Wednesday, March 21, 1973
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Fage lliree
Wednesday, March 21, 1973 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Three
Row,
tonight
6:00 2 4 7 News
9 Courtsip of Eddie's Father
50 Fintstones
56 Operation Second Chance
6:30 2 CBS News
4 NBC News
7 ABC News
9 I Dream of Jeannie
50 Gilligan's Island
56 Making Things Grow
7:00 2 Truth or Consequences
4 News
7 To Tell the Truth
9 Beverly Hillbillies
501 Love Lucy
56 Zoom
7:30 2 What's My Line?
4 Festival of Family Classics
7 Wild Kingdom
9 Irish Rovers
50 Hogan's Heroes
56 Consumer Game
8:00 2 Billy Graham Crusade
4 Adam-12
7 Paul Lynde
9 Hooray for'Hollywood
50 Dragnet
56 America '73
8:30 4 Banacek
7 Movie
"Toma"
50 Golddiggers
9:00 2 Medical Center
9 News
50 NHL Hockey
56 Festival Films
9:30 9 Images of Canada
56 Naturalists
10:00 2 Cannon
4 Search
7 Owen Marshall
10:30 9 This Land
11:00 2 4 7 News
9 CBC News
CUf'uURE CALENDiAR
FILM-Ann Arbor Film Co-op presents Bogdanovich's Tar-
gets at 7 and 9 tonight in Aud. A Angell; Cinema Guild
offers Corman's St. Valentine's Day Massacre at 7 and
9:05 tonight in Arch. Aud.
MUSIC SCHOOL-U Symphony Orchestra with Josef Blatt,
conductor, at 8 tonight in Hill.
MUSIC-Musical Society brings Angelicum Orchestra of Mi-
lan at 8 tonight in Power.
ART-Union Gallery shows original lithograph, intaglio,
serigraph, and woodcut prints, from 1 to 7.
11:20 9 News
11:30 2 Movie
"The Black Scorpion" (1957)
4 Johnny Carson
7 Dick Cavett
50 Movie
"Dark Hazard" (1934)
11:40 9 Curling Report
12:00 9 Movie
"The Young Warriors" (1966)
1:00 4 7 News
1:15 2 Movie
"The Vanishing American."
(1955)
2:45 2 TV High School
3:15 2 News
wwcbn
89.5 fm
9:00 Morning After Show
12:00 Progressive Rock
4:00 Folk
7:00 Talk Back
8:00 Rhythm and Blues
11:00 Progressive Rock
3:00 Sign Off
cable tv
channel 3
3:30 Pixannle
4:00 Today's Woman
4:30 Something Else (Rock)
5:00 Stratosphere Playhouse
5:30 Local news and events
6:00 Consumer Forum
6:30 NCAA Sports
7:00-8:00 Community Dialogue
A
cynical
By RAOUL FOOT
Whether or not The Heart-
break Kid was consciously con-
ceived as a commentary on The
Graduate and on the audience
who first welcomed that film so
warmly five years ago is a ques-
tion we may never have ans-
wered for us. Yet consciously or
not, what Elaine May, Neil Si-
mon, Bruce Jay Friedman et. al.
have done here it to attempt a
very ugly, cynical, totally pes-
simistic reworking of that oc-
casionally ugly, occasionally
cynical but desperately hopeful
1967 American film classic. This
crew of villains has tried to do
nothing less than to eliminate
all sense of the possibility
of human decency. And they've
replaced it with a vision of hu-
man smallness and materialism.
The two films' basic plot out-
lines seem almost identical.
Young man finds himself trap-
ped in horrible bourgeois situa-
tion (in Heartbreak Kid, mar-
riage to an intolerable Jewish
boor of a wife), falls desperately
for a beautiful dream girl (here
Kelly, played by Cybil Shep-
herd), defies social convention
(by divorcing his wife and chas-
ing Kelly), and against all odds,
wins her.
Yet while Mike Nichol's film
left one with a feeling of crazy
elation, his ex-partner's work is
designed to leave one feeling
quite hollow. How can a movie
protagonist's final victory leave
one feeling hollow? By having
that protagonist, his lucious
girlfriend and his not so lucious
wife all be as hopelessly mater-
ialistic as the society and con-
ventions against which they re-
bel. Cynical, cynical, cynical.
And dramatically foolish. The
very conception, of the film is
tremendously flawed. Since ev-
eryone in the movie is intended
to be totally corrupt it's virtual-
ly impossible to become the least
bit involved. To humanize
Heartbreak Kid's people might
mean allowing some value to
seep into these characters. And
as the movie's makers seem to
place toughness above all other
virtues, the possibility of a third
dimension being added to these
people is sacrificed for the sake
of cynicism. A truly lousy idea
for a movie.
And one that is matched by
truly lousy execution. Heart-
break Kid is as disastruous an
example of miscasting as one can
find in recent cinema. Charles
Grodin, as the super striving
protagonist for whom love seems
to be nothing more than a good
pair'of tits and a hot time in the
sack, probably comes off best.
Jeannie Berlin's gross Jewish
bride is ridiculously unappeal-
ing:uwhygwould as looks-con-
scious a guy as Lenny (Charles
Grodin) be at all interested in
her, never mind marry the girl?
Cybil Shepherd presents an op-
posite problem: she too is a
very superficial, purely physical
person. Certainly, she's beau-
tiful enough for Lenny to be in-
terested. But why should she
reciprocate? Cybil Shepherd
would have no problem finding
ci:
nematic
better pieces of meat than Len-
ny.
Elaine May's obvious direction
doesn't help the casting prob-
lems. She treats us to glittery
shots of Cybil diving into the
surf. And she renders daughter
Jeannie as contrastingly unap-
pealing as possible. See her
chomp on a candy bar directly
after screwing. Watch her stuff
a double egg salad sandwich
into her mouth, sharing it with
the table and the floor in the pro-
cess. Enjoy seeing her get a lob-
ster red sunburn. Then watch her
spread greasy creme all over
her body. Etc., etc., etc.
Other directorial sloppiness:
hatchet job editing (for example,
a back shot of someone who is
supposed to be talking - but
whose mouth is shut tight),
heavy - handed reaction shots
and close-ups, and a very dull
Jewish weddinq eouence.
Altogether quite a rotten mov-
ie. But it's damn cynical, and
cynicism is presently in some
demand. Here's hoping people
won't be sucked in by The Heart-
break Kid simply because it's
pessimistic. Superficial pessi-
mism can be . (and often, is) as
blind and limiting a world view
as Panglossian optimism.
ARTS
JOIN
WEDNESDAY
Jason Robards George Segal Ralph Meeker
as as as
Al Capone Peter Gusenberg Bugs Moran
St. Valentine's Day Massacre
Fine documentation of an immortal gangland shootout, by Roger Borman
"Chicago, its my kind of town" Frank Sinatra
7 and 9 ARCHITECTURE AUD. $1.00
written by NEIL SIMON
directed by ELAINE MAY
"ONE OF THE
YEAR'S BEST"
-N.Y. TIMES
-NEWSWEEK
-TIME
-NEW YORKER
2 ACADEMY AWARD
NOMINATIONS
Jeannie Berlin, best
supporting Actress.
Eddie Albert, best
supporting Actor.
NEXT STREISAND
IN "UP THE SANDBOX"
Y
a
I
((
Local
Poets
The Michigan
Daily Arts
Page is now
accepting
poetry for
publication.
Submit work
to Arts Editor
c/o The Daily.
- ..*- .s 9
LU
A scene from the Broadway hit musical "Applause" which will be presented by .the Professional
Theater Program this weekend.
i
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Reid's more matureRiver':
eroded rock and slower roll
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By MIKE HARPER
A few years back, Terry Reid
was j'ist another punk kid, a
pouting-faced innocent - b u t
with one difference. With two re-
cord albums to his credit, Reid
had already established himself
as an "innocent" intent on and
very capable of making g o o d
rock 'n' roll.,
His first, Bang, Bang, You're
Terry Reid, brought the artist
into the limelight with its inter-
esting arrangements and its un-
easy sense of unevenness.
Though a good deal of the first
record contained "cover" ver-
sions of already-established
songs, the second, called more
simply Terry Reid, included sev-
en excellent original tunes along
with "new" re-makes of Dono-
van's "Super Lungs (Supergirl)"
and Dylan's classic "Highway 61
Revisited." Reid's tough vocals
were matched by equally crun-
chy rock 'n' roll, with the overall
effect being one of infectious,
imaginatively-powerful sound that
sent our artist to the forefront
of English rockdom
Musically inactive since that
time, Reid now returns with his
third American release, an al-
bum called River (Atlantic SD
7259) that shows the listener the
effects of aging on a rock 'n'
roll star. No longer a naive
or greatly intent creator, Reid's
"ripening" results in an album
of good, seemingly-improvised
music that rarely over or under-
plays its simple nature.
Side one starts off with "Dean,"
a chunky cut that seems more
like an offhanded attempt than
it is "set" in its tuneful ways.
Reid's vocals are strained and
slightly flat, the cymbals clash
madly about, as David Lindley's
slide guitar slips soothingly in
and out. "Dean" fades into a
light blues called "Avenue," a
number that feels louder b u t
nonetheless is "sleepy"-sounding.
The voice is uttered coolly,
maintaining its edge above the
slide guitar, which in turn sweet-
ly overrides the basic bass and
percussion.
BEST OFFER TAKES
ANN ARBOR MUSIC MART
A country-ish intro begins
"Things to Try," which features
Reid's more even vocals and
good accoustical guitar work.
Lindley's steel guitar echoes
quietly, while Conrad Isidore's
busy percussive backing adds to
make "Things" a nice, e a s y -
going tune. Finally, another ac-
coustical guitar intro and the last
song on the first side, a lyrically
trite but musically-jumping rock-
er called "Live Life." "Live" fea-
tures uneasy drumming and
Reid's loud and raucaus vocals
that prove quite persuading as
the final outcome in indeed "live-
ly,"
Side two opens with the tittle
cut, a jazzy but unsuccessful
piece that fails due to weak vo-
cals and guitar. Reid somehow
sounds comatose, as his words
are mumbled rather than sung,
the final effect being muddled
and stale. Willie Bobo's common-
place percussion work is set-
tling, the bass fills holes, but
something is still "missing."
Next up is perhaps the b e s t
song on the album, a soft and
sentimental work c a 11 e d
"Dream." "Dream" is an off-
handedly pretty song, as Reid's
voice soars clearly, his words
wavering above his guitar and
Lee Miles' simple but adequate
bass playing. With history told,
Reid ends the song off an odd,
off-key blues note that makes
one wonder if the artist' couldn't
decide between romance and the
blues . . . and therefore chose
both.
The album, though, ends on a
more decided note with a dis-
quieting fragile song called
"Milestones." "Milestones" is
simple, as Reid's voice teams
with his own cross-weaving chor-
al patterns to blend a nice,
thoughtfully painful sense of
"well-being." In other words, a
singer "slave" to his own "song."
. . . Inside the double cover
of the new album is a picture of
Reid seated by the banks of an
unnamed river. The innocent, in-
tentful look is gone, as is the
half-hearter pout that made him-
every young girl or boy's desire
. . . The "new" Reid is older,
his hair longer and ragged, his
face now lined and bearded. The
necklaces and stage gear have
been replaced by blue denim,
and. the music has indeed chang-
ed too - once vibrant and ample,
it is now softer, and somewhat
more self-conscious.
Trailing a distant second to his
thoroughly engaging second al-
bum, Terry Reid's latest, River
is disappointing rock 'n' rollwise,
but it remains a 'reasonably con-
sistent and enjoyable offering
nonetheless. . . . And in these
days of porous plastic pap, "en-
joyable" will do just fine.
MONDAY-SATURDAY 9:30-9:00
336 S. State
769-4980
I _____________________
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Levine presents a Mike Nichols Film starfrfg Jach NchcsCn -Candce Bergen ?
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"'Carnal Knowledge' is brilliant.
A feast of a film!"
Judith Crist, N.Y. Magazine
"'Canal Knowledge' is one
of the best movies ever!"
-Liz Smith, Cosmopolitan
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Mike Nichols, Jack Nicholson,
Candice Bergen,Arthur Garfunkel,
Ann-Margret and Jules Feiffer.
Carnal Knowledge.
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