The San Francisco Examiner from San Francisco, California • 49

(The Arts mn Sept. 21, 1982 S.F. EXAMINER E5 By Richard Pontzious Examiner music critic I I tu r-" 11 AKLAND Musicians and music lovers remembered vtn Simmons last night in a way that one can only pre 0 sume he would have liked best as an extraordinary musi i it '7f i NBC lucky Roonoy was absent HOLLYWOOD It's lucky for NBC that Mickey Rooney wasn't on hand to pick up his Emmy for his CBS movie, coasidering the mood he's in, Mick might just have used the Emmy mikes to blast the Peacock Network. The 62-year-old actor is still furious that NBC canceled his "One of the Boys" series after airing 13 segments. The axing proved to him 'that network is diligently courting the failure business." And he adds, "Our show wasn't given a bloody chance." To hear him tell it, "Boys" wasn't given a chance because it was the "baby" of Grant Tinker's NBC predecessor, Fred Silverman.

"Because Tinker had nothing to do ith the series," sounds off Rooney, "he wanted to see to it that it failed. I let him know his entire outfit stunk. And I still say "ri they stink. I forgive them, I but I wont forget them." I He doesnt seem very forgiving of "Boys" ,5 producers Saul Turtcltaub cian who loved music and the Oakland Symphony. It was billed as a "Memorial Concert," but the program was hardly an event for tears.

Rather, by its very nature, It was cause for celebrating the achievements of a young man who, in a few short years, made something special of the Oakland Symphony and repeatedly treated concert goers to programs of such exceptional excellence that he was frequently the talk of the musical town. Who can forget Simmons' thrilling account of the powerful Shostakovich Eighth Symphony, his seasitive reading of Benjamin Britten's "Les Illumination" on the same February program, or his marvelously craft ed Brahms Second Symphony a month later? Simmons knew what he wanted from the music he played. He wasnt timid about trying the untried. He wasnt afraid to commit himself to an unorthodox interpretation. That's what made his music-maldng so exciting.

He didn't play things this way or that way just because somebody else did it that way, and he wouldnt be second guessed. Some of that musical derring-do was missing in last night's tribute to the late maestro, but in the performance of each of the nine programmed works, it wasnt the right or wrong notes one listened for, but the affection for Simmons in the spirit of those notes. The program began where Simmons began, with the San Francisco Boys Chorus under the direction of Madi Bacoa The chorus sang Mozart's "Ave Verum Corpus" and Ernst Bacon's "Ode to the United Nations," both of which were conducted by Simmons during his years as a member of the Boys Chorus. Next to pay homage was Kent Nagano, Simmons' assistant at the Oakland Symphony. Nagano led the orchestra in a lively account of Rossini's Overture to "La Cener-entola." Watching him work, I was reminded of how much time Simmons gave his young assistant and how willingly he'd given time to the orchestra's youth programs.

Examiner Chris Hardy Madi Bacon leads the Oakland Symphony and current and former members of the San Franciso? Boys Chorus in a rehearsal before last night's memorial concert There was a time when the Oakland Symphony stayed at home and expected an audience to come knocking. Under Simmons, the orchestra was out of the Paramount almost as much as it was in it. Orchestra and conductor played school concerts, parks concerts, concerts in the Valley if there was an audience, they played. As San Francisco Ballet's black conductor Denis De Coteau took the stage to lead the orchestra in the second movement of Dvorak's Eighth Symphony, it was impossible not to recall how much Simmons the black man meant to the city of Oakland. It was seldom talked about, but who can deny that the maestro's color was not a matter of pride to the residents of that city? Simmons had conducted the Dvorak Eighth Symphony with the Los Angeles Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orches- tra and in his first appearance in Oakland.

How much improved the orchestra sounded last season over that first day. Simmons' dedication to his band has raised its level of competence beyond all expectations. Before his death, the orchestra was looking at a new recording contract and, under Simmons, was finding itself increasingly in the national spotlight George Cleve's brisk account of Mozart's Overture to "The Magic Flute," Edo de Waart's jubilant interpretation of the last movement from Beethoven's Seventh Symphony and Joseph Liebling's moving reading of the third movement from Brahms' "German Requiem, with soloist John Del Carlo and the Memorial Concert Chorus, were additional reminders of how far the orchestra has come. According to a note in the program, Simmons had recently acquired a new apj-preciation for the music of Wagner. Fittingly, then, the program closed with two selections from the Wagner repertoire: "Wintej-sturme wichen dem Wonnemond," from "Die Walkure," Jess Thomas, soloist, and the Prelude to "Die Meistersinger von Nurn-berg." Kurt Herbert Adler, Simmons' mentor, conducted the two final works.

Again, there may have been tears, but. to be a true memorial to Simmons' work, the program has to be a celebration of all that he did for Oakland and for the Bay Area. There can be no greater tribute. and Bernie Orenstein. The way fiery Mick views it "They didnt have the guts to come to the fore and fight for us because we only represented one In the long assembly liae of turkeys they make except ours wasn't a turkey, it was a buildableshow." He has just completed a guesting with wife Jan on ABCs "Love Boat" Christmas special and doesnt seem particularly fond of those involved with that show, either.

He says he ended up enjoying the work, but that "the money was abominable I got them up to here it was merely terrible." if; Associated Press Kate Smith's appearance with Bob Hope was a major topic at the post-Emmys party REVIEW highlight 'Funeral Home' a frightful film By Allan Ulrich Examiner staff critic "Funeral Hom," in MPM release Barry Allen production, produced and directed by William Fruet, written by Ida Nelson, starring Kay Hawtry, Lesleh Donaldson and Barry Morse. A low-grade, low-temperature Canadian horror film, involving a guest house that used to be a tuneral home, an ominously cheery proprietress, a curious granddaughter and sundry visitors and busybodies, most of them dispatched in wearisome, predictable fashion. No suspense, little gore, few surprises. About as compelling as a browse through last year's seed catalog. Top ticket, $4.50.

At the St. Francia, Empire, Serramonte 6 and Geneva Drive-In. White House reporter; is new 'Today' anchor NEW YORK (LTD NBC White House correspondent John Palmer has been named news anchor on the Today-' program, replacing Chris Wallace, who will assume Palmer js post, NBC News President Reuven Frank said. Frank said the job changes, effective next Monday, were made in part to "further strengthen the news portions Today'." As co-anchor of "Today," Wallace, based in Washingtori has shared news anchor duties with Jane Pauley in New York. But Frank said Palmer would become the sole anchor of the news segments and be based in New York full-time rather than in Washington.

Pauley will remain on the show and concentrate on other duties. IKE ASBESTOS and natural gas before it, the Canadian government is probably counting on exported cinematic garbage to bolster the nation's economy in the coming decade, "Funeral Home," a particularly enervating chunk of celluloid trash (horror movie division) blew in to Bay Area All of this emerges about as suspenseful as browsing through last year's seed catalog. An unpleasant surprise in that the director is William Fruet, who, a few years ago, turned in a sensitive little film called "Wedding in White." Here, the plotting is predictable, the denouement tiresome, the violence perfunctory. The actors would appear to be reading their lines off a defective teleprompter, with everything photographed through a couple of layers of defective cheesecloth. In short, "Funeral Home" should be razed as quickly as possible.

"First class all iho way" OAKLAND TRIBUNE Sunday night's Emmy tribute to Kate Smith was the subject of a lot of conversation and mixed feelings among the crowd at the post-awards Board of Governors Ball, with reactions ranging from 'touching" to who reportedly suffers from diabetes and a heart condition, and who was declared incapable of handling her affairs several years ago, as whisked directly to the telecast and back to her hotel under the supervision of her doc-tor. But Emmy co-producer Dw ight Hemion reports, "I think she was very touched." And when Bob Hope wheeled the 75-year-old singer known as America's favorite songbird backstage, "there were tears in her eyes." Adam Rich, who rose to fame as the youngest member of the "Eight Is Enough" video clan, has just learned the hard way how cruel a business show business can be. Adam, who's now 14, has been fired from the cast of CBS's upcoming "The Tales of the Apple Dumpling Gang" series, ith no warning and just hours after he had been assured by network execs how much they loved his work. Adam had been signed for "Dumpling" after a pilot version of the show was made with another cast all of whom were replaced. The youngster tells me that when he reported for work the Friday before Labor Day, all the CBS brass were on hand for the reading and they told him he did well.

They also complimented him as he worked his way through the filming of two segments of the series, and last Thursday night, when he finished Segment Two, he was given his call sheet for the next day. When he arrived home from the studio Thursday evening, his agent was on the phone with the news that he had been fired from the series; the network had decided he was too old for the role no longer the "cute little Nicholas" whom "Eight Is Enough" audiences had come to know and love. Stepping in for Adam will be Keith Mitchell, who is 12 a very young looking 12 and was one of the actors who had made the pilot production of "Dumpling." Says Adam: "I don't feel good about it I was getting to be good friends with everyone on the show, but that's life." At least life as it's conducted in Hollywood. IN theaters over the weekend from north of the 49th Parallel. With any luck, it should waft its way back across the border before the week is out Even inveterate fans of the thrills-and-chills genre will fight to keep eyelids from drooping during this torpid 90-' minute opus.

There's this guest house, somewhere outside an Ontario town, which used to be a funeral parlor before the head honcho ran off with a young woman, deserting his wife, who in time has grown to resemble the lady in the Pillsbury powder biscuit commercial. Innocent granddaughter comes to visit and strange things start happening. A Porsche 924 is found buried under a haystack, an obnoxious couple visiting from the city takes a surprise midnight swim. The local handyman with a 98ent haircut skulks around bushes and licks his lips. A curious guest gets fileted.

And granddaughter hears strange, male voices in the cellar, where she is forbidden to enter. All the while, grandma makes paper flowers and cheerfully serves up chocolate cake and milk. One night, granddaughter finds the basement door open and. IT Nov baritono in 'Ballo' Puerto Rico-born baritone Pablo Elvira will make his San Francisco Opera debut as Captain Anckarstroem (Renato) in the season's final three performances of Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera" tomorrow at 7:30 and Saturday and Monday at 8 p.m. Elvira, who sings regularly with the Metropolitan and New York City Operas, replaces Silvano Carolli.

For ticket availability, call 8643330. mum Tonight at 8:00 TONIGHT AT 0:00 Ll THEATER GUIDE FOR DETAILS 015) 474-2009 If 11H1 TTTTTITim 8 ff "ITYTJiH "A krrvjrrt, MXrpjpy, MM aftnv, KCHSl Wkk.d and boy. TheOaklandBalletr.r1 Zellerbach Auditorium, Berkeley Sponsored by SUPERBASUC Friday, Sept. 24 Saturday, Sept. 25 rat 8 PM Les Biches NijinskaPoulenc (Premiere) The Tender Land LoringCopland Waterways EricksonTakemitsu (Premiere) Dvorak Dances GuidiDvorak (Premiere) if il hm ny.

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