Longview News-Journal from Longview, Texas • Page 110

LONGVIEW MORNING JOURNAL Sunday, July 1 6, 1 978 3-1 Darren McGavin And Wife Team Up On Film portion cf a large mosaic," Darren added. "Your own film is so total, so demand- Kathie piped in, "We work very closely; creatively we are a good counter balance for each. other." "Zero to Sixty" produced by KBCO, Kathie's company, is comedy. Darren "It's very delicate. It's the Hudson Brothers' first film.

They've always done a variety act. As performers, they're a cross between the Marx Brothers and the Sweathogs. Of course, Sylvia Miles is hysterical, too. Basically, it's about -a divorced, middle-aged "The Night Stalker" and "The Night Strangles" He's also done TV movies. "It's a funny business, built on friendship," he explained.

"Old friends kept calling for pilot movies. We picked and chose. They were the thing to do at the time." Now, he continued, "TV miniseries are en passant and around." Again, it's "old friends" who sign him on. "I have a nice relationship with Walt Disney Productions. It's the most congenial place in the industry to work.

Thy own totally what they do.lThey own the time, and they work a long time on scripts, which are mostly superior." Two about-to-be-released Disney movies feature Darren McGavin: "Hot Lead and Cold Feet," suspense films. "It's more fun to make a cpmedy," Kathie said. "I'd work with the Hudson Brothers and Sylvia Miles than introverted, suffering types. People so desperately want to laugh. It's fun.

We get all our friends into a work situation." "It's physical comedy," Darren interjected. "We shot the repossession of an entire used car lot in the worst rain storm in California's history" Always at hand with a descriptive comparison, he continued: "Producing is like being at bat at the last game in the World Series with three pitchers throwing balls at you. You never know what's going to happen." Novel, To Be Movie "Links," a new novel by Charles Panati, former Science Editor of Newsweek Magazine, has been acquired by United Artists and Producers Herb Jaffe and Gabriel Katzka for development as a major motion picture, Tiie Katxka-Jaffe profuction of ''Who ll Stop the Rain." also for" Artists release. starrin-Nick 'Nolle, Tuesday-Weld, and Michael Moriarity, will open in theatres throughout the United States and Canada in early August. United Artists is a Tran-samerica Company.

business man (Darren) who finds himself repos- sessing automobiles. His partner is a worldly 16-year-old girl played by J-ienise Nickerson. which is scheduled for August release, and iiiwniMittiiiirwiiMM "What we had bought," said Darren, "was the repossession they had to come up with everything but that idea. "We built scenes to make them work. The script was in a constant state of flux; we wrote all the dialogue.

"They have to start hiding the cars," said Darren. "And there's a funny French farce in one door and out the other when Denise catches me with Joan Collins. The whole picture is high comedy." I asked if they'd rather produce comedy or "Donavan's Kid," which will air on TV during the 78-79 season. Darren and his wife are trying to divorce themselves from making money for other people. They have formed their own production company, which includes three subsidaries Entertainment Complex, KBCO, and McGavin and are investing in scripts.

"Some people buy stocks, or real estate, or jewelry," said Kathie. "We buy scripts." "An actor is only a small Darren McGavin has always been a popular movie actor. He's also actively involved with his wife, Kathie Browne, in the; production of his own films. loser fighting an uphill battle for justice." From "The Outsider" Darren went on to do two thrillers, which Kathie called "college camp" play a doctor, a lawyer or a private detective. In 'The Outsider' series I had a beat-up old car, my telephone was in the refrigerator.

In essence, I was the By Joan Geoghegan Darren McGavin and his wife Kathie Browne are two very busy people. Recently, they stopped over in New York on their way to London. They were promoting their new movie, "Zero to Sixty," a comedy, which Kathie produced and Darren stars in. It will be released towards the beginning of August. I met them in the Russian Tea Room, a venerable New York hang-out for ballet and stage greats.

Pipe in hand, the casually attired Darren settled in as raconteur. Kathie was pert in a straw hat and jersey dress, her silvery blonde hair hanging straight to her shoulders. Yet, she deferred to her husband's account of his TV history. Darren has a date pending in London with the ABC miniseries production of "IKE," a six-hour dramatization of General Eisenhower's WW II years, in which he plays General George C. Patton.

Asked how he felt about following in the Academy Award-winning footsteps of George C. Scott, Darren replied, "I'm delighted." He added that they'd had just finished shooting the North Africa scenes in Barstow, California; the rest of the miniseries would be wrapped up in London. His second ABC miniseries, "The Users," will air over the upcoming season, In this tale of intrigue in a Hollywood social climber's life, Darren plays, "a combination Norman Mailer-Ernest Hemingway Womanizer. I'm the last obstacle she has to climb over to reach her pinnacle. It's a roman a clef." Darren is a theatrical actor who broke into television back in the 40s with "Studio 1," "Kraft Theater" and other shows, which were broadcast live from New York.

His first series role was as the Mickey Spillane detective "Mike. Hammer," from 1958 to 1959. According to Darren, "I was the first anti-hero private detettive. It was an 'if the broad doesn't talk you hit her in the mouth' sort of humor." "Clearly before the feminist movement," Kathie added. Darren went on to the "Riverboat" series in 59 and 60, then spent four or five years dividing his time between Broadway theater and California films.

He didn't return to a TV series until 1969 when he did "The Outsider" for WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH on THE DAY OF WORSHIP? 0757-5797 Bible You Can Dial and hear a Bible scholar discuss this (plus over 1 00 other Bible topics) any day between 1 p.m.-lO p.m. These are a few of the library's 5-minute discussions you can hear on your phone by merely dialing 757-5797 and requesting any topic by number: Which2 166. Should the Lord Supper Be Observed Every Sunday 78. The Church fc-'ls Attendance Essential? 55. The Sabbath or the Lord's Day 58.

Instrumental Music In Worship WHAT IS BIBLE CALL Bib. is public service Religious Information Library consisting of hundreds of different five-minujte tape record messages on a wide variety of Bible subjects. The Library is arranged to provide a means by which the public can cjuickly and accurately locate Bible information on almost any important topic. This may be done by simply calling 757-5797. and asking the tape librarian to play a recording of any if the subjects.

New subjects are also constantly being Padded as the! Library continues to At any other' hour than 1 p.m.-lO p.m. you may hear three different selected tapes by dialing 757-5797, 757-5798, or 757-5799. i NBC. Unfortunately, Darren! Explained, "There were a lot of assassinations that year, NBC was scared of violence." The series only lasted one season. I "flow many forms for a TV series are there?" Darren parried, when his television detective stereotype was pointed out "You can i A i I '1.