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Tuesday, May 23, 1974
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by Ksrvsy Elliott
Feature Writs r
" cm a Marxist, of the Groucho sort."
Anonymous revolutionary in Paris, 1968.
There are certain rules in filmmaking
which can't be broken. Plot must be logical.
Character must be consistent and believable.
Audiences need to relate.
Except, that is, when the Marx Brothers
are involved.
Three lunatics nicknamed Chico, Harpo
and Groucho came to the movies in 1929 and
proceeded, for the next two decades, to be
illogical, inconsistent, unbelievable and
totally unrelated to the audience or the
world, for that matter.
"A new style of film comedy, based on
irrelevance and non sequitur, began to
eclipse the sentimentality of Chaplin and the
bumbling good naturedness of Laurel and
Hardy.
The Depression was being fought by
Absurdity. When the Marx Brothers arrived in
ichie delivers overwhelming impact
by Kathy Rea
Feature Writer
Richie by Thomas Thompson.
Saturday Review Press (303 pp., $7.95)
The new spapers of the '60s were filled with
accounts concerning drug abuse by
adolescents, college students and blue collar
workers. But. Thomas Thompson has
written the story Richie about a teenager so
polluted with pills that he finally provoked
his father into killing him.
George Diener was a man who lived life
the American way. His rules assimilated his
ambitions: a healthy family, recognition for
hard work, a piece of property with trees and
a modest home. He and his wife raised
Richie in East Meadow, a moderately-sized
city on Long Island. They helped him
through the periods of isolation, resulting
from ostracism by peers in school; they
nurtured his intense interest in animals and
nature. But they began to ignore his
adolescent infatuation with loud music,
unreliable friends and drugs.
As loving parents always do, the Dieners
gave Richie and his brother adequate
material attention. Each child had his own
bedroom and had it decorated to suit his
respective interests.
Richie lined the walls of his room with
posters of rock groups, while their music
poured out of his stereo set at a constant full
explosion. Ostensibly, this was his
psych-edelic'scene. Yet, Richie and his friends.
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Hollywood in the early 30s, with at least
four or five writers already at work on scripts
which would be thrown away and revisions
which would be revised time and again, the
film colony stood properly in awe.
Their special brand of anarchy was not to
be snuffed out, and Groucho immediately
began to sign autographs "Mary Pickford."
Once, after the brothers had moved to
MGM, Groucho discovered himself in an
elevator with Greta Garbo. The quiet and
aloof actress was quite hidden beneath a
large hat, and Groucho forthrightly lifted the
brim of the hat to catch a glimpse of the
famed face. One glance from Garbo insisted
on an apology for this intrusion, whereupon
Groucho said, "Excuse me, I just thought
you were a fellow I once knew in
Pittsburgh."
Their irreverent, helter-skelter modus
operandi extended to the actual filmmaking,
too. Directors were afraid to work with
them, because no schedule was ever firm.
And no one knew what to expect.
Like the time when Groucho, Harpo and
Chico were discussing prepration for A
Night at the Opera with producer Irving
took the culture one step further, into an
area his father found difficult to handle.
The high school in East Meadow was
attended by many students dealing in drugs.
At age 14, challenges made by Richie's
friends initiated his drug sequence. First, the
traditional few joints a week behind the
school gymnasium. Then, it came to
barbituates and amphetamines. By the time
Richie was a senior, he was smoking in his
bedroom and swallowing pills in the
bathroom. His behavior at home was
offensive to his parents, yet they never knew
how to correct the situation.
Richie's mother was lenient. She consoled
Richie for being expelled from school and
helped him in finding a job. Father to son
talks were never accomplished.
Richie's late hours, his walking out on
dinner and his deviant remarks around the
house finally prompted George to tap his
own phone. In this way, he found out the
answers to all his questions concerning
Richie's involvement with drugs. The boy's
life was centered around selling drugs to
twelve year olds, setting up pot parties,
ripping off drug dealers and even stealing
money from his mother's purse. The tapes
made George aware, in a painful way, of
Richie's consumption, but even these
revelations weren't sufficient evidence to
warrant the arrest of his son. He finally
equated helping Richie with police
intervention.
.. The sickening situation culminated in
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Thalberg. Thalberg always had several
projects going at the same time, and, often,
at the consternation of the brothers, he
would leave their conferences to pop in
momentarily on others.
They made their dissatisfaction felt, as
usual. Thalberg excused himself one
afternoon to check on a story conference on
The Good Earth, underway in the same
building. When he returned, he found
Groucho, Harpo and Chico sitting stark
naked before his fireplace, roasting potatoes.
And their special brand of insanity even
spread to their writers. Another story
concerns Al Boasbcrg, one of the best
comedy writers of the period . and the
uncontested King of the One-Lincrs.
The film was, again, A Night at the Opera.
and the problem was, again. Irving
Thalberg, who demanded that Boasberg
finish a certain scene by the following
evening. Boasberg, obviously irritated, told
Thalberg he could pick up the script from his
office that night.
When Groucho and Thalberg arrived,
Boasbcrg was nowhere to be found, and
neither was the script. They were about to
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Jeremiah Johnson With Robert
Red ford. (Through Thursday at the
Carolina).
What's Up Tiger Lily? Woody Allen
dubs an awful Japanese secret-agent flick
with a succession of one-liners. (Ends
today). Wednesday and Thursday The
Paper Chase, at the Varsity.
The Spikes Gang With Lee Marvin
and Ron Howard (Opie). (Through
Thursday at Plaza I).
Blazing Saddles Written by Mel
Brooks and starring Cleavon Little,
Madeleine Kahn and Harvey Korman.
(Continuing at the Plaza II).
unexpected homicide. This was the ultimate
tragedy between father and son. Richie
descended the basement steps and
approached his parents with butcher knife in
hand. An OD for Richie, and a conviction of
murder for George Diener.
Even though stories have been published
about youths losing out with drugs many
times before, Richie's story delivers an
overwhelming impact. Reading about the
family history and the many parental
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leave when Groucho noticed something
unusual on the ceiling.
Boasberg had written the scene for
Thalberg all right, but he had also snipped
the script into hundreds of tiny one-line
pieces and tacked them all over the ceiling
for the producer to discover and assemble.
Luckily Thalberg took the trouble to do
just that. Had he not. A Night at the Opera
might not contain its famed stateroom
sequence.
Three Mark Brothers films will be playing
in Chapel Hill this week.
A Night at the Opera (1935) is Thursday
night's Free Flick at the Great Hall of the
Carolina Union.
And starting Fridayatthe VarsityThcatre
are two of their best films from the earlier
Paramount period. Monkey Business ( 1931 )
and Duek Soup (1933) are less structured,
less lavish and less polished than the 1935
MGM classic, but that very primitivity
allows the comics a slightly freer rein, with
very little plot and excess baggage.
The Marx Brothers didn't need baggage,
or plot. They were their own inspiration and
haven't been equalled since.
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The Super Cops Ron Liebman and
David Selby as Batman and Robin of the
N.Y.P.D. (Through Thursday at the
Plaza III).
MASH With Elliott Gould,
Donald Sutherland and Sally Kellerman.
(Tuesday, 8:30 p.m., Union free flick).
Duck Soup The Marx Brothers. "1
could dance with you till the cows come
home. On second thought I'd rather
dance with the cows till you come home."
(Wednesday, 8 p.m.. Gross Chemistry
Building on Duke Campus.)
A Night at the Opera The Marx
Brothers. Again! (Thursday, 8:30 p.m..
Union free flick.)
attempts to understand their son make
appeals to the reader's emotions and to a
sense of empathy. Richie's death is not just
an addition to the obituary section.
Thompson's reenactment shook me with
such sympathy that 1 closed the book and
cried.
The author, Thompson, an editor and
staff writer for Life magazine, has written an
emotional and coherent account, not always
an easy combination to .handle. ., .
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C Three boys wanted to be like
i: y their hero. Harry Spikes.
iC-k They got their wish.
( " Soon they were wort!
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UNC Art Professor John Allcott with sketchbook at Ocracoke
AHcott shows works
John V. Alcott, the retiring ex-chairman
of the UNC art department, will hold his
own exhibition through June 15. The
exhibition will be presented in the Ackland
Art Center's little gallery and is open to the
public.
All of the drawings presented are taken
from his many sketchbooks, some going
back to the days when Chapel Hill was much
more of a country place and Carrboro was,
as he said, "lovely in its desolateness."
Anyone who has visited North Carolina's
Outer Banks will enjoy Allcott's sketches of
Ocracoke, his favorite vacation haunt. In all
of his work as an artist, including 19 years as
chairman of the UNC art department, John
Allcott's warmth comes through in
everything his brush touches.
Allcott arrived in Chapel Hill in 1940 to
assume his position as chairman of the art
departtnentat the invitation of the late
Frahk Porter Graharrif then president of-thej
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HOW SHOWING
Shows
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Starts Wednesday
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Best Supporting
Actor of '74
picture!, orn
"The Pper Chase'
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BE LSSSQ
LUNCHEON SPECIALS
11:45-2:30 Mon.-Fri.
MON.: Roast Beef Platter. Macaroni
wCheese, Turnip Greens.
fresh tossed salad. Hot soup,
buttered rolls.
With soup & salad $1.50 Without $1.17
Tues.: 14 Bar-B-Que Chicken.
String Beans, corn, fresh tossed
salad, hot soup, buttered roils.
With soup & salad $1.50 W.thout$1.17
Wed.: Country Style Steak. Macaroni
wCheese, peas, fresh tossed
salad, hot soup, buttered rolls.
With soup & salad $1.50 Without '$1 .17
Thurs.:Veal Parmigiana wSpaghetti.
fresh tossed salad, hot soup,
buttered rolls. 81.50
Fri.: 1) Braised Besf Tips, creamed
potatoes, peas, fresh tossed
salad, hot soup, buttered rolls.
2) Fish Filet wtwo vegetables,
fresh tossed salad, hot soup,
buttered rolls.
3) Shrimp Salad Bowl, Hot
coun & crackers. .0
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University. He had taught studio art for two
years at Hunter College in New York.
Allcott studied at Artist Institute of
Chicago, then at the Royal Academy in
Florence, Italy and later, at the University of
Chicago. He served as UNC's art chairman
until 1959.
Although retiring from the art faculty this
year, Allcott does not plan to stop his work.
His current project is a book on 19th century
architecture, particularly the work of
Alexander Jackson Davis, who designed
UNC's Playmakers Theatre and the State
Capitol Building in Raleigh.
"Art is the central part of my life." Allcott
said. "I like to go places, with no program,
and look at a setting. All I want to do is to see
what's there in the way of a setting in
people not criticizing, not idolizing, not
sympathizing but what's really there for
me to see. I'm always astounded at what I
see. and it's exciting to speculate about
something wonderful." 3
THE GOOD TIMES PLACE
IN CHAPEL HILL
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Air Hockey
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Pool
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Hours: Mon.-Fri. 3 p.rn.-1 a.m.
Sat.: 11 a.m.-1 a.m., Sun. 1-7 p.m.
Coming Soon: THE BOA RD WA LK
405 W. Rosemary St.
Next to Tijuana Fats
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SPECIALS
EARLY BIRD SPECIALS
4:45-7:00 p.m.
Tuesday Spaghetti
All You Can Eat
$1.55
Wednesday 12 Bar-B-Quo
Chicken
French Fries, Tossed Salad,
Bread
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Thursday Pizza
Plain Or Pepperoni
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Monday Chopped Sirloin
Two Vegetables, Tossed Salad,
Bread
$1.55
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