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Show b ' Behinff theScenes 1 t A "ghostly" good interview by J.T. Yurko I I Ml: IP iw( V; i7 Af L 1 &lir..',W,it-,irfft, nftr.ny., ir ,M mHiiBbm iiibi ijlMl ill The Chowder Society (left to right: Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Fred Astaire, John Houseman, Melvyn Douglas) have hid- den a terrible secret for 50 years in "Ghost Story." , When you have three such stately actors as John Houseman, Fred Astaire and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr, in a movie and you want to promote a movie, you don't bring them to the press, you bring the press to them. ! That's what happened recently as part of the promotion for '; the film "Ghost Story" starring the above-mentioned actors as ; well as the late Melvyn Douglas, who died shortly after the filming film-ing was completed. The three legendary performers along with ' the film's director, John Irvin, sat in a studio in Los Angeles, but via a closed-circuit, satellite TV hook-up, members of the press i in New York, Atlanta, Chicago and Dallas were able to see them as well as ask questions. When these men began their respec- ( tive careers, this sort of wizardry was purely in the realm of j science-fiction. j Each of the gentlemen confessed the real reason they had ( all decided to be in the film. Said Doug Fairbanks, Jr., "I think the allure of this project was the chance to work with each other. My role is perhaps the smallest in the film, but this was an opportunity I just couldn't turn down. All these guys are pros, and it was just a pleasure to be on the set with them and discuss old times and new times." Fred Astaire agrees. "Working "Work-ing with these gentlemen was a pleasure, but I'm always trying to stay busy, I'm always doing something. If I read a script and it strikes me right, I begin to feel guilty about not doing it. Then every time I start something I say 'this is my last picture, I'm not going through all this again,' but I do, and then along comes something else. I love pictures too much." One of the reporters asked if director John Irvin thought of pulling some form of dedication to Melvyn Douglas in the film. "I'd rather not do that," he replied. "I believe his performance speaks most eloquently about the man and his talent and contribution con-tribution to film." John Houseman interrupted, "Melvyn would have hated it." Someone had to ask Astaire if he still dances, and his reply was, "Oh, sure I slill hoof around the house a bit ... No wait, I lunk I only dicamed that." n eo-rmoo MnvKt" |