reunion movie last year for NBC. Her last series, "Jessie," ran briefly in 1984.

She said she would consider doing another series - if it's a half-hour comedy.

"I don't want to do another hour show," she said. "We haven't been able to come up with the right property yet. Usually, you have too much. That's been one of the ironies of my career."

Wagner also has starred in two mini-series, "Scruples" and "Princess Daisy." Her theatrical films include "The Paper Chase" and "High Risk," a caper movie that has become a cult favorite.