Show 8-- The Herald JournalCache Sunday October 12 1986 Elam makes it to ‘Easy Street’ By Pat Hilton for Marilyn Beck Elam never had thought of acting at all He had worked his way through the accounting world and had become a financial expert with independent film companies as well as one of the highest-pai- d auditors in the business He got bad news in 1947 that changed all that His doctors told him he had to get out of the figuring business or he could expect to lose the sight in his remaining eye The canny Elam took a look at his prospects and knew he didn’t want to sell real estate or peddle vacuum cleaners door to door and he struck a deal for himself At that time he was in a position to put production monies together and he pro'40s Jack Elam - great HOLLYWOOD is a rascal With his bushy and the eyebrows mischievously wicked gleam in his good eye (he is sightless in his left) the character actor wears the air of one who does not suffer fools at all let alone gladly Pomposity and Elam are mutually exclusive In a business overpopulated with people who take themselves too seriously the star of NBC’s new “Easy Street" series works to the beat of an altogether different director He is a flirt a tease an abashed drinker and a consummate and committed poker player It’s lunchtime on the set of the sitcom in which he teams with Loni Anderson and Elam scoots directly to his dressing room-suit- e where he pours himself a Cutty and water or two and plies his visitors with munchies “I’m afraid we may have a hit on our hands" he grumbles explaining that at age 69 he had not intended to work as hard as is demanded by a weekly series But that’s not the worst of it he announces the worst is that “Easy Street” is being taped in front of a live audience And Jack Elam a veteran of nearly 40 years in the business an actor whose credits include more than 100 movies and at least that many television parts never has appeared in front of a live audience Never wanted to doesn't want to now Believes in fact that the resulting product isn't as good when the aetors have to work around the cameras instead of vice versa However back in the late screamers” Asked for an example of profto be a lot of essionalism he grins wickedly “When you were playing poker and it was time for your scene they waited until you had finished the hand before they called you That’s professionalism” He likes to tell this story about himself: “I had starred in a picture and had 25 lines I went through the script of the next picture I was offered and it had only nine lines I thought I was too big for that so I turned it down” The movie was “Shane” and Jack Palance played the role Elam had rejected After his liquid lunch he heads back to the set A spirit of mised producer George friendliness prevails there and Templeton he would obtain fi- one suspects it is due in no nancing for three pictures — on small part to Elam He rags the condition that he get to play assistant director about being Lee roles in the movies (and that no short insults one know about the reason he Weaver and flirts with his publicist He puts on the intergot the parts) The deal was struck and viewer by displaying a photo of Elam wound up as the bad guy two unattractive people that he in “The Sundowners" starring says are his wife and daughter Robert Preston That job put leaving the interviewer to find him on the road to becoming her own way out of deep water one of the most familiar villains (His real wife of 25 years who ever faced down a hero In Jenny comes into town for time one glimpse of his tall Friday tapings from their home then lean figure and his evil in Montecito Calif) Elam conducts a tour to the leer and the audience knew far corners of the sound studio that hero was up against it Still you’ll never catch him where in a way around Loni decree discussing the importance of Anderson’s “the work" speaking of acting he has set up Jacrs Joint in italics as some of a later there smokers can smoke and generation have come to do He Elam can count on a game of never has had an acting lesson poker one of his very favorite scoffs at the very idea His vices The crew has cought the Jack Elam and Loni Anderson of “Easy Street” flatly offered basic credo: spirit of it all and continues to elaborate on the basic plan by “don't act nervous" He learned acting in the John adding comforts such as rugs will steal any of that money and like Jack Elam's career a e Wayne school of movie making and chairs There’s a box with plans eventually to keep $100 in character actor who is a 20 all at there times of liar’s for were acter and own his in change deserves poker professionals “They joint “It’s grown like Topsy” he on Easy Street those days” he says admitting Despite a few expressions of O 19M Tribune Mdi Services Inc that he finds now “there seem skepticism Elam insists no one says With muted pride Rather co-st- ar ng char-chang- Nature exhibit fills entire pier - SAN FRANCISCO (UPI) Japanese artist Toshimitsu Imai opened his first exhibition in the United States inside the shell of a large waterfront pier by weaving his screens and paintings through tall grasses stones boulders and cedar tree trunks from the Pacific Northwest For the dramatic premiere of a tour that will take his works to Los Angeles Dallas and New York Imai opted to display his gold silver and lacquer themes of nature in a large natural environment “This was my dream to exhibit in the United States” Imai said of the show which fills the Pier 2 north of Fisherman’s Wharf “I'm very happy Actually I needed more space" “Imai: Artist and Nature An Installation” will remain at the Fort Mason Cultural Center pier through October 26 The paintings will next be exhibited at the Japanese Cultural Center in Los Angeles Nov 4 through Jan 4 but the outdoor environment won't be part of the remaining schedule e theme" Imai said “I’m a “This is a used to changing things as I I’m and artist travelling go The rest of the shows will be in smaller gallery 55000-square-fo- ot one-tim- settings” Imai one of the founders of contemporary abstract expressionism has displayed his work throughout Europe and the Orient He was brought to the United States by the Council for International Cooperation a nonprofit organization based in Washington DC Harvey West executive director of the council and curator of the show said the exhibition was a rare opportunity for Americans to view Imai’s screens and paintings some of which are as large as 8 feet by 30 feet “He’s not in the United States” said West “We're introducing an extraordinary artist who is in the full swing of his career” Imai 58 moved to Paris from post-wa- r Japan in 1952 and began a artistic evolution by rejecting everything Japanese and assimilating everything Western He was greatly influenced by California painter Sam Francis and other artists whose goal he says was “to go beyond Picasso to do something completely different “Cubism was geometric and involved with perspective" he said “So what we did was go against this — to create irrational art” During his early romantic period Imai produced well-kno- 20-ye- ar abstract expressionist paintings of exploding colors and bold angry canvases that brought him initial fame In the early '70s however he began rediscovering Japanese traditions and the love of nature studying the beauty of colors forms light and space which led him to the naturalistic themes of his subtle screen drawings “For Orientals there’s a tradition of living with the natural rhythms of life of narmony with nature" said Imai “The Western tradition is to conquer or destroy nature” His travels in the West said the artist were an integral part of the journey that has finally led him back to the traditional Japanese philosophy of existence “Life is a journey from unknown things to unknown things said Imai who now resides in Tokyo “For me it was important to travel through other cultures in order to find myself” Imai said the tree stumps rocks and tall grass were meant to blend harmoniously with his screen paintings depicting rivers mountains flowers and pagodas |