Santa Cruz Sentinel from Santa Cruz, California • Page 27

26-Santa Crui Sentinel Thursday, May 28, 1981 SaoMtei Rudy Vallee At 80 Just Won't Say Goodbye Foes From Way Back By TOM JORY NEW YORK AP) Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert are adversaries of the most intense variety. As film critics for competing newspapers in Chicago, they toss their subjective judgments at one another nearly every day. Siskel. movie critic for the Tribune, and Ebert. who writes for the Sun-Times, come together each week for public TV's "Sneak Previews" and the rivaly continues.

(during this segment ne sang a passage from "Besame Mucho" backed by a wartime recording of the band). Sang, backed by taped piano accompaniment, "my 'Vagabond Lover' medley" of early hits, which didn't include "My Time Is Your Time" but did serve up "Kitty From Kansas City," about a girl so dumb "she thinks a goblet is a sailor's little boy." Readily admitted his first film, "Vagabond Lover" in 1929, is a turkey now "only shown in penitentiaries and comfort stations." Offered a 16-song Jerome Kern medley but only a few bars of each tune before wrapping the night up with a different tunesmith's work, an encore song called "Let's Put Out the Lights." two hours. It ranged, in no particular order, from his days as an underage Navy enlisted man to current events, the early 1960s when he co-starred in the Broadway hit, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." Among other things, the veteran performer: Played his 40-year-old recording of "The WhiWenpoof Song," noting that although always associated with Yale the tune didn't'originate there, but rather in "Little Nemo," a 1904 musical. Explained how he came to use the famous sawed-off red megaphone that became his trademark as America's first real crooner. Recalled when he fronted a 53-piece Coast Guard band during World War II Bv JAY SHARBUTT NEW YORK AP)' His time may not be your time, his era as a vagabond lover ended long ago and there was nary a live whiff or poof from the old Yalie as he trotted out "The Whiffenpoof Song'' he made famous.

But Rudy Vallee, 80 in July, refuses to sing "Toodle-Oo, So Long, Goodbye" to show business after nearly 60 years in it. And Wednesday night he began a four-night stand here in a half-empty club. The setting was Les Mouches, a West Side cabaret and disco emporium 26 block's south of and 53 years from where he first hit the big time on a local radio show that began with his familiar-cry: "Heigh-ho, everybody, this is Rudy Vallee announcing and directing the Yale Collegians from the Heigh-Ho Club at Thirty-Five East Fifty-Third Street in New York City." His one-man, no-band show, his first here since 1976, proved resolutely derriere-garde, firmly rooted in the past, an eccentric, puzzling mix of 200 slides, snatches of elderly songs (both recorded and live), bawdy limericks, a flood of drunk jokes, and one obscene, ancient ditty. It perhaps was the only club act extant that began with an off-stage announcer welcoming the patrons and adding: "Mr: Vallee suggests if you must visit the powder room yon do sojnow." SCRUMS 425-0616 1124 PACIFIC AVE we ve been in competition ever since we started," Siskel says, "getting reviews in the paper quickly, Sunday articles, interviews, going to see films. "We were both in Dallas to see '9-to-5' and interview the stars," he recalls.

"I got on a plane for New York to see the first Heaven Gate' without him knowing The comedy for everyone who's hrrrt it i in tn horo auuui iv. "Whtla ho urc nn hie W9tr ta IFGI MM EMBASSY DAILY 1 i3O.li30.SilO.7tM.4iM IAIMIN MATHKIS DAILY 00 td 2i30 Ella Fitzgerald Files Lawsuit LOS ANGELES (AP) -Singer Ella Fitzgerald has filed a $1 million lawsuit seeking to rescind her contract with MCA Records because the company allegedly misrepresented her' sales and earning? to her Miss Fitzgerald's lawyer, Sam Krane, said Wednesday that the famed jazz vocalist seeks at least 425-061 gjj? KM SCREENS PACIFIC AVI York," Ebert interjects, "Mae West died, and I wrote my piece on the way back to Chicago. I was two days ahead of him on that." "I want to look better than he does," Siskel says. "Week after week," Ebert adds, "he wants to." The electric combination Ebert and Siskel don't always disagree on the movies they see has created public TV's most-watched regularly scheduled onfcrtiinmonl eorinc with an otiori cta rf 1.11 1 1 hi Roger Ebert, leH, and Gene Siskel of "Sneak Previews" Vm fiihf film ProtatioM, W. New World (Wt DAH.V IjIMiOO-SiOO-TsOO-fJiOO Ten minutes later, Vallee, clad in an $49,727 in compensatory open silk shirt and a black coat, entered, damages and $1- million in took to a podiumnd operating both his punitive damages from BARGAIN MATINKS MIIT $3.00 711 2:15 slides of yesteryear and tape recordings of MCA, which several years his old hits began the night.

ago acquired her contracts I It was as much a lecture as a show, Wlth Decca Records dating I iiiL" I timing udcn diiu luim in nine iui neatly ly5J. ABC Afterschool Special.Planned HOLLYWOOD (AP) Wave" is the first of what is planned as several children's specials from. T.A.T. Communications makers "Archie Bunker's Place." will be shown on ABC as an Afterschool Special. The drama stars Bruce Davisson.

Lori Lethin, John Putch. Johnny Doran. Pasha Gray and Wessley Ann Pfenning. When Francis Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" was released, for instance, viewers of "Sneak Previews" got a difference of opinion. The movie, Ebert said at the time, "consists of some of the most beautiful, heart-breaking tragic and memorable footage of war that I have ever seen." Siskel responded: "Let me tell you, Rog, I don't think it's such a big achievement to make a heart-rending film about Vietnam." Both critics rank the 10 best movies of the year, and they generally come up with a half-dozen or so common selections.

"But there's nothing objective about it." Ebert says. "Gene's '10 best' list for last year included 'The Blues and he was about the only critic who liked it. I know he enjoyed it." "I made a big mistake not long ago," Siskel says. "I put 'The Marriage of Maria Braun' in second place on my '10 best' list for 1980. Then I realized it wasn't a 1980 film; in fact, I had ranked it sixth in 1979.

"I thought, 'That's great. What that says is that 1980 was a bad year for llf rtV iTZL'f BARBARA BACH pclj rtmxTTy lAttAm iatsuw wyTMltomiiM mmm 2 I "WIMD" "CAVi" 4.00-7:40 I (UHI f.lj 1. qUi i A ,..,0 BABCAIW WTIWttSJAlllj2TllJh00y efK TT I mm profit (gjg (oSfn i0M I and get mmaam I janefonda 1AHCAIW MATIWHS DAILY $2.00 TIL 2:45 (PG) jMif MMBWWW 1 IT 4 million viewers each week. Nearly 90 percent of the 270 stations in the Public Broadcasting Service network carry the program. "In 150 of those markets," Ebert says, "we probably are the dominant film critics.

Our idea is to have for each show movies that everyone can see, and then maybe one that no one's ever heard of. "The other day, we had 'Heaven's Gate' and 'Night Hawks," and also did a piece on which few people have seen." Frankly," Siskel says in a statement of cause, "I hope we can increase booking across the country." Ebert and Siskel are sensitive about the relationship between what they do on "Sneak Previews" and what movie critics for TV stations offer viewers. "Most of them are television people talking about movies," Siskel says. "We are movie critics on television." "While it is true that film criticism is very subjective," Ebert says, "it is possible to make errors of fact. I remember telling one TV critic, 'When you said "The Valachi Papers" was better than "The Godfather," that was an error of "A lot of the TV critics," Siskel adds, "the most they ever write about a film is 12 lines or so, and that's just to introduce a couple of clips." "Sneak Previews," offered each week on public television, also includes segments from featured movies.

But the real meat is what the two critics themselves have to say." Spotlight Focuses On Local Shows TONICHT TOMORROW BETTY BOOP ISC lw ft 7i30 6 I0.J5 61 iO I films. Ebert and Siskel won't tell viewers whether to see a film they have reviewed, or ignore it. "The phrasing is very specific," Siskel says. "Our 'yes or no' at the end of the show is, 'No, 1 cannot recommend that you see this or, Yes, I can recommend "Because we show in most cases two clips from each film," Ebert adds, "people can probably get a pretty good idea whether they want to see it or not." rf IARCAIH MATINEIS SATSUN "9 to 10:25 IftsS 1 (JS "BODY" 8:50 I SWfeXklNffsS I POPEYE SUPERMAN MOREI ,50 MAX FLEISCHER STUDIO RETROSPECTIVE SHOWS I TONICHT 7i30-9i30 Jl ll UNIYIHSAL PICTURE tuSnmtttW CINEMA 427-1711 HELD OVERI ENDS JUNE 3RD "A STIRRING DRAMA' OF EPIC Rex Reed Breaker Morant yilTCDCI CTITCC mi Hesmad. He bad.

And he HL1 cKcU 11 Icq i screen I A 1 PtiSVl 1 i UNIVESSAl PICTURE TOIIICHT 7.00-9:00 psi uAfl''- JlFiff 1 PSVlhl'tl V'c BARGAIN MATINEES SATSUN "Aini" "KWI" mlftT (llfTll I'TDl THEATRE 423-2000 BARGAIN MATINEES IAILT $2.00 Til 2:45 I tLEJ rHJJ lilLL 1205 SOOUEt AVE. STUDENT DISCOUNT NIGHT tin 1 7:15 9:20 SUN AT 5:00 1 426-7500 NICKELODEON Lincoln Cedar Now Showing! H--IWJI iiiMuLU WmSSiSSSSl I "Funny, surreal, haunting, myster ious and dreamlike. City of Women is a film unlike any other. It ignites the imagination. It is a dream to dwell on." STARTS FRIDAY! 'A I TONICHT a I 1 I AT lOiOO tR6Alii MATINEE SUNDAY Gene Shalit, TODAY I 'Ski TERROR I If; Wlv ifjaLmi? r1 ToiAf eW" I lZk i most horrifying LAUGH, fmSX (F'Mm 1 AT 8:30 12:00 r-rr 1 T0NICNT 7.15-9:15 L- Ts gaiwwmi, BARGAIN MATINEES SATSUN tlllM rTff iUJLSlJJLL I ft Country StowS; I Smokey At Circle Star SAN TARi nS T.PtrpnH- NICHTIT AT 7:00 4:20 SUN) ary smokey Kobinson returns to Circle Star Theatre GrEiULDfJ inr imir a.iiiiux i uiri features the title song.

Showtimes are Friday at 8:30 p.m.. Saturday at 7:30 and 11 p.m. and Sunday at 8 p.m. Tickets are available by calling 1-415-367-9030 or BASS, Ticketron and any major agencies. CITY of WOMEN STARRING MARCELLO.

MASTROIANNI A Goumont Nw Ttyke film RttaK through Sunday. In 1958. Robinson and the Miracles released their first record "Got A Job." which was Motown's first record. It was followed by such gems as "You Really NICKELODEON Lincoln Cedar 426-7500 Got A Hold un Me. "Uoon, Babv.

"Tracks of TONIGHT TONIGHT VWORKWC" 715 ll li. I "AUCrZsOO 8:50 3G2) "AMY" 8:25 PRESENTED IN POUYSTEREO WALT DISNEY 2S (a.Vl,j!oo7 WONDERLAND" PLUS! "TKI PRIVATE EYIStoN-r fak- MM My Tears." "Satisfaction" and "Tears Of A Clown." In addition to Smokey's hits for the Miracles, Smokey has penned such hits as "My Girl" for The Temptations. "My Guy" for Mary Wells and "Ain't That Peculiar" for Marvin Gaye. Smokey's 'most, recent album, "Being With You," A film by TOBE HOOPER -Starring MARILYM 6URNS Tfi I I and GUNNAR HANSEN as "leatherface" rsB-ft. WWXVnQ Produced and Directed by tOBE HOOPER 'TT(7Y)rhl'''i Combinolloii I KD0H AMFM I mUNT OA ADULT 6uQill fif' I FRIDAY 1:15.3.00.5.00.7.00.9,15 (Source: Arbitron SptD.

1980, TSA 12-P1u I BARGAIN MATINEES DAILY $2.00 'Til 2.15 Mondoy-Sundoy, 6 a.m. to midnight.) I FLEA MARKET SAT SUN ORIGINAL DEFECTIVE I.