Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 20, 1976, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press tuesday january 20, 1976 memories of father Lead to Success by Kevin Thomas the Angeles times Hollywood one of the finest films to open in 1975, a year in which Good movies were scarce indeed was the Canadian lies my father told me actor writer Ted Allan s bittersweet Memoir of growing up jewish in a Montreal immigrant neigh boyhood of the 20s. It was brought to the screen with much warmth and humor by czech director Jan Kadar. Something of a Sleeper lies my father told me first opened nov. 12 at the Plaza Here and is in its 12th week ii new York. Its Success has left Allan 57, who dashed it off As a Short Story 25 years ago not just a Little sur prised and completely delighted. Lies my rather told me is the Story of the Loving relationship Between a Small buy Jeffrey Lynas and his adored be whiskered grand father Yossi a deeply religious though determinedly unorthodox peddle. The Bond Between them is especially Strong because the boy s father Len Birman is a generally insensitive clod a never do Well forever dreaming up get Rich Quick inventions and putting Down his eccentric colourful father in Law and la s whimsical mysticism. Forever trying to keep the peace is the boy s demure self effacing Mother Marily first of All let me say that it s a True Story 98 per cent says Allan a lean Silver haired and bearded Man who appeared in the film As a comical fiery marxist. Nobody could have made up those inventions of my father. Besides movable cuff links connected with Springs so you should shove up your shirtsleeves without taking your links off and permanent press pants that unfortunately stuck together he in vented lots of other things that we did t show in the picture. In Montreal it can get to 30 degrees below Zero in the Winter piece of ice. Well my father made this Box with an electric wire in it like a toaster for. The milk when it was delivered. Only you could t regulate the heat so we were the Only family in Montreal with hot milk. It did t quite work but it was t a bad idea. All ins ideas were great but he did t quite know How to pull them off. He d been a toy manufacturer arid had made vests for menus suits. He owned seven factories one after the other. He always seemed to be Able to talk someone into backing him. But after i went to work at 15 lie never worked again later on my younger brother help out. With my father every thing was everybody else s fault and people were idiots. When i turned lies my father told me into a radio play and he heard it he opened his door and said to me Dohl t you know any body my Mother was one of the funniest ladies i be Ever known. When i was Here in Hollywood in 1946 and 1947 i brought her out she wanted me to take her to the Eddie Cantor show. She listened to him on the radio religiously. Afterwards my Mother was totally silent. Finally i got her to Tell me what was wrong. She said did you know he reads the jokes from a piece of but it s my Grandfather 1 really want to talk about. I have a sister who is mentally ill and my brother died at 44. They did t have my grand father who died when i was five. But he had Given me that feeling i was a Prince. You have to have somebody to love you uncritically when you re a child. Either your parents have to do it or your grandparents or somebody. If you Don t get it then you never have it. I remember when we were walking along the streets of Montreal and i asked Zayda is it possible that i am the he said it s possible but Don t count on it my Grandfather who came to Canada from Russia in 1890, was a very religious Man but was not orthodox. In his Way he was a heretic for no conventionally religious jew would have referred to Jesus As a great rabbi. I think he came from a great jewish tradition of universality rather than Ortho doxy. His love really embraced All people. He was a peddle but he was like a biblical Prophet. Despite the Low status of his work he was big Man. I think the picture is a Success perhaps because peo ple sense that love is the Only truth and everything else is lies. The film s really about a Lack of love. My Grandfather told me poetic truths against the prosaic facts lies my father told Allan who had made his Home in London for More than 20 years has had a richly varied career. Lie fought in the Spanish civil War met Hemingway and served As chief assistant to or. Norman Bethune in the Spanish Canadian blood transfusion unit in Madrid. One of the most venerated figures in China Bethune who died there in 1939, was the subject of a Best Selling Book by Allan and Sydney Gordon currently Allan is negotiating with a major Stu Dio to write a screenplay on Bethune. Among la s Many Short stories and plays his Best known work is of what a Lovely War which after his International stage Success became ten outstanding film directed by Richard Atten Borough. When lies my father told me which has been presented on both Cana Dian and British television was first produced As a radio play in 1951, lome Greene played the Grandfather and Arthur Hiller directed. After a Brief fruitless stint As a Hollywood screenwriter in the40s, Allan who had served under John Houseman in the office of War information returned to Montreal in 1950. Although he left Holly Wood where he had hoped to write a film on the Spanish civil War before Mccarthy hit the he says he was sort of asked to leave the country because of his involvement in the International brigade in Spain and in various left Wing move ments. Ted Allan yen should new. Elverum Norway a Norway dominating the All round class beat the soviet Union 251.5-204.5 Points in Day Speed skiing meet for men. The soviets held Forth in the sprints. Winnipeg Arena january 28 to 6 nights wad., thurs., fri., sat., hon., tues., 5 4 matinees a sat. A noon 4 . Sun. 2 6 . Prices s4 s4.50 s5.50 All seats reserved a youths 16 i Mdse is Oil thurs. 8 ., sat. 4 . Sun. G ., Mon. 6 8 ., tues. 8 . For special groups info. Cili 0 783-w23 or 783-7421 starring world Champion Karen Magnussen j tickets available at s Winnipeg Arena j . Ticket offices Eaton s downtown 8th floor Eaton s Polo Park concourse Lombard place University Centre . Celebrity Box office w at the Bay and uni City shopping Center open store hours it tickets May be charged of win a Iitto Nickiti Ava due orho at f tonight Centennial concert Hall 2 shows . World adventure Tours presents travel tale film in Beautiful Colour narrated in person by Dick Reddy visit Hamburg Berlin Rothenburgh Baden Baden Black Forest Munich Heidelberg Berchtesgaden and much More kit. J3.00, Suzsi stuff into j1.75 co tin by it thu inv pm 947-5773 a Black poodle on graces bed London recently published biography o i Princess Grace claims that a Black poodle slept at the foot of the bed on the night of the wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco. Author Gwen Robyns says the dog was the favorite pet of the former actress from Philadelphia. The biography Wlinich pub Lisher . Allen say is the first full length life Story of the Princess reports she is interested in the occult and that she does exercises in Church. I do while i m doing my soul some Good i Sutherland hotel 785 main Street dancing nightly to Mark Mckeown orchestra evil. T sit. Aft. Exotic dancer Crystal Dawn . Channel 9 Cable 12 wednesday 6 . Prizes 3000 for is nos. Or less 2000 for s2 nos. Or less cards 1.00 each or 8 for cards available at a.t.o., c.b.o., 7 11 stores and local drug and convenience proceeds to the so Optimist Kinsmen club am doing my body some Good the Princess is quoted As saying. In other anecdotes miss Robyns said Princess Grace once bit her daughter Princess Caroline on the Arm because she found Caroline had been playfully biting her younger brother Prince Al Bert. Miss Robyns a new Zea Lander and former assistant editor of the London tabloid daily Mirror told a reporter the Princess would not con sent to he interviewed. The Book was written after two years work from scores of other interviews 544 letters and a visit to the United states. Mexican pianist scots . Asylum a mex ican concert pianist Jose Luis Aldaz has filed a formal re quest for political Asylum with the . Department of immigration a. Spokesman said. Friday. In 1971, mexican president Luis Echeverria Alvarez appointed Aldaz 30, the cultural and artistic Delegate to the ., working through the mexican National tourism of fice. Scare spurred rekindled love new York a actress Elizabeth Taylor says she and Richard Burton decided to remarry after she was subjected to a false cancer scare. She had reconciled with her former husband m september and they were remarried oct. 10 in Africa. Writing in the current Issue of ladies Home journal miss Taylor says that in be tween the reconciliation and m a r r i a g e she had a rays taken for a suspected broken rib. But they revealed spots on her lung which she believed to. Be cancer. I had about 12 hours to contemplate death and a Nasty one at miss Tay Lor writes. That evening she says she told Burton and they spent Hie evening hold ing each other with a kind of the next morning miss Taylor says her doctor told h e r the spots were not cancer. With her sense of re Lief overwhelming miss Tay to the conclusion that their love was still All important. It was s e 111 de she writes. I can t remember the exact words that said we would remarry. I think i brought it up and he shied then i dropped it. The next time it came up was in Johannesburg and he asked me. I asked him for an old fashioned proposal and he actually did it. He got Down on his Knees he said will you marry i fell about with laughter and said sure Honey Bunny i Don t think lie really meant i Ruybe it was a leftover from the fear of death maybe it was to make me feel or maybe he really did mean it. Anyway the seed was planted in both our tiny brains and what a glorious exotic Plant it As a sort of postscript miss Taylor writes the spots on my lungs were from to that i did t even know i had and cured Lor says she and Burton came myself b Nai if jul if Hui school Ballet on Sarah Chai out. Up used for years by russian to dance. To take these m Ewald has devoted 30 skaters. Develop them As Graceful to turning out Young i ass Ewald said the Ballet the s res is be most my now the principal of exercises Are designed to de Sun. Feb. Academy of dancing has v e 1 o p a better turnout she has approximately another dial proper body alignment and students and a staff of Pla Cement i1 of skaters teachers. Minimum age i i plans to teach enough stretching e x e r c i s e s Are Nursery Ballet is three concert to figure skaters to at lumbering the body. But u in t just tiny tickets available them champions 011 ice. Good deportment Grace no study at the Ato idea which came from stoic Power and stamina. Are a Nave married All cuts professional important but the first and mothers University Leitch has been prac Foremost lesson is that proper Antl business girls taking be maintained at Alliot and a one a a four year old has been try to get a flowing found a m pm Rel p 03 b than a Jerky separate int Crest Jned movement on she azz is becoming popular too bal h jaw lag it All has to How to Jand tap is k re t attributes this to a lot of tap teaching people How not to jazz t t awkward has been miss she teach my broiler and Sandwich s dancing but is swamped with we re not trying to train Caus from Tomeil Lor professional work who want to learn the dance Polo Park pm. For and Grace so Miewald b Flat they can grow up and go wild Cam t into professional clubs with her family while still a do you or whatever. M she want. Anyone we feel is capable e d to dance. I always o f professional work we thought it was so Send to audition at the two years ago she filled a Ballet school. Life Long ambition by Gradt iat a pot shopping that in t my work ing from University. Polo Park during lots is to teach them Grace Ever since i went into free being served nicely at and to he business i wanted to have a comfortable Booth rather than Young ladies. That is she said. But time what we do up and Many years passed be out of a paper bag or standing in line Ewald said she enjoys fore i had any time to do it. It wrestling with a tray of Challenge of leaching lit took me about six years but extensive of girls. Finally i graduated ill arts they know is they want majoring in and Best of a full course meal for elephant which includes soup of the Day pot roast of beef made from Grade a sirloin served with its own potatoes carrots celery and natural Gravy friends buttered dinner Roll Tea Coffee milk or soft drink ice Cream or Italy a she was Hie Best among lovers Are flooding a our animals and she was Good circus with letters for 10 years during which i pot roast Telephone Calls pleading often Lay on the ground under for the life of Mowgli r pc lick feet in the show and wednesdays from to elephant who trampled Orfei said. But she mus t be men to death in six m hours of to Mon. To a to Orfei the circus a it Davs said the death verdict attendant was passed after 16-year-old taxed m july two entrances direct from picked up her latest but Florence City officials victim an egyptian alien said they received Telephone direct from parking hurled him to the Calls from As far away As ground and trampled him to Berlin pleading to give Moog ;