CONFESSIONS OF A FILM FOX

CONFESSIONS OF A FILM FOX

Jaan Uhelszki

by

Who's next? Roger Daltrey has captured the fancy of someone other than Ken Russell. Columbia Pictures gave Roger the nod and a starring role in the yet untitled mystery thriller costarring Mia Farrow and Dirk Bogarde. Dirk and Daltrey have something else in common besides this picture. They both played the role of Franz Liszt: Bogarde's stint was in 1960 in Song Without End. and Roger's last year in Lisztomania.

Ronee Blakely whined so much last time around, they didn't ask her back oh Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder road show. Maybe it all goes back to the 6th grade, when Ronee had a nervous breakdown and quit the Girl Scouts.

Liz and Dick split again, with a wimper. When asked what went wrong, Burton lamented that Elizabeth just couldn't understand that he was going through the male menopause!

Talking about Taylor, her son, Michael Wild* ing Jr. just recorded an album in London with his group, Solar Ben.

Musical chairs? Ringono sooner split up with his songstress sweetheart Lynsey De Paul then Bemie Taupin was around to pick up the pieces and offer his shoulder to the lovely Lynsey. Taupin, as you know is Elton John's sjde-car, writing all those sugary verses to Elton's music. Ringo? He's consoling himself with Debralee Scott, one of the stars of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.

Peter Frampton! Peter Frampton! told a -reporter that the reason he doesn't like TV is because he gets too involved. 'I never accepted that new Darrin on Bewitched. That's why I never '■ get attached to soap operas because if anybody leaves, they always bump him off, and 1 can't accept that.' We knew the guy was soft, but now we're sure , since Peter was spotted at the show crying his baby blues out over Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon. When pressed later, Frampton confessed that he only likes movies that makes him cry. Pretty boy Peter even went so far as to say that: 'I'd even like to be in a crying movie with my girlfriend, Penny. We could both console each other.' Why, over their bad acting?

What's Alice been doing lately? If you're looking you'll soon be able to see him on the silver screen. He's landed a part in an upcoming flick called Jabberwacky, which is a satire on medieval times. Alice is beaming about his celluloid successes and he recently told HitParader that he'd like to direct stage shows for an encore. 'I'd like to direct styff like Brbadway's Chorus Line. I know I could do it.' He also hinted that his new album — which is incidently a continuation of Welcome To My Nightmare — is actually a stage show set to song, and Alice is confident that it could easily be done ' by another 'company. ' Any takers?

Famous babies, 30 years on. Charlie's girl, Geraldine Chaplin, is kinda fonda Hank's kid Peter Fonda. While her brother plays, Jane Fonda is sweating bullets trying to get her hubby, Tom Hayden elected to the California Senate. The Haydens staged an all-star auction, that netted a fast $27,000 for their cause. Among the stuff they auctioned off were Chirk Gable's hunting bag, Groucho Marx's beret, a dress Jane wore in They Shoot Horses Don't They, and a pair of Marilyn Monroe's shoes. The slippers were snapped up by Rocket Records exec Connie Pappas, for her boss — Elton Jphn. Elton has been a little loose with his loot lately (Maybe his feet hurt). He reportedly sunk $300,000 of spare change into a posh LA eatery, and this year alone his tab at the Optique Boutique in Beverly Hills is 40 thou worth of specs.

Suburban living: James Taylor and Carly Simon couldn't stand roughin' it; they moved out of their beautiful abode in Bel Air because of an invasion of rodents. Yes, as in cheese.

Reports are that Faye Dunaway and Peter Wolfs marriage is a little rocky. Seems Peter doesn't approve of working wives, and his just landed a plum role to portray Victoria Woodhull, the first woman who ran for the Presidency in 1872, in a film called, imaginatively, Vicky. Move over Bill Graham, and let 'Spike' take over. George Carlin appeared at a benefit concert in San Quentin Prison which was sponsered by the Hell's Angels.

Has the Pelvis pulled a few screws loose? Elvis has been sporting a blonde wig these days in an effort to conceal his real identity. I don't think he has too much to worry about, the 200-plus water weight he's been lugging around alters his appearance quite enough, thank you. The word out that Elvis has a new pash, and it isn't female, it's Spaghettios; but he does still send flowers to his old flame, a decade after she turned down his proposal of marriage. Who is she? You mean you don't remember? Ann-Margret.

Britt Eklund.will do no crooning as previously promised on her heartthrob, Mr. Rod Stewart's next release. An aide of Rod's confided that all the bitchy blonde will get to do on the album is 'provide background atmosphere with heavy breathing.'

So, the guy's got a lot of heart. In fact when Elvis' dog Spot had a serious kidney problem, he had him flown by Lear jet to a swank New England medical institute for animals, to be cared for by specialists. When told of his gesture, Doris Day — who recently revealed that: 'Dogs are as important to me as people. ' — wept with joy. More important than Olivia Newton John, I'll /venture. Ms. John's agent has called Dodo everysingleday since her autobiography has been out, begging to buy thp film rights for Olivia. He tells Doris that Olivia is just perfect for the part — because she looks so much like her; to which Doris snapped: 'Everybody thinks they look like me.' In case the DD deal falls through, Olivia has been assured a part in Robert Tommy Stigwood's Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band flick, along with Bette Midler (who's penned to play Lovely Rita Meter Maid; and John Den* ver (who is the star of the show). Denver that unlovable imp is'especially busy these days. He's also been pitched for the title role in Yondo, where he will portray a rock singer who unplugs and retires to a mountainside to compose only socially-conscious songs. Un peu autobiographical?

Tom Laughlin's remake of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, has been retitled Billy Jack Goes to Washington (any guesses why?). Little Lucie Arnaz has snared a starring role in the pic, and was so excited that she arrived in Washington D. C. a week early so she could research her role by working in Senator John Tunney's office. Producer Frank Capra Jr. is no slouch either. Believe it or not he managed to wangle permission from the Kennedy family to film a scene at JFK's grave.

Watch for Erich Segal's sequel to Love Story, titled Oliver. No it's not a serialization of life after death, but takes up 18 months after Jenny's death. Too bad The Deep, the sequel to Jaws, doesn't pay attention to such physiological drawbacks. Both Roy Scheider and Robert Shaw will appear in The Deep, even if Mr. Shaw was knocked off in the original fish story. This is where I knock off, stay tuned for my sequel, next month.