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MOVIES
Men of Honor tells life of first
African-American Navy diver
Cuba Gooding Jr. nearly walked off the set during
filming of the underwater drama where he portrayed
pioneering navy diver Carl Brashear.
By DUANE DUDEK
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
MILWAUKEE
(AP) Carl Brashear spent the
first part of his adult life living
it and the second part trying to
get it turned into a movie.
Brashear, now 69, was a
sharecropper’s son who became
thefirst African-American Navy
diver, and the first black man to
earn the naval rank of master
chief.
Both accomplishments were
achieved againstlongodds, with
the same physical, emotional
and psychological adversities
that face each person who is a
“first” in their field.
To reveal the details about
Brashear’s remarkable tale of
determination and sacrifice
might spoil the dramatic sur
prises of the film that did get
made after 20 years of
preproduction: Men of Honor,
by Milwaukee director George
TillmandJr., with Cuba Gooding
dJr., and Robert De Niro.
“I would just like to voice my opinion
on why the moviedidn’t get made,” said
Brashear, whose dignified and formal
bearing reflected his years spent in the
military. “My first thought is that God
wasn’t ready for it to be made.
“And Cuba Gooding wasn’t around
yet.”
More to the point, neither was
Tillman, 31, the Marshall High School
graduate whose drive and skill, which
belie both hisyouth and relative inexpe
rience, finally got the film made.
Brashear had deals with various pro
duction companies and studios over the
years _including deals with the compa
nies of Bill Cosby and De Niro _but it
took Tillman’s vision to seal the deal.
“Men of Honor” is just Tillman’s sec
ond studio film. While drastically differ
ent in theme from his first film, “Soul
Food,” it shows the same flair for emo
tion-driven storytelling, combined with
a talent for creating compelling action
sequences.
Myth, Memory, and Imagination
Photographs from the Collection of Julia J. Nonell
Photographs of sharecroppers, coun
try churches, river baptisms and other
classic images of the rural South will be
featured in a new exhibition “Myth,
Memory and Imagination: Photographs
from the Collection of JuliadJ. Norrell,” at
the Morris Museum of Art from now
through Dec. 31.
The exhibition opened Nov. 16 with a
reception, followed by a lecture by Ms.
Norrell, a Washington, D.C. collector,
and Jay Williams, curator of the
McKissick Museum at the University of
S.C., which organized the nationally trav
eling exhibition.
The photographs represent regional
perspectives on family and community
relationships, important rituals at life
passage points, racial relationships and
the region’s struggle with poverty. Art
ists featured include Ansel Adams, Will
iam Christenberry, Walker Evans, Ed
ward Weston, Ben Shahn, Eudora Welty,
Dorothea Lange, Margaret Bourke-
White, Deborah Luster and others.
Ms. Norrell, an Arkansas native, devel
oped a love for art as a young student.
She began collecting during her early
‘study in India as a Fulbright Scholar and
while attending George Washington
University Law School. Duringthecourse
of her professional career, Ms. Norrell
traveled extensively within the U.S. and
ARThHéatvy
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Cuba Gooding Jr. with Carl Brashear.
Hollywood is happy to finance any
number of mindless African-American
comedies, but the struggle tomake “Men
of Honor” reflects a resistance to dra
matic films with black casts. That
Tillman was handcuffed by a modest
$32 million budget is evidence of this
problem.
“This ceuld-have been a S6O (million)
or S7O million movie,” said Tillman. “It
was a struggle at $32 million. Doing
three to four scenes a day set in three or
four different time periods gets you crazy
as adirector trying to keep the continu
ity of the film. And after awhile you go,
‘Why am I doing this?’
“And that’s why a lot of older film
makers arenot doingit anymore. It’sall
young guys like myself who want the
chance to do it. Meanwhile, the budgets
are going lower and lower. But then you
see certain movies getting crazy money
that don’t really need it.”
See NAVY DIVER, page 3B
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Septima with Tadpoles, 1993
Courtesy of Julia J. Norrell
internationally, visiting museums, cul
tural centers, galleries and artists’ stu
dios. Her interests encompass a variety
of media, including folk art, painting, and
sculpture, as well as photography.
“Myth, Memory and Imagination: Pho
tographs from the Collection of Juliu J.
Norrell” is drawn from a larger nation
ally traveling exhibition organized and
circulated by the McKissick Museum.
For more information, call (706) 724-
7501 or visit the museum’s web site at
www.themorris.org.
19 Where shopping is a pleasure;
Nina Simone: Bitter Sweet
Back in the ‘6os, she earned the nick
name “The High Priestess of Soul” and
these days, she proudly informsone and all
that in her adopted homeland of France,
she’s referred to as “Queen Nina.”
Now, 43 years af
tershemadeherfirst
recording for
Bethlehem Records,
Nina remains
uncategorizable.
Proofpositivecanbe
found in this amaz
ingcompilationofLa
Simone’s recording which spans — for the
first time on CD — each of the significant
eras of her career, reflecting her totally
unique ability to move deftly between all
manner of musical milieu.
It is her innate skill at putting her own
distinctive stamp on such a diverse range
of material that has made Nina Simone a
legend in her own time: she finds the
perfect interpretation for each song she
selects. She can be wistful (“Dont’ Smoke
in Bed,”) angry (“Mississippi Goddam,”)
uncommonly tender (“NeMe Quitte Pas,”)
raunchy (“I Want a Little Sugar in My
Bowl”) or sad (“My Man’s Gone Now.”)
She can create the most eerie of moods (“I
Put a Spell on You”) or inspire self-pride
(“To Be Young, Gifted & Black”) without
skipping an emotional beat.
Nina didn’t develop her all-encompass
ing artistry the easy way. As has been
recounted in the accompanying notes for
numerous collections of her music (most
notably in the quartet of RCA releases,
“The Essential Nina Simone,” Vols. 1 and
2, “Saga of the Good Life & Hard Times”
and “Sugar in My Bowl”), Nina’s odyssey
had its genesis in the small town of Tryon,
N.C. Born in February 1933, a then tiny
Eunice Waymon became adept at playing
the piano at a very early age. She could
often be found on a Sunday accompanying
her mother, aminister, at achurch service.
Her uncanny ability to play by ear marked
Eunice asa child prodigy and thanks to the
benevolence of a local teacher, she was
afforded the chance to study classical mu
sic.
Inevitably, Eunice’s burgeoning talent
ACP brings new twist for holiday with “Nuncrackers”
“Nuncrackers, the Nunsense Christmas
Musical,” will open at the Aiken Commu
nity Playhouse (ACP) beginning Novem
ber 24, 2000. It offers laughs for the whole
family as the convent’s members learn the
truemeaning of Christmas. Performances
willrun Nov. 24-25, Dec. 1-2,8-9,and 15-16
at 8 p.m., and Dec. 3and 10 at 3 p.m. The
Aiken Community Playhouse (ACP) is the
second theater in S.C. to perform
“Nuncrackers.” The Christmas musical is
fourth in the award-winning “Nunsense”
series, and the third to be performed by
ACP. ACP’s previous productions in the
Nunsense series have set attendance
records, so reservations and early arrival
are recommended.
“Nuncrackers,” a musical comedy writ
ten by Dan Goggin, picks up the story of
everyone’s favorite nuns as they tape a
holiday TV special in the basement of a
convent for a local cable access channel.
Hilarious antics follow, as well as some
surprises for the audience. During the
production’s opening, Sister Leo breaks
her leg and a surprise mystery guest must
take her place as the Sugarplum Fairy.
Musical numbers include spoofs of holiday
classicslike “The Holly and the Ivory,” and
some new songs, including “Christmas
Time is Nunsense Time,” and “Jesus was
Born in Brooklyn.”
Jan Royal returns as the Reverend
Mother, and is reunited with Bernice
DeLoach, who revisits her role as Sister
Hubert. Lara Turner plays Sister Amne
sia, and Juli Davis is. Sister Robert Ann.
Prentiss Herron is introduced as the se
ries’ first male character, Father Virgil.
Darcy Hammond-Ross and Stephanie
Haynes are chorus members, and the ACP
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Nina Simone: Soul’s High Priestess
led to further opportunities: she studied at
new York’s prestigious Juilliard School of
Music and moved with her family to Phila
delphia tocontinueher studies at the Curtis
institute of Music with the aim of havinga
career as a classical pianist. The school
denied her admission, an event that re
mains a matter of contention for the good
doctor to this day.
No one can say what might have become
ofyoung Eunice had thelnstituteaccepted
her: she may indeed have had a distin
guished career in classical music but the
world would have been denied the awe
some career she’s enjoyed as a multi-fac
eted artist who’s equally at home with pop,
blues, folk, soul, gospel and with music
from Africa, France, the Caribbean, Israel,
Japan and England.
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The hiliarious nuns of “Nuncrackers”
include Stephanie Haynes as Sister
Euthanasia, Prentiss “Buzz” Herron
as Father Virgil, Bernice Deloach as
Sister Hubert, Jan Royal as Rev. Mother,
production adds 11 children to the televi
sion personalities, played by: Breanna
Burkes, Klahn Burkes, Brittany Dicks,
Katie Garth, Ansley Tyler, Tatiana Hoover,
Brittany Jackson Alex Steiner, Rachel
Steiner, Nicholas Vaselopulos, Anna Wag
oner and Tiffany Weinbeck.
“Nuncrackers” is directed by Bradley
Watts. The Nov. 24 performance will also
feature a post-show reception, giving audi
ence members the opportunity to mingle
with the cast, crew, and fellow theatre
buffs. Tickets are sl2 for adults, $lO for
senior citizens (60+), $8 for students (with
1B
NOVEMBER 23, 2000
Curtis Institute’s loss was indeed the
world’s gain: struggling to makealivingin -
themid-’sos, Eunice taught pianoprivately
and took a summer job in Atlantic City.
The story of how a club owner in the New
Jerseyresort town demanded that she sing
as well as play piano has now passed into
the realm of Simone mythology. It was a
definingmoment: after accompanyingher
self at the keyboards that fateful night,
Eunice Waymon became Nina Simone
(“Nina,” Spanish for ‘little girl,’ a nick
name given to her by a Latin boyfriend;
“Simone” after the French actress Simone
Signoret), changing her name because of a
fear that her church-going family would
disapprove of her playing “the devil’s mu
sic.” Q.
Nina’s stylistically unique approach to
Jjazz and pop standards won her an ardent
following in Philly and as she ventured
forth to perform in other cities on the
Easternseaboard, theyoung musicianrap- *
idly became a favorite among audiences
who frequented intimate niteriesin search.
of the latest new talent. {
Inevitably, Ninacame tothe attention of
the recording industry. It was in fact
Bethlehem Records—ownedby Sid Nathan
who had the distinction of bringing James
Brown to the world via his Kirg Records
outfit — that signed Nina to her first
contract in 1957. Her debut for the label
was cut in a marathon 14-hour session in
New York and released without much fan
fare in 1958 by the label under the title
Little Girl Blue. It should havebeen Nina’s
first ever LP but one of her gigs at a
Philadelphia night club had been recorded
unofficially in 1954 and was turned into an
album; Starring Nina Simone would be the
first of many bootleg recordings to plague
Nina throughout her career.
Nina’s stay with Bethlehem was short--
lived: a talent scout by the name of Anita
Selznick, working Tor Colpix Records (then
adivision of Columbia Pictures), had heard
the buzz on Nina and in the wake of her
chart success with “I Loves You Porgy”
had signed hertoalongterm contract. The
association lasted from 1959 to 1963 and
See SIMONE, page 3B
Juli Davis as Sister Robert Anne, Lara
Turner as Sister Amnesia, Jennifer
Cudsworth as Sister Mary Leo, and
Darcy Hammond-Ross as Sister Myo
pia. Photo courtesy of Frederick S. Webb
ID) and $5 for children (12 and under).
During Thanksgiving week, reservations
may be made by calling the Aiken Commui
nity Playhouse at (803) 648-1438 on Nov.
22, from 7 to 9 p.m. The following weeks,
reservations may be made on Nov. 29-30,
Dec. 6-7 and 13-14 from 7 to 9 p.m.
The Aiken Community Playhouse is lo
cated on the corner of Price Avenue and
Two Notch Road, one block from the cor
ner of Whiskey Road and Pine Log Road
(back corner of Odell Weeks). Call (803)
648-1438 for more information or visit the
web site of www.atlantic.net/~acp.