Just out., February 01, 2002, Page 44, Image 44

fetmiary U 2002
44
Mary Melodies
ï
“My Teenage Fallout
Queen” ), unlikely protest
numbers (Debbie Reynolds
wailing “If I Had a Ham­
mer” ) and even breeder-
male surf rock.
Along with each song
the viewer was treated to a now-hilarious
parade of period pop couture, from Mondrian
dresses to string bikinis to vinyl go-go boots.
Scopitone was invented in France during the
late ’50s, and the French were mostly modest
with their numbers. In the United States, Scopi-
tones got sleazier— and more interesting. There
were still plenty of “respectable” acts, but the
Mafia’s secret takeover of the Tones made sure
there was also plenty of cheese and beefcake.
The format was also surprisingly queer-
friendly. Practically all of the numbers have at
least one queen cavorting or being serenaded
by a clueless straight chanteuse. And they’re a
UEEK ï
ten Bugs Bunny
[donned a female
W
hunter’s outfit and
hi
planted a sloppy one on
Elmer Fudd’s rapturous lips,
was it a cross-dressing homo­
sexual moment in cartoon cine­
ma? Donald Duck walking around in a
sailor’s suit but no pants— cixle? And there’s no
need even to talk about the Liberace-obvious
Snagglepuss.
These and other cases in the cartoon closet
can rest easy now— Queer Duck is here, out
and proud. Launched last summer as a series of
animated shorts at Icebox.com, Queer Duck
enjoyed a big-time television premiere Jan. 29
after Showtime’s Queer as Folk.
Queer Duck is a flamboyant trickster—a cross
between Daffy Duck in his wilder “woo-hoo!”
stage and the beloved Jack of Will & Grace.
Appropriately voiced by Jim J. Bullock (remem­
ber Monroe of Too Close for Comfort? Yeah, him),
he is surrounded by animal friends who register
icons of standard gay history: Oscar Wildcat,
Openly Gator (with a voice like Harvey Fier-
stein) and Bi Polar Bear (Billy West of the old
Rett & Sampy delivers a dead-on Paul Lynde).
Stories send up situations specific to gay
life— from coming out to one’s neurotic family
to the undying worship of Barbra Streisand—
with mixed results. It’s funny, but in a juvenile
way, often leaving the targeted stereotypes rela­
tively unharmed. Cartoon buffs will get a kick
out of satirical references (e.g., porno spoof title
Rock Hard & Bull Sprinkle.)
If a Showtime subscription seems too high a
price to watch a five-minute short, you can
watch episodes at Sho.com’s impressively inter­
active Queer Duck site. You’ll also find screen­
savers, games and e-greeting cards.
— Kevin Moore
pvcK.
Get thee
to the museum
n an obvious bid to attract gay
men to the Portland Art
Museum, those cunning
curators have obtained Matières
de Rêves (which sounds a lot
better than the English
translation, Stuff of
An exhibition
Dream s) from
of gay men’s
the Paris
Museum of
Decorative
Arts (also a
translation,
albeit a nicer
one).
This vast
exhibit con-
tains more
than 100 aston­
ishing works of
art, introducing
crass Americans to the unimaginable beauty
of objects of daily European life created
between the Middle Ages and the present.
You will gape in awe at the 1788 clock of
Marie Antoinette, the 1819 ceremonial cradle
of the Due de Bordeaux and the monumental
bronze bed of Emilie Valtesse de la Bigne from
1875. But don’t miss— 1 repeat, do not miss—
Rupert Carabin’s Spider Pin Tray, which
shocked the Paris art world in 1908 with its
integration of a muscular nude woman. (She
looks great!)
The exhibition runs from Feb. 2 to
April 28. An opening lecture titled “Bedtime
Stories” will be given at 2 p.m. Feb. 3.
I
Remember when
you first met?
Scopitones at
Clinton Street
N
C
amp and kitsch collide in one of the most
fascinating and, until recently, forgotten
phenomena of the 1960s.
The Scopitone was a 7-foot-tall video juke­
box with a television screen on top and a selec­
tion of three-minute musical numbers available
for the price of a quarter. Clinton Street Theater
presents 28 of these hilarious early music videos
from Feb. 1 to 7 during Scopitone-a'QoQo.
What could you get for your two bits? How
about lounge lizardette Jane Morgan singing
“C ’est Si Bon” in a cheesy faux Paris? Or Stacy
Adams and Her Pussycats demonstrating the
jerk, the monkey and the twist at a tacky Vegas
motel? Or blond bombshell
Joi Lansing crooning to a
queen in a cobra cos­
tume while cooking
in a jungle cauldron?
These wacky,
often surreal numbers
were shot everywhere
from the local zoo to
minimalist sound
stages to colorful
cardboard sets stand­
ing in for Bombay or
London (or less
identifiable realms).
The accent was
mostly on pop-rock,
but Scopitones were
generous in their
reach. You can find
early R & B, satiri­
cal folk songs
(George McKelvey’s
back.” Call 503-232-4458
for reservations.
Celebrate with Wild Abandon on Feb. 5, 6 or 7
treasure trove for grrl-watchers of all sexes.
The Scopitone screens went dark forever in
1969 when the mob connection was uncovered
and a right-wing folk group called the Back
Porch Majority sued over some “vulgar” footage
inserted into their number. The Back Porch
Majority is now mercifully forgotten, but the
Scopitones are enjoying renewed popularity
as one of the more endearing excursions
into ’60s camp culture.
—Gary Morris
ow you can share it with a theater full of peo­
ple. When We First Met will play in several
cities around the world on Valentine’s Day,
including Eugene’s Lord Leebrick Theatre. The
romantic comedy show interviews real live cou­
ples, then improvises their stories on the spot.
“When we hit upon the universal truths
about love and dating, the audience erupts
with laughter,” says the show’s New York cre­
ator, Jill Bourque. “It’s also
enlightening because there are
moments when the couples
reveal very profound aspects
of their relationship.”
7T»e all-woman
improv team WYM-
PROV! will perform
the Eugene show and
is looking for queer
Abandon yourself
ild Abandon restaurant celebrates its
seventh anniversary with a benefit for
Our House of Portland. From Feb. 5
to 7 the gay-owned eatery will be open for
business as usual but will donate 40 percent
of all proceeds to the residential care facility.
“Wild Abandon has been a part of the
gay community from its beginning, and the
community has been good to Wild Aban­
don,” says Michael Cox, owner of the pop­
ular digs. “Our House is a cause that is
close to my heart, and the milestone of
seven years demands celebration and giving
W
couples as well
as straight. If you’re
interested in being
interviewed and
chided
onstage, call Jill
Bourque at
415-538-8660,
ext. 102, or Trish
McDermott of
Match.com at
707-765-1526.
Lord Leebrick
Theatre is at 540
Chamelton St.
Tickets are $12
from 541-465-2067.
defunkt
does
Kane
pntroversial
British play-
Wright Sarah
Kane wrote and produced
five plays at the Royal Court Theatre in Lon­
don before her suicide three years ago at age 28.
Fellow playwright Mark Ravenhill says she
“created a theater of great moments of beauty and
cruelty.” Her work is described as powerful, vio­
lent and sexually charged. One critic described
her first play, 1995’s Blasted, as “a disgusting piece
of filth,” and the producer called it “the least seen
and most talked-about play in recent memory.”
Portland’s defunkt theatre presents Kane’s
Phaedra's Love through Feb. 16 at Back Door
Theatre, 4319 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. This vis­
ceral, unflinching work is an unapologetic take
on Seneca’s Greek classic Phaedra, gutting soci­
ety’s fascinations with sex, violence and love.
Portland queer actress and visual artist
damali ayo, who plays Strophe in the produc­
tion, says Kane “strives to show our world
through honest eyes. She is a fierce examiner of
the truth and uncovers complex issues of gen­
der, sex, power, violence, faith and struggle.”
defunkt is offering a Valentine’s Day spe­
cial of a discounted ticket price for those
who come alone, are recently divorced or
are otherwise single.
Because of explicit themes of violence and
sex— queer and otherwise— Phaedra’s Love is
recommended for mature audiences only.
Tickets are $8-$15 from
503-993-9062. JF1
Compiled by L isa B radshaw
WYMPROV! will
re-enact your first date
for Valentine’s Day