The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 22, 1985, Page Page 10, Image 10
Page 10 ? February 22, 1985
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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 " ^ %