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Show am r m urn Mif . 'm 1 & TfiaTfir. Tlic Smith Family lias now been introduced to television viewers. They are, from left, Darlene Carr, Janet Blair, "iWi 'A 'di) iifnirtn-nnii- Michael James Wixted, Henry Fonda and Ronald Howard. Fonda spends only 15 weeks a year working on the show. the smith family dIlBws5m ns dllae fi dBneii ffoDimalka by Cynthia Lowry Associated Press Writer T that way, Ill be free for a picture commitment. THE Fedderson formula for creating happy stars is a proven success with nine seasons of My Three Sons and four of Family Fred MacMur-ray- s Affair. contract calls for GO days work per season; Brian Keiths 75. John Forsythe, in Fedderson s To Rome with Love, has the same sort of deal. ELEVISION SERIES may not have the prestige or the glamor of the theatrical film or the stage, but to an increasing effort make star type acting signments in the medium more attractive is roping m the really big names. Henry Fonda, who had one unhappy experience with The Deputy, has returned with unconcealed enthusiasm for The Smith which had its Family, ABC premiere in January. Under his deal with producer Don Fedderson, the actor will spend only 15 weeks a year turning out 24 episodes. Fonda thus is free to function on the stage, before motion picture cameras or just to loll on tropical strands the rest of the time. as- Fonda, who was described by director Josh Logan as a stringent seems peculiarfitted by temperament ly and intense work habits to the Fedderson formula Since the stars time is limited by contract, when he works the company concentrates on scenes in which he appears, lter, the other scenes are shot. This calls for an enormous amount of advance planning; careful cataloging of sets and Polaroid snaps of costumes, complete with wrinkles, even flower arrangements. We made the ABC deal Fonda last February, to me came and Don said, ier-fectioni- . Fonda reported happily that he had turned out 15 segments of the new series in nine weeks and was on his way back to California to try out a new play. go back to the television series in June, he continued, and then Ill be free to take the piny onto Broadway in October, and stay with it for a limited dt doesnt' work run.' Ill 0r,if st, with 15 completed scripts which I last October . read. We tossed out a couple of them and then we went ahead. It was very much like shooting a film, and thats not as bad as it sounds. FONDA, AT G5, has been a part of the theatrical scene since 1925 when he made his first, tentative appearance with the Com- munity Playhouse troupe in Omaha, where he grew up. Since then he has been film star for a more than three decades, appeared in more than 70 films only about 15, surand prisingly, Westerns in many stage appeared top-ran- k including productions, the memorable Mr. Roberts for 1,000 performances on Broadway. Tall, slim and agile, Fondas looks belie his age and grandfather status. Although he was the first in his family to enter the theater, two of his three chil-dre- n already have achieved star status. Peter and Jane Fonda, children by his second wife, Frances Brokaw, are both im- names portant and both have achieved a certain quite notoriety their from acting apart . . h t Ct t box-offic- ft w e ability. Fonda, whose relationship with his family is close, is proud of both children. My son, the hyphenate, he fondly calls Peter, who is actor-w- r of films. Of Jane, he says calmly that he is proud of her convictions although he dont necessarily agree with her opinions. While Fonda is mainly absorbed in acting, his side acti,,;ties are not only but profitone of He has become able. narrathe most tors of television documentaries and recently atime-consumi- ppeared as adver Using spokesman for a large chemical company. THE COMMERCIAL were better than some movies I have made, he said So why thoughtfully. dodge commercials? People liked them and in my business, the operative Good word Is exposure. exposure is always good whether it is on Broadway, in films, on television or even appearing on behalf of a candidate like John Tunney. Ive turned dowc plenty of commercials, but with these, Ill be happy to do some more. He also does concerts around the country, a show based on famous letters and plays relating to the relationships between young and old, fathers and sons. Not so incidentally, he is a talented artist who started with pastels and has graduated to oil, wrater color and clay. In the new series, Fonda plays a devoted family man, a detective sergeant on a Southern California police force, with a happy marriage and three children. In real life, Fonda has been married five times, his first a long relationship with the late Margaret Sullivan with whom he remained close the rest of her life. His wife for the past six years has been Shirlee Adams. The couple lives most of the time in their Bel Air home but maintain a New York townhouse which his children also use when they are in town. He has never cut his ties to the Midwest, frequently returning to Omaha for family one-ma- n two-month- reunions. - - . . s- ....... The Salt Lake Tribune, Sunday, February 21, 1971 |
