The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 01, 1984, Page Page 9, Image 9
/
the gamecock E ntertainment October 1, 1984 ? Page 9
New York co
fty Maria Baens
Comedians are generously introspective.
They draw from their own
experiences to transform the ordinary
to the funny and bizarre. By being absurd,
they reflect truth.
David Brenner, a fine comedian
often featured on "The Tonight Show
with Johnny Carson," has written his
first book, "Soft Pretzels with
Mustard." It is a collection of anecdotes
from his life in West
Philadelphia, his family, his friends,
his career as a documentary filmmaker
and his rise to fame as one of
America's foremost comedians.
Ci rowing u p in a toug h
neighborhood, Brenner found in his
family an incredible source of humor.
L aughter was an escape and he often
shared it with his parents, Lou and
Estelle and his older brother Mel.
"Moby Dick."
ONE MEMORABLE account tells
of Estelle's bad cooking. Brenner
wrote, "My father to this day insists
that wc could've shortened World War
II by at least two years if the Air Force
would've dropped Mom's matzo balls
on Germany."
Lou also let action speak louder
than words. One evening at dinner,
Lou vainly attempted to slice a tough
nippp of liver Fxasnernted. he not un.
went down the cellar and returned with
a linoleum cutter, a hammer and some
nails. He then cut and nailed a peice of
liver onto the sole of his shoe and sat in
the living room with his leg crossed to
drive home the point.
Many critics have received Brenner's
book favorably. Joan Rivers, his longtime
friend, called it "wonderfully
funny, yet personal."
She even sent in her favorite
photograph of the two of them. It
(Despite good cinemi
UAIUIU DIUC5 ldUM>
' ' .
By Robert O'Connor
Rob Lowe seems destined to becom
Tiger Beat' hall of fame.
Unfortunately/that statement hok
reason ''Oxford Blues" fails with such j
Agreeably, Lowe possesses a wholesorr
age mat can assureaiy precipiuuc mc i\
prepubescent females, but a movie cant
peal alone.
"Oxford Blues" is heavily weigh
monotonous, cliehed script. Anchored
dull cast with average talent.
Written and directed by Robert Bor
models itself after the old Mickey Roc
at Eaton," but the older film appar
dusted off.
Lowe stars as brash Nick D'Angelo,
attendant with a oenchant for being r
devious. His father insists that Nick is v
film's beginning, but all Lowe's chara
Lady Victoria ? a British socialite
realize D'Angelo exists and seems h<
reach.
Leave it to a satisfied but lonely wid
to reimburse Nick for his services, an
Nick's school records, and his fan
realization. Before any teenage girl
disbelief for their hero, Lowe's ehara
tage of John Darner's lovely ciriematc
Oriel College.
D'Angelo is immediately outcast
but his attraction for the engaged lac
Pays) prevails. With the gain of sup*
dent Ally Sheedy and riel's rowing t<
comes humiliation to find that; he
wrong goals.
In 90 minutes, "Oxford Blues" atl
-? ?/ r
limy UCSpHJftUlC UtIVUIC VI* JUUVTt i> v???i
misjudgements with a sappy, sewed
Blues" is a lesson in contrived pk
resolvement.
! "Oxford Blues" is an exquisitely fi
English countryside and way-of-Hfe \
on an otherwise poor film. Boris* idea
but it is ruined with only small h
character lowe portrays wades his w
too easily, making his sheer preser
Ireamy,
"Oxford Blues" might have work
flat on its extremely unrealistic face.
median's auti
shows the two of them in a car with the
windshield completely obliterating
Brenner's lace.
HE ANI) his old childhood friends
have remained close. Barry "Beb"
Black and Edward "Dee-dee" Romoff
wrote the preface for the book despite
the many misadventures told about
them.
Brenner as a teenager was a proctininiic
nr!icl ip!il inlpr Hie fripuHchinc
u,b,uu'' I" -...,,..
stood the test of time and torture.
He once told a white lie for Beb who
backed out of a double date at the last
minute. The next time Beb encountered
the girl, she screamed and
fainted, thinking that he had come
back from the grave.
In a trek to Atlantic C*ity, Brenner
and the gang Mad one ot them, Joe,
convinced that he had slept for 15
hours instead of just a half of an hour.
BELIEVING IT really was morning
and seeing it was growing very dark,
Joe thought he \sas going blind. He
started to scream hysterically on the
boardwalk till an irked stranger yelled
that it was 9 p.m.
4'Dvino nn the Rpnrh" is a colorful
recollection that accurately sounds like
any 13-year-old boy's account of a
favorite beach game: War. Brenner
wrote, "one of the most prestitious
award achievement of the war was dying
the best ? sort of an Academy
Award for acting."
One such dying act was colorfully
depicted : "Only Bernie 'The Buzzard'
Lazowick was killed before hitting the
beach. He floated face down right up
to the shoreline, an excellent example
of dying, had he not gotten concerned
about sand getting in his horn-rimmed
glasses and sat up.
There are also some sad stories. His
Jtography, Clirtc
maSkm
* VUIIWIII
J Act I
e a member of the
Is the key to the B J( K ?
grandiose expertise. ? "
le and innocent im- You would gues
>mantic longings of One Theater's cur
u>t stand on sex ap- Davis, is a firm b(
ited down With a ? ne piay, wnici
to this is a relatively opened because C
dent, the part of h
is, "Oxford Blues" enough, the heatii
mey film, "A Yank
ently has not been While Quick wa
a Las Vegas parking wait.
tide, obnoxious and
vasting his life at the NOW, QUICK
icter can focus on is Mark Dolson and
who does not even heater in Septemh
apelessly out of his
"Mass Appeal'
ow (Gail Strickland) loving and witty y
d a friend to falsify | Mark Dolson, the
tasy moves toward nuence 01 cnurcn
can utter officials - panic
graphy at England?^ Mark learns th;
own Mercedes, d<
fWjiijl Ptcrsl between the two
I* Wt<fcmmand# "verbal acrobatic
x>rt from'fettp*/^; ''self.
^^carching(<for?j|? Though Farley
* is PerhaPs on
:empt$ to redeem the succumbed to a
acter and shadow his stopped fighting
?m ending. "Oxford liis only "friends
,rr ?
?t and unbelieveable
MARK CONS
ilmed movie, with the amusing, yet son
shedding a lovely not are good, but wh<
i is initially intriguing, ol God or to
? - ~ against all that h
ints ot realism, me ay
through lift much . 11 1S clear> 11(1
ice an unfair ode to tenderemotions;
' 1 IllBHIK
ct\ hnf it cirrmlv falls acl 'Mi'ier 1 arle
?o\cr learned a
mu bum I Mil I Hi nil H ii lesson.
ibiography ma
favorite cousin Susan died at the age of
12. A playmate in a game called "Cops
and Robbers" really became a robber
and died in a shoot-out. On manv nc
casions, life was tough for the young
Brenner, but he knew he had a way
out.
BRENNER WENT to Temple
University inspired by his family, gang
and one teacher. Miss Abromowitz,
his biology teacher, told him to "channel
his energies and be somebody." He
graduated with honors and worked for
Westinghouse Broadcasting.
He made several award-winning
documentaries including one on the inadequacies
of the welfare system. His
work biought him in contact with a
budding journalist named Tom
Snyder, director Ingmar Bergman, actors
Liv Ulmann and Max Von Sydow
and I V host Merv urn nth.
It is not clear when Brenner decided
to become a comedian. With precious
photographs of his childhood, he
looks back at his roots with gratitude.
He provides an insight into the
development of his comedic craft.
Although he could have been less
self-congratulatory, he drives a sienifi
cant point across: He beat the system.
He arose from poverty with the help of
people who were either willing or unwilling
participants in his struggle for
success.
The book is a comedic look at life on
the wrong side of the tracks and the
workings of a humourous mind. The
anecdotes are real and truthful with a
V-?i*-* omH.nntnrpri rvnacism.
He wrote "1 hope my book is like its
title, one of my favorite treats, different,
yet good-tasting, easily digested
a little piece at a time." It is a tough
act to follow.
iin nail
A 19 VMBB
's 'Mass Appeal'
s that Jim Quick, director and star of Act
rent production of "Mass Appeal" by Bill
Miever that "the show must go on."
h was to be presented last January, never
)uick was involved in an automobile acciis
co-star had to be recast, and if this wasn't
ig system was broken.
is recuperating, Columbia audiences waited
}ne's second attempt. It was well worth the
is better, Mark Shelley has taken the part of
the theater doesn't have to worry about the
ler.
' is the story of Father Tim Farley, a funet
sensitive priest at St. Francis Church, and
idealistic youth who is appalled by the inpolitics
and the behavior of several church
ularly Father Farley.
at behind closed doors, priests do swear, do
3 drink and do go to the races. What ensues
characters is an hour-and-a-half session of
;s," with each scene becoming an event in
appears comfortable with his position, Mark
ly one who sees the truth: Father Farley has
(.vuimii hp once desnised himself, but who
in order to keep the closeness of what were
ISTKNTI \ patronizes Farley's behavior in
letimes ver ions ways. Mark's intentions
;ther he > be a priest to teach the word
le the pulpit a- means of taking a stand
e ItTM'lllS 1> Ml- v Ml .
wcver, tli i' vharactors are harboring
mrl incpiMi , ti1 cm- ist'd in the second
y ha tiui^'.r >\o;:> 1 his life, but has
most cruci< ! c is . >ut to learn that
ikes 'tasty treat'
I
niviil Rronnor
1/tl* III MlVIII1VI
Sort Fret/els
with Mustard
* mmm^
it-. mSg3SBB&
ilBys- j ' . mSSHr
f M J M | I | | I, I i I
^BHPHHIi^^BBRilHHBBiMBaHr i 'tflHIIIIHH^^HBI
Booking it
Comedian David Brenner's new book "Soft Pretzels with Mustard"
is an autobiography about how he got into the comedy business. The
work is a rags to riches story and includes interesting anecdotes about
Brenner's family and friends.
nffprs nrpflt nlnt artinn
w W WM li |t# I W li f M W kll 1^
This production is worth going to see just what Father
Farley learns and what he decides to do with his life.
Quick is very believable as Farley. His portrayal is crystal ;
clear, and the audience can truly see the inner weakness of ,
Farley ? even when he delivers the most humorous lines. f
Quick adds a very likable boyishness to the role, and the au- ,
dience quickly identifies with him.
SLIGHT PROBLEMS occur in the first act, however, when
Quick and Shelley are together. This may have been an offnight
for Shelley, but he appeared sluggish at times opposite
Oniric who is so eood that- the audience mav not be as apt to
take the side of the young man.
We are not sure whether he truly believes what he is fighting
for, and it is obvious that Mark Dolson must be a fiery youth 3
with clenched fists and a strong will. At times, we have to see
how Dolson feels not through Shelley's portrayal but through
the director's words.
By the second act, however, Shelley appeared quite comfortable
as Dolson, and the character begins to shine.
Though the show has only two people in the cast, Quick and <
Shelley keep with the tight pace and never let the audience out
of their grasp. Much credit goes to the skillful directing of
Quick and the producing of Linda Teal.
rHAHMF AI MOMVS set is verv cnod. He has iuxtanos
ed Farley's office with the church ? the link is a stained-glass
window that serves as a part of the decor for both locations.
Joe Futral's lighting is perfect. It is neither too simple nor
too lavish, and the blue hues used above the pulpit and the office
add the right touch.
THIS SHOW captures the magic and talent ot two individuals
and is well worth the time. If you are interested m
Catholicism or religion, this production is a wonderfully
ample of the theatre arts.
The show was well put together and well performed. Noi
only are the characters real and understandable, but they draw
the audience into the plot in their discussions of the modem
world.
"Mass Appeal" deserves the hold-over this 1 liday a:
Saturday, October 5-6. it is well worth the ticket puce.
For reservations, call Act One Theater at 796-7550.
?