Confessions of a FILM FOX

Confessions of a FILM FOX

Hello, again, surf fans! And who should be riding in on the crest of the Manson muck he helped stir up — and under, it might be added — is that genial ol' prosecuting barrister from Elay, none other than Vincent Bugliosi, whose boffo bestseller Helter Skelter is being shaped-up atthis very moment as a made-for-TVer. But Fear-No Evil Vinnie is all set for Hollywood celebrityhood, seen playing a set — of tennis, that is — recently at fashionable Derrick's with lookalike George Di Cenzo, who is also playing — not against, we hope — the Bug in the telepic.. .Sally Struthershas anew beau, or rather Bo, as in Donaldson -of the Heywoods... Speaking of raincoats, Petey Falk has got an ace up his dirty sleeve in regards all the brouhaha over his decision to give his mac to the Salvation Army (who refused it in a gesture of extreme good judgment) and bury his very lucrative friend Columbo in favor of full-time moviedom. Seems he and our fave Secret Agent and most sympatico Prisoner — I tie that show with The Avengers as the best and certainly the most tasteful and elegant show ever on the tuberino — Patrick McGoohan have plans to put together an internationally-flavored Columbo special two or three times yearly. Explained Pete: "I'm still fond of Columbo. I get too much of a kick out of the guy. Certainly the audience loves him, and he's a tough guy to put to bed." Well, we, for three, can't wait to see him wake up again with Pete and Pat pulling strings... Johnny Carson's been trying to drum up another revival, saying the other night that he would be more jthan tickled to„see tfye-old Moneys ' mooners series go back into production again with the unforgettable originals in the original slots. He was as inspired as we were by that fabulous Honey -mooners special of a few months back with a veddy sun-tanned Jackie Gleason still managing to pull off the urban bus brute Ralph Cramden with believable, hilarious style. Something we've been lacking too long out here in filmsy — or is that flimsy? — land... We doubt they'll be bringing back The Rebel starring the late — by dint of tragic suicide — Nick Adams, but it's nice to see Carol, his widow, in town again having a return go at her acting career. She's currently bunking at frien d Andy Fenady's ranch near * Palm Springs. Andy was a close pal of the couple and producer of the TV show... Fond farewell to that Bronixbred boy wonder — Who continued up till his untimely murder as a fine actor — Sal Mineo.. .Robert Stigwood who owns RSO Records and manages Eric the Clapper and the Bee Gees among others and who brought you — ta-da! — Tommy (no, not Newsome) is currently oiling the cameras for the shooting of the movie of the long-running Broadway play, , Grease. No slippery business from this producer, you can be sure!_

.. .Biting the cop that feeds him, Telly Chromedome, recently a Numero Uno single smash in the British music charts, is pooh-poohing any more than just one last season of Kojak. Though for next fall's premiere he vows to get Frankie — that's Sinatra, to you, darling! — into the Kojact for a guest stintv In the meantime, methinksthat the Sav has high — do you think he is? — hopes for a regular variety show number with the heavy accent on his vocal cordings. Ho-hum. Next case... What a case this one is! They really gave Timmy the biz in court in the City of Angels last week, slapping former child star and dogfriend Tommy Rettig — no make that socking him — with five and-a-half big ones in the big house for his conviction on charges of conspiring to smuggle in coke from Peru. He'll appeal, but apparently has run into buck problems and will have to give over the follow-up on the case to a public defender.

And what could you think of those Academy Awards? They do get tacky... especially when our faves don't pick up the metal. But, as they say, or most of them say — Sly Stone, are you listening? — the show must go on. We've already given the nod to our man Marty Scorcese for next year's,clean-up drive. After three gangbusters flix he and Oscar are more than ready by Acad standards for ensemble. And if Robert DeNiro doesn't absolutely molest that Best Actor statuette in 77 for his perfectly psychoticTaxi Driver, well, then we just don't know what this world is coming to... or going. We are, for three. Toodooloo till next month sugar warts!