Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Entent Statk By Danny Powell Siaff Writor Comedy ruled the scene as the Grammy-winning Statler Brothers performed at the Carolina Coliseum Friday night. The country-singing quartet spent more of their time clowning around on the stage than they did performing songs, which added greatly to the show. Most of the comedy routines involved brothers Harold and Don Statler. While Don played the role of the straight man, Harold played the comic with superb accuracy. For every straight remarkmadebyDon. brother Harold had a witty response, either through a verbal or facial expression. Between the jokes, the Statler Brothers proved why they have been the Country Music Association's Vocal Group of the Year tor several years. Their sound is smooth and harmonic, and it lacks the blaring crudeness of most concerts held in the coliseum Statler Brother songs are very easy to pick out 'Elevha By David Baker Film Critic The year is 1H84. the setting a circus sideshow outside London A group of people are huddled around a tent, trying to sneak a peek at the hideously deformed John Merrick, whom the circuN posiers reier lo as "The Terrible Klephant Man Merrick. 21. has been stricken with an incurable disease known as neurofibromatosis. As a result, his head ;s swollen to almost twice the normal size, his right arm and hand so disfigured that they apHl'IlPCfl /'lllK-liL-o liic L'nlii" I WV, VIUM I IIW , llin ?-?pillV twisted into an "S," and his skin thick, wrinkled and covered with tumors. Because of his deformity? Merrick's only means of supporting himself is by exhibiting himself to Victorian thrill-seekers, who are willing to pay for their p e r v e r t e d p 1 e a s u r e s . roiicemen, nowever, are milling around his tent, trying to keep the people away. This exhibit, you see. Showcase '81 was presort by Susan Earlo. Venus F/ie by USC dancers and other: Ballet. (Photo by Mike Go ft iainmer ?r Bros r? ucv-ausu, ior me mosi part, they involve a listing of things. "Whatever Happened To The Class of '57" tells about the graduates of a high school class several years later, including those who got married, divorced, became successful, failed in business, and even the one who took his life. Other songs depict things from mnviov: .?? .#< ....... V/ V I V^VJ J/UOl C11IVA present, nostalgia, everything you want to know about a certain young lady (except where she is) and so on. The Statler Brothers have been very successful with these types ol songs, which are .3 cross between a countrv ballad and The Book Of List's. The other side oi fh#? Statler Brothers involves the type of music that has launched many country careers ? gospel music. The best song of the evening was the gospel song "How Great Thou Art." in which the Statlers did a superb job, bringing everyone in the coliseum to their feet. The ovation was so strong that ntMan has been condemned. It's just too horrible. David Lvnch's "The Elephant Man" tells the story ol how .John Merrick was rescued lrom lite as a circus Ireak and how he went 011 to become the toast ol London society just prior to Ins death at age 27. The story is based on truth, but liberties have been taken to ensure dramatic impact. For example, Merrick's real-life business partner is. in the film. Merrick's sellproclaimed "owner." The change in status results in Merrick's story having a flesh-and-blood villain, whereas Mother Nature was originally the only person to blame for Merrick's predicament. The dramatic liscense taken with the story does exactly what it was meant to do, as the picture Hacks finite an emotional wallop. This is due, in no short measure, to the wonderful performances of John Hurt as Merrick and Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Frederick Treves, the man who saves Merrick from & ! Kb -0*^ IBBB^HmB^v Vv!;^^jv iHHH HnBII^HHI%? ' -:?&&&?- fiKaraHHS ted this weekend by the USC s ? Trapped, a scene from t j from the Columbia Dance rt ?. enjo tho nnirl /* /\*rl vnv vjucai vti UlU cWlWUR'l chorus before moving on. It was such a powerful tune that one would wonder who was more tired at the end. the performers or the audience. The Statlers did three encore numbers, the best being "I'll Go To My Grave Loving You," before taking a short rest. Alter their break, they came back to sign autographs and "meet the people," which is traditional among country performers, who say they enjoy getting close to their fans. The special guest of the evening was Brenda Lee, a star of the late '50s and early '(?0s who is on the comeback trail. Besides doing some of her recent country successes. Lee did some of her early tunes, including her number one hit "I'm Sorry." She also (lid a fine medley ol country songs done by (op female vocalists in the industry from the late Patsy ('line to Loretta Lynn and Uff tZUlUL exploitation only to wind up exploiting him. however inadverdently. to lint her his own eareer as a surgeon Anne Bancroft. Wendy Miller. John (iielgud and especially Freddie .Jones who portrays Merriek's "owner. " are excellent in the support ing roles Lynch. whose onl\ previous directorial effort is the cult hit "Kraserhead." directs the Mini's opening scenes as it they belonged in a horror Mini Ik1 shows us people's reactions to the monster, rather than the monster himselt. and his playfulness with light and shadow only heightens the viewer's feeling that lie's about to be frightened out of his wits. By starting the film this way. Lynch sets us up to be knocked down by the revelation that the title character is, in reality, the most gentle, compassionate and loving of men. Lynch makes the viewer recoil in horror at his own Ivar: lessness. He makes one feel like a sadist who's heen iBbi# r , fflloL.'jl |f 7 Dance Company, directed ho first act, was performed Theatre and Columbia City "TV yable Tammy Wynette. Lee also got into the comedy act by making jokes about her body (a Dolly Parton she ain't) and her age. She joked about her band and how young they were compared to her. She also carried on a running, spontaneous comedy routine between herself and a member of the audience n..?wwl I> 1 1* imiiiuii Dcii win <1. nai imi <i, 11 seemed, had a sister who went to the same school in Georgia where Lee went. The show was opened by a comedian named Lee who provided the right material to loosen up the audience. He also served as emcee, introducing Brenda Lee and. after another short routine, the Statler Brothers. Some of his material, funny as it was. was not very original, as he borrowed things from other comics, most notably (leorge Carlin All together, it was a good way to spend a Halloween night. ional ex kicking a little puppy that came up to him only wanting to play The director also makes; effective use i>t llashbacks depicting Merrick's mother being struck down by elephants while tour-months pregnant, an occurrence which Merrick believed to be Because of his deformity, Merrick's only means of supporting himself I. ..... '*> oy exhibiting himself to thrillseekers willing to pay for their perverted pleasures the cause of his illness. Lynch's only serious mistake in direction comes iii the film's final scene, w h i ch is r i I e w i t h overripened symbolism, the meaning of which is either so simple that it's insulting or so obscure .that it's maddening. From a technical stand point. "The Klcphant Man" could have been blessed with K l L- ,t ... u ; . .. wiovrv cl 11 vi \% II I U' cinematography more professional-looking than that supplied by Freddie Francis The picture otten has a murky look that detracts more from the story t han it adds to the setting Christopher Tucker's make-up. however. is nothing short ol extraordinary. Hurt is totally unrecognizable under the layers ot latex, which, according to the tilm's press kit. took more than six hours to apply At first. Hurt looks monstrous, but soon alter. his lace takes on the simple air of sadness. .John Morris* score, which often sounds like a cross between carnival music and a funeral dirge, adds immensely to a movie that would have been exemplary even without such an evocative backdrop. ________ *j^H^H W flKflpON^ann lHv Hli^KfeMi The Stat/er Brothers performed at the Carolina Cn/i.teiJiti FriHa\i T!-"i/ -*1? '* -* . ^. i iioy fjiwiutzii mt: nuamncs w/tn music and comedy. (Photo by Chip Lowell) perience if. 4?M| mmmm m \zz^ w^mkdflff9B eSSSmBW"? i ~ r" swftrnM' A I x 9 ; ' ' ;';:^.r "".:V^'^'r. I ;'^::'v':'r-v' 31x11;:;: SH '. .' ' 7 :- ..:i-*>^ ; */ -...' .' ' >; v/ \;v;;;.:..>';^:^v.> mm ft i BHHHB^|M|||mBBHHKj | ' HBB^: John Hurt, starring as the pathetically disfigured sideshow attraction, manages to escape his sadistic master in the 'Elephant Man.'