I ENTERTAINMENT Hollywood Economics I GOING PLACES WEEK OF MARCH 9-15 JEWISH EVENTS From the White House to the silver screen, Ben Stein has led a busy life. STEVE HARTZ Special to The Jewish News B > en Stein has never pursued a career in acting, never taken an acting class and never had an acting agent. Yet, he is a star, both on television and the silver screen. How? By playing himself. In 1986, Stein appeared as the teacher in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. "Anyone? Anyone?" he uttered after he asked students, in his monotone, about voodoo economics. Then, he called on Ferris (Matthew Broderick) Bueller. "Bueller? Bueller?," he asked, searching for Broderick in the classroom. But Bueller decided to skip class and take the day off. "I have a lot of friends in Hollywood, and they just thought I was an interesting type. That's why they use me," Stein said. Today, Stein is still in the classroom as he plays Fred Savage's science teacher, Mr. Cantwell, on the televi- sion show "The Wonder Years." He also has a recurr- ing role in the syndicated TV series "Charles in Charge." "It's just a hobby," he said. "It's not a big part of my life. I enjoy doing it very much, but if you count on that kind of thing, you'll lose your mind. Less than 5 percent of my time is occupied in work- ing on movies and appearing on TV. "I'm a lawyer and a writer by training," the Yale graduate said. "I teach about the legal and economic subjects and have written several books." Ben Stein teaches science on ABC-TV's "Wonder Years." Like his father, former Detroiter Herbert Stein, Stein's full-time job is in writing about economics. "I read about complex fi- nancial transactions and write analyses of them," said Stein, who grew up in Silverspring, Md., and now resides in Malibu. "I consult with lawyers, stockbrokers and other people who have an interest in complicated financial transactions." When he's not writing and selling novels such as Her Only Sin and non-fiction books that include Dreemz and Ludes, Stein writes a great deal about the ethics of finance in America today for the business newspaper Barron's. During the Nixon and Ford years, both he and his father worked together in the White House. His dad was chief economic adviser for President Nixon and then briefly for Ford. Stein worked as a speech writer for both presidents. However, he didn't pen the words, "Let me make one thing perfectly clear . . . I am not a crook." Inheriting his father's vocal chords, Stein was ridi- culed about his voice as a student in high school. "It never, ever occurred to me then that one day I'm go- ing to be in a movie," he "I did the teacher ad lib, and I didn't even consider it funny. But I knew that the day I did the part was the happiest day of my life." Ben Stein said. "On the other hand, I did think I'd be rich, and I never was. But I just love what I do. So, although my life has turned out to be less well paid than I thought it would be, it's much more fun than I imagined." Stein's other film credits include The Wild Life and Trains, Planes and Automobiles. "For the Bueller role, I was just having lunch at Para- mount one day with a close friend who worked for direc- tor John Hughes. I walked back with my friend to his office just to chat, and Hughes was standing by and said, 'Gee, you have a funny voice. Would you do some off- camera work for us?"' Stein agreed and called class roll for the students in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. "When I got to the stage and began, the students started laughing so hard at my voice. For that part, I was not acting whatsoever. I did the teacher ad lib, and I didn't even consider it funny. But," he admitted, "I knew that the day I did the part was the happiest day of my life." Since Bueller, Stein has appeared in several com- mercials. "Mrs. Grover, it's about your son Rover. Better send money; his ski trip's over," said Stein as the doc- tor in a Western Union commercial. In three mon- ths, he will star in an Oreo Cookies commercial as he introduces a new kind of Oreo. Another hobby of Stein's is writing and selling scripts in Hollywood. One was made into the movie, The Boost, starring James Woods and Sean Young. Stein said his favorite actor is Nick Nolte, who lives near him in Malibu. And "by a million miles, my favorite economist is my father," he said. "I mean no one else would even be close; second would be Adam Smith." As he ponders the future of American economics, Stein doesn't mind being sidetracked into discussing the science of the late 1960s and early '70s as he does on "Wonder Years." "I would love to continue doing 'The Wonder Years.' I've been around a lot of sets and by far the friendliest people I've worked with are on 'The Wonder Years.' They're just incredibly nice." JEWISH ENSEMBLE THEATRE Jewish Community Center, 6600 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, Last Resort, March 14 through April 1, admission, 661-1000. JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER 6600 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, Sid Caesar lectures on comedy, 9 p.m. March 10, admission, 661-1000. COMEDY COMEDY CASTLE Mark Ridley's, koyal Oak, George Miller, through March 10, admision, 542-9900. THEATER WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY Detroit, Hilberry Theatre, She Stoops to Conquer, through March 30; Bonstelle Theatre, The Tempest, through March 11, admission, 577-2972. AVON PLAYERS Rochester Hills, To Gillian (On Her 37th Birthday), through March 17, admission, 375-1390. STAGECRAFTERS Baldwin Theatre, Royal Oak, The Nerd, through March 18, admission, 541-6430. MUSIC UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY Aim Arbor, Maurizio Pollini, pianist, admission, 763-TKTS. SOMERSET The Mall, Troy, Jim Perkins and Friends, free, 643-6360. FILM DETROIT FILM THEATER Detroit Institute of Arts, Weapons of the Spirit, through March 11, admission, 833-2323. ❑ THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 71