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daily nebraskan
thursday, October 5, 1978
arts and entertainment
Witty script, cast combine for anything but a foul movie
By Peg Sheldrick
If you go see Foul Play expecting two
hours of Chevy Chase up to his usual
schtick, you're likely to be disappointed. If
instead you go prepared for an incredible
but enjoyable comedy-mystery, chances
are you'll come away more than satisfied.
movie review
Foul Play is like a funhouse, its intent
being to startle as much as to amuse. It
brings back memories of Charade, an old
thriller mat also blended chills and chuck
les. The wildly contrived plot in Foul Play
never is really believable, but it is always
fun. You can't take the story too seriously
when it concerns a librarian caught up in
an assassination plot, and being pursued by
an albino and a dwarf. Even the Hardy
Boys could come up with something more
convincing. But in spite of the absurdities,
Foul Play works.
The fantastic coincidences and sudden
plot twists add to the humor of a crisp,
funny script. The fine performance by
Goldie Hawn as Gloria Mundy, the hapless
but not helpless librarian, is one of the
major elements in the film's success. With
a different leading lady the whole thing
might have collapsed in its own silliness.
Chevy Chase does well as the suspended
detective who falls (figuratively and literal
ly) for Hawn. His tongue-in-cheek delivery
and the basic inconsistencies of his chara
cter (alternating between Sam Spade and
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Photo courtesy Paramount Pictures
Chevy Chase makes his movie debut in Foul Play as a suspended detective who falls
(figuratively and literally) for Goldie Hawn.
Inspector Clousseauj combine to make
Chase's movie debut less than Oscar
material. The supporting cast is well
choosen, particularly Burgess Meredith as
the fiesty old landlord.
Violence and comedy
If there's a message in the movie, it's
that even the nicest of people can lash out
violently in seltaefense. Beyond that, the
film has little to offer that's edifying. It is
interesting to note the strange juxtaposi
tions of violence and comedy in this and
other recent films. The suspense comedy in
a popular genre these days that mixes
mayhem and mirth indiscriminantly.
Foul Play is a successful example of this
kind of movie, and you can appreciate its
strong points by comparing it to a less
successful attempt : the comedy thriller,
Somebody Killed Her Husband. This is
Farrah Fawcett-Majors' newest vehicle, and
it just never goes anywhere. It's a case
wherein Foul is fair and Farrah is foul.
Majors can't really be held responsible
for the problems with this show. Her co
star Jeff Bridges certainly gives it his best
shot. The troubles are mainly related to
Reginald Rose's mediocre script. Bridges is
a toy salesman who dictated children's
books on the subway and Majors is the
dutiful but dissatisfied wife of a nasty
businessman; they fall in love evidently be
cause they both love anchovies and
provolone cheese. When they discover her
husband with a large knife in his back, they
decide to track his killer themselves be
cause, of course, no one would believe
their innocence.
Witty script
Foul Play is no less improbable, but
what saves it is a high-spirited, witty script
and a pair of charming leads. Somebody
Killed Her Husband offers a lot of cutsey
dialogue and a couple of nice but monu
mentally stupid characters. Majors is given
nothing more taxing to do than look
worried and wear her clothes well. Bridges'
character is a real dumb bunny, pettable
but maddeningly dense. The contrivances
of the plot just don't come off here. Foul
Play 's antics ask only a willful suspension
of your disbelief; Somebody Killed Her
Husband demands a willful suspension of
your intelligence.
Somebody Killed Her Husband isn't an
especially bad movie, but it isn't especially
good, either. If you're in the mood for
frivolous fun, well-executed comedy, and a
few good scares, chances are Foul Play will
fill the bill. It frolics where the other
merely limps along.
Foul Play is playing at the Stuart
Theatre. Somebody Killed Her Husband
can be seen at the Douglas Three Theatre.
Jazz jam ensemble relies on improvisation, pianist
By Lori Rosenlot
On Tuesday, a girl walking through the
Nebraska Union on her lunch break heard a
jazz music group playing, and ten minutes
later she joined the group on the South
Crib stage and performed two musical
selections.
The girl was Diane Meyers, an undeclar
ed UNL student, and the group was seven
students from the school of music who
enjoy jazz jam sessions.
The performance was sponsored by the
Student Y and was designed to introduce
black music to UNL. The Student Y is the
student arm of the YWCA.
It also was the fall kick-off of the Black
Speak program sponsored by the Student
Y, according to Carol Gourlay, student
director.
The group does not have a name
because they do not perform regularly and
whoever is interested in playing may join
them, according to group members.
During the Jwo-hour jam session on
Tuesday the group performed "Scrapple
from the Apple," "Blues for Alice,"
"Autumn Leaves," and "Equinox."
"We don't practice together before we
perform," pianist Tom Larson said. "We
know the basic song and chords but from
there we just improvise."
Meyers sang with a group called Second
Edition, so, she said, performing is some
thing she has always done and enjoyed.
"I know several people in this group and
it's not that hard to improvise, especially
when you have a good piano player and
this group has a real good one," Meyer
said.
In addition to Larson, other members of
the group are, Bill Wimmer and Barry
McVinney on alto, Wardell Smith on
drums, John Kirsh on trumpet, Chris Hofer
on bass, and Beth Teller on flute.
Teller is a UNL senior and conductor of
one of the two university jazz lab bands.
She is the first woman ever to conduct a
UNL ensemble group.
"Conducting is a fun experience and I
like it, but I would much rather play my
flute' Teller said.
Teller said she has been interested in
jazz music since she was a child.
"I heard it around the house a lot when
I was little and as I got older I got interest
ed in its history and origin."
For Wardell Smith, jazz music is an
expression of emotions.
"I think of jazz music as the interpreta
tion of feelings. It's the expressions of
musicians.
"Jazz jam sessions provide an opportun
ity for young and upcoming musicians to
learn from first-hand experience what jazz
is all about.
However, they point out there are not
many places for jazz artists to play in the
Lincoln area.
"Although jazz is growing in popularity
in the Lincoln area, there are not many
opportunities for jazz musicians to per
form," Gourlay said.
Meyers agreed that there were not many
places in Lincoln that sponsored jazz
music.
'The popularity of jazz is isolated and is
only among those people who are really
interested in it," Meyer said. 'There is
really a lot of talent here but people just
aren't aware of it."
The Student Y plans to sponsor similar
performances in the South Crib so jazz
musicians on campus will have the oppor
tunity to perform, Gourlay said.
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A jazz jam session, sponsored by the Student Y, Tuesday rocked the South Crib.
Photo by Mark Billingsley
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