Daily News from New York, New York • 166

en 0. to By DOUGLAS WATT JOHNNY ON A 'SPOT. Play by Charles MacArthur, based on a story by Parke Levy and Alan Llpscott. With Gary Bayer, Roxanne Mart, Patrick Hines, Gerry gamrrwn. John Heffernan, Jerome Oempsey, Avril Gentles, Anna Kluger Levine, Bill Moor, others.

Directed by Edward Cornell. Setting by John Lee Beatty. Costumes by William Ivey Long. Lighting by William Mintzer. A BAM Theater Company production at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

XT find, and whereas the formula may have seemed dated when "Johnny" first appeared and the plot distasteful in view of our patriotic fervor so soon after Pearl Harbor, a certain wonder attaches itself today to these madcap, irreverent farces with their enormous casts. Naturally, there is a lot of doubling and even tripling, but there are 33 characters in all to claim our full or fleeting attention. Now I'm the one in a spot, because I mustn't give away the first-act curtain from which all the subsequent scrambling stems. With caution, then, let me state that the momentous events detailed occur on Election Eve and Day in the early '40s in the outer office of the governor of an unspecified Southern state. I can add that the guv, who is running for a Democratic seat in the U.S.

Senate and has every chance of gaining this prize under the direction of his tireless and endlessly resourceful young campaign manager, is a devout drunk and whoremaster. And the owner of the local Republican daily is bent on exposing him before the polls open. Oh, not for being a souse or consorting with the voluptuous Pearl LaMonte, the town's reigning madam, but for a pork-barrel enterprise involving a $3 million hospital for unwed pregnant women to be named after hizzoner. There's much more to this Byzantine construction, and the rest, the machina tions of the campaign manager to save the governor's face, to hold onto his girl, who happens to be the governor's secretary, and to save his own neck, provides a dizzying three acts populated by, in addition to those already mentioned, a corrupt judge, a dolt of a health commissioner, a couple of goons, ward heelers, cops, reporters, cameramen, a radio announcer, and others. Under Edward Cornell's fast, georgeabbotty direction, the three-act play moves at a good clip with Gary Bayer giving an energetic, likable performance as Nicky Allen, the campaign manager, and Roxanne Hart polishing off the role of the pert, pretty secretary, Julie Glynn, to perfection.

But the formula demands characters as time-honored as commedia dell'arte figures, and they are here. John Heffernan is immensely funny as the bought judge, Avril Gentles is just right-as the statuesque blonde madam who poses as a nurse (whoa! I'm getting ahead of myself), Jerome Dempsey is fine as the slow-witted health commish who (luckily) collects birds, and joining in the fun are Patrick Hines as the mayor, Anna Kluger Levine as the judge's niece who has designs on Nicky, Bill Moor as a publisher, and John Seitz as the police chief. Gerry Bamman doesn't keep his Southern accent in place as the governor's crony, and not all the subsidiary male characters are at ease in "Johnny on a For the second play of its inaugural season at the Brooklyn Academy, the BAM Theater Company has brought into its repertory a completely forgotten Charles MacArthur farce that opened on Broadway in January 1942 and disappeared cfter four performances, never to be heard from again until now. How it was unearthed I can't imagine, unless a chuckle was heard from the late playwright's grave, but I'm here to tell you that this ramshackle comedy is funny as hell. Today, such farces as "Room Service," "Once in a Lifetime" and those two Hecht-MacArthur classics "The Front Page" and "Twentieth Century" are likely to be regarded as hack work.

No such thing. They were examples of Inspired lunacy, superior efforts within strict forms, like a Gershwin number rigidly confined to 32 bars and AABA song form. "Johnny on a Spot" isn't quite up to the mark set by the above-mentioned works, and the performance is a little rough around the edges. But it's a true floxann Hart and Gary Bayer their baggy trousers, loud ties and broad-brimmed hats. But no matter.

John Lee Beatty's imposingly hlgh-ceilinged, patriotically-adorned setting la well-conceived, though the large stage ia too open for a play designed to take place within a proscenium. William Ivey Long'i nappy costumes for the principals and William Mintzer'i bright lighting are Just the thing. Johnny on a Spot" is a breeze. Full of holes; but then, they allow for the breeze. And anyway, you shouldn't be looking for holes.

Just for fun. It's there In good measure. 'Best Boy': a life of unexpected joy By KATHLEEN CARROLL There are surprisingly funny moments such as th scene in which one of Philly's classmates, a spunky child-woman named Kathy, expresses her annoyance at being dragged onto the dance floor by a burly student who threatens to crush her in his arms. There are moments of self-pity, as when Pearl, Philly's endearingly protective mother, bitterly insists that "if God wanted to punish anyone, He only has to punish them with a retarded child." And there are wonderfully touching moments as when Max (Philly's marvelously dignified father who is determined to fight the indignities of old age) returns from the hospital and this normally taciturn man suddenly looks at his wife of 59 years and says, "You know, I missed you." Equally irresistible is that triumphant moment in which a gleeful Philly, as part of a school test, walks to a store and buys ice cream for himself with a little help from a friendly clerk. From its first scene, in which Max quietly shaves Philly, to its final frame, in which Philly masterfully removes his own beard with an electric shaver, "Best Boy" radiates love and affection.

In allowing everyone to share the difficult experiences of his family, has created one of those rare films that enhances one's understanding of human nature and, moreover, brings joy to the heart. is Philly's cousin. Three years ago, he began to worry about what would happen to Philly once his parents were gone. Realizing that Philly had to become more less dependent if there was to be any kind of future for him, he persuaded the bewildered parents to let Philly attend a Manhattan school for retarded children and to go on special outings to the zoo and a Broadway show. Wohl's gifted cameraman, Tom McDonough, helped record the chain of events that culminate with Philly happily settling into his new home, a comfortable-looking residence for the retarded where he enjoys some measure of independence.

The result, "Best Boy," is plainly a labor of love, an enormously compassionate film that represents an exhilarating tribute to the human spirit and offers touching proof that, with care and attention, even "children" like-Philly can Jearn to lead fulfilling lives. "Best Boy" has many memorable scenes as it gently reveals Philly's growing fascination with the outside world and the increasing sadness of his parents as they realize that they must let go of him. There are joyous moments such as Philly's backstage meeting with the late Zero Mostel, who joined Philly in singing a rousing chorus of "If I Were a Rich Man" and who seemed to have unusual rapport with him. EST BOY. Directed by Ira Wohl.

At the Sutton. Running time: 1 hour, 51 minutes. No Rating. It is Philly's first day of school, and his mother, like most mothers at such times, is a nervous wreck. She asks the bus driver if it would be all right if she gave him an occasional tip for watching out for Philly.

As Philly, who remains oblivious to her concern, eagerly boards the bus, she waves goodby to him, her eyes filled with tears. What makes this such a remarkable occasion is that Philly is a 52-year-old man who, except for two miserable years spent in a state mental institution, is undergoing his first major separation from his parents. Philly, you see, is mentally retarded or, as one psychologist puts it, "he is very slow, but he is otherwise normal." He is also, as one soon discovers from watching him in Ira Wohl's "Best Boy," an extremely lovable human' being who is so sweet-natured and cheerful that one develops a special fondness not only for him during the course of this powerfully moving film, but also for his staunch mother and father as well. Wohl GO .6 By ERNEST LEOGRANDE doubt that anyone will tremble at a knock at the door after seeing "The Fog." There are some interesting characterizations and capable performances in "The Fog." Hal Holbrook is a tippling priest Janet Leigh is a tense but efficient town official. Tommy Atkins and Jamie Lee Curtis (the spunky heroine of are a couple of loners who find each other.

She is introduced as a hitchhiker on a lonely road at night and she tells Atkins, a trucker who picks her up, "Things seem to happen to me. I'm bad luck." Her name is Elizabeth and the ghost ship's name is the Elizabeth Dane. Is there meant to be a tie-in? If so, it's not developed. Adrienne Barbeau plays a mother and a nighttime radio disk jockey in a lighthouse where she's also the keeper. This is a concept that could have made a whole other movie and maybe a more interesting one.

For the most part Carpenter keeps his leper killers as shadows, while the fog travels with the luminescence of a neon sign. The use of contrasting light and darkness is one of the most interesting parts of the movie. "There's something in the fog! Stay away from the fog!" screams Barbeau at her radio listeners but ultimately nothing in the fog is as scary as the cast keeps screaming it is. conveys and because of the alliance he shows between adults and children in perpetuating the tradition of ghost In the early scenes of "The Fog," as the leper spirits start roaming the town, invisible hands cause havoc among the merchandise in a supermarket and throw gasoline station pumps on the ground, letting the gasoline flow out These actions seem like sheer testiness, compared with the spirits' subsequent homicidal attacks as they assume visible form, or as visible as they get, appearing as silhouettes against the backlighting of their accompanying fog. Carpenter obviously is entranced by ghost stories, but he seems willing to sacrifice story to effect In "The Fog" sometimes the spirits knock for admittance, sometimes they bludgeon their way in.

When they kill, it's indiscriminate, a drunken fisherman here, a kindly babysitter there Even in "Halloween," where the killer was a psychopath, he had a definite predilection that gave his murders a pattern. A lot of people must have checked their closets (but won't admit it) after returning from "Halloween," making sure a mad killer wasn't lurking there even though they felt foolish while doing it. I US THE FOG. Adrienne Barbeau. Hat Holbrook, Janet Leigh.

Directed by John Carpenter. At Loews Orpheum, Loew's State, 34th St. East. Running time: I hour, Jl minutes. Raima: R.

In John Carpenter's "The Fog," Antonio Bay, a small town on the California coastline, has a curse on it Back 100 years, a band of lepers persuaded the leaders of the community in a secret conference-to assist them in founding a colony offshore, where they wouldn't get in anybody's way, an agreement for which they paid handsomely in gold. But the committee went back on their word and set a fire on the shore to misdirect the lepers' sailing vessel. The ship wrecked, taking the lepers to a watery grave. But they left a curse behind. The movie begins with a group of small boys around a campfire at night, listening wide-eyed to the story of the shipwreck.

The storyteller is one of the town's colorful old-timers, a former sea captain, played by John Houseman, the sort of man who knows just how far to take kids along the scare route before turning thrill into panic or laughter. This is a charming scene because of the feeling for place and situation that Carpenter a 4 i What "The Fog" brings in: ghost of a clipper ship.