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THE BARB - 8
with Steve Warren
March is the month when
the Easter Bunpy is sche
duled to bring’ a basket
(Pardon the expression!)
of movie goodies. If things
go according to tradition,
she’s sure to lay a few
eggs, too. We ll report next
month on such films.as
“F’unny Lady,’’-“Tommy,”
“The Four Musketeers,”
“The Prisoner of Second
Avenue.” l,4 Thfe Great
Waldo Pepper” and “Sham
poo;” but here are a few
you may want to catch in
the meantime.
“Janis” is not a bio
graphy of Janis Joplin,
merely a filmed collection
of her performances and
interviews. It concentrates
on the happy moments, and
dosen’t so much as show
her swigging from a bottle
of Southern Comfort, let
alone taking drugs.
Janis was born in Last
Picture Show, Texas (Well,
Port Arthur, actually.) “I
was a waitress in a bowl
ing alley once,” she says.
“There’s a lot of bowling
alleys there.”
But she escaped to Cali
fornia, learned to sing the
blues, and made a name
for herself in the late60’s,
singing with Big Brother
and the Holding Company.
Later she had two bands
of her own.
Though the film dwells on
the good times, Janis shows
more emotions in a single
song than Garbo did in her
whole career.
If you want to see Janis,
see “Janis.” Don’t wait
ten years for someone to
come up with a fictional
version, starring Sarah
Schmuck!
“Rafferty and the Gold
Dust Twins” is the first
of the “road pictures”
(“Midnight Cowboy, ”
“Scarecrow,” “Thunder
bolt and Lightfoot,” etc.)
to feature women promi
nently.
Sally Kellerman and
Mackenzie Phillips play
drifters who kidnap retired
Marine Alan Arkin. 'But
that’s just the “boy meets
girls” gimmick. The trio
teams up to travel from
L. A. to Las Vegas to
Tucson—destination; New
Orleans. I won’t tell you,if
they make it.
There’s a pleasant
warmth to the human rela
tionships shown here; but
the emphasis is on comedy
mostly stemming from a
variety of rip-offs. Mac
kenzie rolls a soldier
(Charlie Martin Smith, with
whom she appeared in
“American Graffiti”), and
Alex Roco. whom they meet
Vegas, takes them to dinner
and sets fire to the restau
rant to avoid the check!
“Rafferty and the Gold
Dust Twins” won’t win any
awards, but it’s good enter
tainment.
It you loved “Serpico.”
*vou may like “Report to
the Commissioner.” Mich
ael Moriarty stars as a
misfit cop.who’s more into
helping people than shoot
ing them, or cleaning up
. the department.
IN© T© TIHC MOVIES
Michael Miriarty in the role of
Bo Lockley, a naive and
inexperienced cop, who is
thrust into the crude realities
of the big city in “Report to
the Commissioner.”
He falls for Susan Blake
ly who, unknown to him, is
an undercover policewo
man. She spends her time
under covers with Tony
King, a notorious pusher.
Moriarty shoots her
triggering an investigation
and the story is revealed
in flashbacks.
A couple of variations
on the standard chase
scenes are exciting, if un
realistic; the climax is too
long for maximum suspense
and the post-climactic re
solution is also dragged out.
Yaphet Kotto is excell
ent as Moriarty’s partner,
and Ms. Bakley very good
in her role. Moriarty acts
too weird for us to be
lieve' the police force would
ever have accepted him in
the first place; but aside
from that, his performance
is okay.
Kellerman [1] and Mackenzie Phillips in a scene from
“Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins.”
"PUPPY DOG"
for some car chases to
pass the time between coun
try songs.
Load a case of beer in a
pick-up truck and see “W.
W . and the Dixie Dance-
kings” at your local drive- -
in!
Burt Reynolds strokes Conny
Van Dyke, who strokes her
guitar in “W.W. and the Dixie
Dancekings.”
Stick Anderson [Tony King] sits with Patty Butler [Susan Blakely]
in his apartment in “Report to the Commissioner.”
hall neighbor. Agatha (Leda
Rogers), has a crush on her
Though Agatha is the butt
of a cruel joke, she’s not
treated totally without
smypathy. But in keeping
with the picture’s belief
in “happy endings,” she
resolves her situation by
“going straight” and
marrying a/ ma n when
she can/t get Sheila
Jeannie Berlin [1] avoids her Lesbian neighbor [Leda Rog'
ers] in “Sheila Levin# Is Dead and Living in New York.”
Spayed In Atlanta
“Sheila Levine fe Dead
and Living in New York”
is a contemporary tale with
old-fashion overtones.
Sheila (Jeannie Berlin)
comes to New York after
graduating college, looks
for work ^nd falls in love
with Roy Scheider. It takes
her almost two hours to
land her man and become
a success in business
(children's records).
The story is nicely told,
although it could use a few
more laughs and a little
less reliance on coinci
dence.
There’s also a Lesbian
angle. Sheila’s down-the-.
For sheer, unsophistica
ted fun, your best bet is
“W.W. and the Dixie Dance-
kings."
Burt Reynolds stays
covered up to his red neck
in this one. in the role of
a con man who falls for a
pure (It's 1957) and pretty
country singer (Conny Van
Dyke), and tries to pro
mote her band to stardom
Art Carney appeals as a^
religious fanatic/; detective
working for an oil company
whose stations Reynolds
has been holding up. But
Burt’s a lovable Robin
Hoodlum whose criminal
career is just the set-up
Don’t hold you breath
waiting for the “national
tour” of the gay comedy,
“And Puppy Dog Tails,”
announced in last month’s
Barb. The play folded in
Atlanta for lack of business,
halway through a scheduled
4-week run.
In their brief stay, the
New Yorkers reportedly:
arranged a “bust” for pu
blicity. which backfired by
driving their potential au
dience deeper into the
closet; announced that the
show would remain un
changed, but reblocked the
nude scenes to avoid pro
secution; alienated what few
friends they had among the
local press; paid about half
the agreed-upon rental for
the building in which they
performed; left bad checks,
bad debts, and bad feelings
all over town; declared
bankruptcy and left with
their “puppy dog tails”
tucked between their legs.
If producer Jim Gordon
should get it together again
and bring a show to your
town, watch out!
