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I” Gay-ing To The Movies With S.W.
■ The Year Of The Bisexual; Or Radley Metzger Scores Again
Review: “The Great Gatsby”
Unless the mereifeight of Rob
ert Redford sends you into fits
ofnecstasy, robbing you ofyour
reason and perspective, you’ll
have to admit that he doesn’t
add much to “ The Great Gats
by . ” Like last m onth’s
“Mame,” a lavish, expensive
film has to succeed in spite of
the star who plays the title role.
And “Gatsby” is basically
successful, overall, though it
would be better if it were about
half an bour shorter. It’s a
nostalgic romanticdramafrom
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925
novel.
Daisy (Mia Farrow) Was a
wealthy girl when she had an
affair with Jay Gatsby; now,
eight years later, she’s a
wealthy worna* 1 - But Gatsby
has changed from a poor boy
into a rich man. They take up
where they left off, even though
Daisy is now married. Her hus
band (Bruce Dern) is involved
with a woman (Karen Black)
who lives with her husband
(Scott Wilson) on the wrong
side of the tracks.
The point is made that only
the poor (and nouveau-riche,
like Gatsby) are capable of
genuine emotion.
The settings are magnificent,
and most of the performances
very good. But to see rugged
Robert in his element, catch
the reissue of “Jeremiah John
son,” opening May 24.
Calvin Culver (1.) And Gerald Grant ln ’'Score'
Radley Metzger is one of the
men credited (or charged) with
legitimizing the “dirty movie.”
People like Metzger and Russ
Meyer didn’t make “sex” a
household word--they took it
out of the household and put it
on the big screen.
Their styles differ widely -•
Meyer is more passionate,
Metzger more erotic~but both
bring artistic skills and profes
sionalism to the genre that are
lacking even in such highly
publicized films as “Deep
Throat”
Metzger, who is keenly aware
of social trends, was in Atlanta
last month to promote his lat
est picture, “Score,” which
deals with bisexuality. Variety
called it “a sexploitation mile
stone, ” because it’s the first
erotic filmforgeneralaudiences
to contain scenes ofsex between
have a bisexual mar
ried couple,” the producer-
director of “Score”-explained
to the Barb, “that comes upon
another couple with a laten
bisexual element.” A teasing
seduction occupies about 2/3
of the film, and then they get
down to it.
“Score” was done as play
off-Broadway, which is where
it caught Metzger’s attention.
“To me,” he says, “it was
part of the contemporary scene.
It’s what’s on people’s minds,
what they’re thinking about,
talking about. ,
“This month, I think there
are 50 articles on bisexual
ity. . .Fortunately, I chose to
do the picture before it became
this popular. . .1 mean, if we
were to start now, I think in
another year it would be a very
old-fashioned idea.”
If he’s right, perhaps we
should all be heeding the ad
vice of the familiar Gay Pride
chant
"Hey, hey, whaddaya say,
Try it once the other way!”
Cocktail Hour 3 To 8 PM.
MY HOUSE
774 W. Peachtree St. N. E.
Atlanta, Georgia
Featuring
Atlanta Follies
"The Broadway Babies
The New "Golden Eye” Upstairs
Discotheque-Food—Dancing
Open Till 4 AM. 881-6195
In casting a picture like
“Score,” does the producer
simply issue a casting call for
bisexuals?,
“I don’t think you have to
cast (bisexuals),” Metzger
says, “any more than, if you
had a religious film,you would
advertise for a priest or a
rabbi.
“The leading lady (Claire
Wilbur) was from the original
play. . .The other actors were
either unsuited or unavailable.
I just got lucky. I got two
guys that were terrific. One I
got through the author of the
play who had worked with this
kid-Calvin Culver.”
Culver has starred in such
Gay classics as “Boys in the
Sand,...” using the name “Cas
ey Donovan.”
By the time you read this,
“Score” will have completed its
first Atlanta run. But it may be
back, and it’s sure to be turn
ing up in other cities this suim
mer.
Robert Red ford As "Gatsby’
AISO RECOMMENDED:
THE SUGARLAND EX
PRESS - Goldie Hawn leads;
the Texas Highway Patrol on
a merry chase in an incredible-
but-true story.
THE CONVERSATION - Gene
Hackman is an electronic
fatal mistake of listening
what he overhears, in a dr
ma by Francis Ford Coppoi
BADLANDS - Martin Sheen
goes on a murder spree; Sissy
Spacek goes along for the ride.
What else was there to do in
the50s?
Entertainer Of The Month
Carmen del Rio has a style
all her own. She has a wide
eyed Baby D oll approach drip
ping with Sexsationalism,.s she
captivates her audience* Her
wardrobe is beautiful and her
performances extraordinary to
Say the least An ex* dance in
structor for Arthur Murrayts in
Chicago, she has 4 years ex
perience in the art of Female
Impersonation. Carmen is a
Gemini, and has enjoyed trav
eling. While doing so, she ap
peared with Danny Windsor in
Boston, Michigan, Pennsyl
vania and various other
places (too numerous to men
tion). She is originally from
Chicago, however, her family
is 'living in Puerto Rico at pre
sent Little Theatre is one of her
interests and she has performed
on stage in “Bells are Ring
ing.” Carmen’s titles, include
Miss Chez Paree 1971, and
Miss David 1972-1973. Her
greatest ambition is “to ehjoy
life, make it while you can.”
That’s a good philosophy^and
Carmen definitely lives by it.
Carmen del Rio