European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 9, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse Was just a kid then. Later i travelled the vaudeville circuit with the Mississippi River other local artists who have loaned their musical talents to the program include John Homer Walker a 78 year old Black Man who plays a Banjo made from the torque converter of a 1965 Buick and Alva Johnson. Johnson 72, plays a Folksy Down Home Blue says dozens of students aged 8 to 88, have trooped through the Homes of these Mountain musician since the program was instituted Back in 1972. Courses in quilting and weaving Are offered emphasis however is on music. This to some degree perhaps can be traced to the growing popularity of Bluegrass the contemporary a offspring of Mountain music with its twanging melodious marriage of the fiddle and the Banjo. The european settlers brought in the fiddles said George taking one last look at the fireflies before heading indoors. But the Banjo can be traced Back to Africa. My Granddaddy Learned to play the Banjo just Down the Road from Here. He Learned to play from freed later driving Home on the narrow winding roads Bob Martin talked about the school and about his life in the know he said i be been All Over this country and i be never found a place like this. And you know what makes it so special it s the people. That s Why it s so important to preserve the appalachian appalachian fiddler Franklin George teaching to help preserve Mountain music tradition. Mark Hamill g trek by Bob Thomas associated press b Uke Skywalker the intergalactic i Warrior is now repairing old cars in i Burbank. Sound like a comedown i perhaps but there he is in the Auto shop of Burbank High school dressed in coveralls with face smudged la Boring Over a sick Corvette. As anyone who has stood in line to see Star wars in the states knows Luke sky Walker is Mark Hamill a television actor who suddenly found himself Star of the year s super hit. He is now making sting Ray with Hal Barwood producing and mat thew Robbins directing for Mem. Barwood and Robbins went to school with George Lucas the Star wars maker. The pair wrote the sugar land express Bingo Long and Macarthur and now Are filming their own script. Based in part on their own High school experiences of not too Long ago Stingray casts Hamill As a High school misfit whose Only interest is remaking cars. When Bis prize Corvette is ripped off he begins a wild Chase to find it. One hot Day in Burbank Hamill was relaxing in his dressing room trailer a far cry from the lean tos he was Given As a tractor but not As grand As his new status might suggest. But he denies that he really feels much change. The Only time it really hit me was when Fox sent Harrison Ford and me on a three week appearance tour. I had the whole works to and radio interviews fans at the airports Fox officials to take care of every need limousines hotel suites. But As soon As i got Home it was like living in a vacuum again. I went Back to the same House i see the eight or nine friends i always see i go to no parties be cause i Don t like course there has been a difference in my career. The main advantage is that now i am Able to say no to roles i Don t want to do. Some of the offers have been unbelievable. One outfit even offered me $250,000 to play a Pioneer boy with a pet Mountain lion. Shadya mean you Don t want the part they said. We offered you $250,000, did t we " one out fam of Star wars that Dis pleases Hamill is some of the Atten Tion he has been getting in print i be been called a California clone with brains baked by the Sun " he complained. As though i just fell into All this by Accident what they Don t realize is that i have done More than 140 television roles. I started acting on stage in Virginia when i was seven and i acted All the Way through school including two years at Yokohama and Yokosuka in Japan. I spent two years in the drama department at los Angeles City College where the Competition is fierce and you have to earn your roles As in a repertory company. I spent three seasons at the Renais Sance Faire a Spring festival in nearby Agoura doing eight shows a Day every thing from Moliere and Shakespeare to slow motion sword fights and Hamill also objected to a printed report that he stayed in school because i did t want to get my ass shot off in Vietnam. I never said that and now i m getting hate mail. Of course i did t want to go to Vietnam because i thought the War was wrong. But then so did a lot of other although he can still play High schooners with ease Mark Hamill is 25. One of seven children of a Navy Captain he grew up in California new York Virginia Japan and else where. A los Angeles production landed him an agent and his pleasant looks and Earnest manner earned him to roles including the movies Eric with Patricia Neal Sarah t with Linda Blair and the Short lived series the Texas wheelers. Star wars resulted from a cattle Call a mass audition held by George Lucas and by Brian de Palma who was casting for Carrie. Hamill thought he was being considered for the latter film in a role that was played by William Katt. Two months later he was asked to test for Star wars which at first he thought was some kind of Flash Gordon 20th Century Fox spaced out actor Mark Farnill Star wars behind him now has a new film role As an Auto Happy teen misfit. Sunday october 9, 1977 the stars and stripes Page 11
