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'The La a charm By CHUCK CROMER Entertainment Editor Margo, an actress-turnedpusher-turned-neurotic, caught up in the romanticism associated with private investigation in the film "The Late Show," exclaims, "You nmhflhlv wont thrnnrlh fKia bUJ ~f r~ ? 'V w,,v V,M VU6U wuo ?miiu Ul thing a million times already. But, I mean, I feel like Nick and Nora, for G6d's sake." Ira Wells, Margo's baffled, overaged private eye accomplice, replies, "Who?" The allusion Margo is making is to Nick and Nora Desmond, a wealthy and somewhat eccentric detective team made famous in film history by William Powell and Myrna Lov in the 1930's Pmv*?n and Loy, along with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, best represent the romantic private detective duos of movies in the 1930's and 1940's. To Depression and war audiences they symbolized intelligence, individualism, complete self confidence and absolute invincibility. Audiences could be assured that when they accepted a case, these detectives, possessing all the answers, would have the mystery solved by film's end without seeming to work up a sweat. THIS ROMANTICISM in detective movies is what "The Late Show," a clever serio-comic mystery parodies. It incorporates characteristics of the 1940's detective movies in a uuiuciiipurury selling mat IS directed and written by Robert Benton and produced by Robert Altman. Ira Wells, (Art Carney), a onetime contemporary of 1940's detectives Sam Spade and Philip Newton-Jo concert is graceful and fluid VaMHMHHMHM ite Show ing 7 0s-< Marlowe, is the opposite of our preconceived notions of film detectives; he is old, poor, has a gimp leg, perferated ulcers, and wears a hearing aid. There is initially nothing about him that inspires confidence or invincibility. These traits are, like everything else in Ira's world, earned through time instead of endowed or inbred as with Bogart's Or Powell's phnrart??r<: The plot of "The Late Show" is both charming and humorous, while at the same time graphic and realistic. Ira Wells is a semiretired detective who is drawn back into action when his long-time partner Harry Regan (Howard Duff), is shot to death while looking for the kidnapped cat of a Los Angeles kook named Margo (Lily Tomlin). When Margo shows up at Regan's funeral wifh rhnrim. Halter (Bill Macy), an "information man" who has known Wells for years, Wells agrees to take up the case out of a sense of duty to his dead partner. FROM THIS POINT, the plot is nearly indecipherable. In summation. Mar0n and Wollc v 0? v,..v ITVIIO IVXtlll together to solve the complicated mystery, but only after about ten murders, a car chase across suburban front lawns, several ulcer attacks, a couple of muggings and betrayals. "The Late Show," critic James Monaco writes, "is not a forties movie made in the seventies, it's a thoroughly seventies movie made about the forties." Monaco is absolutely correct in his assessment as everything in the movie is contemporarily centered around memorabilia of the 1940's, executed with comic but senBv MARV HE! YAK BOROUGH Gamecock Staff Wrii Olivia Newton-Johi her private Lear jet a Saturday at the - Metropolitan Airport . L| later she walked ontc >1111 Coliseum stage surrc own collection of hi and the cheers of th audience of 8.500 w Olivia. At the start of the spoke of her recent c< Japan, which she ma Denver. She followed i with a dedication to she called, "America' countrv hnv " n#?n\/o Roads, Take Me Hon of several tunes Olivi other performers. While Olivia's mui appeals to young adul many fans of all nuAitirAnA ^^1 I ~ jfunu ACUiiif,\i ll concert as much as ( "The Air That I Breai song Olivia claimed w oldies. She said sh singing it for ten yea 10s mix timental good taste. BENTON HAS obviously based his script on the two most famous detective movies ever made, both starring Humphrey Bogart, with Bogart as Sam Spade in "The Maltese Falcon" (1941), and as Philip Marlowe in "The Big Sleep" (1946). Benton has incorporated the extended dialogue with its meticulous descriptions and mVKfpru f rnm "Tlio C1 ? ?? J J ?ut Ulg oiccp. "The Late Show" is however, primarily a parody of "The Maltese Falcon." The plot, dialogue, and characters in the two films are incredibly similar which make the puns that much funnier. For example, Bogart gets involved in the search for the maltese falcon because, "When a man's partner is killed, he's supposed to do something about it. It doesn't make anv J X/*iWV what you thought of him. He was your partner and you're supposed to do something about it." When Wells gives the same reason for his involvement in the mystery in "The Late Show," Margo says, "That is just bullshit. You just want to play cops and robbers because you're getting up there in years and you want one last adventure." BOGART SMOKES, drinks liquor in a bar, and drives from place to place. Ira Wells coughs when he tries to smoke, drinks Alka Seltzer in a bar, and either walks or takes a bus to get around. Belton has de-glamorized the detective in "The Late Show," but has not desentimentalized or degraded him. While the puns are amusing, tne attachment and kn mjr a r ft n stepped off t about 6 p.m. ! Columhia ' . Three hours ^jJI > the Carolina ? iunded by her g* - - -jmE inging plants J e crowd. The L as ready for show Olivia I mnart tnii? ? up her speech Denver who Nev s number one r's "Country Olivia wou ie," was one formancegol ia sang from latest hit, "Si uninhibited I sic generally through the ts, there were watched, aim * -<=>?' rappon ana | > enjoy the )livia did. Olivia use the" was one movement tl as one of her She also invi e has been join in with h rs. songs. ?91 jJKttSLJf > * sympathy we feel towards Wells, a man who exists in the 1970's but lives in the 1940's, is emotionally overwhelming. Carney provides a touching portrait of Wells, a man who is old, poverty ridden and alone, yet an individual who still retains his dignity. He prefers the past, when women were called "dames" and "dolls" and life seemed simpler because he was younger. When Ira says, "This town doesn't change, they just shift the names around," ir. ?:? A nt io icicinug iu mmseii, a person whose habits remain the same, but whose habitation is constantly "Hov pwmmk, song? ( JjnSHH&k her sou clannor ? , , to them f ton-John receive^ Id not let this per- Whih )y without singing her limousi im." With grace and , airport luidity, she flowed "Hey, < song as the crowd back to ost hypnotized by her don't ^ physical appearance. much ^ ;d a lot of body If Sat iroughout the show. indicati ited her audience to wanted er in clapping to the problen per for nr Bill Macy, above, plays a disreputable, small-time chiseler in "The Late Show." Art Carney stars as an overthe-hill private eye who agrees to look for Lily Tomlin's lost cat. | * V < tW -?; -' -^' Wi~7 r *' ? ' -; * s . ; > Jjf^S^^rgPf i changing. Lily Tomlin's Margo is exceptional. She, too.de-glamorizes the image of a detective's "dame," by being mediocre in looks and neurotic in personality. Her lines add to the enjoyment. For example, when describing the man that stole her cat, she says, "He's this guy, a sort of tuna. We used to have a sort of sexual interlude . . . Vau lrnaur nr\ u?i*U fl-? i uu mivn, gu w 1 LI 1 HIC I1UW : "The Late Show" is a treat for devotees of the detective film genre since they will recognize and appreciate the puns more, and an entertaining film for the average viewer. r about a good country | D'mon ya'll," she yelled in I thern accent. The audience I along as Olivia's small inced and jumped on stage the song "Jolene." ing across the audience, of fans reflected an uned fascination for Olivia. To she is a goddess. S a also sang her hits, "Have ver Been Mellow" and "Let rhere" before the hour-long came to an end. e she said goodnight to the iative crowd, Olivia ed "I Honestly Love You" . The 25-year-old performer d three standing ovations. - i Olivia was waiting in the ine for her trip back to the , a young male fan yelled, Dlivia, when are ya coming Columbia?" She replied, "I now, it all depends on how rou want me." urday night's show was any j on as to how much her fans her, Olivia should have no i heading the list of female jj lers for some time to come. I