The Minneapolis Star from Minneapolis, Minnesota • Page 39

1 1 7 the minneapolis star june 23, 1976 7C 'Murder by Death9: You may die laughing Don Morrison butler, "that's what I adopted him for." "Shut Japanese mouth!" he barks in a moment of irritation. Twain, in turn, is irritated at Wang's pidgin speech: "'Must solve Why can't one of the most brilliant minds in the world use simple articles and pronouns? 'WE must solve THE FALK DOES the Bogart bit forgive Sam, he was shot in the head last week," explains his secretary and mistress, Eileen Brennan). and adds nice touches to that threadbare shtick: "You're sitting pretty, Wsng," he snarls. "You put all your money into vegetables in the 1930s." Niven and Smith play beautifully to each other as Dick and Dora. "Why would anyone want to steal a naked body?" she asks.

"Well, some people he begins and whispers the rest in her ear. "Oh, that's tacky," she sniffs in distaste. "That's really tacky!" I'll leave to your discovery the nonsensical events that follow, including the fancy sleuths' turning on each other with sticky revelations about the past that makes each a possible suspect, and other wild and wildly improbable disclosures. If you've been snooping after enjoyably silly summer entertainment without a whiff of significance, here's your clue. She is a deaf person, who keeps handing notes to the blind butler name is Yetta.

I don't work Capote is as odious a little man when acting odious as he-is when preening himself on TV talk shows, but no matter. He notifies his guests that a murder will be committed at midnight and that whichever one can solve it will receive $1 million. The' rest will be exposed as the overestimated dolts he suspects them to be. WHAT FOLLOWS IS a free-for-all opportunity given the actors to play games with character impersonations and for Simon further to hoke up the hokiest who-dunnit conventions. Rest assured that subtlety is not the name of the game.

Sellers, however, does restrain the sloppy clowning he has fallen into of late to render a very'scru-table Sidney Wang whose oriental aphorisms are as boring as people were too polite to tell Charlie Chan his were. He also abuses the kid, which is a nice change. "My son' will carry the bags," he tells the Satisfaction fe' FARCICAL FICTIONAL SLEUTHS IN MURDER BY DEATH' Niven, Lanchester, Sellers, Coco and Falk; body by Capote Guaranteed Replacement or Moneii Refunded I summertime specials "Murder by Death" is one of those rare things a Completely silly prank movie that also happens to be funny. Very funny. Really very funny.

Most often, when an all-star cast is assembled to put the spoof on a famous set of characters, the writers and directors seem to think comic results will be automatic and don't bother to give the biggies anything solidly funny to say or do. Such humor as is fabricated for the occasion generally overshoots satire, tries to settle for burlesque and winds up as sopho-moric travesty. In this case, with Neil Simon writing the script, comedy isn't taken for granted. Simon knows what's a joke and what isn't. It is burlesque, and very broad burlesque at that, but with a sure touch to it: The terrible jokes are put in because they are terrible (not because some hack thinks they are really amusing).

The gaping holes in the plot are part of the silly fun and give you bonus giggles afterwards when you ponder the grand illogic of it all. TRUMAN CAPOTE plays a nut-ball millionaire who invites the five greatest sleuths from the world of murder mystery fiction to his gloomy mansion, which is expensively equipped with artificial Music CONCERTS TODAY Minnesota Orchestra (Rug Concert) 8 p.m., Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Av. Medalist' Concert Band 7:15 p.m., Moir Park, Morgan Av. S. at 104th Bloominpton.

Richard Klatl and Friends 9 p.m., Coffeehouse Extempore, 325 Cedar Av. S. Arn BurkhardI 9 p.m., Rainbow Gallery, 1500 S. 6th St. Family Band 7 p.m., a Park, 50th and Bryant Av.

N. Doc Evans 7 p.m., Pearl Park, 414 E. Diamond Lake Rd. Yusef Mgeni 12:15 p.m., Mall bandstand, University of Minnesota. Manfred" Fest 9 p.m., today through Saturday, Longhorn, 14 S.

5th St. THURSDAY Minnesota Orchestra (Mitch Miller, conductor; Judith Burganger, pianist) 8 p.m., today through Saturday, Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicolet Av. Ed Berger 9 p.m., New Riverside Cafe, 329 Cedar Av. S. Poor Howard 9 p.m..

Coffeehouse Extempore, 325 Cedar Av. S. Air and Block City 9 p.m., Rainbow Gallery, 1500 S. 6th St. Doc Evans 7 p.m., Folwell Park, 1615 Dowling Av.

N. FRinAV Doug Ellis and Charlie Spencer 8 p.m., Abraxas Coffeehouse, 1419 11th A v. S. Blue Grass and Country Music 7 p.m., Northwood Park, 3800 Boone Av. New Hope.

Maureen McElderry, Tim Hennessy, Jon Anderson 8:30 p.m., Whole Coffeehouse, Coffman Union, University of Minnesota. Hall Brothers Jazz Band (Art Hodes) 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Emporium of Jazz, 400 Mendota. Bob Bovee and Mary DuShane 9 p.m., New Riverside Cafe, 329 Cedar Av. S.

Garrison Keillor Home 9 p.m., Coffeehouse Extempore, 325 Cedar Av. S. Natural Life 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Rainbow Gallery, 1500 S. 6th St. Mike Royale 1:30 a.m.

(Saturday morning), Rainbow Gallery, 1500 S. 6th St. Zurah Temple Shrine Band 7:30 p.m.. Town Park, Chaska. SATURDAY Tom Peets 1:30 p.m.

Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Northwood Park, 3800 Boone Av. New Hope. Claudio Baltierra 6:30 p.m., North-wood Park, 3800 Boone Av. New Hope.

McElderry, Hennessy, Belleville and Anderson 9 p.m.. New Riverside Cafe, 329 Cedar Av. S. Paul Strickland and Tom Lieberman 9 and 10 p.m.. Coffeehouse Extempore, 325 Cedar Av.

S. sensational values in fashion accessories and rain and thunder constantly lashing its windows. His name, by the way, is Lionel Twain. They are the noted Belgian detective, Milo Perrier (James Coco); the tough private eye from Diamond (Peter Falk); that well-known English spinster snoop, Jessica Marbles (Elsa Lanchester); the thin-man society diletante from New York, Dick Charleston (David Niven), and his elegant Dora (Maggie Smith), and the famous Chinese detective from I love this the Catalina Police Department, Sidney Wang (Peter Sellers), with his gee-whiz No. 3 son (Richard Narita), who is adopted and also stupid.

Alec Guiness plays Twain's blind butler, Bcnsonmurn, who has to explain that his name isn't Benson, mum. "It is Bensonmum, mum." Nancy Walker is the maid sent over by the domestic agency entire murder has been catered," someone remarks later). calendar Kim Keiscr 9 p.m., The Place, Butler Square, 100 N. 6th St. Kenny Horst 1:30 a.m (Sunday morning), Rainbow Galiery, 1500 S.

6th St. SUNDAY University of Minnesota Trombone Quartet 8 p.m., Northwood Park, 3800 Boone Av. New Hope. Deaf Jon Pederson Trio 9 p.m.. Coffeehouse Extempore, 325 Cedar Av.

S. Macalester Jazz Band 9 p.m., Rainbow Gallery, 1500 S. 6th St. Roy Hansen 3:30 p.m., Armatage Park, 57th St. and Russell Av.

S. Doc Evans 3:30 p.m., Linden Hills, 3100 W. 43rd St. Minneapolis Police Band and County-City Chorus 8 p.m., Lake Harriet, 4135 W. Lake Harriet Blvd.

Skibsted Wind Quintet 2 p.m., Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2400 3rd Av. S. This Oneness 8 and 10:30 p.m., Longhorn, 14 S. 5th St. Zurah Temple Shrine Band 2:30 p.m., Chamber of Commerce, Mound.

MONDAY Buttermilk 1 1:30 a.m., NSP Plaza, 5th St. and Nicollet Mall. Ted Johnson 7 p.m., Windom Park, Johnson St. and Lowry Av. NE.

Doc Evans 8 p.m., Lake Harriet Bandstand, 4135 W. Lake Harriet Blvd. Jimmy Martin and The Sunny Mountain Boys and Girls 8 p.m., Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall. TUESDAY Chris Kalogerson 7 p.m., Brackett Park, 28th St. and 38th Av.

S. Jim tenBensel and Friends 8 p.m., Lake Harriet Bandstand, 4135 W.Lake Harriet Blvd. Steve Kimmel 9 p.m., Rainbow Gallery, 1500 S. 6th St. Affinity 7 p.m., Harrison Park, 5th and James Avs.

N. DANCE Minnesota Dance Theatre 8 p.m. Thursday, Northrop Auditorium, University of Minnesota. Minnesota Dance Theatre 8 p.m. Saturday, Lake Harriet Bandstand, 4135 W.

Lake Harriet Blvd. Caravan Dance Collective 2 p.m. Saturday, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2400 3rd Av. S. EDITOR'S NOTE: Items for this calendar must be received in writing no later than the Friday prior fo the date of desired publication.

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