Philadelphia Daily News from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 27

Sept. 3. 1976 Phila. Daily News 35 Critic's Choice Theater critic Jonathan Takiff recommends: Movie reviewer Joe Baltake recommends: TV Critic Jim O'Brien recommends: Among Satur 1 neam anniversary revival of "The King and at Val- mt "The Omen" (R) An intoxicating and often quite brilliant day's re-runs is a theater film you might have missed It's "Night of the Hunter" with Robert Mitchum at 9 p.m. on Channel 17.

The re-runs include a good "Jeffersons" at 8 on Channel 10 and Bob Newhart at 9:30 on the same chnnnpl SnnH. JBt-' "i-Nv icji ruige music rair mat macho-magnetic personality Yul Brynner is back and something wonderful as the Siamese monarch, shading his performance with ample doses of warmth and cocky willfullness Constance Towers is the charming and graceful English school marm who tries, with mixed luck, to school the royal children in western civilization, and to show the king a thing or two about women. Rodgers and Hammerstein's seemless union of book and music remains a Classic the mpmnrnhlo cnnnc psychological thriller on the possibility of the existence of an anti-Christ. David Seltzer's original script is fine competent, straightforward and familiar, but it's Richard Donner's direction and his artistic eye that bring out the "special" here. Chief attraction is Gregory Peck's superb delineation of an intelligent man slowly sinking into a kind of inescapable madness.

This is q.une possibly the finest screen acting you'll see this year. Also first-rate is Stuart Baird's editing of the film's -P i those who like westerns could sample' "Seven Alone," a true story about a family making the hard trek across the Continent. It's on Channel 6 at 7 p.m. At 10, the Canada Cup hockey competition gets local with the U.S. vs.

Canada at 10 p.m. on Channel 12. At 11:30, it's the Jerry Lewis telethon on Channel 6. Takiff Baltake more harrowing sequences. (Eric's great abundance, and the rendering is unusually sump-tous A musical choice: Page 38.

Place) An old Favorite Page 40 O'Brien azzmen Will Play for by Hacket 5 I -r-: '-art: NYls Nelson if Cornetist Bobby Hackett making gorgeous music. The late Bobby Hackett was a sumptuous musician and a lousy businessman. "Bobby never made any money commensurate with his talent," Jack Stine was saying the other day. In his temporal life, Stine runs a liquor store in downtown Pluckemin, N.J. Spiritually, he is the grand sachem of jazz fandom in northern New Jersey.

"What Bobby needed was a manager. Sombody would call Bobby about a job and Bobby would say, 'Sure, I'll be Sometimes it cost him more money to get to the job than he made." Cornetist Hackett may have made more gorgeous music and bad deals than any musician of his generation. The Music Corp of America set him up with a big band in 1939 at the crest of the swing era The band did not catch on, and Hackett ended up heavily in debt to MCA. He worked for about a year as a sideman in Horace Heidt's orchestra before Glenn Miller rescued him, after a fashion. Miller also persuaded MCA to absorb some of Bobby's debt.

No one knows what kind of arrangement Jackie Gleason made with Hackett when he engaged him as the soloist for his highly popular 1950s "mood" albums. He very likely compensated Hackett well. It seems less likely there was any royalty consideration for Hackett, without whose horn the records would have The first thing a musician's friends do after the obsequies is to wonder how his widow is going to pay the mortgage. They want to help. The difficulty is, most of his friends are musicians.

been quite ordinary. Not too long ago, Hackett and his wife Edna acquired unaccustomed roots. They bought a house on Cape Cod, taking out a sizable mortgage and all but exhausting their savings for the down payment. There were other substantial debts. A report circulated after Bobby's death last June that Internal Revenue had placed a $25,000 lien against the house.

"Bobby died at a time when his finances were at a low ebb," said Stine, adding wryly: "As though we could pick a 'more favorable time' to die." It is an old story. More often than not, the first thing a musician's friends do after the obsequies is to wonder how his widow is going to pay the mortgage. They want to help. The difficulty Is, most of the friends are musicians. But they have their horns (frequently free and clear of the Installment loan), and that is how Stine came to hear recently from Warren Vache a Railway bass player relli, Dick Wellstood, Max Kamin-sky, Clarence Hutchenrider, Vic Dickenson, Dick Hyman, Doc Cheatham, Cliff Leeman, John Bunch, Johnny Mince, George Duvivier, Al Hall, Bennie Morton, Bill Challis and a host of talented Jerseyans, not the least of which is Bill Hyland, the state attorney general and a most competent clarinetist.

"Be There for Bobby" aims for a minimum $10,000 benefaction for Edna Hackett on Sept. 19. Vache and Stine advise tickets in advance ($10 donation suggested) from (Mrs.) Bert McSeveney, 51 Woodland Verona, N.J. 07044 (telephone, area code 201, 239-0838). Checks payable to the New Jersey Jazz Society.

"We're starting at 1:30 and are probably going to shoot for four hours now, maybe it will be six," said Vache. "1 have an idea we're going to need wall-benders." Big Band Notes The Radio Information Center for with the smarts to double as a musical instrument manufactuers' representative. Vache and Stine put their heads together and set up a "Be There for Bobby" benefit. It is to be held on Sunday. Sept.

19, at the famed old Meadowbrook you know the place: "On the Pompton Turnpike between Cedar Grove and Montclair, N. as the remote announcers used to say. It's not called the Pompton Turnpike much any more just plain Route 23. The Meadowbrook has seen service lately as a discotheque and theater-restaurant. It is said to have a sit-down capacity of about 1,000.

"What I did was line up the talent," said Vache. "There'll be a million dollars' worth." The World's Greatest Jazz Band (Bob Haggart and Yank Lawson) and Marian McPartland are definite. Others who say they'll show in the gratis lineup included ex-Basieites Buck Clayton and Buddy Tate, Herb Hall, Claude Hopkins, Bucky Pizza- the Blind. 919 Walnut plans a regular broadcast spotlighting the big band years. The center wants to borrow recordings from that era for taping and future broadcast Please contact Bill McDonald at the center, 922-5450..