The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 23, 1983, Page 14, Image 14
_entertainm
PjPfi^Hpfe^irfBfc wtAt^UkM
wau? WUM giw/JUK popular appeal,
>?o?cert mttftoiraa!^
organizattoas. >
The Sp<mg^<m<shav? developed wt
a cult foHowfcjfcift the i&aflottear
&tt<m tft old^jtevorites J^ th^ Beal
groupe have wonpraisefromlargeau
&v >Y^?\Vv'.<->-' &< & <hv^>xs^ '::'v': %*.=\vV
'% group has performedoi&ce
refcuraed to the city several times topi
Hie Heartfixers are led by "Chicag
has perform**! with such trnmm blu
Waters and John Lee Hooker. The
blues, both in an upbeat urban style a
slow mode.
The Ballroom doors will open at B p
beginning at? p.m. Admission is $4 fo
and $3 fori JSC students.
Film hotc cum
I All 11 MUIU OlIUI
By Ooug Bell
w To the average moviegoer, the
name Frances Farmer will probably
ring no bells. Her star shone only for a
brief period in the mid-1930s.
She had great potential; indeed, the
great director Howard Hawks (who
later discovered Lauren Bacall) said
Farmer was the best actress he'd
ever worked with.
Only an incurable, dyed-in-the-wool
film buff ? and I am admittedly one
? is likely to have seen Farmer. In
my habitual late night channel
switching, I've managed to catch two
of her films.
IN "TOAST of New York" (1937),
Farmer was merely an ornament for
the masculine manipulation of Cary
Grant and Edward Arnold. But in
Hawks' "Come and Get It" (1936),
reportedly her best film, she revealed
an astonishing combination of
vitality, wit and beauty.
A handful of movies, together with a
few fruitful years on Broadway with
Clifford Odet's famous Group
Theater, constituted her entire
career.
If her spotty professional
achievements have crown dim with
the years, her tempestuous and tragic
personal life has attracted the attention
of those devotees of lurid
Tinseltown tragedies.
According to all accounts (including
her own), Farmer was willful,
heretical, foul-mouthed, violent and
alcoholic. She was committed to
several mental institutions by a
mother she hated, and finally
lobotomized.
IT WAS inevitable that Hollywood,
with its usual custom of digging up the
bones it helped to scar and bury,
would seize on Farmer's story sooner
or later. Susan Blakely will soon be
seen as the troubled actress in a CBS
TV movie. And now Jessica Lange has
rpppivpH nn fVipnr nnminotinn f/\r>
portrayal in the film "Frances."
A movie star "bio-pics" go,
"Frances" is about average. The
usual rules of dramatization are
employed: peripheral characters are
added, deleted and given new names.
For example, the part of Farmer's
lover and confidant, played by Sam
Shepard, is a fabrication. And Far
mer's real husband was a vapid,
blond nonentity who movie buffs may
remember as Leif Erikson ? not the
"Dick Steele" in this film.
Also, the re-creation of the
Hollywood studio milieu is mundane,
colorless and anachronistic. Such
alterations are supposedly made in
V
ent
Es 3r i i n?i
mmm Dal
_____
?||p&SS&SK K?Si o '<5- 5- ,
^iim ; 11 j in mi 1 m'i r "'M' nation s n
ilp|?i?tll^ companies,
HOM|e; night at The
: The perfo;
a^8 ba?&d evcnts m th
: G^idfThP r
tat some mightterm - at*'
mMZmm** classical ai
worlcQ
pusic, dp) M
fe^WKjipher lwatl Th. ,. m,
present a pi
>rc at USC, and has cr^^a/ P.
ZZ?* wiliX -4 scheduled hi
ay a local clubs. choreograpl
?nfc?1WmS who: the music of
es artists as Muddy I
grow tftfo classic I ? J^? ?f?
nd in a guitar-heavy (Xlsotej
the music ol
t^., with the concert amJthelatte
rthe general public ? and Ule latte
> V:'; rv-VX | Another hi
cess on cent
Jessica Lange gives a thought?
Farmer in "Frances." Lange has be
film review
order to give the "star" enough
to fill up the screen.
That seems to be the logic g
ning all films of this genre: min
the secondary details and make
bland, so the "star" will
brighter. It's a reasonable, if m
brow approach, but it works o
there is a credible performer \
the center spotlight.
FORTUNATELY FOR "Fran
there is. Lange's portrayal of F?
is a tour de force, charged
energy and intelligence. She givt
character a considered
terpretation, suggesting that
ces' outer traits ? ambition,
fusion, selfishness, vulgarity
vulnerability ? all hinged on
fundamental, almost sublir
madness.
Even in the first scene, in whi<
shocks her hometown by denyir
existence of God in a high s
speech, her defiant courage s
inspired by a slightly insane sei
exniDitiomsm.
Farmer's irreverent irrationa
gradually unleashed as she seal
lot tn rlor
ICsl IU UUI
ports
land Ballet, one of the
lost acclaimed dance
will perform tomorrow
Township.
rmance is the last of four A
is year's Columbia Music ?
ociation Artist Series. c
artistic direction of Ron Hj|
Oakland Ballet has gained
ention for its rich mix of ^
id contemporary dance
jmber dance troupe will 1
'ograrn that has received
raise. The evening's
ghlight is ' 'Billy the Kid,'' \
led by Eugene Loring to
Aaron Copeland.
and "Daphnis and Chloe,"
nsuous, romantic dances,
lPrfnrmoH Rnth opa tn
r Maurice Ravel, with the jj,
eographed by Marc Wilde - f
r by Jean Paul Comelin.
clas
ighlight of the program is its p
ral performc
v??^^^R?:v : : ???
ul performance as the mentally unst
en nominated for an Dscar for best ac
peaks of stardom and plui
lower depths of the
snake-pit asylums.
Lange's performance t
room viewer's emotions; one
speculating how Farmc
might have been avertec
{over- that been done, had her r
imize Stanley) left her alone,
them Odet (Jeffrey DeMunn;
shine doned her. To simply
iddle- question "Was she era
nly if sufficient. Lange's p
under suggests that madness i
thing, dependent on r
everything.
ices,"
irmer
with TuAINtES MARKS
bs the torial debut of Graen
jn. formerly a film editor'
F'ran- Robert Altman. Tech
con. tributions are all adeqi
and Kovacs' photography is
some sumptuous, but ?Joh
mated sonorous musical score
insistent.
ih she M there was ever a f
ig the whole value dependent
school iui iiiwuut;, r ranees
jeems richly deserves h
rise of nomination. One can on
on what Farmer herself
ftf tha film lirA1*A fillf* rkMr..
VI VIIV AllllAj WC1 C OI1C CI1 Ul
lity is But I think even she woul
es the by Lange's performance.
ice at Tow
"Wj
MBBm Bet
wsmmiy Toi
if m % Piai
ft I rec<
| acc
$5.2
be ?
is acclaimed Oakland Ballet will
ure dance works that mix Muj
sical and contemporary styles in 113j
erformance tomorrow. call
ince Champio
Ijusi Keep
By Forrest Brown
One of the most activ*
chaplain.
This past Friday and S
the Presbyterian Studer
boogied his way through
The dance is held am
Muscular Dystrophy Ass
Price is the only pers(
Superdance, according
Charlie Fitzsimons. Part
him personal satisfactio
students, Price said.
"MY MOTIVATIONS
changed over the years.
v:?f thought it would be fun j
was for a worthy cause."
After discovering tha
rigorous dance, Price sa
. x- much money as he col
"That second year, I sc
? JS of money I could raise,
i people an opportunity tc
; People think it is exotic ?
| Price said he enjoys r
muscular dystrophy.
able Francas "IT WARMS my heal
anie francos dicapped," he said.
"0S8- Being active in the Suj
expand his campus minis
nmetstothe "As Presbyterian Ch?
frightening, meet students I wouldn't
of friends from these dan
Price said he has se<
antalizes the Superdance in its five-yej
can't help
ir's tragedy FEWEK PEOPLE se<
I had this or dance each year, he said,
nother (Kim "The basic snirit hncn'
had Clifford have fun and it's for a wo:
> not aban- The chaplain said pec
answer the them to donate to the dan
zy?" is not "I have never had tro
performance sponsors," Price said. 4
s a relative can't think of one person
lothing and were sponsoring someor
soring me were excited al
EVEN HAVING loggc
? the direc- marathons, Price said he
ie Clifford, events.
for director remember that firs
inical con- remember praying for th
IfltP T .acvlft ? -- -
?.-?? i naven't been as tired th<
consistently Price said he has colle
n Barry's the past five years,
is a bit too Price's dancing backgr
cover many years.
ilm with its ..j didn't learn hov
on a single college," he said. "In g
is it. Lamze
_ - lernational folk dance cl
er Oscar state doggers."
ly speculate Price said he teaches a
? Wni?* Student Center so he can j
dance class is a ni
d be touched not ^ embarrassed at noi
nship
aterways,'' choreographed by
sy Erickson to the music of Toru
emitsu.
rtistic director Guidi has an exjive
background in classical
ce, and his company is directly / ,
ed to the tradition of the Russian
Tfc .ll.i Al. .t. At A. _!_ ? 1
dv joaiiei inrougn uie leacning ana
ching of Raoul Pause.
he series began with a pernance
by the Scottish National
hestra in November, and conled
Jan. 24 with a chamber music
cert by violinist Miriam Fried and
list Garrick Ohlsson. The most
ent event was a performance by
laimed opera soprano Grace
nbryonFeb. 9. *
omorrow's performance begins at
,m. Tickets are $13.25, $12.25 and
25, with special student tickets at
15. Children under six years old will
idmitted free.
ickets are on sale at the Columbia
sic Festival Association Office at
\ Bull St. For more information,
771-6303.
n chaplain j
is dancin'
e marathon dancers in town is a
iaturday, Chaplain Steve Price of
it Center shagged, bounced and
his fifth Great USC Superdance.
lually to raise money for the
ociation.
>n who has participated in every
to the dance's 1983 coordinator,
icipating in the Superdance gives
n and aids him in his ministry to
(for being in the dance) have
said Price. "The first year, I
ust to see if I could do it. Also, it
i
t he could indeed complete the
id his new goal was to collect as
ild for the Muscular Dystrophy
it a goal to raise the most amount
" Price said. "It's nice to give
> give money to a worthy cause,
and neat to sponsor someone in a
aising money for the victims of
rt to help someone who is han
>erdance gives Price a chance to
;try, he said.
iplain, it gives'me a chance to
: otherwise meet&l've made a lot
ces," Price said.
5n only surface changes in the
ar history.
em to participate in the Superf
r?V>inrffk^ TKnt *? ?
v vnuug^u. niai is, wc i c ^uing iu
rthy cause," Price said.
>ple are generous when he asks
ce.
uble collecting money from the
'Out of five years of dancing, I
who turned me down unless they
le else. I think the people sponbout
it."
id so many hours in the dance
s does not tire too much from tbe
t year. I was really tired. I ju'^ {
at thing to be over. I was hurting.
ise past years," Price said.
cted about $3250 for the dance in
ound is extensive, but it does not
v to dance until I was out of
raduate school, I joined an inlib.
Later, I joined the Palmetto
dance class at the Presbyterian (
iharehis love of dancing,
ce environment to take risks and
t being perfect at dancing." ,