Thomas Carr Howe Community High School - Hilltopper Yearbook (Indianapolis, IN)

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Movies and T.V. Comedies in great demand Stephanie Fattic w hy do students watch TV? This question holds quite a variety of answers. Some students watch it because of the free entertainment it provides and the way it helps to replace tension with relaxation and laughter. There ' s the usual, Well, there ' s nothing else to do and I ' m bored. Others see it as an escape from the reality of problems with friends, school and home. They follow their programs from day to day and week to week as if their lives depended on them. There are even a few students at Howe who don ' t like TV and consequently don ' t watch it. They feel it ' s a waste of time or else they don ' t have any time to watch it. Television has the reputation of being a bad influence on im- pressionable minds as a result of all the violence and crime de- picted. But there ' s the good edu- cational aspect too. News and documentaries such as the highly rated Roots ' ' are a good source of information. TV has both good and bad points, but its effect usually depends upon the person watching. In a survey taken at Howe, some students answered several questions concerning movies and TV. The favorite program turned out to be this year ' s comedy smash Mork and Mindy. Cheryl Ladd, Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith, and Suzanne Som- mers were popular actresses. The choices for favorite actor were strung out among many actors. Steve Martin claimed favorite comedian with Richard Pryor a close second. The overwhelming majority of students harbor strong feelings of dislike for commercials. They don ' t pay much attention to ABOVE: ABC ' s smash comedy hit Three ' s Company, starring Joyce DeWitt, John Ritter, and Suzanne Sommers is in its second season and still going strong. them because they feel they are found in the ones starring cats phony and exaggerated. Many and dogs. Perhaps commercials view them as an interruption at do have one redeeming quality, the exciting part of their pro- They allow time for a quick trip gram. Commercials wouldn ' t be to the refrigerator or the bath- so bad if they showed any kind room, of creativity; however, it says something that the only talent is ™ m mmmm m — — This proved to be the year of escapist comedies in movies. NATIONAL LAMPOON ' S Ani- mal House turned into a block- buster hit dealing with farcical fraternity campus life in the 60 ' s. In fact, it was so big television now has a spinoff from it, Delta House. Cheech and Chong ' s Up in Smoke certainly scored high in the laughs. California Suite, Foul Play, and Re- venge of the Pink Panther pro- vided lots of snickers. The era of thrillers seemed to be revived this year. Magic, probably the favorite of these, is the bizarre story of a ventrilo- quist-magician with a schizoid personality that unleashes a nightmare on his friends. Hal- loween, The Psychic, Eyes of Laura Mars, and Coma gave slight thrills to the squea- mish. On a serious note, Ice Cas- tles furnished the best tearjerker of the year. Oliver ' s Story, Midnight Express, Heaven Can Wait, and The Deer Hunt- er tried to provide portraits of reality in this era of escapist comedies. And nobody can for- get John Travolta ' s fifties por- trayal in Grease or Super- man, the most expensive movie ever made. Olivia Newton-John, Sally Fields, Jane Fonda, Burt Rey- nolds, Clint Eastwood and John Travolta are all popular movie actresses and actors. Most students go to the mov- ies several times a month despite the restrictive prices that force them to go to bargain matinees and some couples even to go dutch. 20-Movies, TV

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BES1 MOVIES OF THE JfEAR (Chosen by Time, listed alpha- betically) Bread and Chocolate ' Cat and Mou - ' Days of Heaven Deer Hunter Cet Out Your Handkerchief Heaven Can Wait Movie Movie NATIONAL LAMPOON ' S Animal House Summer Paradise Watership Down NIELSEN TV RATINGS I. (tie) Happy Days, La erne and Shirley 3. Three ' s Company 4. ABC Sunday Night Movie 5. Little House on the Prairie 6. Mork and Mindy 7. (tie) Alice, Charlie ' s Angels, Love Boat 10. (tie) All in the Family , Eight Is Enough. Taxi, What ' s Happening LEFT: Although Farrah Fawcett- Majors has been replaced by Cheryl Ladd, Charlie ' s Angels continues in its popularity. LEFT: Sean Conner) and Lesley - Anne Down star in the high adven- ture The Great Train Robbery . ABOVE: Christopher Rce e stars as tin- man of steel ' in Superman. Movies. IN -21