Daily News from New York, New York • 96

to Stepford Wives Tedious Experience world. "Wouldn't you," Joanna By JERRY OSTER as she grapples to find the secret Are there any men so threatened by the feminist movement en that they would prefer to kill their wives and live instead with robot facsimiles that walk and talk and clean and make love is asked by the, head of the robot factory, "like to come home to some perfect stud who would support your sagging flesh?" Makers. of popular films know their audiences and the makers of "The Stepford Wives" know that there are as many women who would answer yes to that question there are men who will look at the film's final scene For Brown Derby Hollywood, Feb. 12 (UPI) The Brown Derby restaurants, for nearly half a century hosts to movie stars and socialities, have been sold. Mrs.

Robert H. Cobb, the widow of one of the men who opened the Hollywood Brown Derby in 1929, said that she had sold the restaurants but will remain as the largest stockholder in the Brown Derby Corp. The new owner is Walter P. Scharfe, a vice president of Davre's, a restaurant-manage-mpnfc pottitmitiv that 5s a division and casseroles without a peep of "The Stepford Wives, a Columbia Pictures release in color. Produced by Edgar J.

Scherick and direoted by Bryan Forbes from a screenplay by William Goldman based on the novel by Ira Levin. Presented at Loews State and Loews Tower East and other neighborhood theaters. Running time: 1 hour, 36 minutes. MPAA rating: (Restricted under 17 not admitted without accompanying parent or adult guardian THE CAST: Joanna Ross Bobby Paula Prantisa Walter Peter AAasterson of Stepford. She is shown with her only friend, Bobby (unashamedly overacted by Paula Prentiss, who singlehandedly keeps the movie going until she is turned into a robot), prancing about with their bodies unfettered beneath cutoff jeans and skimpy tops in what amounts to a classic male misunderstanding of the essence of feminism.

WORSE STILL, while Stepford Wives" appears to be condemning what it describes a world that is a television commercial come to life it actually makes its strongest pitch for that protest 7 "The Stepord Wives," a film of Ira Levin's novel as adapted by William Goldman and directed by Brian Forbes, proposes a Con necticut commuter town full of of a supermarket full of tall, busty women dedicated to pleasing their sagging men, and think it, not a vision of horror, but of heaven. I of "Ara, Inc Carol Newman Charmaina T1" Louisa Dala Coba -Patrick O'Neal lightweight that it could not only such men, for whom happiness is a puppet. TO STEPFORD from Manhattan come the Eberharts Walter, Joanna and their children. Unlike her new neighbors, who cook up storms, wear lace blouses and long skirts and speak in TV commercialese, Joanna makes instant coffee, doesn't wear underwear and wants to ba a professional photographer. It doesn't take Walter Ion? to be put down, but torn in hall.

I know, because I did it, to save anyone else from its silliness. The filmmakers have padded the plot limns or! saunw ForThe World Premiere Performance of be convinced by the men of Step-ford that he'll wind ud maklne somewhat, succeeding only in making the experience even more tedious, but they have refrained from righting the book's failure to create characters or explain motivation. Joanna, played as a timid, uncertain kid by Katharine Ross, is so substanceless a character that one feels no sense of terror his own breakfast and taking care of the kids if he doesn't Sfet Joanna redone in plastic and transistors. LEVIN'S NOVEL was such a "THE CLASSIC -Vemon Scoff, UU A UNIVERSAL PICTURE pc 3 UFfOlTf -0iSSAU UA DUFFULO Ut LEFFtRTS Richmond mill QUARTET UA MESEROLE UA RIDCEWOOO ARG3, NC. SHOW tLMor PLAYHOUSE BAR HARBOUR UA BR00KHAVIN UAJOUEtt PLAZA UA NORTH BABYLON no.

ianuN UA NORTKPORT jfestchesteh; iflEWJIWiX TmNat i CINf 21 MJUIUS WSI.S.W tin rumijuMwi. N.Y. STATE I WAI TEH DI'f COMMUNITY FAMILY CINEMA HAltMAMK'9 SQUIRE CINEMA UA PLAYHOUSE UKJSU VILLAOK STATINfSUMO LITTLE CINEMA '2 mm, wl Super Slav Mlxcd Combo tors ketwtM hwt ami katt g-. for ker knrtlMr and kit V5 mm AN OTTO PREMINGER FILM Sunday Evening, March. 23rd at 8pm Plaza Theatre All Proceeds for the Benefit of THE FUTO FOR Premiere Sponsored by Otto Preminger, United Artists and The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association TICKET DONATION $20.00 (Tax Deductible) Reserved Seat Tickets For This Benefit Performance On Sale Daily at the Plaza Boxoffice.

Regular Performances of begin Monday, March 24th MMIuTUI K1 TTTPal THE UM Lvim CHILD SSa VIRA SAXBE ASULTS 6HL1 CoM. 9 45 AM M.d 757-419 piMiuiymiiJWlHiwiiMaiiipu si. Bel. (TT kT I B'way 6th NEW POLICY! 7 ADULT FILM BONANZA! I til New TripiaXXX Rated Show tvery lues. PARAMOUNT 61st St.

Broadway 247-5070 PLAZA 58th St. East of 5th Ave. EL 5-3320 I 7U I II iwryjutPiiMai 477 130 177 A tnvu 1 WV'W 323 0600 1 47Ki Si lax rya Mil I i 1 1 if 1 KB Cora AM 757 3303 iflAiftrttriifttiiiiii. i 2nd WOW WEEK WORLD PREMIERE-, 6TH SMASH WEEK "'DEFIANCE' IS A X3IDGET BEHIND THE GREEN DOOR' WITH "STORY OF O' OVERTONES." 'A heady mixture of SEXUALLY EXPLICIT ACTION and slapstick -Jarry Schnaidamian.PLEAZURE THFRf IS NO APHROOISIAC im jpsiooa sex nw SO POTENT I oVuca Williamson PLAYBOY AS THf MANHATTAN: AKir I Lrl. ST BTW.

757-4228 I NL (OOOHS0PIK9 4S JHt BJf.fifST XXI SHOW MAIL NY. fjh XTC, Mm I pi': rc-rmt 59ST. 4218120 UUU LA I CONT (ROM 10 AM IMIGHI SHOW HI. 1 Sit. OKlt OUAO CINEMA IM Sl ut.s.k ISS-UM BROOKITN: BENSON lit sheet i 70r AVENUE 172-UI7 UPSTATE: MONTECO TWIN CINEMA aamicEuo 4ft nnl CSNICKT BITTANE 8ttivat46t 5I1-4444 'adults, CONTFtOM HMIMI SHOWS WICHTt ONLY i.