In review
Situation comedy is a little gory, but good
By Steve Williams
Staff Writer
I "Silver Streak" is essentially a gi
gantic situation comedy taking place
¡on and off a speeding train bound
from Los Angeles to Chicago. Most of
the humor evolves from the ridiculous
situations in which Gene Wilder finds
himself, and the various stereotypes
Mattered throughout.
I Wilder is cast as a small time pub
lisher on his first train ride who wastes
no time making a fool of himself by
stumbling into a neighboring compart
ment containing a very incompletely
[dressed young women - thus the fun
plane, milking a cow, stealing three
cars - one of them belonging to a
typically stupid sherrif, breaking a
police road block to avoid being ar
rested on charges of murder, and
Wilder was even forced to disguise
himself as being -black to get by the
police.
"Silver Streak" is a superb comedy
commanding a great variety of ways
to make people laugh. One of the
most effective methods was the ele
ment of surprise used in unsurpassing
excellence in many situations.
"Silver Streak" is for those who
like to laugh and have a good time as
long as they can handle a few gory
details.
That night. Wilder and the previous
ly mentioned young lady are inter
rupted by a rather dead body falling
in front of the window - the lady's
boss. Wilder then begins his investi
gation (very privately) which results
in his ejection from the train a total
of three times, several killings (one
with a spear gun), and a mad chase
across the country involving a literal
army of federal and state police.
* Thishilarious madness climaxes with
a runaway train that simply demolishes
the Chicago train station.
While off the train Wilder's attempts
to reboard take him through such
experiences as flying a two seat air
[begins.
■
calendar
thursday
I
Focus on Women. "Women in the
Middle Years" lecture by Betty Brad-
lyn. CC-117. 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
$1.
ASG Meeting. Fireside Lounge. 11
a.m.
I The New Theatre workshop. M-119.
Tumbleweed Connection. Sampan
Room, 517 Main, Oregon City. Also
Saturday.
Mr. Personality. Arrowhead Golf
Club. Hwy, 213 on the Molalla River.
Also Saturday. 9 p.m.
Red and Dixie Butcher with Main-
street. Whitehorse Lounge, Main Street,
Molalla. 9:15 p.m. No cover.
2 p.m.
The New Theatre performance. CC
I Mall. 8 p.m. Free.
Banshee. Doc Holiday's Pub, 1320
I Main, Oregon City. 9 p.m. No cover.
■ Also Friday and Saturday.
■ "Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye."
|KGW TV, Channel 8. 9 p.m. A histori-
| cal look at John F. Kennedy's first
I run for public office in 1946.
l
I
Country Joe. Paramount North
west, Portland. $6 advance.
■Til Die if I Can't Live Forever."
Portiat d Civic Theatre Blue Room.
18:30 p.m. $4 adults, $3 students/
■ senior citizens. 226-3048 for reser
vations. Also Friday and Saturday.
I friday
■Spoon River Anthology." CCRT
rjrformance. 8:30 p.m. McLoughlin
Theatre. Also Saturday evening.
packamas Community College
weekend
Raintree. CCC Dance. 8 p.m. Sat
urday. Sponsored by NORML. CC
Mall. Free for CCC students, $1 gen
eral.
Marbelized scarves for wearing and
hanging art exhibit. By Peggy Ty-
craft. Hoffman Gallery, School of the
Arts and Crafts Society, 616 N.W.
18th, Portland. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday.
tuesday
Mini Concert. CC Mail. Noon.
Community Services Workshop. CC
101.7 to 9 p.m.
Christopher Parkening, guitarist. Ci
vic Auditorium. 8:15 p.m. $6, $5 and
$4.
Foghat with Rick Darenger and
Sammy Hagger. Memorial Coliseum.
$6.50.
Wednesday
Coffeehouse featuring the Bov a/
Brothers, acrobatics. Noon. Free.
Oregon String Sinfonietta, directed
by Eugene Kaza. 3 p.m. Sunday.
Holladay Park Church of God, 2120
N.E. Tillamook, Portland, Free.
Jazz Ensemble and Swing Choir
concert. CC Mall. 8 p.m.
monday
Creative Bread Making for Men.
Homemaker's Update. CC-101.6 p.m.
"The Other Side of the Mountain."
ASG
sponsored
movie. Fireside
Lounge. 11:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Kinetic Wood Sculpture showing by
Jim Fink. Hoffman Gallery, N.W. 18th
and Hoyt, Portland. 5 to 8 p.m.
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