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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!