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Victorian Era lives
in Bellefonte fest
By LYNETTE CIERVO
Collegian Staff Writer
Horse and buggies and tableaux
vivants (living statues) will lead
the way this weekend when Belle
fonte celebrates . "A Victorian
Christmas."
festival preview
In honor of its historical past,
the Bellefonte community is work
ing together to recreate the Victo
rian Era. The main attraction is a
95-minute production on day-to
diy life in Bellefonte in which
costumed actors will reenact
scenes from a lawn party to an
afternoon promenade. One woman
will even be dressed in an original
gown that was worn at President
Lincoln's Inaugural Ball.
The costumes are all originals
from the period that have either
been donated by the Centre County
Library or by ladies in the area.
'Toy' breaks down;
Harpo to leave marks in State College
By CHRISTINE CURCIO
Collegian Staff Writer
Harpo's the band that blew ev
erybody away last May at Movin'
On with an exceptionally fine hard
rock set. They did their own materi
al and a few remakes, including
AC/DC's "Let There Be Rock" and
other "classics."
Harpo makes an appearance
roughly once a month in State Col
, lege, and will be performing tonight
at the Scorpion, 232 W. Calder Way.
"State College has always been a
good town for us," said Jack Pyers,
bass guitar player for the band.
Britain's new TV-4 labeled offensive
LONDON (AP) Channel 4, Britain's first new TV
station in nearly two decades, has broken new ground
in minority broadcasting since coming on the air a
month ago. But its ratings are dismal, and critics
accuse it of dredging up dirt.
"This channel is an offense to public taste and
decency and should be drummed off the air forthwith,"
John Carlisle, a Conservative member of Parliament,
declared angrily.
Carlisle and 19 other Conservative party lawmakers
introduced a motion in the House of Commons on Dec. 2
condemning the independent channel for its "constant
use of four-letter words and obscenities."
Home Secretary William Whitelaw added his support
to the protests, urging the Independent Broadcasting
Authority which regulates commercial radio and TV to
take note of "widespread public concern" about Chan
nel 4's programming.
Launched with financing totaling $177 million put up
The 28 actors are from the Centre
Region.
"The production is very enter
taining, with humor as well as
information on what life was like
in those days," said True Fisher,
producer for the project. The
event is sponsored by the Project
for the Performing Arts and the
Bellefonte Historical and Cultural
Association.
And there's more. Horse and
buggy rides are available all day
to carry people from the parking
lots to the diamond, where the
courthouse is located. Victorian
music will be performed. Shop
keepers have decorated their win
dows and shops, and some clerks
have even dressed for the occa
sion.
The performances will be held in
the courtroom of the Centre Coun
ty courthouse in Bellefonte at 6:30
and 8:15 tonight and 11 a.m. and 1
p.m. tomorrow. Tickets are $2 for
adults and $1 for children.
So visit Bellefonte this weekend
where you can enjoy a peek into
the past and enjoy the festivities of
a Victorian Christmas.
Richard Pryor
Lately the band has been branch
ing out beyond Pennsylvania and
touring to Buffalo and Rochester,
N.Y. They have an album available
on Mallard Records (MROO4) fea
turing five original tunes written
mostly by George Zerbe on lead
and rhythm guitar. Since the re
lease of the album, however, Zerbe
has been replaced by John Hahn.
The album is a nice mixture of
the roughness of heavy metal and
the clear sound of rock and roll.
Their original tunes are artfully
produced with Bill Kerstetter and
John Kistner trading off on lead
vocals.
Bellefonte community members prepare for this weekend's "ViCtorian Christmas," a full•scale reenactment of the rich
historical era, complete with horse and buggy rides and period costumes.
Harpo is currently available at
most area records stores and runs
for about $5. The band, encouraged
by its first ip's sales, has recording
plans for the future.
"We have some new material in
the works," said Pyers.
Harpo regularly plays to crowds
packe&to the rafters in clubs where
they are well known. They've got a
rock flavor that features relentless
guitar riffs and it comes through in
their live gigs. A sticker on the
album jacket says it all: Play It
Loud.
by 14 independent TV production companies, Parlia
ment decreed that Channel 4 was to provide "a distinc
tive service."
And it has, breaking new ground with programs for
women and racial minorities, avant-garde drama and
even American football.
But critics claim its programs are too often aimed at
small minorities and feature left-wing views and too
much filthy language.
Carlisle said the "last straw" was the station's
announcement that it will broadcast a show about
homosexuals entitled "One in Five" on New Year's
Day. The hour-long program was billed as an "exciting
mix of cabaret and conversation" and "the first nation
wide program for gay people."
Carlisle said: "This is TV for minorities indeed and I
hope the majority will show their contempt for it by
switching off in the millions."
'Airplane
By SHAWN ISRAEL
Collegian Staff Writer
There are some films that not even a comic genius
such as Richard Pryor can save. The mainman can
grimace till his eyes spring o'ut of their sockets, flail his
arms until they fly off his wiry frame and whine until
all the throat lozenges on earth can't help him. "The
Toy," one of the first and (I hope) the worst of the
holiday season's onslaught of new movies, is one of
those films.
Pryor plays Jack Brown, a journalist so desperate
for work he takes a part-time job as a maid (yes, a
maid) for U. S. Bates (Jackie Gleason), a filthy-rich
Louisiana industrialist• who fires Jack on the spot for
not shaving his moustache and serving food about as
gracefully as Jerry Lewis.
After being relegated to janitorial work in one of
Bates' toy stores, Jack is "bought" by Eric (Scott
Schwartz), Bates' spoiled son with whom he is spend
ing a week, although U. S. might as well be on. a
business trip. Jack makes Eric laugh, and whatever
the little tyke wants, he gets.
It's only a matter of time and a few sobering
experiences until Jack teaches Eric the true meaning
of friendship and stifles his rambunctious nature. The
two even publish a newspaper exposing U. S.'s nasty
business tactics. This, of course, sends U. S. into a
frenzy of rage but gradually he acknowledges that his
son needs a father figure.
Spare me!
"The Toy" is so aggressively cute and sugary it
should develop cavities. Most annoying about this film
is Carol Sobieski's hackneyed, unfunny script. The
dialogue is a mix of grunts intended to make the
audience laugh and overlong tirades intended to be
meaningful. The plot complications (such as U. S.
holding a fundraiser for the Ku Klux Klan, masquerad
ing it as a Democratic picnic) are ridiculous. The
characters are all predictable stereotypes the dumb
blonde, the stuffy valet, the corporate yes-man . . .
Even worse is Richard Donner's hysterical direction.
ll' breaks up
Virtually every gag is badly staged and visually ugly.
The few laughs the film does provide come from
Pryor's mugging and frolicking. It's a valiant effort on
Pryor's part, but I'm afraid the damage here is too
extensive for even him to keep the audience enter
tained.
"The Toy" should be recalled.
Ted Striker (Robert Hays) and Elaine (Julie Hager
ty), the old sweethearts who landed the great silver
bird in "Airplane," 1980's runaway comedy hit, now
have to save a lunar shuttle from the devious memory
banks of an unstable computer and a mad bomber in
"Airplane II The Sequel," a pleasant enough rehash
of its predecessor, the skillful, zany parody of doomed
aircraft movies.
"Airplane's" creators Jim Abrahms, David Zuck
er and Jerry Zucker are not responsible for the
sequel. At the controls is writer-director Ken Finkle
man, a newcomer who doesn't do badly but has trouble
maintaining the rhythm of the film. The rapid-fire
progression'of gags that Abrahms, Zucker and Zucker
almost effortlessly generated in "Airplane" is missing.
The movie has too many bare spots, too many missed
opportunities to insert gags.
Still, some of what Finkleman gave us isn't bad. The
film nicely spoofs everything from "2001: A Space
Odyssey" and "Mission: Impossible" to "Jeopardy."
Returning from the original are deviant pilot Captain
Oveur (Peter Graves), chain-smoking air traffic con
troller McCroskey (Lloyd Bridges) and the wisecrack
ing controller Jacobs (Stephen Stucker).
Notably funny is William Shatner as Striker's war
buddy Buck Murdock, commander of Alpha Beta
Lunar Base, a station so absurdly riddled with comput
er hardware the technicians can't figure out what half
the equipment does.
"Airplane II" is no match for the first; it isn't as
consistently hilarious as it should be. Still, it is an
adequate 84-minute escape from holiday blues. And
don't call me Shirley.
'Double' indemnity:
By BRIAN CORBETT
For the Collegian
The Cinemateque's Japanese film series continues
this weekend with Masahiro Shinoda's "Double Sui
cide," screening at 7 and 9 tonight and tomorrow in the
HUB Assembly Room. An adaptation of Chikamatsu's
1720 Bunraku puppet play, "The Love Suicide at
Amijima," the film explores the rise of the merchant
class in feudal Japan and the accompanying moral
chaos.
"Double Suicide" is the story of a young,. married
paper merchant, Jihei (Kichiemon Nakamura), who
falls in love with an indentured prostitute, Koharu
(Shima Iwashita). Jihei's love for the prostitute ren
ders him weak; irrational and destructive. He forsakes
his duties to his family and his self-control as he tries to
buy Koharu out of the brothel. Unable to raise the
money and fearing that she may be bought by a rich
merchant whom the couple despises, Jihei and Koharu
decide that suicide is their only means of union.
Shinoda's attitude toward the couple, like Chikamat
su's, is one of contempt. The director points out the
absurdity of Jihei's obsession by having the same
actress play both his wife and lover. That a merchant
should become so obsessed with passion that he de
stroys the lives of everyone, including himself, is
incongruous and pathetic.
Coupled with Shinoda's strong contempt for the
merchant and his class, the director uses a strong
fatalistic dimension. The black-veiled Koroku, Bunra
ku puppeteers, are present throughout, guiding and
aiding the doomed characters. Shinoda feels that such
moral decay and self-destruction at the time of Japan's
final Shogunate had become qualities endemic to the
human condition.
"Double Suicide" is a visually captivating film. The
highly stylized sets and the presence of the Koroku give
the work a very theatrical feel. Shinoda's compositions
display that delicate Japanese aesthetic which is so
Photo by Micah Grabenateln
Japanese film focuses on lovers' suicides
The Daily Collegian!
appealing. The final sequence is especially arresting,
with the director blending the film's elements for the
only exterior scene which culminates in the deaths of
the protagonists.
Director Masahiro Shinoda (top left) directs Kichiemon
Nakamura and Shima Iwashita In "Double Suicide," a
Japanese film dealing with two lovers' struggle amidst
turbulent social and economic times. The film Is playing
on campus this weekend.
Friday, Dec. 17
Mischief men
boast mixed
bag of music
By BETH MILLER
Collegian Staff Writer
"State College is , full of medio
cre bands, as compared to the big
cities. Maybe we're no exception.
But what makes us a band worth
seeing are the moments of good
audience participation and good
. . . karma," said Ken Lawson,
lead guitarist for Mischief, one of
State College's newest bands.
Mischief got its start in mid-
October when two former mem
bers of D.0.A., rhythm guitarist
Scott (Woody) 'McPherson (Bth-
English) and drummer Carl Mau
ro, decided to start another band.
They began jamming with bassist
Dan Ehart during the summer,
and shortly after, Lawson (11th
quantitative business analysis),
drummer Dave Stouber (10th
marketing) and keyboardist Joe
Leveille (Bth-economics) joined.
The group was formally named
after the members booked their
first job at Sigma Nu fraternity on
Mischief Night. Since then,
they've played at the Brewery, the
Phyrst and the Vet House. Their
repetoire includes songs by the
Grateful Dead, the Clash, Little
Feat, Bob Dylan, the Rolling
Stones, Santana and the Byrds.
How has Mischief met with such
quick success? Group members
attribute part of it to their sound
man, Tom Hesketh, whom they
consider an actual member of the
band. Hesketh has mixed sound
for a number of other bands, in
cluding D.0.A., Red Rose Cotil
lion, Pictures and Archie Blue. He
was also stage manager for Mov
in' On and worked as a part-time
sound engineer for Filmspace Stu
dios.
Hesketh said that Mischief bene
fits from its large sound system.
"The secret of a good sound for
dance is a combination of a good
kick drum, snare drum and bass,"
he said. "You can get it to punch
out there and then, with a big
system, you can get the vocals out
on top."
Having six members also seems
to be an asset for the band. '
"Carl and I wanted a big band
from the start," McPherson said.
"It allows more room for creativ
ity. One person can hold the
rhythm steady while another
takes a solo."
All of the members are pleased
with the band's loose structure.
Since they all came into Mischief
with diverse experience and
styles, they had to juggle their
interests to get a repertoire to
gether. They accomplished this by
trying not to impose a strict ar
rangement on each song.
"By leaving (the song) open to
development, we allow for some
new creativity," Ehart said. "Ev
erybody will play a different solo
every time. Sometimes the whole
band will end up playing another
arrangement."
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"THE FEEL-GOOD FLICK OF THE YEAR
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The Daily Collegian Friday, Dec. 17, 1982-2
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