Fort Worth Star-Telegram from Fort Worth, Texas • 95

rw 1 1- 7- 1: -1- 17 7 7 slv rd 4 St tai I Homespun: 'Charlotte's Web' charms 9mespu ariott( thc 1 'assion' Perkins and Kathleen Turner in Crimes of Passion nmes Anthony FRIDAY MORNINd OCTOBER 19 1984 FRIDAY MORNING OCTOBER 19 1984 I-- i Crimes-o Pslop 6i's-i filthy :19 wt 4 4 1 -47 i 4 unn 4 0' i'' 4Z i A a 0 0' 44 is 1 1 4 liiI''i: i :01: le i L4': 7:: i0-: 4-f: '4'' 111'1lever i -1: 4wr 'S 1::: a '4-: 4 i objects ii :::::::4 4 I 7'At'o :::::1 'Anthony Perkins and Kathleen Turner in Crimes ''''11''''''''-'71: I I Passion By JEFF GUINN Star-Telegram Writer Ider children (say ages 5 to II or 12) and discern- 1110 ing parents will enjoy Charlotte's Web the current production of the Casa Manana Playhouse As most devotees of fantasy know Charlotte's Web is the story of a pig named Wilbur who's destined for the chopping block until his best friend Charlotte the Spider takes to weaving cm messages about him (ie Review "Some into her webs in a successful attempt to convince his owners that he's unique enough to be spared becoming bacon This production teams the always-enjoyable Thomas Zinn as Wilbur and the resident Playhouse ingenue Rose Mari Rountree as Charlotte Utilizing clever costumes they soon have most of their juvenile audience convinced that they're pig-and spider-watching While Zinn and Rountree carry the bulk of the load the usual Playhouse standouts make up a fine supporting cast Director Charles Ballinger was clever enough to give himself the role of handyman Lurvey and he proves again he's one of the area's most versatile entertaining actors Gawky Art Lippa is fine as Mr Zuckerman the farmer who finds himself in possession of what may be the first magic pig in history Russell Hicks Lynn Durr Richard McDowell Jamie Kitchens and Ellen McCurkin also chip in with solid support The bulk of critical praise this time around though goes to It Scott Reed and Cinnamon Hatfield Reed is perfect as Templeton a rat who feels generally unappreciated and who euchres Wilbur out of a goodly amount of scraps and mash Little Ms Hatfield is clearly a young stage force to be reckoned with She is Fern the girl who falls in love with a runt piglet and manages to postpone his demise until Charlotte's web-writing moments Like many young performers Cinnamon does occasional- ly exhibit a tendency towards shrillness but she'll certainly grow out of that habit Kudoi too for youngsters Jennifer Ashby ten Hudson and Carmen Martina Crinion for some nice work as baby spiders late in the second act Charlotte's Web isn't the best play for 2- 3- or 4- year olds There's a great deal of chat onstage and the upshot of the story Charlotte's death might prove to be a little too much for the pre-kindergarten Star Telegram Write! By JEFF GUINIk ri 'der children (say ages 5 to 11 ing parents will enjoy Chariot rent production of the Casa Mana 77' As most devotees of fantasy knom is the of a pig named Wilbur the chopping block until his best fri Spider takes to weaving ri some pig) into her webs messages about him (ie in a successful attempt to convince his owners that he's uni spared becoming bacon This production teams the Thomas Zinn as Wilbur and the ingenue Rose Mari Rountree as CI costumes they soon have nile audience convinced that they' watching While Zinn and Rountree carr load the usual Playhouse standot supporting cast Director Charles Ballinger was give himself the role of handymz proves again he's one of the are entertaining actors Gawky Art Zuckerman the farmer who finds sion of whit may be the first ma Russell Hicks Lynn Durr Richarc Kitchens and Ellen McCurkin alsc support The bulk of critical praise though goes to Scott Reed ar field Reed is perfect as Templeton generally unappreciated and wh out of a goodly amount of scraps Little Ms Hatfield is clearly a yr be reckoned with She is Fern Hi love with a runt piglet and manag demise until Charlotte's web-writi ly exhibit a tendency towards sh many young performers Cinnam( certainly grow out of that habit Kiielo too for youtigstas Jet ten Hudson and Carmen Martin nice work as baby spiders late ir y'eChar ortirdlostThre'serWe set gisrne'atttdheeabel ost By MIKE RITCHEY Star-Telegram Film Writer roducer Barry Sandler who also wrote the screenplay for New World Pictures' Crimes of Passion says the Ken Russell-directed film "goes farther than any American film has ever gone before in terms of exploring sexuality especially with regard to sheer eroticism" Sandler's is a Judas Boast contrived to fill theaters Crimes is an intriguing innovative film as is all of Review Russell's work but its claims of intense and constant "eroticism" (it was first X-rated before some scenes were excised) is hardly more than an advertiser's sham Crimes rated finally and opening today in several theaters is a picture of thick heavy colors that ooze together like one of those plastic boxes filled with blue something-or-other that when tilted this way or that takes on a tidal life of its own Joanna (Kathleen Turner Body Heat Romancing the Stone) is by day a successful fashion designer She is according to her boss cold around men though he puts it a bit differently When the whistle blows at the end of the day however a bewigged Joanna changes clothes hits the street on Skid Row and becomes China Blue a creative play-acting whore The dialogue is filthy all right but very funny Even though the jokes are old ones they have seldom seen the light of the silver screen so hearing them rat-a-tat-tatted throughout is a kick and further lets us know the film is not as dangerous as we think it will be on our way in As a street-corner preacher devoted to peep shows and special-order mechanical sexual objects a babbling wide-eyed Anthony Perkins has apparently thrown caution at last to the wind choosing to make a living doing what he does best rather than continuing trying to overcome the Psycho mold in which he was cast more than two decades ago The repartee between China Blue and Perkins who is trying to "save" her is rapid-fire andhilarious just as are his soliloquies clutching a dog-eared Bible which he paraphrases in some way other than clergicaL And John Laughlin (who barely appeared in An Officer and a Gentleman and Footloose) is pretty good as the young father of two children yoked with a dumb frigid wife who won't allow him to be the kind of family man he wants so badly to be Laughlin owns a nickel-dime security-device business He is hired by Joan By MIKE RITCHEY Star -Telegram Film Writer 2 2 producer Barry Sandler who also r- wrote the screenplay for New World Pictures' Crimes of Passion says the Ken Russell-directed film "goes farther than any American film has ever gone before in terms of explor- ing sexuality especially with regard to sheer eroticism" Sandler's is a Judas Boast contrived innovative to fill theaters Crimes is an intriguing Review film as is all of Russell's work but its claims of intense and constant "eroticism'' (it was first X-rated before some scenes were excised) is hardly more than an Crimes rated finally and opening advertiser's sham today in several theaters is a picture of i thick heavy colors that ooze together like one of those plastic boxes filled with blue something-or-other that When tilted this way or that takes On a tidal life of its own Heat Romancing the Stone) is by day Joanna (Kathleen Turner Body a successful fashion designer She is according to her boss cold around men When the whistle blows at the end of though he puts it a bit differently the day however a bewigged Joanna changes clothes hits the street on Skid Row and becomes China Blue a er ative play-acting whore e- The dialogue is filthy all right but very funny Even though the jokes are old ones they have seldom seen the light of the silver screen so hearing them rat-a-tat-tatted throughout is a kick and further lets us know the film on our way in is not as dangerous as we think it willbe As a street-corner preacher devoted to peep shows and special-order me- chanical sexual a babbling wide-eyed Anthony Perkins has appar- ently thrown caution at last to the wind choosing to make a living doing what he does best rather than continu- ing trying to overcome the -Psycho mold in which be was cast more than twodecadesagoThereparteebetweeri China Blue and Perkins who is trying to "save her is rapid-fire andhilari- ous just as are his soliloquies clutching a dog-eared Bible which he para- some way other than clergi- phrases in rni set and nowhere near explicit (Don't misunderstand Some scenes leave nothing much to the imagination and partial nudity is par for the course But the sex is secondary unlike Body Heat for instance which centered on physical meetings) Please see 'Crimes' on Page 2 marriage he comes calling with 50 bucks and gets to know China Blue first hand Later he goes to see Joanna at her fancy apartment and finds that in her "real': life she is afraid of close encounters of any kind with men They encounter anyway but the much-ballyhooed "eroticism" is opaquely done na's boss to tail her because the boss thinks she may be selling his patterns to the opposition His clandestine work takes him to a part of town and a way of life with which he is not familiar He films China Blue in several Of her encounters Finally though frustrated with the lack of sexual intimacy in his 1 But with that word of warning it's still easy to endorse the Playhouse production of Charlotte's Web The final two performances are set for Friday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 2 pm For ticket information call the Casa box office at 265-8512 I I I 'Songwriter' i 1 Niovie ong 'Willie's te rhyme tItik 0 4 11 '4' '-e 771117by ILI 4 By MIKE RITCHEY Slat-Telegram Film Writer he instigators of Willie Nelson's newest film an R-rated Tri-Star release produced by Syd- ney Pollack called Songwriter have been prompt in saying that the film is in no way a Willie bio4Ltet it had its genesis in long hours in hotel rooms that the singer-composer-guru spent hashing the idea out with his friend Bud Shrake From those conversations Shrake put together the screenplay So is it or isn't it? Aw it's gotta be Willie playing Doc Jeettins with hair down to here and a little paunch 'bout midship is a famous songwriter-producer-performer who left his old singing partner to move to Nashville and become an industry unto his own self He makes it loses it and finds it again when he moves back to Texas and gets an unknown wom By MIKE RITCHEY Mar Telegram Film Writer sr he instigators of Willie Nelson's neNvest i an R-rated Tri-Star release produced by Syd- ney Pollack called Song 'ter have been Prompt in saying that the film is in no way a as and getsan 'unknown wont- in singer named Gilda to record his songs swearing all the while that she wrote 'em don't y'know Too he has his old partner Blackie Buck (Kris Kristofferson) record a couple and boom he's back on top again swindling the swindlers who bad him behind the old eight-ball in the first of a million bucks and riding off into the sunset in a white Cadillac convertible with his first wife and their two darling little girls Could be he's even wrote a song 'bout it Gilda (Lesley Ann Warren) winds up marrying Willie's real harmonica player Dallas' Mickey Raphael and turning in a switch of her own Please see Movie on Page 2 old partner Blackie Buck (Kris a couple and boom he's swindling the swindlers hind the old eight ball in the la million bucksand riding off a a white Cadillac Convertible re and their two darling little 's even wrote a song 'bout it knn Warren) winds up marry- karmonica player Dallas' Mick- turning in a switch of her own ee Movie on Page 2 an singer named Gilda to record his songs' swearing all the while that she wrote em on Please see Movie Rip Torn lett Willie Nelson and Kris Kristolterson right in Songwriter --3 i 1 -to 1 ik 1" Ww Vf: l'e tr ti 4 A Ti I v- fel I 1 :4 i 4: I 'I' Ixel-t 4 A 4( 4 a 4 4 A -k w-4-1 1 tw- a '4) tk ov' 101101010Valtt kaNtktoAdow 4--- -----7-----g-- oa- e- 4-'''''''''' 'N: Rip Torn left Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson right in Songwriter INSIDE ro By CLAIRE EYRICH Star-Telegram Writer William A Nolen the tall boyish white-haired author of a highly ranked t4 40 irv 4410140 411:41196 I 4 It A CV40) 41) Vir A4 7 Atk people I had some misgivings about giving advice on a subject on which I myself was the major case I felt tempted to pretend "But then I gave some thought to some research on the subject and a book I was taking a chance with my associates but I felt it would serve a purpose letting people know they aren't alone" He now believes that this mid-life problem should be approached like others like love marriage and death in a practical fashion "You can't give anyone an antibiotic or vaccine for it" he says "You have to treat it symptomatically one symptom at a time the way we treated ulcers before specifics were found "There are medications to alleviate the stress and supportive therapy but no treatment for the thing itself "The book is made up of everything I've been able to find out a distillation of what I've been able to find out through conversaPlease see 'Crisis' on Page 2 such a crisis at any time between the late 30s and the 60s but whether they admit it the signs and symptoms are usually the same And judging by the letters he has received it is the wives who get fed up with male "falling apart" Nolen who began his career in New York in the Cornell division of Bellevue Hospital in 1953 served as an Army medical officer and moved to Litchfield in 1960 "We thought it would be a nice place to raise kids" he says He still thinks it is a nice place to live and can hardly wait to get back there after 24 years But after Reader's Digest published the short article Male Menopause: Myth or Mid-Life Reality? he discovered that a man may deceive the rest of the world about his state but he can't keep it from his wife The women who called and wrote letters were in distress and they did not want sympathy they wanted help It all started because "I needed a subject for McCall's" he says "I had no answers for 1978 autobiography titled The Making of a Surgeon wrote a piece for McCall's magazine about the male mid-life crisis in Ameri ca It was reprinted by Reader's Digest and he says the response was phenomenal "Eighty percent of the letters were from women" says Nolen still somewhat amazed by it all The only trained general surgeon in Meek- er County Minnesota had struck a universal 4 thord that had little or nothing to do with surgery While keeping up his full-time practice as chief of surgery at Meeker County Ilospital in Litchfield Nolen wrote another book his eighth as a matter of fact Crisis Time! published by Dodd Mead 415953 is the result and Nolen is taking a little time off from his practice to promote the book Ile bases his book not only on case A N' Misses a beat Diane Keaton and director George Roy Hill are In water over their heads and wind up drowning In Drummer Girl 6EB histories but also on his own 15-month struggle with "irrational behavior" at the age of 50 or so lie believes that other men may go through 4.