OCR Text |
Show v TV: The Family Viewpoint T.L..'....J . .Ji M The problem of dealing with hit aging father threatens to dettroy Tony Lo Blanco's upcoming marriage to Christine Lahtl before It begins In the 'ABC Theatre' presentation of 'The Last Tenant' on Sunday, June 25. The Last Tenant by Bert Thompson A generation ago an original film of the quality of 'The Last Tenant,' starring well-known actors (Lee Strasberg and Tony Lo Bianco), would have drawn a family's members away from the hearth and off to a theater for a few hours. Now on Sunday, June 25 on ABC-TV, a flip of the television set's on-switch brings the premiere showing of 'The Last Tenant' right into the home. Shareable as a viewing experience by parents, older children and teenagers, this film is rich in discussion possibilities both as a story and as a production. An aging man (Strasberg) tries to cling to his solo lifestyle. Yet his increasing infirmities and the mounting dangers of a deteriorating community menace his safety as well as his independence. A parent might find the following questions useful in probing the story: How competent is the father to continue making his own decisions? What can his adult offspring do? What should they do? Should the well-meaning oldest son (Lo Bianco) jeopardize his impending marriage as he searches for a solution? Will the bride-to-be suffer either rejection or guilt if she vetoes sharing her first home with the troubled in-law? How much responsibility do we have for our aged relatives? Poignant may be the word for the theme of 'The Last Tenant' but its production is a success story. Its author, George Rubino, is a New York City school teacher who has "moonlighted for years" as a playwright. This, the first of his works to be produced, won the top prize $10,000 donated by the American Broadcasting Company in a competition conducted by the National Playwrights Conference of the Eugene O'Neill Memorial Theatre Centre. In addition to discussing the degrees to which the script, the acting and the camera work were effective, a family might want to talk about the dramatic form as an instrument of truth. Can a playwright, with his control of characters (and their development, problems and idiosyncracies), better depict the clash of old values and changing times than can a news documentarian? Could interviews with real people enmeshed in similar conflicts stir the emotions as do these fictional characters? Please check local station for exact air time. J |