ARTS The Michigan Daily -Sunday, March 7, 1982 Pager I$1ijKtt a Tesich: Growing up in America By Richard Campbell C AN A 12-year-old Yugoslavian immigrant find happiness growing up in America? That is the question confronting Danilo Prozor, played by Craig Wasson, in Four Friends, a movie expertly written by Academy Award winner Steven Tesich and precisely directed by Arthur Penn. Tesich has written about a subject with which he is intimately acquainted, just as he did in his earlier movie Breaking Away. He was born in Yugoslavia, grew up in East Chicago, and went to Roosevelt High School, events which have their parallel in the film. Three boys, played by Wasson, Jim Metzler, and Michael Huddleston, in high school are in love with the same girl, Jodi Thelen. It is 1960 and life is just beginning to get complicated for these four friends as well as with America. FouriFriends is as complex as a novel. Tesich's screenplay is prac- tically overwhelming in its scope. It crams into the film everything about America-from Kennedy's assassination to landing on the moon-that relates to growing up in the '60s. What is remarkable about this at- tempt is its success. Even though the combination of history with the charac- ter story is somewhat far-fetched, it never turns unbelievable. The audience is never beaten over the head with the symbolism because of the understated presentation. Although everything in the movie is contrived, the extremely high quality of writing, direction, and acting makes sure that that contrivance is what gives the film its relevance. Underscoring the movie is an earnest love of America. Danilo is a "Star Spangled Banner" freak, going to foot- ball games just to be a part of the crowd singing the anthem. He is never shaken in his admiration for his adopted soun- try, but becomes increasingly bewildered by the myriad of possibilities that the land of opportunity represents. Friends is critical of America, but Tesich obviously regards those flaws as a central part of this country's per- sonality. Penn films these scenes of racism, the idle rich, and irrespon- sible youth with compassion. They are not presented with the outside obser- ver's cold objective eye, but with a par- ticipant's wisdom. Tesich has recently completed the script to the movie version of The World According to Garp and it is interesting to note the similarities in style between Friends and the structure of that novel. Both deal with personal stories against a wild, inventive backdrop where the surreal becomes real. It is very likely that foreign audien- ces will not get the same reaction to this movie that an American would, because the incidents of the story touch on a common sense of history. These .....- reactions are what give the film its power. A lot of movies have tried to be the seminal work of growing up in this country, like American Graffiti or Breaking Away. What distinguished Four Friends from this crowd is its broad scope. It tackles everything about the American dream, from the immigrants point of view to the chaos of the '60s. The film is extremely episodic and tends to interrupt itself with quick pe- sonal explanations added over tle soundtrack. Only after the first half- hour do these seemingly interfering elements work together to form A poetic, and nostalgic look back. Four Friends doesn't gloss over mistakes, and it doesn't dwell on them. It is a moving commentary on a period of adjustment that people as well as nations must undergo. It is one of the best movies of the year. Count Bill of Rights Article VIII: The Delivery Act Sek a Delivery" Fast and to Your Home! Have a Pizza Delivered to Your Home By the Fast and Furious Grand National All-Star Delivery Squad Just Phone 668-8411 Nightly After 5:00P.M\ Iimited Delivery Area 1140 S. University at Church 668-8411 " N Jodi Thelen and Craig Wasson share a midnight rendezvous in 'Four Friends.' The Rovers mix folk and By Robin Jones RISH OR NOT, the enthusiastic crowd listening to The Rovers felt Irish by the end of their Thursday night concert, when the well-known Canadian folk group appeared at the michigan Theater. Tunes in- cluded their first hit-single "The Unicorn," and recent top-40 hit "Wasn't That A Party?" Audience involvement is essential to The Rovers. From the first song on, the crowd hand-clapped to the music. Group leader Will Millar entertained with Irish jokes, and bantered with the crowd to establish a warm camaraderie. Many in the audience already knew the group from their early days in the '60s, when they had a television series with CBS. Perhaps a small reason for the audience's involvement was the green beer sold in the lobby. Nevertheless, The Rovers put onagood show. The concert opened with folk ballads, and their own characteristic instrumentation, which included an electric bass, piano, and amplifiers. They blended the old tunes and new instruments into a catchy, folk- country sound. Lead singer Jimmy Ferguson is the comedian of the group, punching others in the arm when they teased him about his portly size. His good- natured style and strong, lively singing combined to make him the most popular in the group, as in "Wasn't That A Party." Will Millar's cousin, Joe Millar, was featured in love song solos, which included "Bridget Flynn," and the old ballad, "Molly Malone." The band had the audience singing along to "The Unicorn," which was a hit with both old and new fans. opular music In the second half of the concert, the group performed more folk melodies, the most popular being "The Dunken Sailor;" and finished with their loud and rowdy "The Wild Rover." The Rovers formed into a group in 1964, and have been popular the world over. Their distinctive ren- dering of Irish folk music is enjoyed wherever they go. Their recent LP release, The Rovers/Wasn't That A Party features the return of the group to top 40 radio with "Wasn't That A Party" written especially for them by American songwriter Tom Paxton. It is unlike anything done before by the group, and is a hit in both Canada and the USA. Though the Rovers have deviated both in in- strumentation and format from the traditional Irsh folk music, their style is one of a kind, and very in- teresting. $IOOFF On your College Ring ,,, : y. w I THE PUZZLE Stay Tuned By Don Rubin It's the fall of 1969, and NBC is calling it "the Septem- ber you'll remember," a star- studded television season peo- ple would recall perhaps a dozen years later. We'll see. Pay no attention to the sta- tion affiliations, time slots and date. We're just looking for the names of the shows. LAST WEEK'S SOLUTION: Last week's puzzle was sur- prisingly difficult, despite the fact that we actually gave you the answers. Take another look - that wasn't Walter Alston; it was Mateo Alou. The correct solutions (in no particular order) were: Reg Cleveland Don Drysdale Hank Greenberg Babe Ruth Manny Sanguillen Henry Aaron Mateo Alou Dagoberto Campaneris "Boog" Powell Chris Chambliss Nelson Briles Andy Messersmith Willie Mays There were no winners in last week's contest. Fed up with these crazy puzzles? Would you like to get even with Don Rubin and win $10 to boot? Then send your original ideas for The Puzzle to The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, 48109. All entries will become the property Thursday EVENING 6:00 _ _ _ _ _ In a bizarre and Gothic tale, the agents probe sinister disappear- ances at a health spa. The trail leads to the Sedgewick family, who live un- der a terrible curse. West: Robert Conrad. Artemus: Ross Martin. (Re- run; 60 min.) "Another Windmill to Go" opens the series' 11th season. A dapper old man rowing a boat across dry graz- ing land? That's the quixotic scene bewildering all of Virginia City Sr. Bertrille soars into a third sea- son on a cloud of baseball fever San Francisco Bay Bombers vs. Northwest Cardinals. (60 min.) "Sleeping Cutie." Grandpa's in- vented a pill that changes water into gasoline. Herman: Fred Gwynne. 8:30 ID1 --Drama ~ Debut: Michael Parks stars as Jim SBronson who quit his job with a San Francisco newspaper to em- bark on a personal odyssey. Mundy's plans for romance in Rio de Janeiro are wrecked by oddball rogues who think he's muscling in on their intrigues. .©l and the Sponsor." Rob's old Army buddy Sol Pomeroy stops by unexpectedly and he's in no hurry to leave--even though Alan Brady's sponsors are expected any minute. .The Long Walk." Nazi soldiers in American uniforms have been infil- trating the lines, and Saunders' men are suddenly machine-gunned by a G1. (60 min.) 9:00 L©OQ_______ Pete: Michael Cole. Linc: Clarence Williams Ill. Julie: Peggy Lipton. OfficersMalloy and reed investigate suburban neighbors whose joint ownership of a boat ignites an in- creasingly violent squabble. Kathy's father and Uncle Tonoose both come to visit at the same time. 9:30 4 _______ Colonel Crittendon bungles again. 0©11 Debut: E.G. Marshall, David Hartman and John Saxon are "The New Doc- tors" in this series about spaceage' medicine. "Easy to Love." Script by co-star Robert Culp (Kelly). Scott: sill Cosby. (60 min.) Return: "Operation Rescue: Part 1" leads off the series' eighth season. At Venezuela's man-made Lake Gu- ri, co-hosts Marlin Perkins, Jim Fow- ler and Stan Brock test animal- capture methods. 10:00 40) Debut: The 20th Century-Fox movie studio is the setting for this fictional behind-the-scenes Hollywood series. REBATE OFFERED Mon., March 8 thru Fri., March 12 only See theJostens' Display at HOURS-l1:00-4:00 I HOUR SERVICE I I- I Lam! >:::I NOW OPEN IN BRIARWOOD * iHOU'R PHOTO PROCESSING Bring your film to us. Watch it being pro- cessed into beautiful prints before your eyes.I -in only 1 HOUR. Ii SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFERI- 1\i This Coupon Good' 0 Celebrities: Alan Alda, Arlene Fran- cis, Anthony Roberts and Gail Shel- don. Host: Wally Bruner. Steed and Mrs. Peel come to the rescue of a disrupted top-level min- isters' conference. Victoria travels to Heath's birthplace to learn about her late husband's re- lationship with Heath's mother. Bar- bara Stanwyck. (60 min.) VA Jrv ,Imm.na.nt Raaa..n Is Was-.