Austin American-Statesman from Austin, Texas • 29

Austin, Texas Page C5 The Austin American-Statesman Friday, June 4, 1976 irector's Texana saves 'Small Town9; 'Won Ton Ton9 can9t be save Clyde scene, and.no Getaway-style moral copout. Small Town in Texas," rated PG, profanity, some violence; at Fox Twin.) by Susan George. The three represent such celebrated films as "The Last Picture Show," "American Grafit-ti" and "Straw Dogs." Hopkins, who has mastered the redneck swagger By PATRICK TAGGART Amusements Editor "I never have been given a good script," mumbled Jack Starrett, director of "A Small Town in Texas," last winter in Lockhart. That much we know for sure. What we don't know is how good adirector Starrett against him, he had good actors to serve as a buffer.

Timothy Bottoms stars as a young ex-con, returning to the small town after serving a rap for possession of marijuana. He was sent up by the sheriff, played by Bo Hopkins, who has taken up with Bottoms' girlfriend, played without sounding strained. Starrett even wrote in an entire scene at the beginning of the movie in which a drunk farmer (played by Starrett) roars up to a stop in his pickup, stumbles out of the vehicle and pumps away at it with a pistol. If the story worked out with was bad on top of bad. William Norton's screenplay, the director complained, didn't sound Texan enough, and Starrett rewrote scenes daily.

And it is this feel for Texana at which Starrett excels. The dialogue has the right twang and cadence, would be with a good script, but I have a hunch he would emerge far better with a decent story and a better budget than he had for American International's rural ac-tioner filmed in and around Kyle, Wimeberly, Lockhart and San Marcos. The script Starrett started of old movie send-ups and their stars. The film stars Art Carney, Bruce Dern and Madeline Kahn fine performers all, and one can take away some enjoyment in their zestful performances. And there are some good tricks involving the dog, which should turn on the kids and people who go soft over dogs.

But director Winner has given the film such a ragged, patchwork quality that the plot becomes a hopleless muddle (as if it needed any help in that direction), and there are only three really good jokes in the entire thing. And three good gags do not a comedy make. it's a mark of intelligence, if not professionalism, that it shows. But the real stars of the film are the stunt men, and they provide thrills galore. There are enough car crashes and auto-motorcycle chases and jumps to keep a destruction junkie high for a week.

Starrett was unabashedly enthusiastic about this element of his picture, and it shows. Except for the sloppy mounting of the final crash, the fast-action footage is slick and entertaining. And finally, we can thank somebody "for saving the limp ending by having Bottoms and George returning to town to clear themselves. No nihilistic Bonnie and Infinitely larger in budget and promotion and thoroughly disappointing is Michael Winner's amateurish "Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood." Both a parody and a reverent comedy (it never does seem to find a single direction) about Hollywood in the 1920s, Paramount Pictures has assembled a huge cast of old movie greats for a sloppy and unfunny parade Parks begins 4Ninja5 review down to the point of parody, is perfectly comfortable in his role as a corrupt young law enforcement officer eager to fatten his wallet. And George, a Briton, gets a firm grip on the Southwestern accent, and makes a convincing case of a woman torn between two men.

Bottoms has flashes of greatness here and there, but on the whole he seems to be less than awestruck by the whole enterprise, and I Democrat yr for state representative Kit-, i 3 TPANS TEXAS MIS-NIGHT CHOW TCHKMfT! DOORS OPEN 11 30P.M. ADMISION $1.25 i RrjOffpw co'ngriss I fOjlAMxliiliF 4 72 2821 -ff V'- J-'S Gerald Hill is an active concerned leader in cur community! 9 Member, Board of Directors, U.S. Jay-cees Pcst President, United Cerebral Palsy of the Capitol area Member, Austin Council on Alcoholism Austin businessman, operating the business founded by his father 25 years ago. Production has begun in Texas this week on "Ninja," an action-adventure feature dealing with espionage and intrigue, produced and directed by David Parks, head of Texas-based Par-urns Productions, Ltd. Parks, son of author and film maker Gordon Parks, chose Texas for the setting of his film when he was here last year on location with the cast and crew of his father's recent film, "Lead-belly." Parks has since opened permanent offices in Austin.

Final casting on "Ninja" is scheduled to be completed this week, according to Parks, with filming on location in Austin, Houston and the Big Bend Country of West Texas to start June 20. MATINEES EVERY DAYI OPEN 12:45 Exciting Double Feature AT Rudy Ray Moore Also! On the Same Program: CHAPTE8 3 "EiZK TBACY'S C-fclSH" Starring: RALPH BYRD TPANS TTXAS $1.50 Tit ftrOO DOORS OPEN 200 ii ii FEATURES 2 '5-3 45-515 DOLEMITE Li St- 4 ii64 (ft) 'n 'J" it i'ft "ThePrivate Afternoons of 4 PLUS! at Fred Williamson "BOSS Pamela Mann" RATED ONE WEEK ONLYI The Hill Family Gerald's Parents, Mr. Mrs. Clyde Hill Julie, Donna, Gerald, Carolee STEERING COMMITTEE: PRESIDIO THEATRES Benefit for guild at Estate Us four state representative, Gerald Hill will work for: A permanent solution to the high cost of utilities on the state level, Setting new priorities so that new taxation will not be necessary. Better state government, instead of bigger state government.

For lt's GEORGE SEGAL and GOLDIE HAWN conning their way through the old west in a brisk and bawdy comedy. 1 LES GAGE BUDDY DRYDEN LINDA McMURTRY REV. MALCOLM RIKER DAN BRAIN ARD DAN VALDEZ DR. WILLIAM KYDEN ANNESTOLL HMKOBBS GERI PARSONS RALPH KELLER HUB BECHTOL FRANCE BARBARA PANZER LOUIS HENNA RON MULLEN MRS. PAGE KEETON DAN GARDNER LEE COOKE MRS.

JOHN MOBLEY REV. WILL SPONG FRED McN AIR DEANE ARMSTRONG BUFORD LANKFORD DOLLY GOLDEN BREYFOGLE cM Love is the greatest 0 firlrenture of all. 1 El-x SEAN CONNERY AUDREY HEPBURN 4 A concert benefitting the Entertainers Information Guild will be held beginning at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at The Country Estate. Billed as "A Day in the Country," the concert will feature Asleep at the Wheel, T.

Gosney Thornton, Kurt Van Sickle, McCuIlough Saw Turk Pipkin, Rick Stein, Reynolds Sisters the New Oso Band and Steve Fromholz. The Guild is a non-profit co-operative, designed as an information service for musicians, club owners and "anyone who asks." Admission to the concert is $2, with air proceeds going to the Guild. The Country Estate is located at the Slaughter Creek overpass on IH 35 South. 1.3 mm fe theDUGHESSand theDIRTWATER f.u ROBERT SHAW 'X IPG IMtMJLdfcLli A jyiiqHSTTl WOODY ALLEN I $EMllWmtfm TRIPLE FEATURE'! A for State Representative Pd. Pol.

M. lor Grald Hill. I72S W. Anderson HoiUn, Texas 78758 9 FROST BROS. ACADEMY I twsatiotssi 1 BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY US! THE MAN WHO SKIED DOWN EVEREST is surely the most inspired and beautiful adventure on film.

Definitely for all at all ages bananas" PG llv ft Sw "EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEX "BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK" THEVMN 'j i. rnrrr EVEREST "leepe2f J6 EVERY FRIDAY EES AND SATURDAY 4 mm '1 Ingmar Bergman's SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE staring UV ULLMANN 4 3 -sea REDUCED PRICES TIL 6:00 MON. FRI. PG FREE PARKING IN DOBIE OARAGE $1.25 (FRI. SAT.

$1.50) ROBERT DEN1RO 10, 1 land 12. HAROLD crd MAUDE 7iAI WEE SHORT SUBJECTS. Playing nowto rave reviewsby summer audiences. Cool polyester in nun inllnYufrhtlflr fifn JJcitdc 1H DO Qnnrf Qhrr Mrtrthrrrcc Mall 1.