The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, July 30, 1980, Page Page 5, Image 5
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By David P. Koaton
Staff Writer
The children's play Dr. Vanilla ar
Tales is currently being performe
Theatre. Written and directed by \
professors Chris and Les Reynolds
with the adventures of Dr. Van
assistant Priscilla the Good Witch, tl
a fire chief as they try to overcome
Gorilla MacNorml.
In the first half of the play Goril
bad guy who resembles Boss Hogg
Dukes of Hazzard) jails Dr. Vani
doctorate in happiness, and his gi
dancine and having fun. But the dav
Georgia Washington, a liberated rc
Grandma who is also a Washington I
In the second half of the play two
are presented. They are th
"Prometheus: The Man Who Stole
Chicken," an orig ial American
presented in a unique fashion, with I
Andy Griffith-type: "countrified
derneath the patina of hickmansh
Reynolds.
Gerrit G\
By David Baker
FHm Critic
One of the problems encountered
in making a film about used car
salesmen, said Gerrit Graham, the
star of Used Cars, is that "no
matter how hard you try to
parodize them, they can top you
with stories of their real exploits."
In researching his character of
super-salesmen, one of whom told
him about the time when four
salesmen were sitting around the
bullpen (the room where salesmen
sit ana wait tor customers;, oorea
out of their minds, trying to think
of a way to pass the time.
"They decided to make a bet,"
Graham explained. "One of the
guys?the craziest guy?said, Til
bet each of you fellows 50 bucks
that I'll pee on the next customer
that comes on the lot.' Now how
could the other guys not take that
uvv .
"So, sure enough, a guy wanders
onto the lot and the guy that made
the bet goes out to meet him with a
cup of coffee in his hand. He gives
the customer the whole spiel on the
car?tells him to look inside, to
look in the engine compartment.
Then he tells him to get down
under the car and look at the
suspension. 'Just look how clean
those shocks are!'
"While the guy's under there, the
salesman unzips his pants, pees on
the guy's leg and zips up. When the
guy gets up and asks why his leg is
wet, the salesman says, 'Oh gosh,
I'm sorry. I must have spilled
coffee on you. Ho ho ho ho.' That is
a true story."
Before the role in Used Cars,
Graham was best known to film
audiences for his work in Brian
"Look, I'm your average member of the
I believe <n fakmem. My courtet mm XM
Cali or drop by Kktho't for more informs
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kinko's
Call i
799
inmentiw
s' appeal <
2n and ad
The acting over
performances by
id the Short Tall- Morris. There wen
td at Longstreet lighting, however.
Vinthrop College The play is not on
, the play deals but also contains a
lilla Vanoo, his learned by childrer
iree children and campy and outlan
i the town villain underneath," Reyi
done in a Carol Bun
la MacNorml (a Though written f<
on the TV series adults as well. "1
11a, who holds a exciting for younge
oup for singing, large amount of
is saved by Mrs. literary allusions.r
>ller skate riding both," says Reynol*
j.u. auorney. ine piay was w
"short tall-tales" formed at Winthroj
le Greek tale state and is schedu
Fire" and "Big in St. Louis. Dr. Va
tale. Both are 1980 Summer Rep
^rometheus as an Performances coni
but sharp un- Longstreet Theatr
lip," notes Chris formation, call th
noon and 5 weekday
raham tal
DePalma's 1974 cult classic.
Phantom of the Paradise. In it,
Graham played Beef, the ef^
iiTttffiiTMillfri
Graham in 'Used Cars'
feminate star of a glitter-rock
show, who is assembled onstage
from body parts that supposedly
are cut off people in the audience.
Beef was the star of Phantom's
big production number, "Life at
Last," but Graham himself did not
n
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Ults
all is excellent, especially the
Michael Dowell and Christine
2 some minor problems with the
ly full of dancing, singing and fun,
number of lessons that need to be
i and adults alike. "The tales are
dish, but they have a message
lolds said. "The whole show is
nett variety show style."
sr children the play will appeal to
'he stories are adventurous and
;r children. For adults, there is a
satire, parody and entertaining
rhe show is designed to appeal to
is.
f nn in 1 (V70 anrl timo firof t\At?
i men in IJI^i auu wdo 11101 pui )
College. It has played around the
iled for production later this year
nilla is the last of four shows in the
>ertory Theatre season at USC.
tinue tonight through August 2 at
e. For tickets and further ine
Longstreet box office between
fs at 2551.
Ff 4
Iftd 1AUUUI
sing in the movie. His vocals were
dubbed by Ray Kennedy, a fact
that still upsets Graham to a large
degree.
"Paul Williams (Phantom's star
and musical director), for reasons
that I have never, never understood,
at the outset was not
disposed favorably toward me at
all," Graham said. "He did not like
mp HiH nnt pupn wnnt tn pntprtnin
the notion of my singing. And I
could have sung it easily."
Graham conceded, however,
that he probably would not have
been able to sing "with the verve of
Ray Kennedy" and also that
Kennedy's voice fits the character
perfectly.
"It's hilarious that Beef talks
like such a sissy and sings so
butch," he said, explaining that
what made him so mad about the
experience was that Williams
promised to let him do a vocal
track and then broke each and
every one of the recording dates.
"At the last one," Graham said,
"he didn't even bother to call and
let me know it had been can
celled."
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Graham's relationship with <
DePalma is much more pleasant, f
so much so that the two have i
worked together on four films: \
Greetings; its sequel, Hi Mom: i
Phantom; and the unreleased
Home Movies. "Brian and I have i
an excellent working relation- 1
ship," Graham said, admitting |
11 i i . a _ I i_i_. ii. _ i
uiai rnamom was proDaDiy uie ]
biggest break in his acting career.
"It was the one that made me well
known in the industry and enabled
me to start working in Los
Angeles," he said.
Since the move to California,
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d career
Graham has appeared in such
ilms as Demon Seed, Pretty Baby
ind Old Boyfriends (in which he
vas the star of a commercial not
jnlike those in Used Cars).
Between acting assignments,
Graham writes screenplays. He
has sold "a few," he said, and is
planning to star in one of them, a
live action version of the Dudley
Dooright cartoon series. "Who else
in this life could play Dudley
Dooright?" Graham asked. And,
with his strong chin, soft features
and curly blond hair, who could
argue?
334 i .j
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