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Errtert Hack J _ A gets i By David Bakor Film Critic Gene Hackman is, quite simply, terrific in "All Night Long," an otherwise undistinguished comedy of manners about a man who falls in love with his son's girlfriend. As the film opens, George Dupler (Hackman), a minor league executive with 21 years of service to the Ultra uorro riaunfiiaii Save Drug Store Chain, has a fight with his boss and is demoted to being night manager for one of their stores in a crime-ridden neighborhood. And that's only the beginning of the chain of dismal events that happen to George. His wife, Helen (Diane Ladd), starts avoiding him and the relationship he shares with his son Freddie, (Dennis Quaid), begins to crumble. Then a relative dies AT THE WAKE, however, George meets Cheryl (Barbra Streisand), a dippy blonde with a dynamite body, who finds him to be fabulously attractive. Unfortunately, Cheryl is married to the deceased man's brother (Kevin Dobson) and, even more unfortunately, is having an illicit affair with Freddie. Things get even more convoluted from there, but iui ui evuy s sane, 1 snail spare you the details. Suffice it to say that the remainder of the picture is rather pointless, though it generates a good many laughs along the way to its anticlimactic ending. Hackman holds the film together prefectly, milking his sympathetic role for all it's worth, without ever letting it become soppy or overbearing. The other cast Gene Hackman and Ba with his son's girlfriend ;ainmer man cl IIIWI JL VJP M op bill members, however, roam around aimlessly, desperately in search of direction that is never to come. Director Jean-Claude Tramont could have radioed in his instructions from Tibet and done a better job. W.D. Richter's screenplay is fine as far as dialogue is concerned, but the situations it presents are often preposterous and one character or another is always doing something stupid. For example, when Helen finds out from Freddie that George is having an affair with Cheryl, she launches into a venomous tirade against him. In the middle of the altercation however, George walks into the hall and it seems as if he's walked into another house. Helen doesn't follow him and her screaming stops immediately. ^ . THE SCRIPT also fails to follow through on two of its funniest ideas: a send-up of "Apocalypse Now" (with a toy helicopter) and Cheryl's infatuation with colorcoordinated walls, clothes make-up and cigarettes. It should also be mentioned that Streisand's role is not one that involves her singing voice. She only does one number in the film, an intentionally (and hilariously) awful mockcountry tune about having her broken heart tossed onto the hard, black pavement of life. Aside from the wry performance of Hackman though, the most interesting r % 4, ? ' | . ' Barbra Streisand aspects of "All Night Long" are the things that went on behind the scenes. Two weeks into production, Lisa Eichhorn, the actress originally contracted to play Cheryl, was fired on fc , A * *g m^iwaaroi^WjWWWwa^^l .y*4^ **r flBl rbra Streisand star in 'All Nig, d. lines in ing ove i^l^WifcMMl i- flfl '^^wiw WV:: ml >;>A ' i1#? :?: "^^Hltl^Sf [ v-- ' ^ W Bt^ Wzp^%^" ''Jm_ wrm ^ s Gene Hackman (far r Gamecock interview Dennis C By David Baker Dennis Quaid has had a S|||l?| busy year. In addition to the B;, jigg just-released "All Night Long," in which he co-stars Hjp|" with Gene Hackman and 9K|| Barbra Streisand, Quaid will ?| soon be seen in "Caveman," IbS with Rineo Starr and Bar bara Bach, and in "The Sff|| Night the Lights Went Out in SRftGeorgia," opposite Kristy iS ^ The last-named film, ^ v based on the popular song by ' v Vickie Lawrence, is a musical drama and, in addition to acting in it, Quaid i wrote and performs three ||| songs in it. "I've always wanted to put music and liRfev acting toppthor " thp 9.R- fcaSfl? ? o ? o? j v w year-old, Houston-born actor BPffi said, "and this gives me the succe: chance." releas QUAII) ADDED THAT Qua he's hoping to get a shot at a to dat recording career if the Away picture and its soundtrack trayec album should turn out to be bound grounds of "creative dif- foraf< ferences" between her and agent the director. Trarru convir nn/vi\i if* rnuwuL nui\ tE.ASKU btl'eiS! ?." ~ar l *'? : V f ; ? r . I 1 t* * . X ^ K ,.'Y' ' .J; I i , 1 I I I * * ' ** ' ? I* jS ?* i l11 iSh frf Long,' a comedy about a man v ['All Ni; C 1 1*1.0. o H ' i " ABB jB : V5Q& {SB ^ ' i. . i ,*_ *r _ _ * - - - " tqnif aeiivers nis dost perrorman 2uaid's t ssful when they're that succes ed this July. football te< id's most popular film slate into e has been "Breaking graduation. wherein he por- When "B ] Mike, the muscle- became a jock who discovered late last y ew weeks, while super- H a c k m a ri sue Mengers, wno is however, c jnt's wife, tried to receive i ice her biggest client, Mengers h and, to accept the role. Streisand t ^h^h^d3S ' S"T' listen. 5 ^ ^ ^ production: ?? jhtLc 1 A * _ - y' |j ; . & ":^pg^ )ce in years in 'All Night L msy cai R offered hi turned it < done that would hav TVE 1 series bef myself ir saying 'W doing here play a di two montl a job foi months, actor, I constructi never c< anything months." Regardi Night Lon first scen< most fun s on the school scene was im didn't tran- had to w success after goose her and Frenc ireaking Away" A tough television series but it ear, Quaid was highlights i's contract the Scre ailed for him to on strike top-billing, so shut dou lad to convince for sever o accept second- Consid well, something and-go /ev before agreed sumrisin cast me shaky. ey talks and $4 tribute s all that was Hackmai get Streisand to overcome Shortly after filming ? resumed, though, worjc in h Dennis Quaid end Hack HH 1 ana H ,J| v:*. :<imr ^^::::<r;:i?^HBHBBI ong.' reer is old role, but he Jown. "I'd already and to do it again e been old hat. j BEEN OFFERED ore and I can see i the fifth week, hat in the hell am I j?' In movies, I can fferent role every is. And I don't hold r more than two Before I was an was a waiter, a on worker and I auld hold down for more than two ing his work in "All tg," Quaid said the "t he filmed was the to do. "My first 5 with Streisand. I 'alk into a room, ', spin her around :h kiss her." i life, Quaid jokes, does have its ;n Actors Guild went s and the film was /n again, this time al months. ering all this stop activity, it's not g that most of the mbers seem a bit It's certainly a to the talent of n that he was able to e the breaks in ind turn in his best lalf-a-decade. man