Newspaper Page Text
ATLANTA BARB-Page 6
Gay-ing To The Movies With S.W.
INTERVIEW: LUCILLE BALL
Lucille Ball has ways of
avoiding subjects she does
not care to discuss. I spoke
to her last month when she
was in Atlanta to promote
her movie, “MAME”.
“Mame’ ’ is nostalgic - -1
began.
“It’s a family picture’’,
she corrected. Not that it
couldn’t be both, but she
knows which label she
wants to stress.
Meanwhile, Warner
Brothers goes on for days
about the “authentically
extravagant costumes...
Lucy’s total wardrome cost
$300,000 ... and authent
ically stunning interior de
coration . . . The gold -
filagreed front doors are on
loan from the Queen Mary,
as is the. dining room
carpet. The $9,000 glass
piano was made to order.
Art Deco for everybody ...
(MAME) brings to life an
important and wonderful
period ... from the late ‘20s
to the late ‘40s.”
Trying another nostalgic
tack, I referred to Lucy’s
days in the chorus.
“I never was in the
chorus,” she replied.
I respectfully reminded
her of her “Goldwyn Girl”
Name The Drag Coatest
- WIN $25.00
status in three Busby Berk
eley musicals of the early
‘30s -- “Palmy Days,”
“The Kid from Spain” and
“Roman Scandals.”
“That’s not what’s called
the . chorus,” she said.
“That!s starlet stuff.”
When I see a line of 30-50
identically - dressed
‘ ‘ starlets’ ’ doing the same
dance steps, I call it a
chorus; but there was no
point in quibbling.
Still seeking something
quotable, I led into another
topic by mentioning her
selection as “Entertainer
of the Year” by After
Dark magazine.
“Yeah, that was a wild
party,” she said, “I never
got to see the restaurant,
it was so crowded. It was
a great party, I guess; but I
went in the back door and
out the back door so fast I
didn’t know what hit me - -
except that it was a nice
tribute, Jerry Herman sang
a beautiful song, and wow! I
was out in the alley!”
“Have you always had a
large Gay following?” I
ventured.
“I don’t know,” she re
plied. “I haven’t been out
that much. Are they all Gay
in there? . . . You couldn’t
WHO IS THIS MYSTERY DRAG???
Enter the Name The Drag contest and you may win
$25.00 in cash. To enter the contest simply send in the
name you believe to be correct on a post card or letter
t° Name The Drag c/o Atlanta Barb P. O. Box 82543,
Atlanta, Georgia 30354, and if you are the first.,to cor
rectly identify the above person, Atlanta Bai'b will pay
you $25.00 in cash.
This personality is well known and has been seen in
every gay lounge in the city of Atlanta many times. He
is also a resident of the city.
All entries must be postmarked not later than May
5, and received no later than May 10, 1974. Employees
(and their families) of Atlanta Barb, friends and as
sociates are not eligible to enter the contest. Entries
become the property of Atlanta Barb. The winner will
be notified by mail.
prove it by me. I couldn’t
see anybody or hear any
body.”
We talked about a lot of
other subjects on which she
was more cooperative and
agreeable; but even if we’d
done nothing but argue, I
grew up loving Lucy, and
I’m not about to change.
REVIEW:
Lucy
As "Mame”
As for the movie, it’s the
big, opulent entertainment
package Lucy promised,
sure to appeal to lovers of
lavish Hollywood musicals.
There’s really only one
thing wrong with it - - Lucy
herself. Not only is she
woefully miscast as Pat
rick Dennis’ eccentric
aunt; but her vanity dictates
that her close - ups be
closer than anyone else's,
and shot in such soft focus
that her mascara seems to
run into her lipstick. And
she has the gall to do her
own singing, which makes
everyone else sound good.
Her acting has moments of
adequacy, but only her most
adoring fans will fully ac
cept her; and they will think
of her as “Lucy,” rather
than “Mame.”
The picture succeeds in
spite of her, but she’s a
tremendous handicap for it
to overcome.
REVIEW:
f I
Zardoz
John Boorman’s
“Zardoz” is camp, but it’s
not good camp or good
science fiction.
It opens with a godlike
floating stone head telling a
troop of soldier - types,
“The gunisgood. The penis
is evil.”
In this futuristic fairy
tale, set in 2293, the butch
numbers wear loin cloths
and cartridge belts; the
effeminate men wear Gre
cian robes; and women rule
the roost. “Zardoz” is a
flamboyant creature with
an eyebrown - pencil beard
who asks, in a prologue,
“Is God in show business,
too?“
A lot of good ideas have
gone into the complex
social order Boorman, who
directed “Deliverance”,
has created; but they’ve all
been sacrificed to the ne
cessity of developing a
plot around them.
Sean Connery, who is
past his prime and looks
silly - though not bad - -
running around half-naked
plays his usual superhero.
He discovers and destroys
all the evil in what’s left of
the world, and then starts
his own civilization, with
the help of Charlotte Ramp
ling, who has outacted him
all the way.
There are some trippy
special effects, mostly in
volving mirrors and a pro
cess which simulates pro
jection on human skin; but
“Zardoz” never lives up to
its potential.
Sean Connery and Charlotte Rampling in ZARDOZ.