The Kokomo Tribune from Kokomo, Indiana • Page 20

2 Kokomo (Ind.) Tribune Saturday, May 30, 1981 Role of Curley has been a dream for Dan Hahn Don Hahn of Peru will play the leading role of Curly in "Oklahoma," scheduled for the Enchanted Hills Playhouse summer opener, June 17-28. Hahn most recently portrayed Freddy Eynsford-Hill in the Kokomo Civic Theater production of "My Fair Lady." Opposite Hahn in "Oklahoma" will be Myrona Laws of Valparaiso in the part of "Laurey." The comic lovers, Will Parker and Ado Annie, will be played by Randy Clinker of Silver Lake, and Susan Sams of Cincinnati. Other comic relief will be supplied by two Chicago area performers, Suzanne Frcshley as Aunt Eller and Darryl Maximilian Robinson as Ali Hakim. Playing the villain Jud Fry will be Tom Lamb of Ann Arbor, Mich. Rounding out the cast is David Kiefer of Nap- pance as Andrew Carnes.

Following Oklahoma's productions June 17-21 and June 24-28 at Enchanted Hills Playhouse, Syracuse, will be Oliver, July 1-5, 8-12; The Fantasticks, July 15-19; The Time of Your Life, July 22-26; Kiss Me Kate, July 29-Aug. 2, Aug. 5-9, and Show Boat, Aug. 12-16, 1923. Hahn said he has dreamed of playing the role of "Curly" since he first saw the movie at the age of up on the farm at Winamac gave him countless hours of "field-work" to sing to his heart's content.

He began singing at the age of 2 when he and his mother provided the entertainment at a local Farm Bureau Christmas party. After that, he entered and won numerous amateur and from then on he said all he had on his mind was singing. He plans to move to New York in September to continue his acting and singing career. A 1975 graduate of Winamac Community High School, Hahn was a music education major at Ball State University and a member of the Ball State Singers before leaving school to pursue his professional career. A six-month run at Musicana Supper- club in Vero Beach, led to two years at Opryland USA where he was a singer-dancer in Show Boat in 1977 and 1978.

Aside from Opryland, he has appeared as a dancer on TV specials featuring Lucille Ball, Dolly Parton, Carol Burnett, Barbara Mandrell and Ronnie Milsap. He was in the TV movie "Murder in Music City" which starred Morgan Fairchild and Sonny Bono. He has appeared in several civic theater productions in Peru, Kokomo and Logansport. He portrayed Charlie in "Brigadoon," Littlechap in "Stop the World I want to Get Off," and Emcee in "Cabaret," which merited him a best supporting actor award. Curtain times for this year's productions at Enchanted Hills Playhouse are 8 p.m.

Wednesday through Friday, 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, and 7:30 p.m. on Sunday. After Monday, box office hours will be 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and persons interested may call 219-856-2328. Season tickets sold through June 21 will cost but $25 for the six shows.

A season ticket comes in the form of a coupon book which may be redeemed at any performance or all of them for one performance. Don Hahn Oklahoma's 'Curly' 31-year-old Spilsbury is 'new' Lone Ranger By Bob Thomas Associated Press HOLLYWOOD (AP) "Here I thought I would hand these out," said Klinton Spilsbury, passing a silver bullet with a shy grin. Unmasked, he is a 31-year-old with the startling good looks of a fashion model and an air of faint embarrassment over the events that have happened to him. On screen he is the 1981 Masked Marvel of "The Legend of the Lone Ranger," the Lord Grade-Jack Wrather production being released this month by Universal Pictures. Spilsbury may well find himself in a no-win situation.

"Lone Ranger" purists consider him an upstart who has deposed the aging Clayton Moore. The new movie is not the kind that will win the hearts of the nation's critics, and Spilsbury is likely to get wounded in the crossfire. Yet he probably deserves better than the fate of dispensing silver bullets on publicity tours. He appears to be a thoughtful, dedicated, ambitious actor who can offer more than a pretty face. Enough of a defense let him speak for himself.

He does that quite well. "Before the movie, I had two minor parts in television, and I mean minor," he admitted before embarking on the publicity tour. "I studied acting for six years, both here and in New York. There were some lean times, but I nev- 'Klinton- Spilsbury Passes out silver bullets er starved. Jobs at burger stands helped get me through.

At other times I ate rice a lot two weeks at a time. It's a family recipe: rice and tomato sauce. "My parents had always accused me of never following through on things. This was one time when I was determined to show them I could follow through." The Spilsburys are a remarkable clan. There are six children, with uniquely spelled middle names by which they are known: Kellie, Klinton, Kris, Karlie, Kennic, Kourtney.

The father was a football star, then head coach at the University of Northern Arizona. Klinton was born in Tucscon but spent much of his childhood on a family ranch a Chihuahua, Mexico. That refutes the Clayton Moore partisans who claim the newcomer couldn't even ride a horse. With only a TV movie and a bit on "Lou Grant" as experience, Spilsbury was being considered during a brief period of time for Flash Gordon, Tarzan and the Lone Ranger. The first two fizzled out, the Lone Ranger was on "hold" for six months.

"I tested the first time, then they brought me back four months later and did some more tests," he recalled. "They never gave me too much encouragement; I was given the impression that I was the last of 99 being considered. I suppose they didn't want me to get my hopes up, "I guess one of the things holding up the deal was that I wouldn't sign for a television scries as well. I guess I was naive, but I figured that I didn't want to enter something that wasn't going to work on its own." Spilsbury told his agent no chance remained. Eleven days before shooting was to he received a ball from the director, William Fraker, who asked him how much money he- had.

"Twenty dollars," said the actor. "Go buy yourself some silver bullets," Fraker said. While" no "Heaven's Gate," "The Legend of the Lone Ranger" had its problems. Five script writers received credit, and Spilsbury said the final script contained only four white pages the rest were revisions of various hues. Last summer's strike of film actors caused a shooting hiatus.

After many test previews, the producers decided to dub many of Spilsbury's lines with the voice of James Reach. Spilsbury is understandably resentful: "They wouldn't have hired me if they hadn't liked my voice." He said he considers that he gave his best possible effort, as is the family tradition. Only one thing perplexed him: the Ranger's mask. "I couldn't look in the mirror when I had the mask on," he admitted. "I finally asked them to lower the mirror.

As to the justification for the mask, I'm still not certain what it is." Ustinov stars HOLLYWOOD (AP) Peter Ustinov stars in Agatha Christie's "Evil Under the Sun," which goes into production on the Mediterranean island of Majorca shortly. Ustinov repeats his role from "Death on the Nile" as master sleuth Hercule Peirot. The movie also stars Jane Birkin, Colin Blakely, James Mason, Roddy McDowall, Sylvia Miles, Denis Quilley, pj a nq Rjgg and Maggie Smith,.