Film from page 15
and the wimp's mother (the charming Jane Kaczmarek, squardered here). See, the idea is mother was carrying son when Bobby bought it which implies a fatal miscalculation on the part of the writers; if Bobby died in 1960, wouldn't that make Lenny twenty-five? Of course, the kid could have been held back in school, which, considering the quality of Gedrick's performance, isn't wildly improbable. The matte work sucks too.
Near Miss
Kerouac✩✩
At the Lumiere
O
Required viewing for all Beat Generation enthusiasts, this part dramatic, part factual treatment of the life of novelist Jack Kerouac offers a lucid account of his formative years, his long struggle for literary success (contrary to his public reputation as an overnight phenomenom), and his pathetic decline and early death. The filmmakers use the numerous shapshots and portraits that were taken of Kerouac, as well as interviews with writers and others who knew him, which should provide insights into this misunderstood genius even for those who are familiar with his life and work. But the film stumbles badly when it attempts to recreate Kerouac's life, in a wordless narrative woven through the biographical material, with a sadly miscast young actor who simply can't bring to the part the range of contradictions that were. Kerouac's alone, and, ultimately, his undoing.
Salvador Dali once described Kerouac as "the handsomest man alive" and the photographs give you some idea what he was getting at, but it's in a brief video clip from the old Steve Allen show, with Allen accom-
BROADWAY DANCES!
panying Kerouac on the piano while Kerouac reads from On The Road, that we get a glimpse of the Kerouac those around him knew and loved and the filmmakers missed. The reading comes in the final minutes of the film, and it's worth waiting through the often inept "dramalogue" to get to it.
Let This 'Shoe' Drop
O
the CIA. Never mind that an outfit as wildly incompetent as the loose group of misfits Coleman heads wouldn't last five minutes on the job, there's something really offensive about a film that wants us to see America's KGB as the stuff of cute comic writing. That reaction is intensified by the relentlessly unfunny pranks and mishaps Coleman's bumbling underlings set in motion.
Durning misleads Coleman into thinking he's got a surprise witness for a congressional hearing on Coleman's dirty tricks when it's obvious his The Man with One Red Shoe shenanigans would have landed him on
At the Alexander
With his bee-stung lips, baby blue eyes and button nose, Tom Hanks makes an attractive brunette (nice buns too); he's shown a genuine talent for comedy as well (in Splash!), which may explain his obvious lack of enthusiasm for this turgid tale of spies and conspiracy.
Shoe is the third in a series of uninspired adaptations of popular French comedies by a French producer, the press packet notes, who made his fortune "in French fashion and California real estate."
Dabney Coleman plays a super-secret CIA honcho with designs on the job of Charles Durning, who plays the head of
DIRECT FROM NEW YORK! SEE THE BEST FROM BROADWAY MUSICALS
Ron Hartman and Jan Fuschak present
Lee Theodore's
the american dancemachine
-London Sunday Telegraph-
-Walter Kerr. New York Times
"SUPERB DANCE NUMBERS...HERE IS A SHOW THAT KNOWS HOW TO 'WOW' THE AUDIENCE, TO 'KNOCK THEM COLD' IN THE AISLES, TO SEND THEM OUT HAPPY AND LAUGHING!" "GO FOR THE SHEER EXHILIRATION. YOU'LL GET IT!"
the front page (or the comics section) ages ago. Durning sends his aide (the talented Ed Herrmann, who's plainly at a loss to discover his motivation) to pick out a stranger for the role, and Herrmann picks Hanks, who's getting off a plane wearing shoes that don't matchthe whole point of the title.
Lori Singer, who has screen presence
until she opens her mouth gets saddled with the role of the female. "bait" of the operation, as well as a nasty bit of business when she gets her hair caught painfully in the zipper of Hank's fly; she also has to cope with a role where she's obviously used for trading sex for secrets; her turnaround when she encounters Hanks is one of
A benefit for Cal Camp and EOP/AA
19TH U.C. BERKELEY
jazz
FESTIVAL
19th ANNUAL UC BERKELEY JAZZ FESTIVAL LABOR DAY WEEKEND 1985
Sunday, Sept. 1, 12 noon
Miles Davis McCoy Tyner Trio George Howard
Jeff Lorber Band Abdullah Ibrahim aka "Dollar Brand"
and Sextet Ekaya David Benoit Quartet
GREEK THEATRE
Monday, Sept. 2, 12 noon Herbie Hancock
with Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams
Pieces of A Dream Archie Shepp and Abbey Lincoln Stanley Jordan Jack DeJohnette's Special Edition
Dave Valentin Quartet
Festival Ticket $36 res/$30 general (til Aug. 3)
Sponsor Ticket Package $100
Tickets for each show $19.50 res/ $16.50 general (on sale Aug 4)
$2 discount/day UCB students
Tickets at all BASS Ticket Centers and A.S.U.C. Box Office. Charge by phone: (415)762-2277: (408)998-2277: (916) 395-2277. No bottles, cans, alcohol, or ice chests. No refunds or exchanges. For info call 642-7511. Airfares partially sponsored by World Airways.
ASUC SUPERB Productions
the least believable premises in this outlandishly unreal exercise in futility.
Jim Belushi, who persists in ghoulishly impersonating his late brother, plays a buddy of Hanks' with a taste for practical jokes, and Carrie Fisher who is almost unrecognizable (maybe she should stick with the Princess Leah hairdo) plays his wife, who's got the hots for Hanks.
The rest of the action involves Coleman's minions' bumbling attempts to find out what Hank is up to, and failing that, to eliminate him.
If you can buy that kindly Ed Herrmann, who decides to protect Hanks against Durning's orders, replaces Durning at the finish as head of the Agency, I've got a bridge to sell you.
Turistas
National Lampoon's European Vacation✩
At the UA Coronet
Proving she can make mindless, pointless entertainment just as well as the rest of the guys, director Amy Heckerling's sequel effort falls somewhere between her two other features, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Johnny Dangerously. Vacation, in other words, is neither a hit (the former) of a miss (the latter).
Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo reprise their roles as a "real bunch of American assholes" (a running gag; the Europeans smilingly insult them and subtitles let us in on the joke). Playing our side, instead of the foreigners, as stereotypes makes for a pleasant switch, but the film's humor is predictable and short on the verbal kind. Chase is more effective when he acts like he knows he's being funny, and if D'Angelo overacts any more, she's due for a stroke.
SEW/Lorraine Hansberry Theatre presents the world premiere of
AIR GUITAR
a musical fantasy
CPA Albert "Wah Wah" Jackson is catapulted into the dreamworld of
rock 'n roll stardom.
by Robert Alexander co-author SF Mime Troupe's SECRETS IN THE SAND Music: David & Jabari Allen original members of the UNITS Choreography: Evelyn Thomas from original B'way cast of THE WIZ Director: Clinton Turner Davis Guest Director, Negro Ensemble Co.
JULY 12-28
3 WEEKS ONLY! Thurs-Sat 8pm, Sun 3pm Sun July 14 8pm only Previews: July 10&11 8pm
Little Theatre, SF State Univ.
1600 Holloway at Tapia
Thurs & Sun $7, Fri & Sat $8 Tickets at BASS outlets 762-BASS STBS and at the Door Box Office Info: (415) 474-8800
Co-sponsored by SFSU School of Creative Arts
HOSTED BY CYD CHARISSE
(THROUGH AUGUST 4 ONLY)
GROUP SALES: (415) 474-9460 TICKETS AT DOWNTOWN CENTER BOX OFFICE (325 MASON, SF). TICKETRON, BASS AND MAJOR AGENCIES TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY 8PM, SUNDAY 7PM, SATURDAY & SUNDAY MATINEES 2PM: ALL SEATS $24
NOW THROUGH SEPTEMBER 1 ONLY
A TRADITION IN QUALITY ENTERTAINMENT
MARINES MEMORIAL THEATRE
609 SUTTER AT MASON, SF (2 BLOCKS FROM UNION SQUARE)
UNDER THE GENERAL DIRECTION OF CHARLES DUGGAN
CHARGE NOW BY PHONE:
(415) 771-6900
16 Sentinel USA August 1, 1985
TOTAL DENTAL CARE TEAM
GENTLE DENTISTRY
Dr. James L.White 397-1004
GGBA 490 Post Street, Suite 1428
Lucy Megali
"Godmother III from South Philly," Jan. 20, 1923-July 19, 1983. You've left a void in our lives that can never be filled, but you'll always be with us in spirit. Our eternal love, gratitude and admiration. Your loving Michael and Nancy.