The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 336

That show was supposed to was really intimidated by was John It's really quite good. Oh yeah, continually. The Urn 1 iwast beofluse.VWhA.wlH,f fKfrfwmw taeatetf 1 when 1 Mi iahMM4 offrfc'ihortey'wdsh't openirrg-ot me seconcr yea? eira; iurt Lancaster. What was your met him, "Sir John, you are an idol or I didn't feel like it This whole body of television I've done in the "90s is a whole kind of rebirth for me. It has been a magnificent time in my life.

During the Golden Age of Television, you directed such legends as Ingrid Bergman in "The Turn of the Screw" and John Giel-gud in "The Browning Version." Were you ever intimidated working with such great actors? I've got to tell you the one I Continued from Page 10 really doing good stuff and they're on the edge. We had complete creative control on "George Wallace," which we had on "Playhouse 90," too. Cable gives you complete creative control. At least, they do me. They give me final cut and they give me everything.

Had you had offers to return to TV over the years before you did "Against the Wall" in 1994? of mine. I don see how I can possibly direct you." He said: "Dear fellow, you don't really understand. This is the first time I am doing this television. I am terrified of it I need your help." You say that as a director in TV in the '50s, you could do almost anything you wanted. But you ran into censorship problems, especially with the 1958 "Playhouse 90" drama "A Town Has Turned to Dust." The shortest dister.ce fcetwttn two pscpie is a certain srr.ila.

house 90." It was supposed to be what happened to the men who killed Emmett Till, the civil rights worker. Then the sponsors told the network they would not sponsor it, it was too controversial. We had to rewrite it as a western. The Rod Steiger character was supposed to commit suicide, but four days before the show went on, the Prudential Insurance Co. said, "We are not going to sponsor a show where the principal character commits suicide." So we had to have him die from a gunshot wound.

Those things did happen, but they were few and far between. When you began making features in 1961, were you given the same control that you had on TV? I got very lucky in the fact that I had a string there of "The Birdman of Alcatraz," "All Fall Down," "The Manchurian Candidate," "Seven Days in May" and "The Train." "Manchurian" and "Seven Days" were subjects I had instigated with, in one case, producer-writer George Axelrod, and in the other case, producer Edward Lewis. Burt Lancaster asked me to do "The Train" and "Seconds" I did with Edward Lewis. In the '60s, I had a pretty good run and had lot of control and I am getting it again, thank God, because of these cable movies. I am going to do this movie for United Artists now in France which is a really good script, "Ro-nin." It's a character-action picture.

relationship like? He and I really got along well. He was a consummate professional and he was a very good actor. He was just such a professional man. He just wanted everybody to do the best he could do and he did the best he could do. Every day he was on the set, he tried as hard as he could.

I just loved working with him because his work ethic was so great, much like Gary Sinise in "Wallace." My favorite film of yours is "The Iceman Cometh," which had extremely limited release in 1973 as part of the short-lived "American Film Theatre" project You're introducing the screening at LACMA on Sept 26. Is this the first time it's been shown in L.A. since 1973? To the best of my knowledge, in California, this is the first time. I feel it's the best thing I have ever done. I care about that movie and am very passionate about that movie.

Are there any other films in the retrospective that has a special meaning for you? "Against the Wall" because of the subject matter and where it came in my life. That was the one which brought back my whole career. That was the one that just turned everything around for me. BE THERE "George Wallace" premieres Sunday and Tuesday on cable's TNT at 5, 7 and 9 p.m. NATALIE COLE fA- ife Greg linnear Lauren Holly The Works of Frankenheimer Screenings for "Directed by John Frankenheimer: The Television and Film At the Museum of Television Radio Today: "George Wallace" Friday-Sunday: "The Burning Season" Aug.

28-31: "Andersonville" Sept. 4-7: "Danger: Knife in the Dark" and "Playhouse 90: Old Man" Sept. 12-13: Bail Out at Forty-Three Thousand" and "Playhouse 90: Bomber's Moon" Sept. 19-20: Pale Horse, Pale Rider" and "Ford Startime-. TV's Finest Hour: 'The Turn of the Screw' Sept.

25-28 and Oct. 2-25: "Playhouse 90: Days of Wine and Roses" and "Playhouse 90: Journey to the Day" Oct. 9-12: "Climax! Portrait in Celluloid" and "Playhouse 90: The Comedian" Oct. 16-19: "Playhouse 90: The Last Tycoon" and "Playhouse 90: The Thundering Wave" Oct. 23-26: "You Are There: The Plot Against King Solomon" and "Playhouse 90: A Town Has Turned to Dust" Oct.

30-Nov. 2: "Climax! Deal a Blow" and "Playhouse 90: Forbidden Area" Nov. 6-9: "Buick Electra Playhouse: The Fifth Column" and "Buick Electra Playhouse: The Snows of Kilimanjaro" Nov. 13-16: "Playhouse 90: Clash by Night" and "Dupont Show of the Month: The Browning Version" Nov. 20-23: "Westinghouse Studio One in Hollywood: The Last Summer" and "Playhouse 90: Winter Dreams" Nov.

28-30 and Dec. 4: "Climax! To Wake at Midnight" and "Sunday Showcase: The American" Los Angeles County Museum of Art Sept 5: "Seven Days in May" and "Seconds" Sept 6: "Birdman of Alcatraz" and "I Walk the Line" Sept. 12: "52 Pick-Up" and "Black Sunday" Sept. 13: "Grand Prix" Sept 19: "The Train" Sept. 20: "The Manchurian Candidate" and "All Fall Down" Sept.

26: "The Iceman Cometh" The Museum of Television Radio, 465 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills. Admission is free for members; $6 for adults; 4 for students and senior citizens; and $3 for children under 13. Call for screening times: (310) 786-1025. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Bing Theater, 5905 Wilshire (213) 857-6010.

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