Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, March 28, 1963, Image 12

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Medford mail tribune., March 28, 1963, Image 12

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Newspaper Page TextMEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD. OREGON THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 1963 Judy's Daughter Reminds Critics of Kama's Success By DOC QUIGG Untied Press International New York -flJrD- The slim girl with the wide-apart eyes came stumping into the shab by old theater, the heavy cast on her left foot thumping on the bare boards, and said "Hi!" "How do you feel, Liza?" said several members of the rehearsal cast, almost togeth er, "Fine," she said, her voice cracking a little, and even that tiny break in the spoken tone carried something remi niscent. She hobbled onto the stage, shrugged off her red jacket, plopped into a chair, and be gan rehearsing a bit which re quires her to unwind the dark brown hair from its heavy pile atop her head and let it tumble. Vivacious is an overworked word, but on Liza Minelli it fits. Not even a fracture of the foot can dull a sort of built in sprightliness she carries into a rehearsal that requires a lot of movement. "What does your' mama think about your going onto the stage?" an interviewer ask ed when she had a moment's pause. "If I wasn't any good, I know she'd take me off," she said. "She wants me to do what I'm happy and good at." Mama isn't attending any rehearsals, but she will be there opening night. Her name is Judy Garland, sometimes known as "Miss Show Busi ness." But on this one, she wants all the publicity to go to Liza. Liza Minelli turned 17 on March 12, and mama gave a birthday party for her friends and members of the cast of this off-Broadway revival of the "great hit musical "Best Foot Forward" that opened on Broadway in 1941 and served up for stardom such unknown teen-agers as June AUyson and Nancy Walker. Someone at the party asked Miss Garland how she liked the record that Liza had just made of two songs of the show. "I loved it, I played it all night," she replied, and then her eyes moistened up and she turned to Liza and said: "Every time I hear it, I just cry." Three New Songs Hugh Martin, who wrote the music for the original, has provided three new songs for the revival - and he put some added touches on a couple of them for Liza (it s pronounced Lyza) after she got the role. Martin has a working knowl edge of the family. He wrote, expressly for mama, such movie tunes as "The Boy Next Door," "The Trolley Song," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." Liza has studied jazz danc ing for years. Her singing comes naturally. This will be her debut professional appear ance, except for a dancing role in summer stock year before last in a Cape Cod town nobody ever heard of, Hyannis Port. About three months ago, she was walking down a Man hattan street when a man from the William Morris agen cy stopped her and said: "Say, aren't you . Liza Minelli? How'd you like to try out for a revival of , . ." Three days later, she was auditioning. "She sang two songs for us," said Producer Arthur Whitelaw, "and she was bril liant. She , sounds like her mother. It's amazing, a cry in the voice. The hesitations, mannerisms. But in her own way. You should have seen Hugh Martin's face. He was just goggle-eyed." The dancing in "Best Foot Forward" is strenuously ath letic. On March 9, Liza made a pilot error from mid-air during rehearsal and cracked a bone in a one-point landing. The opening night was set back a week to April 2. "We think she'll have the cast off and be ready to dance by then," said Director Danny Daniels, who was in the orig inal cast. The theater, off-Broadway's Stage 73, has only 178 seats. The stage runs the complete width of the room, and there is no orchestra pit. When the cast thunders into "Buckle 100 WOOL OR NYLON PILE CARPETS 23 PATTERNS AND COLORS . . . MODERN PLAINS AND TWEEDS . . . TEXTURED WILTONS . . . LOOP AND PLUS PILES ... OR DUPONT 501 "N" NYLONS 9 9-Ft.-12-Fh 15-Ft. Widths Regularly 8.95 to 10.95 sq. yd. 79 SQ. YD. 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Weighs only B7 lbs. Powerful, and lightweight 7't HP motor Is only 30 Inches long, weighs only 40 lbs. Pull shift control from troll to full speed, and reverse. SEARS 501 EAST JACKSON ST. IN MEDFORD STORE HOURS PHONE 773-6661 Tues., Wed., Thurs., Sat. Monday and Friday PLENTY OF FREE PARING 9:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. 30 A.M. to 9 P.M. Down, Wlnsocki," you feci you're right there among those prep school kids. Today's rehearsal was spe cial. It was the first rough run-through of the two acts, and the audience was com posed of hardened specialists, the cast of Irving Berlin's Broadway musical "Mr. Presi dent." A member of that cast, John Cecil Holm, wrote the book for the original and, for the revival, combined two roles for Liza so that she is both a singer-dancer and the comedienne character created by Nancy Walker. In Singing Role Liza went through a sing ing boogie-woogie role as part of a trio, to encore applause, and later got smash applause when she wiggled through Just a Little Joint With a Juke Box." She had to retire to the sidelines and watch her understudy do her hectic dance numbers. But sitting there, she was alive and acting. Five toes peeked out of the cutaway front of her foot cast, tapping time against the cold wood floor. There was the Infectious smile, so reminiscent. And she silently mouthed the words of all the songs of the other characters as they per formed. , In the second act, she had a spot alone on the stage, with a newly written sad bal lad. She stood there, a tall girl in black slacks and fig ured blouse, plaster-cast foot thrust Incongruously forward as if she had placed it on a step. Wistfully twisting a locket in her hands: Tunes are for hnmmine. Guitars are for strumming, Dreams are coming true . . Mama Recalled And there were some In the audience whose minds went clear back over thp rainhnur to another girl by a dusty Kansas road in a motion pic ture, singing with the same catch In the throat. She got a solid ovation. Mama would have been proud. There's a rainbow round the shoulders of Liza Minelli. Perhaps resting on her shoul ders like a misty, but real and heavy, burden. It is hers to bear, and she is 17, and she bears it lightly. After the run-through, she talked a little. Said she had gone to high school in Scars dale for a while, had studied French history for a year in the Sorbonne university in Paris, was living with her mother here, like to read good novels, and if she had any hobby it was dancing. She said she Just started thinking seriously about the stage two years ago, is now attending acting school. Does she have a particular goal? "Yes," she said, with a solemn face. "What I want to be is an artistically success, ful human being." And then, bright and twlnkly: "How did you like the' show?" It was very good, should be a hit. You were good. Good luck. "Thanks," she said, and stumped off with her boy friend to a restaurant for an ice cream soda. ELI OFF-BROADWAY SHOW Liza Minelli assumes several personalities with quick hair changes and ends up typical teenager. She will have her mother, Judy Garland, in the audience when she opens in off-Broadway revival of "Best Foot Forward." (UPI) Lwnr STAR GAXER!? f TAUtUS APR. 21 I W MAY 21 iry5-6M87S t 5.15-36-37! 3.0-8l-9d MAY 22 JUNE 22 6-J1-M-43I jy53-78-BM71 CANCII t !i ,UNE 23 11.14-75.361 48-59-70 UO JULY 24 f5L.AU0.21 in to -n j4 S? 54-65-74 vnoo AUO. U SEPT. 22 7-19-30-41 Ky 5744-73 -By CLAY R. POIXAN- Your Doily Activity Guioe M Accordl'no to the Siar. - To develop message for Frfdoy, read words corresponding to numbers or your oaioc Dirtn sign. I Evening 2Warmlngl 3 Give 4Puraue SB. 6 Smile 7 Splendid '. SToooy , 9 You 10 Relreihlng I I Save I2W.II 13 li 14 Keep ISFrank 16 Thought 17A 18 Someone 19 Oov TOPioflt 21 And 72 New. 23 Bring 24 Lucky 25 An 26 About. 27 To 28 Hobby 29 Trying 30 For H7-01-71 (Good 31 Through 61 Future 32 Proceed 62 Sport 33 Arrive 63 Blame 34You 640r 35 For 65 And 36Ac ' 66 Out 37 Matrrs 67 Popularity 38 Health 68 Bureau ' 39 Or 69 Draw.nfj 40 To 70 Hole - 41 A 71 Security 42 PortntnJilp 72 Today 43lt 73 V.ut.ng 44 Concerning 74 Friendship 45 Or 75 Drawer 46 Garnet 76 Shelve 47 And 77 Hidden 48 In 78 Cuttortv iVFovorihj 79 And SO Put 80 Monty 5!You'v 81 To 52 Trtp 82 On 53 Your 83 Morft 54 Love 84 Cubby 55 Clean 85Holi 56 Mutual 86 Attention 57 Irwreoied 87 Day 58 And 88 Affaire 59 The 89 You , 60Nolhlnfl 90 Hide SEPT. 23 OCT", 23 3-16-77-3BCI 1 scorn OCT. 24 NOV. 22 146-58-69 Vg MGITTAliUS N0V n tA 7-18-29-401 506M2W: CAftKOtN EC. 23 JAf 157-67.79-86 AOUAtlUS JAN. 21 FEI. It 9-20-31-42.' 145-56-80-88 mas FIB 20 MAP. 21 4-17-28-39jT W-67-72 . 7 wk 3 Fi ;y 1 and hit BILLED FOB BELIEF Noble Frank Smith, wife are shown on their 160-acre farm at Onarga, 111. The survivor of the Bataan death march and 3H years In prison camps-has been billed for $1,421.92 by the State Depart ment for emergency war relief given his wife and son, who were stranded In China during World War II. (UPI)-