Kidnapping Caper Harper
Gives Suspenseful Entertainment
By STEVE DIMEO
Entertainment Editor
Fact: Lauren Bacall's million
aire husband is missing; she
enlists the aid of the tough de
tective, Harper (Paul Newman),
who watches the plot make it all
a kidnapping caper.
Questions: Why? Where'*
Whodidit?
It’s a solidly entertaining fact
that there is no question that
“Harper” staying at the McDon
ald is more than circumstantial
evidence that the private-eye
hasn't been put out by Bond.
But the new hero has emerged
out of the Bond mire as a play
ful. job-committed tough guy
who mauls gum with his molars,
sticks the gum under table
tops. pulls no verbal blows with
cops, says what he wants to
say to anyone and cares noth
ing for his loveless world of
shallow characters. That's Har
per-—a loner, a cynic, a sadist,
a killer.
And Harper is the hero.
“Harper” is not just a reno
vation of the old mystery tale.
There’s something refreshing
about it that goes beyond the
plot.
The plot, of course, is thick
and along with it there's a
battery of suspense that reach
es electric heights in such
tense scenes as Newman’s fight
to-the-death with his jailer, Roy
Jensen, in an airplane factory.
It’s rough, cruel, and vivid
Newman has an earlier bout
with a truck and a bouncer and
gets his share of surprises
throughout.
surprises suspenaea
But it's primarily the audience
that gets the surprises. Twist
after twist uncoils to the very
last to support the wheels of
this fast-moving vehicle with
smooth-running suspension.
•Newman as the carefree but
conscientious case-cincher heads
a laudable cast who all figure
Two Students to Give
Cello, Piano Recital
Three sonatas for cello and
piano will be performed during a
student recital at 4 p.m. Sunday
in the School of Music audito
rium.
Recitalists will be Vivian King,
a senior in music, violincello, and
Marlyn Potampa of Eugene, pi
ano.
The program will include Bee
thoven, "Sonata for Cello and
Piano in C Major. Op. 102, No. 1,”
Pietro Locatelli’s "Sonata for
Cello and Piano in D major,” and
Prokofiev’s 1943 composition, "So
nata for Cello and Piano, Op.
119.”
Miss King is currently first -
chair cellist with both the Uni
versity symphony and Chamber
orchestras.
Miss Potampa recently received
a $2,400 fellowship for graduate
study in music at the University
of California at Berkeley next
year.
The public is invited to attend
the recital free of charge.
Saturday
Feature Times
EUQENE DRIVE-IN: Cat Ballou—8:30:
Ship of Fools—10:30.
FOX : Fun in Acapulco—1 :15. 4:52. 8:29;
The Naked Prey—3 :08. 6:45. 10:22.
MAYFLOWER : A Patch of Blue—8.
McDONALD: A Yank in Vietnam—1,
4:40. 8:20: Harper—2:30, 6:15. 9:50.
Friday
Feature Times
EUGENE DRIVE-IN : Cat Ballou—8 :30;
Ship of Fools—10:30.
FOX : The Naked Prey—6 :45. 10:15: Fun
in Acapulco—8:30.
HEILIG: Pinocchio in Outer Space—
6:30, 9:39: Ghost and Mr. Chicken—
8:09.
MAYFLOWER: A Patch of Blue—8
McDONALD: Harper—5:40, 9:20: A
Yank in Vietnam—7:45; Insectothon—
12 midnight.
T.V. RENTALS
NEW SETS
Donovan's TV Center
225 W. 7th Avenue
Call 343-1821 for rates
PAUL NEWMAN tolerates the young-thinking thing. Shelley
Winters, in order to get to the breast of the kidnapping matter he’s
paid to investigate in “Harper,” playing now at the McDonald
theatre.
in the corrupt absurdities re
vealed by the kidnapping case
itself and Newman’s carefully
picking that case’s lock.
Nobody else could have been
Harper. It had to be Newman
and his twisted expressions,
blue and blackened eyes, slouch
ing posture and violent gestures.
But he’s only the world reveal
er, not a world healer. He is
only an indifferent, objective
observer of the ridiculous crowd
of everyday people in everyday
crime.
Cast Effectively Corrupt
There is also Lauren Bacall,
the stepmother of Pamela Tiffin,
who prefers sunbathing to
searching for her astrologically
illogical liquor-quaffer of a hus
band; Julie Harris, the dive sing
er who holds a secret hate and
a secret love; Arthur Hill, the
0/40419
HY 99 N 1/zMI.N o/ OVERHEAD
THE GHOST
AND
MR. CHICKEN
with Don Knotts
CO-FEATURE
PINOCCHIO IN
OUTER SPACE
lawyer-friend of Newman's who
gets Newman the job and makes
a mistake to make a mistake;
Janet Leigh, Newman's wife
who is getting a divorce from a
husband who plays practical
jokes and loves only his job
and her only when he wants
her—arul only in one way; anu
Shelley Winters, the gristled
star who looks to the stars for
guidance and to the bars for
going astray.
Pamela Tiffin and Robert
Wagner are the weak points.
But it is impossible for them
to leave any obvious scars on
such a successful blemish as
“Harper."
There are only guns and fists
in this—no gadgetry and very
little sex. It is pure plot, vio
lence—and entertainment.
And somehow it is really the
humor that is the film's biggest
asset, and it is usually Newman
who expresses or spouts it The
script never seems to fail or
even flail in its cynical, often
brutal wit; Newman wouldn't
let it.
There's something in the
character of the reconciled rebel
Harper that is worth reveling
in. There is something tragical
ly perfect about the way the
film ends. There is something
criminal in knowing that this is
the end. that there'll be no more
Newman sequels.
But it is nice to know that the
world of scum has helped make
at least one such funny, en
joyable. suspenseful, criminal,
technicolor and unfantastic as
sault on the screen scene.
TODAY!
DOORS OPEN 5:30
M m< C WHMMW
KOX-KVKKUKKKN'S
cDONALD
'HARPER' DOES IT BETTER!
Paul
Newman i
is Harper
•36H
and Harper
is just
not to be
believed!
CO i•. A.Prt*ne»c*t
LAUREN JUUE ARTHUR JANET PAMEU ROBERT
BACALL• HARRIS• Hill• LEIGH TIFFIN-WAGNER
SHELl£r
ALSO FIRST RUN
The first searing story of the Viet Nam war: Actually filmed
under gun fire. "A YANK IN VIET NAM"
1
I
i
i
The Town & Country
PRESENTS
THE DIMENSIONS
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Hollywood, "SHE's BOSS"
Friday, May 13 — 9-/2 p.m.
LOOK, THIS IS FOR YOU —
Throughout the rest of spring term and this summer, The Town and Country will
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enjoyment.
AT THE TOWN AND COUNTRY
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