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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.