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. The album is a series of songs taken Automated radio from a larger, more complete tale of The Elder, which, according to accompanying publicity, may be told someday on film, in a book, or as a legend from one generation to another. Operates for hours without the human touch The story is about an evil world and an order dedicated to doing good, called The Rose, which is to By John M. Cummuta THIS WAS THE BEGINNING of what is called groom someone to save the world. The young orphan Gazette correspondent and some of the commercials are the people who automation in radio. It's likely that one or more of the boy soon finds he's that someone. actually work at the radio station, but even their You're listening to your favorite radio station; and radio stations you listen to every day is automated. The music in most of the cuts still features KISS's voices have been recorded, in most cases, and placed you notice the great sounding new announcers it has These stations receive music on large reels of heavy bass guitar line, with repetitive riffs. Overall, in the appropriate machine slot to be selected by the and the good selection of music it's playing. It might recording tape from a syndicator. This syndicator much of the music is more inventive — as are the computer that controls the whole operation. surprise you to know that those announcers and that produces several different formats, such as country lyrics — then those found on past KISS epics such as music could be coming from hundreds and even western, rock, beautiful (easy-listening) music and "I Was Made for Lovin' You" and "Shout It Out Loud." thousands of miles away. THE MINIMIZING OF required personnel at the variations of the above. Within each format, the station and the elimination of the need for an But here's the killer: KISS uses the American Since the days right after World War II, when music reels are further divided by tempo, vintage expensive record library have continued to be strong Symphony Orchestra and St. Robert's Choir on some of radio became a popular form of entertainment, radio (oldies, currents, new), and demographic appeal (sex- attractions to the automated method of operating a the cuts. How's that for a turnabout? station operators have been wrestling with the task of age-income-education of listener). When I began to read the publicity about this being radio station. providing quality programs while keeping down the The better syndicators come into the market (city) a serious concept album, I thought, "Sure it is." But costs of operation. and conduct research for the station so that the music However, it didn't take long for some stations, while listening to the album, it began to appear they The most significant continuing cost item is the can be mixed for maximum appeal to the segment of especially in the larger, more competitive markets, to are, indeed, serious. However, there were a couple of payroll for the talent that works on the air. Another the population that the station is trying to attract. find that the mechanical sound of the announcing, the places where I began to wonder again because of the on-going expense is the continual purchasing of the From its research, the syndicator tells the station lack of local orientation in the announcer's chatter flippant way serious points of two songs were handled. * latest popular music. when and in what proportion to play music from and the lack of timely topical information or The better cuts, musically, include: It seemed inevitable that Yankee ingenuity would certain reels to develop an appealing format. The commentary left them at a disadvantage. • "Under the Rose" which, with the addition of St. devise a method to cover both problems with one station personnel then program the automation to Again, American technology is marching to the Robert's Choir, becomes very convincing. The song solution. In the '60s, when the transistor began doing select the proper tape players in the proper sequence fore to solve at least two of these problems. The new alternates between heavy bass runs, harpsichord, a amazing things in terms of performing computer-like to achieve the desired music mix. concept is based on a "super radio station" located at heavy metal guitar lead and the chorus. functions, some bright people in the broadcast After the machine has received its instructions, it some convenient point in the country that beams its • "A World Without Heroes" is about the best cut manufacturing industry designed machines that could can operate the station for hours without a human signal up to a satellite. The satellite, which is in a on the album. It's a ballad, complete with strings, make similar decisions as those made by a disc . synchronous orbit over the equator (it stays brass, violin, good lyrics — all something relatively jockey. These machines could play music (recorded . touching it. The announcers that you hear telling you approximately at the same point in the southern sky new to KISS music. on tape), then play commercials (also on tape), then what song you just heard or what station you're because it's orbiting the Earth at the same speed and • "Mr. Blackwell" is more in the old KISS school, make pre-recorded announcements such as the listening to work for the syndicator and were pre­ in the same direction as the Earth's rotation), relays ". with some of the band's former defiance, but it ties into weather — all in response to the instructions recorded on the tape with the music or on another tape that's synchronized with the music tapes. the signal down to a portion of the United States, & the story. It qjgens with sinister sound effects, then programmed into them. • Please turn to page 3B: KI9B ^ The voices that you hear doing the news, weather • Please turn to page 3B: Radio J i,i