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Page 10 ? February 22, 1985 I jj I m? m An Amish widow (Kelly MeGillis) and her ton (Lukas Haas) fin by a vicious murder and a tough Philadelphia cop (Harrison Ford Era ends at Disne By Aeaocieted Press BURBANK. Calif. ? Clarence "nurltv" Nnsh th#> vn'tr* behind Donald Duck for 50 years, died Wednesday of leukemia. He was 80. Nash, who became a Disney employee in 1933 and retired 14 years ago, died at St. Joseph's Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Rhoda Weiss said. The success of Donald, who made his debut in 1934 in the "Miss Little Hen" cartoon, was assured from the moment Nash opened his mouth, said Frank Thomas, a longtime Disney animator. "We had many fine actors come and do voices, but 1 couldn't visualize anything," Thomas said. "Clarence, with his crazy quack ... you really believed it." Donald was featured in more than ISO cartoon shorts and Entertainment crit I Dnhorf fl'Pnnnnr BIUUUI ?. U UUIIIIUI Assistant entertainment editor By Robfrt O'Connor My useless knowledge annoys everyone. As assistant entertainment editor of a college newspaper, one might expect me to dabble in the fine art of worthless trivia. Dabble is putting it mildly. People laugh in utter disbelief when I mention NBC's outrageous and defunct "Sunertrain*' television serien. Thev plug their ears when I inform them that Joanna Cassidy had a minor role in "Blade Runner." And when I casually affirm that Daryl Hannah and Jackson Browne are a cozy couple, and she appeared in his "Tender Is The Night" video, they are convinced of my insanity. PEOPLE GET disgusted with me. And they have every right to do so. After all, who else devours the "USA Today' entertainment section daily like a drug addict receiving his much needed fix? Who else would Enterta J:. .y '^*<rfty**'flcV?'*^"-^ r*-. -j r i i^ d their quiet lives disrupted ) in Peter Weir's "Witness." >y as cre< several full-length feature film: In the last two years, Nas Awards telecast, a CBS telcvi: 50th Birthday," and provided Oscar-nominated short feature, Nash also conducted a tou century mark, ending at the ^ Reagan gave him a'plaque coi American family entertainment Nactl ll/OC M f% AnA_/4ll/tl/ of Hucy, Dewey and Louie; . death of Cliff Edwards); a bulll Dalmatians;" birds in the Tiki few times, Mickey Mouse. The most difficult challenge ic's mind stake his life on the claim that be concealed on "Cheers?" W care that JoBeth Williams begi on "Guiding Light?" This is much worse than my Most of my friends would movies by themselves. They d histories of every performer wh i ney couia care less n tnat pari a spin-off. I get violently push sonal histories of the actors st< WHY DO I have to know t And I do have to digest this i my existence. The fact that Miami University in Oxford, starred in the original "Facts themselves, but 1 care more i could ever devote time to the proofs. 1 average three films a week i fiinn n#r ritxxi f ronnnt *K V1VI* |/vi VJM/ VUllilVI WUIH VII ched for my daily thirst-quenci it a mental illness, or are then vigil for new and worthless ente space in their mind for the new ing a childrens novel about a f IT WOULD SEEM that 1 Sf on things that have no vital m really matter that Prince secrei Nicks*"Stand Back" single? 1 knowing that "Cagney and Ls starring stint on "Switch?" Pre information are important to i After all, someone has to ca linment 'Witness' subp By Patrick Jean * Clashes between cultures, right and wrong, violence and pacifism are the key themes in "Witness," a fine suspense film ? and the first American film from acclaimed Australian director Peter Weir. The film has a number of flaws, but it overcomes these with fine actors, symbolism and music. "Witness" opens quickly and rarely lets up its lightning-fast pace. A young boy, played with innocence by Lukas Haas, is traveling with his widowed mother to visit relatives. Weir uses the camera to record the wonder of a boy's visit to a new world ? trains, water fountains, statues, people. THE BOY witnesses a drug-related murder in the bathroom of a Philadelphia train station. In steps Harrison Ford as John Book, a police captain. Against his mother's will, the boy is driven throughout the city and taken to a police station to try and find the killer. The boy's identification of the killer, a narUik/\c? nrAH?4tu " *? ? vwi.VJ V1IIVVI nruvav plIUlU |7IUUU1J 3119 111 t\ trophy case, stuns Book. Book eventually discovers corruption that includes his boss and mentor, Schaeffcr, played by Josef Sommer. He is forced to flee with the mother and son to their Amish community. "Witness" truthfully presents the attitudes and beliefs of the Amish. Book, the outsider, is seen as a threat to the community's sanctity. The boy's grandfather, played by Jan Rubes, fears Book's influence on the boy and his mother, Rachel, played by Kelly McGillis. Book and Rachel slowly fall in love, but the film avoids stereotypical romance, presenting a slow, budding emotional tie endangered by the cultural clash. This is epitomized by their dancing to a Sam Cooke song, because such music is forbidden by the Amish. itor of Donald >. Duck cartoons h appeared on an Academy distribution ov sion special, "Donald Duck's "Words wer Donald's voice for the 1983 said. "I learn "Mickey's Christmas Carol." Japanese, Chir r to celebrate Donald's half- Nash, a natr iVhite House where President his parents as a mmemorating Nash's place in entertainer wh< t. frightened litth i. He also provided the voices sound had evo Jiminy Cricket (following the It was Walt 1 frog in "Bambi;" dogs in " 101 the goat-girl vc i Room at Disneyland, and, a Nash is survi daughters Kay Nash faced was when Donald children and fi clogged S?| Shelley Long's pregnancy will t ho, in their right mind, would 1 If; in her acting career as Brandy _ ' soap opera addiction. rather watch television or see -J o not want to hear the acting o walks in front of the camera. ticular program is a spin-off of fjz--' " 3: ed out the door when the per irt to sDill out of mv mouth. : hese things? nformation, as if it was vital to Tina Louise graduated from Ohio or that Molly Ringwald M||S?||||f||| Of Life" are unimportant in e ibout this information than I I study of rocks or Geometry '" : \ !' and at least two hours of televiie amount of miles I have searling copy of "USA Today." Is e others out there who keep a B-? rtainmcnt? Does anyone find a " V'Vvl s that Julie Andrews is authorglobetrotting kitten? ^ >end a profuse amount of time ^ J|| caning to anyone else. Does it tly played keyboards on Stevie Will someone's life be changed tcey's" Sharon Gless did a co- WilHaai Cei >bably not, but these morsels of thte shall and ne. McKisttek Mm re. I THE GAMECOCK ^ oenas interest BOOK HAMS IT UP at breakfast, exclaiming, "Honey, this is great coffee!" All he receives are puzzled looks ? the Amish have no television. Book keeps a gun in the house; the boy handles it like a toy, his mother handles it like a used diaper, and her father preaches to the boy about the immorality of it. Thn ctrAnnnct ct/mhnl i n 1 4 Wf i f n n c c ' 1 i c a birdhouse. Book accidentally knocks it down, a symbol of his tumultuous cntrancc into the community. Near the climax, be replaces it at sunset ? a symbol that things will soon be back to normal. The film is dominated by a few powerful scenes. One is the forbidden dance of Book and Rachel. Another occurs when Book walks in on Rachel bathing. She turns to face him, and they simply stare at each other. The film, however, has its flaws. A fight scene between Book and an anti-Amish intimidator seems to come straight from the ice a cream shop in "Billy Jack." The audience gets no background on the past working relationship between Book and Schaeffer, and they don't see enough of the Amish society and Book's efforts to fit in. The climax is disappointing, a bit hokcy, and not as thrilling as expected. FINE MUSIC is supplied by Maurice Jarre, who skillfully blends synthesizers with orchestras. He composed the music for Weir's "The Year of Living Dangerously," and his score for "A Passage to India" has received an Oscar nomination. ^ , Harrison Ford gives the best performance of his career as Book. "Witness" will establish Ford as a serious actor, an honor he deserves and earns. Standout of the supporting cast is Alexander Godunov, a defector from Moscow's Bolshoi Ballet. He plays Daniel, an Amish farmer who rivals Book for Rachel's affections. 's voice dies ; had to be dubbed in foreign languages for ^ j erseas. I e written out for me phonetically," Nash once ed to quack in French, Spanish, Portugese, lese and German." ve of Watonga, Okla., came to California with i teen-ager. He became a well-known vaudeville 3se most popular encore wai*an imitation of a : girl reciting "Mary Had a Little Lamb." The Ived from that of a baby goat voice. Disney himself who, declared upon listening to >ice, "That's our taiking duck." ved by his wife of 55 years, Margaret Seamans, Hughes and Peggy Oalbrath, eight grandve great-grandchildren. ^ 1111 - %WBK i a sygyMgggMR 1 kiln, m Orangeburg resident, photographed many others. This collection is or display at a iseums through March 1. 1 " ^ %