The Modesto Bee from Modesto, California • 39

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION The Modesto Bee Tuesday August 1 1 1 987 E-3 Vanna White TVs now-famous letter-turner stars in new Playboy video The Story Behind the Story By Josie i I Between fthe Lines Paul Tauhlieb Please tell me as much about Mel Gibson as you possibly can After seeing him In "Lethal Weapon" 111 see any movie he's In Maritza Union City NJ A He's 31 from Peekskill NY the sixth of 1 1 children of a railroad worker and his wife During his adolescence which was also the peak of the Vietnam War his father decided to movie the family from the US to Australia his mother's homeland so that their older sons wouldn't be drafted They settled in Sydney and Mel attended Catholic school where he was soundly ribbed for being American After graduation he considered becoming a journalist or a chef His sister had other ideas however and filed an application in his name with the National Institute of Dramatic Art at the University of New South Wales When he found out he was quite taken aback but decided to go ahead with the requisite interview anyway and was even more taken aback when he was accepted While studying there he made his film debut in a low-budget surfing flick called "Summer City" and after graduation joined the State Theater Company of South Australia and played small parts in major plays Shortly afterward director George Miller who had seen "Summer City" and had been impressed by his performance asked him to audition for the lead in a "chase and crash" Hey guys admit it haven't you ever uh fantasized about a Playboy centerfold coming to life? Thanks to home video as you may know that's more than possible these days No I'm not talking about X-rated films but Playboy magazine itself comes to life And for Playboy Video's latest release the 12th in their ongoing series their centerfold lady is no ordinary piece of well cheesecake No siree this particular subject is none other than that famous letter-turner Vanna White featured in the photos that appeared in the magazine OK so she doesn't move but heh there's Vanna seen in those much-publicized photos These are from the days before her fame back when the blonde alphabet maven was a fashion model and there's also rare footage of Vanna at the infamous Playboy Mansion There also is female flesh in motion on this release Video Playmate for this release is Ava Fabian whose shapely shape is featured in a pictorial in music video style but take my word for it it's not the kind of thing you'll see on MTV In a similar vein the program also features Playmate Laurie Carr in a video profile (and more than her profile is exposed) as well as Playmate Kym Page who is displayed while singing a ribald version of the song "Lollipop Also on this program which like the others is slickly produced is a computer-generated figure Maxine Legroom (get it?) and bits of comedy from Tommy Chong (of 'Cheech Chong) and Allen Punt with an R-rated version of his old TV show "Candid Camera" Now all in all this 75-minute $3995 program is sort of permeated by the hokiness that defines Playboy today i Modem American history is filled with many celebrity icons but none if any has ever Mel Gibson from Max have had mixed results however "The Year of Living Dangerously" got good reviews and did moderately well at the box office but "The Bounty" "Mrs Softer and "The River" got terrible reviews and bombed quickly damaging his star luster "Lethal Weapon" a certified Hollywood smash restored and added to it a sequel is already in the works He's also developing a film in Australia called Tetly" Right now though he's on a production break until November As we go to press he and wife Robyn are expecting their fifth child and he's taking that time off to be with his family of No Return" (1954) The Seven Year Itch" (1955) "Bus Stop" (1956) "Some Uke it Hot" (1959) "Let's Make Love" (1960) and "The Misfits" (1961) Kid vid briefs Singalong for the tike set from Hi-Tops Video: "Rub A Dub Dub" (two volumes $2998 each) features a collection of well-known nursery rhymes set to song and visual animation The tapes feature many of your favorite childhood hits (that never seem to go out of style) including "Jack Jill" "The Old Woman Who Lived In a Shoe" and "Mother Goose" Also from Hi-Tops "Foxy Fables" clay animation versions of classic fables written by la Fontaine Aesop and others the one-hour tape retails for $2495 If you think you've got a budding da Vinci running around on the playground then the tape for you is "The Magic World of Art" from The Congress Video Group $1695) which teaches the basics of drawing for kids movie he was putting together The night before the audition Gibson was in a barroom brawl and turned up with a face looking like a "busted grapefruit" as he put it As it turned out the face was perfect he got the role as "Mad Max" Following that film's success he took on a very different role as Tim a mentally retarded day laborer followed by the part of a soldier in World War I in "Gallipoli" the film that brought him his first international success He then returned to the bleak violent world of Mad Max for "The Road Warrior" and the more recent "Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome" His attempts to step away Tell me something about Mia Sara who recently starred In the TVmlnlseries "Queenie" What else has she been In? CT Maul Hawaii A She's 19 from Brooklyn Heights NY and has been acting since the age of 14 when her mother a photographer's stylist sent her photo around to various agents She got a couple of TV commercials and a summer stint on "All My Children" as a result After that unlike other actresses she didn't have to work her way up in feature films she simply got leading roles The first in "Legend" gave her professional training If not wide exposure the film was a flop the second in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" gave her both She was in the process of shooting another film "The Long Lost (as yet unreleased) with Donald Sutherland in Norway when she was called to England to audition for "Queenie" a project that obviously brought her even greater attention What Is the correct age of Dan Rather? My friend says he is about the president's age while I think he is about 10 years younger Joanne Jacobsen Chicago III A A bit more than that Rather was bom October 31 1931 which makes him about two decades younger than Ronald Reagan JE ir mr r- managed to retain his or her grip on the public's imagination more than Marilyn Monroe She is the subject of endless debate speculation discussion and analyses This series of 10 films is priced at $1998 each and is being released to coincide with the 25th anniversary of her death For serious Monroe aficionados all the tapes nave been repackaged with special graphics to enhance their collectibility and the tapes are being offered in conjunction with other Monroe memorabilia including posters mugs mini- posters (a set of seven) and "Marilyn" the best-seller by Gloria Steinem You can get these items by showing proof of purchase of a number of the tapes in the collection In chronological order based on their year of release the 10 Monroe films are: "Monkey Business" (1952) "How to Marry a Millionaire" (1953) "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953) "Niagara" (1953) "River You Could DeA DIG Aug 13 28 10 NIGHT All Packs M0 Regular Program TINTS Aug 27 DOUBLE PACK NIGHT 2 Packs MS '10 ea additional No single pack sales 1 I 1 I in 1 1 1 1 LMI Irene Dunne Whatever happened to Irene Dunne? She was always a favorite of mine Bertha Hala Norm Bergen NJ A After her retirement from movies in 1952 she appeared briefly on television and served as an alternate delegate to the United Nations Eighty-one years old and still beautiful she lives quietly in California surrounded by her friends her grandchildren and her garden Dan Rather Corey Haim I think Corey Halm Is wonderful Where Is he from and what has he been in? SL FredericUon NB Canada A He's 15 from Toronto and has been working pretty steadily the last couple of years He started in TV commercials graduated immediately to feature films with a co-starring role in the movie "First Bom" and followed it with roles in "Secret Admirer" "Silver Bullet" "Murphy's Romance" "Lucas" as the title character and the TV movie "A Time to Live" Most recently he co-starred with Burt Young in the short-lived TV series "Roomies" His newest project is the just-released film "The Lost Boys" Anything you would like to know about prominent personalities? Write: Josie Sunday Woman Plus magazine 235 East 45th Street New York NY 10017 I have always enjoyed watching James Brolin In "Hotel" Will the show be back on the air next season? Does he have any other projects In the works? Donna Parlnlsl Dickson City Pa A The show will be back but on a new night: Saturday He also has a TV movie in production in Vancouver as we go to press called "Intimate Betrayal" it co-stars Melody Anderson and is due to air on NBC in October DINGO DIRECTORY EAGLES HALL IIINGO EVERY THURS NIGHT OPEN PM Early Bird Games 7 PM Snack Bar Good Fun Door Prizei 126 Camellia Way (at Voternlfr) Modtsto BOYS CLUB Msm bi30 pWi Dov4 Opufl 4:00 w725 ptaywt FREE 345 Alomtda Monfrcq 139-KIM I PARENTS FOR EL PORTAL EVERY SAT NIGHT OVER $4000 PAID Doors Open 5 pm 805 First St Escalon IIARRAH'S MILLION DOLLAR TOURNAMENT Warm up on Sat 815 JACKSON INDIAN STAR BINGO And win chance to the Big Toonmnent 38 Buy in includes FREE TRANSPORTATION Pickup: MftMdaUIBatckM 11:00 AH MBlBUMMia 11:10 AM Tift I Ul Bilk 11 30 AM FREE EARLY BIRD GAME Su S16 Sr CUImm $500 off RenerratloM: 578-3234 4 To Advertise Your Club DINGO Call 570-2044 570-2050 570-2107 9 DOWNEY HIGH BOOSTER CLUB Wednesday Nights EARLY BIRD REGULAR SPECIAL BONANZA GAMES ARE ALL INCLUDED IN OUR PACKAGE PRICE 'Doors open 5:30 pm Early Bird 6:30 pm 19 ALL PAPER We Pay Over $4000 Bingo Prizes Security Door Door Prize Win a trip to Reno 1 000 COFFEE RD DOWNEY HI CAFETERIA 576-421 9 SUPPORTYOUR LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL shigkeh ranch BINGO STAKES BINGOfr 4 All Sat In Aug 2 Packs '27 Single Pack20 4 CUSTOMER APPRECIATION MATINEE i2Slngie-24 Double HOURS: THURS-SAT OPEN 6 PM PLAY 7:00 SUN MATINEE OPEN 1:30 PLAY 2:30 CALL 8QO-753-4646 FOt INFO.