Crazy wartime comedy hits L.A.

Press, 24 April 1980, Page 20

Crazy wartime comedy hits L.A.

What does an average homeowner do when enemy invaders show up in his back yard and the U.S. Army turns his front lawn into a strategic defence post? The answer, offered by actor Ned Beatty in Steven Spielberg’s “1941,” which starts at the Avon tomorrow, is: “He tries to defend his home and ends up demolishing it.” In the wacky new spectacular, Beatty and his family live in' a tranquil and picturesque house on a seaside cliff near Los Angeles.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbour, a Japanese submarine surfaces off the southern California coast, and Beatty’s residence suddenly becomes an emergency military outpost.

The man of the house buys a double-barrelled shotgun to defend his territory. He also gets a lot of ground support from a tank sergeant and crew, who plant a 40mm antiaircraft gun in his front yard, with catastrophic results.

Says Beatty: “The script doesn’t mention his occupation, but I like to think of the character I play as an accident-prone insurance underwriter. He feels like a lot of men in their forties must have felt at that moment in history. “He probably missed World War I and now he’s too old for this one. So when an enemy sub is reported as being almost on his doorstep, he turns his home into a fortress.” The mobilised home owner must also deal with

his unco-operative wife (Lorraine Gary) who refuses to believe there is any danger to her wellordered household until the shells start flying and assorted other military and civilian characters converge on the oncepeaceful house in Spielberg’s zany version of World War 11.

Says Beatty, reflectively: “Who knows what we would actually do today in this situation? Maybe the guys who are totally into guns would be the first to run, and the men who never picked up a rifle in their lives would stay and defend us." Beatty’s other comedy roles in movies include Gene Hackman’s bumbling assistant in “Superman” and a passenger in “Silver Streak.”

“1941” also stars John Belushi, who won acclaim as the number one “animal” in Lampoon's Animal House.” Belushi plays Wild Bill Kelso, a crazy pilot who is determined to singlehandedly defend Los Angeles in the wake of Pearl Habour.

Before filming “Animal House on location in Oregon, Belushi went to Mexico for “goin’ South,” a western, starring and directed by Jack Nicholson. Belushi also starred in Joan Tewksbury’s “Old Boyfriends” with Talia Shire.

Dan Aykroyd, Murray Hamilton, Christopher Lee, Penny Marshall, Tim Matheson, Toshiro Mifune, Warren Oates, Robert Stack and Treat Williams also star in this film.