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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 22, 1979)
Portland Obsarvar Section II Thursday. February 22.1979 both a small victo ry. One night, after Bertha's death, Alex goes into the garage in Henning to look at W ill's old Redwood slab. A t last he realizes that he and his mother are forever a part o f the family. ÌOI g XOQÉÈ r ev office Ticket Sales 1939 Alex Haley (Damon Evans), almost seventeen, comes home from college to N orth Carolina, where his father, Simon, teaches agriculture. Simon at first is glad to see his son, but is shocked to learn that Alex has quit college because, being younger than his fellow students, he feels out o f place. Meanwhile, Alex, still yearning fo r his long-dead mother, is cold towards Simon’s second wife, Zeona (Diahann C arroll), who loves and understands father and son better than they understand each other. Simon accepts Alex's break from education, but feels that home is not the place to take it. So Alex signs up for three years in the Coast Guard, where he finds that all Blacks are simply servants for white officers. A friend on his ship takes him to a church social where Alex meets Nan Branch (Debbie Allen), whom he marries shortly after the U.S. enters the war. A t sea, Alex always gets more mail than anybody else, explaining that he just writes to anyone he thinks might answer. Impressed, the crew puts him to work w riting love letters fo r them. Soon he is spending so much time w riting fo r crew members that he neglects to write to Nan. S till, she communicates w ith him. A t sea, he receives a radiogram saying they have a daughter, Lydia. A t the end o f the war, Alex's dream o f educational success has faded. He re-enlists in the Coast Guard, knowing that he w ill be able to support his fam ily while learning to write. He moves Nan and his fam ily to New Y ork, where he gets a jo b in the Coast Guard’ s public relations office. Alex is the only Black in the office overseen by Com mander Robert M unroe (A ndy G riffith ), a southern white. Fortunately, Munroe also is a gentleman who tells Alex how to improve his w riting with sim plicity, and offers to criticize the w riting Alex does outside the office. Alex is so caught up in his career that he spends almost no time with Nan and Lydia. The only thing that affects him em otionally is the overload o f rejection slips. His anger is such that Nan suggests he give up w riting, but he insists on seeing it through. As Christmas approaches, Alex is ready to quit, but Munroe talks him into giving w riting one more try. On Christmas Eve, Alex meets a freelance writer at the o f fice. The two talk far into the night, with Alex getting suggestions on where to o ffe r his stories. When he reaches home carry.ng the presents and the tree, he meets Nan, Lydia and their new baby, in the street. They are carrying suitcases. Nan has had it. EASE ON DOWN THE ROAD T O ... Civic Auditorium M arch 19-24 Debbi Morgan as Eli zabeth. UV€! O N STAGC! B R O A D W A YS HIT MUSICAL! THEUIIZ Th<*Ne*Mus< i»Vws«wnf T he W z.v î i* Oz At all Portland C.I. loo's stores Ticket Information 285-5432 I • leckweed • Oak Crave • Beavsrtee • Eastport Plesa U7-11M SSl-SStS M4-9S« 777-4529 EOX OFFICE ECIJ M a rlo n B rando as George Lincoln Rock- W e e k d a y s ,1 3 0 a m to 7 3 0 p m S a tu r d a y ,0 a m to 6 p m C lo s e d S u n d a y 1960 Alex Haley (James Earl Jones) has come back to Henning for the funeral o f his beloved Aunt Liz, and his father, Simon, reminds Alex that he rather disdains his oldest son's profession. Back in New York, Alex receives an assignment from R E A D E R ’ S D IG E S T, to interview M alcolm X (A l Freeman, J r.), the bitter second-in-command o f the Black Muslims. Alex gets a good story, and is asked by P LA Y B O Y to do an in-depth interview with Malcolm. D u rin g this tim e, A lex meets O dile Richards (Lee Chamberlain), a Black student as obsessed with getting her Ph.D. as Alex is with writing. Their relationship Sea-Port Business Developm ent FLORI ROBERTS the complete treatment and makeup line designed for the sophisticated black woman now at meier & frank lloyd's Bon Chance fragrance: 4 oz. cologne. 12.50 2 oz. spray cologne 12.50 Cantor 1 2 oz perfume. 27.50 I t oz. perfum e purser spray, 13.50 Lipstick, 3.50 Melana Souffle makeup base to highlight ebony tones, 1 oz. 8.00 fhe hydrophilic moisture complex for night or under makeup, 2 oz 12.50 See the com plete 'in service to minority business” 1119 NE Broadway 284-3383 line at the* flo ri Roberts Counter at m&f llo y d 's meier & frank