The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, December 10, 1979, Page Page 13, Image 13
Acting hi
"Thousan
By Janet Gibson
Murray Burns is a total non-conformist.
He wants to escape the world ? but he just
can't seem to get his feet off the ground. And
it's all okay. In fact, it was downright
delightful in A Thousand Clowns, a
Showcase production which played Thursday
through Saturday in Longstreet
Theatre.
Portraying Burns was Paul Patros. a
graduate student in USC's department of
theatre and speech. Patros did an outstanding
job of depicting a man that most
everyone can relate to. Throughout the play,
Murray has a difficult time choosing between
his freedom or assuming responsibility.
Patros' performance was
highlighted by a special humor that kept the
audience laughing during much of the show.
In the role of Nick, Murray's 12-year-old
nephew, was David Bull. Even though the
scene of A Thousand Clowns is New York
City, and Bull's southern accent was
distinct, no doubt, it really didn't matter. He
Christn
By David Baker
Gamecock Film Critic
The Black Hole: At $17million, this scieno
adventure yarn is the most expensive fil:
Disney Productions has ever made. It's i
company's first PG. The story deals w
rediscovery of a long-lost space station, fc
biting a black hole. 150 mattes were usee
creation of the film, and more than six mont
spent constructing the miniatures. Ma]
Schell, Anthony Perkins, Robert Forster,
Bottoms, Yvette Mimieux and Ernest Borgni
the cast. (PG) Opens December 21*.
Cuba; Sean Connery's third film this year
Brooke adams. It's a period piece, set in Hi
few decades ago, when political tensions thr
to tear the country apart. (PG) Opens Deceml
mij^K ^"SmtfaHIR yigjyL
^fm
Bette Midler in 'The Rose'
The Electric Horseman: Robert Red
irresistable as sonny Steele, a tormer roaec
who now makes a living selling breakfast c
commercials. When he discovers that his he
been drugged, however, Sonny takes matters
own hands and steals the $12 million animal j
a Las Vegas stage. Jane Fonda, looking as b
as ever, is the ace television reporter whe
them down. (PG) Opens December 21.
Going In Style: Lee Strasberg, Art Can
George Burns are a trio of enterprising
citizens who discover that grand theft is the
way to make ends meet. Martin Brest direct
his own screenplay, based on the short s
Edward Cannon. (R) Opens December 21*.
The Jerk: Steve Martin's starring debt
termittently hilarious, but an overall
pointment. The first half-hour features sever
to-be-classic scenes, but director Carl Reiner
sustain the humor through the picture's
minutes. Nonetheless, Martin fans will love
Opens December 14.
Kramer vs. Kramer: One of the five bestfiln
year. Director Robert Benton has followed T
Show with a funny, touching and ex
believable story about the great American ins
of divorce. Dustin Hoffman turns in his h
formance in a decade and Meryl Streep is the
foil. And after Ricky Sehroeder's sweeter-tha
performance in The Champ, it's a pleasure
' child actor (Justin Henry) who isn't lovable
time. Kramer vs. Kramer is Oscar materia
Opens December 21.
1941: The story of the greatest false al
ghlighted
d Clowns'
did an excellent job of plavinc a smart and
sometimes smart-mouthed kid.
When Bull breaks out his favorite "toy"
for two social workers (impressively portrayed
by Russell Jeffcoatand Susan Luck),
the audience couidn't help but laugh. The
kid's "swell gimmick" was a doll named
Bubbles whose breasts seemed to light up at
all the appropriate times. It was a great
attraction.
The two social workers are investigating
Murray Burns' household. Nick, not legally
adopted, is the subject of controversy.
Jeffcoat, playing stuffed-shirt Albert
Amundson, is especially aggravated by
Murray's creative approaches to child
rearing, lie lets nick tnink for himself. This
results in Nick's genius and wit.
Luck's emergence from a prim and
proper Susan Markowicz to a carefree spirit
after meeting Murray and Nick was
astounding. Non-conformity seemed to be
contagious.
Matthew Marholin played Arnold Burns,
Murray's brother and a television agent.
fias movi
history. Six days after Pearl Harbor,
striken with a 14-hour blackout and all
n. finfln., f. 1 O
C-llVUUli Ilium U1CU 1111IC UcJM CUH1C. OICVCII OJ
m Walt comedy stars Dan Aykroyd, Ned
ilso the Belushi, Lorraine Gary, Murra
'ith the Christopher Lee, Tim Matheson, Tc
>und or- Warren Oates, Robert Stack and Ti
I in Uie (PG) Opens December 14.
were
cimilian
Joseph
ne head \
co-stars jpj
avana a
eatened
5erzrr
P<3|S John Be/ushi as a pilot in ' 1
- -?- r-? ?t). 1 2? H t ?i?a- Lu
Sm i ne K.ose: us sei 1x1 uie ui
know it from the little bit of atmospher
is able to capture. The script, by Bill
Goldman (Michael Cimino had his r
from the final credits), turns the story
into one of those weepy 1950s soap ope
Heyward was constantly finding hers
Amazingly enough, Bette Midler's p
just powerful enough to make you fori
' movie's shortcomings. (R) Opens Dec<
[ford is *Scavenger Hunt: All-star pandei
h Richard Benjamin, James Coco, Scat
? .r Ruth Gordon. Cloris Leachman. C
?r?u? Robert Morley, Richard Mulligan, Tor
into his Bene **ct- Michael Schultz, the ha
riffhtoff *or suc^ atrocities as Car Wash and
^eautiful Lone^y Hearts Club Band, directed
tracks December 21*.
Star Trek: The $42 million Paramoi
nev and P1*0^1 makes it the most expen
senior ma<*e *n America. The man who
easiest produced the original television seri
pj f denberry, produced and most of the
torv h including William Shatner, Leonan
y DeForest Kelley, have returned,
it is in- directed. (PG) Opens December 21 (tei
disap- ('denotes tne mm was unavauaDie t<
al soonfails
to
is of the V J| JM flSi3 jfi iBr
tremely
est per- ' 1 " ^
perfect & t.(
n-suger
to see a . t 111 I -.,.... > ?
! all the - i.
(PG)
"V
t ~
BHB jBn?j \ /
BB 9B ML i
p^f-.Ti^y ||||yg|d '
Marholin's actions and expressions made
him a most lovable character.
Portraying a very insecure and somewhat
paranoid character was Ed Vincent, in the
role of Leo Herman, the main figure in a
children's television show that Murray once
es I xtc
Los Angeles is
the Angelenos ^
,ielberg's first /Of IllC I
Beatty, John /
y Hamilton,
>shiro Mifune,
^eat Williams.
The new wave brought j
H popular music, via a band
music industry had so can
The Pistols, like every o
spawned multitudes of bai
extraordinarily good (the
hopelessly horrible (Chels
1 Now that all the wrinkl
several handfuls of bands
Although some remain pu
| cessible sound such as Jo<
Hats. And then there's XT<
XTC, although far fron
any you've ever heard,
melodies with lyrics that i
concerning the apocalyps
their musical awkwardne
4947' ' occasionally crop up, mj
musical flavor.
it you'd never Their image is not akin
e Mark Rydell XTC are just four Britis
rr l J A i
iveruy anu DO giuuuu. niiu_y rctiuiugc i
lame removed slightly over half of the fc
of Janis Joplin work. It's Partridge's tun<
ras that Susan However, their strange
elf trapped in. enhanced by constantly cr
erformance is
get most of the
?mber21 . : "
monium, with .
man Crothers, S
Ilea von Little, ? ^ % (tggj. %. yy&jgs
ly Randall and ^ ick
responsible
Sgt. Pepper's
. (PG) Opens
Lint poured into
sive film ever
es^Gene Rod"- Thc other comPosin8
t ?v! commercial ear of the tw
ri 1|^ilI?iCanH and "Making Plans For
ij' 5 British charts. Second g
Robert Wise Chambers complete the q
ntative) . Drums and Wires i?
a organist Barry Andrews,
has certainly changed th<
bit towards mass acceptai
The joyous mischief of tl
up only occasionally here
Acoustic guitars, of all tl
| Conventional disco rhyti
circumstances in tunes lik
Both "Nigel" and "Hop" i
your entire life electronic*
free single is included in tl
sides featuring real hot rot
| You can't dismiss ne1
Everybody affiliated in
musical inroads for them*
musical non-scholastic e<
necessities. It's new wave I
IBHffliaBMMMHWaHWH
wrote scripts for.
Technically, A Thousand Clowns was
nearly perfect. More importantly, however,
was the blending together of actors' talents
and directing bv Dobbv Jnnp?i whi^h maHo
the production one of the finest ever at USC.
is new wave
thinking man
By Steven Prazak
Gamecock Staff Writer
about a much needed change in the course of
who went against every standard the corrupt
ifully managed to maintain: the Sex Pistols,
ther guiding light band before and after them,
nds with similar musical outlooks. Some were
Clash, the Damned, Buzzcocks), others were
ea, the Unwanted, Slaughter and the Dogs).
es have been ironed out, it all boils down to
. ~ J:ff 1 ?
? umi wcupy many uiuereiu creative levels,
ink purists, others have opted for a more ace
Jackson, Elvis Costello, and the Boomtown
C.
1 inaccessible, pack a creative punch unlike
Their music consists of thick chord-laden
range from children's stories to cryptic tales
e. What's most characteristic about XTC is
ss. Weird chords and bizarre musicai twists
aking the whole affair reek of a bold new
at all to the nerds-on-parade facade of Devo,
h lads intent on breaking new rock 'n' roll
is the chief musical head of XTC, providing
tand's material along with vocals and guitar
bs that are the departures from the standard,
awkwardness i$ always appealing, further
adling a marvelous melody.
half, bassist Colin Moulding, has the more
o. Two of his songs, "Life Begins At the Hop"
Nigel," both enjoyed lengthy stays on the
uitarist David Gregory and drummer Terry
uartet.
XTC's >third album and their first without
Replacing Andrews with guitarist Gregory
;ir sound noticeably. This album is also their
ice but without compromising a lick. ;
ieir first two British import ^>nly records pops
in the monolithic "Roads Girdle the Globe."
Iiings, are utilized on the catchy "Ten Feet
hms are put under some very unconventional
;e "Helicopter" and the jerky "Scissor Man."
ire included as is a peculiar ode about having
ijly bugged and recorded: "Kea! By Reel." A
le first few thousand copies of the album, both
!kers with the now familiar XTC touch.
w wave music as punk junk any more,
that area has grown and carved out new
selves and everybody else To continue one's
ducation, XTC and Drums and Wires are
toilmmmaui A