Page Two
SOLOMAN
* ABORTION REFORM
" EDUCATION REFOR
- RENT RELIEF
* WELFARE REFORM
democrat 0state repres
paid politic
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Saturday, August 5, 1972
THE MICHIGAN DAILY Saturday, August 5, 1972
v
LM
tentative
at advertisement
TV CINEMA F. '
A great screwball comedienne
rollinger
for people
Bob Rollinger, a senior political science major
at the u, is running for the democratic nomina-
tion for Washtenaw County Commissioner in
Ann Arbor's 15th district. To put his people-
centered ideas into effect-like consumer pro-
tection and child-care-he needs your vote.
VOTE IN THE AUGUST 8th PRIMARY
paid for by People for Rollinger
By RICHARD GLATZER
Daily FilmeCitic
THE LADY EVE: 6:0v p.m. Thursday
August 10. ch. a
HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT: 1:30
a.m.S Sunday August 6. Ch. 2
About two weeks ago, I re-
viewed What's Up Doc for The
Daily. In a typically bitter, caus-
tic, jaded piece, I complained of
the lack of appealing stars to-
day, lambasted Peter Bogdano-
vich for his inept hand at comic
direction, and then turned my
guns on Ann Arbor audiences,
quick to patronize a modern bit
of filmic mimicry, yet never at
Cinema Guild when the 'R e a1
Thing' is shown.
The inevitable questions arise;
"What does he call good comic
direction? What stars of the thir-
ties and forties were so far super-
ior to Barbara Streisand a n d
Ryan O'Neal?" Well, channels 2
and 9 have been considerate
enough to offer two movies this
week that answer those questions
somewhat.
Preston Sturges' 1941 comedy
The Lady Eve is the work of a
man who, unlike "Peter Bogdano-
vich, knows that you don't film
slapstick and pratfalls in dis-
tant longshot, that you don't di-
rect comic actors like they're
going to a funeral, that you don't
need a million pieces of shtick
in a screwball comedy, j u s t
sympathetic characters and a
good script.
Barbara Stanwyck and Charles
Coburn's fine performances com-
pliment Sturges' good taste;
their pair of crooks intent on con-
ning rich Henry Fonda' out of
some of his money (that is, un-
til Barbara falls for the guy)
is always likeable and amusing.
The Lady Eve is light, light stuff
(unlike Sturges' later social com-
edies), expertly handled and com-
pletely entertaining.
So much for what I mean by
good comic direction. As for the
kind of star that What's Up Doc
lacks, History is Made at Night
boasts as its female lead the
woman who, to my mind, is with-
out doubt the best screwball
comedy heroine ever, Jean Ar-
thur. It's incredible how rarely
Arthur currently teaching
drama as Vassar) is recogniz-
ed, how unknown she is to a
large segment of the movie-
going public. Quite an inappro-
propriate state of affairs consid-
ering Jean Arthur's warm, witty,
unique screen presence ("Sim-
ple, real, vibrant," says Frank
Capra), considering her unmis-
takable, poetry-inspiring voice
("Low, husky - at times it
broke pleasingly into the higher
octaves like a thousand inkly
bells," says Capra), considering
that several important film peo-
ple have called her the best
movie actress of all times (Cap-
ra, of course, among others),
considering that her filmogra-
phy (Mr. Deeds Goes to Town,
You Can't Take It With You,
Mr. Smith Goes to Washingtan,
The Plainsmen, Talk of the
Town, The More the Merrier,
Only Angels Have Wings, Shane,
etc., etc., etc.) reads like a list
for a Great Films of Hollywood
festival.
But Arthur is probably very
pleased with her current anony-
mity. Thoughout her career she
The Michigan Daily, edited and man-
aged by stud ents at the University o
Miehigan. News phone: 7604-0562. Serond
Class postage paid at Ann Arbor, Mich-
igan. 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor,
Michigan 48104. Published daily Tues-
day through Sunday msorning Unaiver-
shy year. Subscription rates: $i by
carrier, $11 by mall.
Summer Session published Tuesday
through Saturday morning. Subsrrip-
tion rates: $5.50 by erner campus
area); $6.50loeal mal tin Mich. se
Ohid; $1.50 nan-local mal(tther states
and foreign).
very quietly fought to avoid any
and all publicity. No cheesecake
photos, no bathing suit shots.
And very very few personal in-
terviews.
"I find it difficult to give iL-
terviews and to let myself go to
a person whom I have met for
the first time," she says. "It
is also difficult for that person
to interpret correctly what g say
on a first meeting. When I have
something to say I'll say it, but
when I haven't, then I won't
talk for publication." The Hol-
lywood Women's Press C 1 u b
voted her one of the least co-
operative actresses of 1942.
And her avoidance of publicity
isn't the only un-starlike th'ng
about Jean Arthur. For one
thing, she always insisted on hav-
ing the right to reject scripts
that didn't please her; hence
her reputation as the rebel of
Columbia Studios. (Her five-year
contract took nine years to ful-
fill, thanks to her having been
suspended several times after
having refused to act in infer-
ior productions). Hence also the
extraordinarily high quality of
almost every film she has ever
starred in.
But I have yet to read of any-
one, even her enemies, calling
her arrogant or willful; adjec-
tives like shy, retiring, and self-
doubting are much more com-
mon. When starring in Peter Pan
on Broadway, Arthur insisted
that the entire cast vote on any
changes she wanted made in the
production. "Imagine a s t a r
suggesting a vote! She con-
ducts herself more like a minor
player than like the star of the
show," said her producer, Pet-
er Lawrence.
More unstarlike things a b o u t
Jean Arthur; Rather than fre-
quent parties - and making many
public appearances, Arthur liked
to sit home alone or with her
husband (Frank Ross Jr.), lis-
tening to classical music (Hay-
den, Tchaikovsky) or reading Ib-
sen. And when in 1944 her con-
tract with Columbia expired, ra-
ther than accept one of the of-
fers being made to her by sev-
eral major movie companies,
Jean Arthur simply left Holly-
wood to study the Humanities at
Stephens College in Missouri.
(Shehas sincegstudied with pro-
See JEAN, Page 9
PETER ECKSTEIN
is mad at what's ft
goin on in
state government..
* State taxes take a larger share of income from a family earning
$10,000 than from a family earning $100,000.
" Not one of the top 109 positions in the executive branch of gov-
ernment is held by a woman.
* Local banks use state-guaranteed student loan programs solely
as a reward for favored customers.
* While there are 9,000 working mothers with pre-school children
in Washtenaw County, there are only 1,400 slots in day care
centers..
* A person convicted under state law of possessing marijuana can
be sent to jail for a year and fined $1,000.
" A person can be sent to prison for life for a voluntary sexual
act committed within the privacy of a bedroom.
" The state of Michigan has never levied a fine against an air
polluter.
IF THESE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS
THAT MAKE YOU MAD ....
Vote PETER ECKSTEIN
For State Representative-Democratic Primary
TUESDAY, AUGUST 8
paid political advertisement
4
DANCE
FRIDAY-SATURDAY AT 9:00
RADIO KING
AND HIS
COURT OF RHYTHM
-and-
SUNDAY AT 8:30 .
WASHBOARD WILLIE
AND HIS
Super Suds of Rhythm
MONDAY AND TUESDAY AT 9:00
MORE DANCING WITH
AMPHAGAS
217 S. Ashlei
2 P.M.-2 A.M.