Grant’s screwball comedies play up slapstick
Do NOT — I repeat — DO NOT
leave your house on Wednesday!
Turner Network Television — Lin
coln’s channel 31 — is offering two
masterpieces within hours,
TNT will aii “His Girl Friday,” at
9 a.m. and “The Awful Truth” at 1
p.m.
Both films are in the hilarious vein
of the screwball comedy, which be
came famous in the ’30s for its clever
use of slapstick, wordplay and social
bites.
The screwball comedies featured
wacky families, scatterbrained hero
ines — usually featuring Claudette
Colbert, Carole Lombard, Jean Arthur,
Katharine Hepburn and Irene Dunne
— and playboys, including Clark
Gable, Spencer Tracy, William Pow
ell, and Cary Grant.
“The Awful Truth,” a 1937 film,
ieaiureu uie periccuy maieneu Lsuimt
and Grant as Lucy and Jerry War
riner.
After a bout with marital misun
derstandings and mistaken identities,
the Warriners decide to divorce —
getting into a custody battle over their
pet terrier, Mr. Smith. The dog-actor
is perhaps better known as Asta, Nick
and Nora Charles’ dog in “The Thin
Man” series.
The film takes its form following
Daniel Leeson (Ralph Bellamy) in
his quest to marry Lucy (Dunne), and
Jerry’s (Grant) engagement to Bar
bara Vance (Esther Dale).
Some of the finest scenes in the
film are found in the condescending
pleasure that Grant derives from
making Bellamy’s native Oklahoman
character look like an idiot and from
Grant’s jealous suspicions concern
ing his wife (Dunne).
“How can I believe you? The car
broke down? People stopped believ
ing that before cars started breaking
down!” Grant exclaims.
“Well, the car was very old,” Dunne
offers.
“Yeah? Well, so is his story,” Grant
retorts.
“The Awful Tnilh” derives its story
from a 1922 play by Arthur Richman.
It was remade as a 1925 silent film
with Agnes Ayers and Warner Baxter
and as a 1929 “talkie” starring Ina
Claire and Henry Daniell.
Much of the success of the film is
owed to the improvjsational style of
producer/director Leo McCarey, who
won Best Director Oscar for the film.
lmprovisational is perhaps an
understatement. When shooting be
gan, none of the cast even had a script
to work from!
“We shot that in less than six weeks
without a script. Leo knew all the
time what he was going to do, but he
was the only one who did,” Bellamy
recalled of the film.
The film collected nominations for
Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress
for Dunne, Best Supporting Actor for
Bellamy, and ironically, for Vina
Delmar’s “screenplay,” which never
really existed.
“His Girl Friday” likewise starred
Grant, only this time with Rosalind
Russell.
This 1941 film was directed by
Howard Hawks who had worked in
the screwball vein with Grant before
in the 1938 “Bringing Up Baby,”
starring Grant and Hepburn.
“His Girl Friday,” like “The Aw
ful Truth,” features Grant’s problems
surrounding his wife’s demands for a
divorce. Again, Grant’s wife finds
herself being romanticized by a Bel
lamy character, Bruce Baldwin.
Set in the office of The Morning
Post, Russell’s characterization of
Hildy Johnson is reminiscent of Myma
Loy’s outspoken, sparkling character
in “Manhattan Melodrama (1934) and
in ‘The Thin Man” series.
Grant is incredible — with the
film hanging on his every word. Every
line is extremely quick and succinct
— in typical Grant fashion.
“I suppose I proposed to you,”
Russell offers.
“Well, you practically did —
making goo-goo eyes at me for two
years until I broke down. And I still
claim I was tight (drunk) the night I
proposed to you! If you d have been a
gentleman, you’d have forgotten all
about it. But not you!” Grant ex
claims.
“His Girl Friday” is a much more
socially conscious film than The
Awful Truth,” calling the attention of
the media to the problem of political
corruption and graft.
Much of the film’s plot centers on
Earl Williams, a man sentenced to
death for his accidental shooting of a
black police officer. Walter Bums’
(Grant) paper is championing Wil
liams, claiming that the governor will
not grant him a reprieve in an effort to
secure the black vote.
Like “The Awful Truth,” much of
“His Girl Friday” gains its energy
through the improvised lines and
actions of Russell and Grant, allow
ing Grant to even say his real name.
“Listen — the last man who said
that to me was Archie Leach — just
before he got his throat cut!” Grant
said
Carole Lombard was the first choice
for the role of Hildy, but studio head
Cohn couldn’t meet her loan-out price.
However, Grant didn’t seem to mind,
becoming lifetime friends with Russell.
Both called the film one of their fa
vorites.
rus> *jhi ruuay was uic,
of four films adapted from the play
“The Front Page” by Ben Hecht and
Charles MacArthur. The first version
was made in 1931 and starred Adol
phe Menjou, Pat O’Brien and Mary
Brian.
“Friday” was the only version to
portray one of the reporters as a woman
— through the wonderful insight of
Howard Hawks — making this ver
sion the most successful and the de
finitive version.
Considering the fact that the two
movies would cost almost SI00 to
buy, and that no rental places in town
carry the film — coupled with the
fact that both films are wonderful
classics...
Well? What better reason do you
need to skip class?
Stock is a junior English major and a
Daily Nebraskan arts and entertainment
reporter and columnist.
Courtssy of Columbia Pictures
Cary Grant and Irene Dunne star in “The Awful Truth.” The movie will be shown on TNT, Lincoln’s
channel 31, next week.
Awards
Continued from Page 8
against some formidable competition
— Meryl Streep, Kathy Bates, Anjelica
Huston, Joanne Woodward.
But Roberts is a talented actress
who can more than hold her own in
this company. And don’t overlook
the fact dial she was nominated for
Best Supporting Actress for her work
in “Steel Magnolias” last year.
As well, the Academy has devel
oped a pattern over the past few years
of awarding Best Actress honors tc
the more unlikely choices. Examples
of this include Cher for “Moonstruck”
and Jodie Foster for “The Accused.”
Roberts could very well follow in the
“she was good but I didn’t think she’d
win” mold and walk away with Best
Actress honors for “Pretty Woman.”
Other Oscar surprises included
Richard Harris’ Best Actor nomina
tion for his work in the Irish film “The
Field” and Diane Ladd’s nomination
for Best Supporting Actress in “Wild
At Heart.”
In no real surprise to anyone,
“Dances With Wolves” swept the
nominations with 12. The three-hour
epic, about an Army man and a group
of Sioux Indians, was nominated for
Best Picture, making it the first west
ern in 22 years to receive a nomina
tion for Best Picture. The film’s di
rector and star, Kevin Costner, was
nominated for both Best Director and
Best Actor honors. Mary McDonnell,
Costner’s love interest in the film,
earned a nomination as Best Support
ing Actress, while Graham Greene,
as the film’s Native American patri
arch Kicking Bird, was nominated for
Best Supporting Actor.
The film was also nominated for
Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cine
matography, Best Film Editing, Best
Original Score and Best Sound.
Two films, touted before their re
leases as sure Oscar bets, were largely
ignored by the Academy. “The Bon
fire of the Vanities,” a miscast, botched
attempt of a film from Tom Wolfe’s
insightful book, failed to get any
nominations; “Havana,” the Robert
Redford-Lena Olin bomb, got one
nomination for Best Original Score.
Mel Gibson’s Hamlet was ignored, as
was Penny Marshall for her directing
work in “Awakenings.”
Below, a few guesses for the winners.
The awards will be held on March 25
at the Shrine Auditorium in Los
Angeles. Billy Crystal will host.
BEST PICTURE: Dances With
Wolves,” in a landslide.
BEST ACTOR: Kevin Costner for
“Dances With Wolves.” That’s it. No
one else should possibly win this.
BEST ACTRESS: I admit it. I sin
cerely doubted that she would be
nominated. But I’ll go out on a shaky
limb and say Julia Roberts will get the
nod for “Pretty Woman.”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Bruce Davison for “Longtime Com
panion,” in a dead heat with Joe Pe
sci, for “GoodFellas.”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Whoopi Goldberg, for her role as an
offbeat psychic in “Ghost,” will just
edge out the talented Mary McDon
nell, “Dances With Wolves.”
BEST DIRECTOR: Kevin Costner,
“Dances With Wolves.” And as good
as Costner was — and as much as he
deserves to win — Penny Marshall
should at least have been nominated
in this category.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Defi
nitely Whit Stillman’s “Metropoli
tan,” a charming tale about NYC
debutantes and their life struggles.
Stillman’s captivating story brings to
mind a young Woody Allen or a sweeter
J.D. Salinger.
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Mi
chael Blake, “Dances With Wolves.”
BEST SONG: The Academy really
should avoid awarding the prize this
year, as most — if not all — of the
choices are putrid excuses for songs.
Not only that, it’s scary to think that
Jon Bon Jovi is nominated for an
Academy Award. “I’m Checkin’ Out,”
from “Postcards from the Edge,” is
the least distasteful of the choices. It
should win.
Naughton is a senior news-editorial and
Knglish major and the Daily Nebraskan arts
and entertainment editor.
Kronos
Continued from Page 8
Harrington said.
This problem with classifying
Kronos into one musical genre gives
the band much of its allure.
Often the band spices up its show
with lights, mechanical gears and
complex stage designs. The group’s
“post-modem” image offers audiences
more than just sound.
“When people come to a Kronos
concert, they know they will hear
something that requires a reaction,
even if they don’t like what they are
hearing. You can’t just sit back and
relax,” Jeanrenaud said.
Kronos argues that playing the
classics is a waste of creativity —
with all of the new music that is
available.
"There’s a piace in American music
thatexists, somewhere between blues
and rock ‘n’ roll — a place where
there’s an incredible amount of inten
sity and energy. I’d like to bring that
into our music. Some of Hendrix is
like that. Bo Diddlcy. There’s a qual
ity of sexual, rebellious type energy
that I really like — a kind of stance I
appreciate,” Harrington said.
Tickets lor Krorios arc $20 and
SI6; tickets for UNL students and
youth 18 and undei are half-price.
They arc available at the Lied Box
Office on 12th and R, 11 a m. to 5:30
p.m. weekdays.
_ i
Sale
Continued from Page 8
is still out on what kind of an impact
the recession could have in the long
run.”
One of the more effective market
ing strategies used by Twisters to
help keep sales steady ‘‘is to stick
with low-ball priccson new releases,”
McCallum said. “The other thing we
do that I think can really encourage
buyers is that we guarantee every
thing on sale as a buy it, try it deal
with absolutely no risk,” McCallum
said.
Current music sales are outstrip
ping last year’s sales at this time,
according to Denys Shafer, assistant
manager of Music Avenue in Gate
way Shopping Center.
“Sales are generally lower alter
Christmas and after everyone’s re
lumed to school,” Shafer said, “but
we’re beating last year's figures.”
Though some economists attrib
ute the gulf war as a cause of the
domestic recession, Shafer says so far
the war has had a positive effect on
music sales.
“War promotes a lot of emotions,”
Shafer said. “People buy things that
remind them of the experience. If
they’re for it, they’re buying patriotic
music, and if they ’re anti-war, they ’re
buying John Lennon and peace mu
sic.”
If the war continues, however,
Shafer said sales could decline.
“After a while, I’d assume it could
affect us, and things may slow down.
But definitely not currently.”
Pete Hjermstad, merchandise
- 44
Sales are generally
lower after Christmas.
Shafer
assistant manager of Music
Award
-ft -
manager at Target, 333 N. 48th St.,
said that “for the month, sales have
not been better or worse one way or
the other than in comparison to last
year.”
Music is definitely susceptible to
recession, Hjcrmstad said. He said he
thought movie sales had a better chance
of succeeding in an economic slow
down than sales of cassettes and CDs.
“People sec a gain out of purchas
ing a movie for the family rather than
taking the wholcgangoul loa theater,
but the same just doesn’t hold true for
music,” Hjermstad said. “You can
see it on TV with videos or just listen
to it on the radio, so it just doesn’t
have the same applicability as a movie
in this situation.”
The marketing strategy Target
currently is using is the same one
used last year at this time, to “latch
onto the Grammy nominees and lake
advantage of it,” Hjermstad said.
As far as the Persian Gulf war
inspiring music sales, Hjermstad said,
“1 haven’t seen anything like that I
think that’s a little far-fetched.”
Overall, there s nothing showing
•incihatanyihing’sdifferent,”Hjcrm
stad said, “There’s certainly been no
major increase, but there hasn’t been
a decline in music sales, cither.”
If the war is short, Hjermstad said
he thought consumer buying confi
dence w'ould increase and “we could
have a positive impact through sales,”
instead of a decline in music sales.
According to Jeff Randall of Proj
ect Import Records, 122 N. 14th St.,
the recession already has had an ad
verse effect on music sales.
“Definitely, business has been real
slow,” Randall said. “The recession
has put a dent in us.”
The theory that the music industry
is somewhat recession-proof, Ran
dall said, is simply false. “That idea
hasn’t helped our cash register too
much,” Randall said.
Project Import relies on college
students for most of its business, and
generally sells a variety of independ
ent label releases.