Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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1 Film on Atlanta cl By Associated Press ATLANTA ? The CBS docudrama "The Atlanta Child Murders" re-creates the nightmare that gripped this Southern city for two years with an undeniable fury. The movie, which will be broadcast in two segments on CBS Sunday and Tuesday nights, makes the case that Wayne B. Williams was wrongly convicted of murdering two young adults and was made a "Sacrificial lamb on the altar of Atlanta." g nil. MCillTMARI. was supposed to end with Williams' conviction and life sentence ? and the subsequent police decision to blame him for 22 other murders without bringing him to trial again. However, live additional murders were not tied to Williams because of different evidence. But questions persisted, fueled by the fact that none of the Neil Simon's 'Memoirs' From Staff Reports Looking for the perfect Valentine's Day gift for your _ sweetheart? USC's Cultural Scries has just the ticket for you. A ticket, that is, to the Valentine's Day performance of Neil Simon's hit play, "Brighton Beach Memoirs," 8 p.m. Feb. 14 at the Township auditorium. The play has been filling the house at the Alvin Theatre, recently renamed the Neil Simon Theatre, on Broadway since it opened in March 1983. Audiences in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., have stood in line for hours to get UV.fVCl* |UI llic ^lUUUUIUUf UU5CU Ull OIIIIUXI 5? uwu life as a kid growing up in New York City. Admission will be $14 for the public and $7 for USC students. "It's less expensive than buying a dozen roses for a your girlfriend/' said Marguerite Ippolito, Cultural Series ^ chairman, The play is considered appropriate for all ages. Simon's story it set in Brighton' Beach, part of the botouigh of Brooklyn, in 1937. The main character U , 15-year-old Eugene Morris Jerome, a would-be writer who BjjJSSHjBBHlj e> E 1 r HSTribi 91 [1 bp^I ra]^B gSSri llmfiftfiWIWiflflllf ^ :? lild killings compel 130 prosecution witnesses in Williams' nine-week trial testified s they saw Williams kill anybody. I It was a case built on circumstantial evidence, much of it in the form of microscopic fibers and hairs, and it was presented to a jury at a time when Atlanta desperately wanted the killings to end. Screenwriter Abby Mann has skillfully capitalized on the doubts present in the Williams case to produce a movie that indicts the police who investigated the murders, the citv ad ministration thai failed tor so long to treat them seriously and I the criminal justice system that branded Williams a child killer < without ever convicting him of killing a child. I VIFAVKI) SOI.KI.Y as a dramatic work, the movie is entertaining, compelling and well-acted, with Calvin levels giving a i performance that, at times, makes it seem the producers have i coming for Valentine's] , keeps a journal about life within his eccentric but lovable ; household. I "Brighton Beach memoirs" is the latest in an extraordinary list of comedy successes by playwright Simon, who wrote his such as "Barefoot in theTPark," "The Odd Couple," "The Sunshine Boys" and "California Suite." he has written 21 plays in as many years. The New York Times' veteran theatre critic Walter Kerr said in his review of the play, "Neil Simon has done what he must very much have wanted to do: touch us." Even a hard-as-nails critic like John Simon of New York magazine, who rarely praises a production or a performance, loved "Brighton Beach Memoirs." He calls it "Neil Simon's 'Long Day's Journey Into Night." , Brighton Beach Memoirs" is the second event in the USC Cultural Series' five-part lineup. i For more information oh the series, call the committee at 777-7150. For more information or to make reservations to see "Stfghton Beach Memoirs," call the Township's box office Feb. 8-14 at 252*6530. v mmmmrnammmmsm m j ? -y y* Iling but distorted .nalched the 26-year-old Williams from his jail cell to play limsclf. But when compared against the historical fact, the movie is ,een to distort the Atlanta slaying story, not so much hv the ,'onclusion it reaches, but in the manner in which it is reached. The portrayal drew an outcry from city leaders who flew to Mew York on Monday to discuss their objections with network :xecutives. On Tuesday, CHS announced that a disclaimer Aould be broadcast before each installment to note that the lilm is "not a documentary" and that "some of the events or characters are lictionali/ed lor dramatic purposes." The unanswered questions in the Atlanta case clearly raise lionest doubts about Williams' guilt. Hut the movie gives the viewer the impression that city officials knew Williams was innocent even though they made him the scapegoat to end the nightmare and restore the city's image as a lucrative convention center. ACTORS POR'IRAYINC prosecution witnesses, for example, speak the words that built much of the state's case against Williams, but the way they do it ? fidgeting and squirming itul looking away when pressed on cross-examination ? leaves the viewer with little doubt they are lying, in reality, some witnesses did fidget, but not to this degree and not these specific people. The state relied heavily on fiber evidence to convict Williams, and tnann said one of his aims was to show the dangers in using unsupported fiber evidence in a criminal 'rial. inn iiic movie chics an injustice to ilie slate s liner case in having only one witness briefly deal with only two c?l the 12 cases presented at trial. In reality, state witnesses spent days explaining and documenting the liber connections in the two cases on trial and 10 others whose evidence was used to show a pattern of behavior. Williams' father, for example, comes across as a believable witness who could do nothing to stop authorities from railroading his son. But Homer Willimas probably did as much to harm his son's case as any prosecution witness. In his effort to refute crucial aspects of the state's case, the elder Williams destroyed his credibility by claiming that a picture of an obviously brown rug was green and by claiming to have had appointments at times when his appointment book showed otherwise. Skm Skou, Sbafarbr wl? SUMMER JOB OPENINGS FOR CAMP COUN SELORS at Camp Sea Gull (boys) and Camp Seafarer (girls). Serving as a camp counselor is a challenging I and rewarding opportunity to work with young peo pie, ages 7-16. Sea Gull and Seafarer are health and character development camps located on the coast of North Carolina and feature sailing, motorboating, and seamanship, plus many usual camping activities including a wide variety of major sports. Qualifica tions include a genuine interest in young people, ability to instruct in one phase of the camps' programs, and excellent references. For further information and ap- [ plication, please write a brief resume' of training and 1 experience in area(s) skilled to Don Cheek, Director, Camps Sea Gull/Seafarer, P.O. Box 10976, Raleigh, North Carolina 27605. m tt -r r* 1 . /"? . O . f* O 1 UbU Faculty & Matt Deserve a Good Time, and Scarlett's is &ivin& it to them. FREE each | - Monday and Friday in February, j I 5:30-6:30, USC ID required. Saogros Holiday Inn-City Center - Across from Coliseum I