Section B Calendar 2B Show 3-5B Theater Times 4B Bloom County 4B Scenes 5B Entertainm TV listings 6B Cedar Rapids/Friday, December 11, 1981 Scrabble 6B 'Fall Guy' Majors' fifth He finally gets to have sense of humor By Jerry Buck notice that he was a good actor. I was prepared to do Associated Press that until this series came along." LOS ANGELES — Dust flying, engines sputtering, the motorcycles roar through the tumbledown western HIS ROLE IN "The Fall Guy" came about through a movie town, swing around a barn and come back chance meeting with Glen Larson at Los Angeles around for the cameras again. International Airport. Astride the dirt choppers are riders dressed in black "I was on my way to South America on vacation and leather jackets and chains, their faces streaked with Glen was on his way to Hawaii," he says. "We met in dirt and sweat. Their clothes are decorated with skull- the airport lounge and he asked me if I'd be interested and-crossbone patches and the emblem "Satan's in a series again. I said not really. Unless I owned it. Angels." But we talked about the show and I liked the concept. Suddenly, one rider veers off and pulls to a halt. He shoves his goggles back, grins and says hello. That's the first inkling that behind the grime and the Iron Cross is Lee Majors. ^ I'm tired of walking down the street Majors stars in the action-loaded ABC comedy- and people wanting to see my wires or see adventure series "The Fall Guy." He plays a movie stunt man who moonlights as a bounty hunter for bail me lift a car up. I've heard all the 'bionic bondswoman JoAnn Pflug. In this instance, he is man'jokes there are. ^ undercover as an outlaw biker to bring back the motorcycle gang leader for jumping bail. Douglas Barr — Lee Majors and Heather Thomas also star in the series. "When JoAnn bailed him out she didn't know he was a big gang leader," says Majors. "So naturally And I liked Glen and knew he had a good track record when she finds out she doesn't tell me either. It's not with series. until I check him out that I realize how much trouble "So I came back to change the image with the I'm in. She's always never quite telling me all the public. I'm tired of walking down the street and people details, which gets me into some funny situations." wanting to see my wires or see me lift a car up. I've heard all the 'bionic man' jokes there are." "THE FALL GUY" is the fifth series — but the first Majors doesn't own the show, but he is co-producer comedy — for Majors, who says, "I never had a chance with Larson. "I also made some creative suggestions," to do comedy before. In my other series I always had to he says. "For instance the star cameos in every episode play it serious. I was never allowed to have a sense of were more or less my idea. The pilot script just said I humor. That's why I'm coming back to do this series had to do a stunt at the opening. I crash a race car and after I said I'd never do another." they put out the fire on my suit. All they were going to The sun beats down on the hilly Paramount Ranch do was have somebody say, 'All right, let's get Redford where Majors is filming for Glen Larson Productions in here,' and you never saw Redford, naturally. I said and 20th Century-Fox Television. He steps out of the why don't we get real people. I could call on a few of heat into the coolness of his motor home dressing room my friends." and pulls off his heavy garments. In the pilot he called on James Coburn, Paul Majors says the character of Colt Seavers is a stunt Williams, and his former wife, Farrah Fawcett. Others man who's just about past his prime, and he's trying to who make cameo appearances are Peter O'Toole, scrape by on experience because the muscles aren't Robert Wagner, Tom Selleck, Milton Berle, Jamie Farr quite as willing any more. He uses that stunt man and Lou Ferrigno as the Incredible Hulk. expertise to bring in the bail jumpers, but he goofs it Majors plays a stunt man who doubles for the stars. up enough to provide the comedy. But, of course, he has his own stunt man. Mickey "I quit "The Six Million Dollar Man' and did five Gilbert steps in and does the dangerous work for films in a row," he says, "even though they were your Majors. average B pictures. People say why do you keep doing "That's kind of funny," he agrees, "but I do as much those? I said, well, they're not killing me, I'm working, as I can. I used to do a lot more of my stunts. But I'm and, you never know, you may finally get a script that 42 and it's about time I slowed down a little bit. That's hits. Burt Reynolds probably did 12, 13 pictures before an age when you're old enough to know better but 'Deliverance,' when people finally stood up and took young enough to try." Lee Majors 'Ragtime' gives Newman chance to stretch By Yardena Arar Ol' Boys" LP, that brazen ode to and those guys can write two Associated Press "Rednecks"? minutes a day, 2yz minutes a day. LQS ANGELES — It wasn't hard The bouncing, music hall feel of . And conducting! That was Dick Hogan to coax a grin out of Randy Newman these songs is present in some of the scary." Gazette staff writer during a recent newspaper photo "Ragtime" score, but Newman also Newman first got involved in the session; the problem was getting the reveals a sentimental side: "One film four years ago, when producer photographer to stop laughing long More Hour," the theme sung by Dino De Laurentiis approached him enough to snap the picture. Jennifer Warnes, is a thoroughly on the recommendation of De Laur­ "I would like to thank the romantic piece of nostalgia. entiis' since-deceased son. Academy ... " Newman said, The film was shelved when then- KISS produces practicing his most gracious smile as IN SHORT, FILM scoring gave director Robert Altman left the he posed on a staircase at Elektra- Newman a chance to stretch out and project, but Newman by then had Asylum's West Hollywood offices. he clearly enjoyed it. But he admits already penned a "warm-up assign­ OK, the reviews for his score to that almost reluctantly after a ment," called "Sigmund Freud's serious effort the film version of E.L. Doctorow's healthy bout of mock-serious griping Impersonation of Albert Einstein in "Ragtime" have been glowing. But, about everything from the photo "Music From The Elder" — KISS (Casablanca America," which appeared on his Randy — Oscar season is still session — "I'd really prefer to be NBLP-7261) — produced by Bob Ezrin for Migration 1977 LP, "Little Criminals." Records. several months off. Isn't it a bit early photographed in my sunglasses" — Work on the score began in to be rehearsing an acceptance to the hard work involved in doing a earnest when the project was re­ speech? film score. Would you believe a serious album from KISS? vived with Milos Forman directing. "Are you kidding?" The eyes Many of you may be laughing at the idea, but it's "It took me so long to do the job," Newman had previously scored one twinkle mischievously. "I've already true. At least the band insists it is. KISS has come out he sighed. "It was really long days, film, "Cold Turkey," back in 1971, hired an Indian to pick up the with a concept album — their first — and it's sans for me. It was 7 in the morning to 5 and conducted music for another, trophy." suggestive, teeny-bopper lyrics. In fact, only one song at night for a couple of months. It "Performance." But he sought ad­ on "Music From The Elder" almost fits into the old And if that sounds irreverent, made me wish I'd studied harder vice from friends, like John Wil­ KISS category, and it IS consistent with the story the well, you'd expect nothing less from when I studied music. liams, and family — uncle Lionel group is trying to tell. this acknowledged master of the "It was like I wasn't making a Newman has a studio at 20th tongue-in-cheek school of songwrit- The album also is the first with new drummer Eric dent. One day I'd have 50 minutes to Century-Fox. ing. Remember the "Short People" Carr, who took the place of Peter Criss. Band members write and the next day there'd be 49 flap of a couple of years ago? Or, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley and Carr all minutes and 30 seconds left to go. NEWMAN ALSO IMMERSED going back a bit further to the "Good participated in writing the lyrics to the album, along That's slow. I think Johnny Williams • Turn to page 3B: Randy Randy Newman with Bob Ezrin, Lou Reed, Anton Fig and Tony Powers. The basic concept of the album is the story of an orphan boy who, through a succession of events, comes to save the world.