European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 31, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Actor Dennis Quaid on the Cusp of s by Michael Norman new York times Ennis Quaid is late his voice coach is wailing bul the Day As usual comres hard to him. Quaid is holed up in the Corner Medici of of his Home in the Hollywood Hills. Like Many of ils neighbors ii is Spanish revival outside. Inside his particular House is a mess. The Welchen counter is littered Wilh bottle Caps and Tacky with a viscous Coaling All about Are piles of unopened mail record jackets and scripts. On the mantel in the dust where they have fallen or wore slain Are the corpses of insects. Everywhere is evidence o dogs a Basset hound a Golden retriever and a chocolate Labrador these Days it is Busy House. The actor known in Hollywood for his fastidious research is preparing Lor his next role Hal of the hard drinking hard playing virtuoso Rock legend Jerry Lee Lewis in the film goal Ball Sofira. Quaid s last project everybody s All american has. Just premiered. The my which also stars Jessica Lange and Timothy Mutton is based on Frank of fort s t981 novel Aboul the Rise and decline of a football legend Gavin Grey known As the Grey ghost. It s a Rolo that spans several stages in a Man s life and thus is the perfect vehicle Lor an actor Yuho Al 34, has Long portrayed character s much like himself men. Thai is with a lot of boy showing and wants to Strelch to prove he has depth and Range. As Gavin Grey Quaid brings Little of the averaged adolescent to the screen. There is nothing glib or Olland in his performance. The film s director Taylor Hackford says Quaid acted with clarity and  and pronounces him on the Cusp of stardom.". Dennis Quaid is a native of Houston. 6 feel. 150 pounds mho he has dark Brown hair with Flaxen. Highlights. The eyes arc sometimes Gray sometimes Blue depending on the tight. The voice is a rasp too Many mad Boros across too Many years. He arrived in Hollywood in the mid-1970s. He has. Played in such Lor Vellable films As jaws 3-d and enemy mine but gained his Tirol notoriety in breaking away a 1979 film in which he appeared As an embittered working class Tough in 1983 came the rim stuff. Followed by do. A., suspect and interspace. Ii was his performance last year in the big easy that Pul Dennis Quaid on the Cusp. The rim. With ils steamy new Orleans Milieu focused on the love Allair Between a corrupt albeit redeemable police defective and an assistant District Al Lorincy. Played by Ellen Barklon. It was his first major  says the film s director Jim Mcbride. He never before had the role thai made the Best use of his qualities this kind of cocky appealing Wise Guy Way. To turned out to be the salvation of the movie. In the screenplay the character was a really unpleasant oily Guy. Dennis found a Way to make him appealing and likeable to finally got the part of the romantic leading  those who have worked Al his Side remark on his professionalism. He s Able to take a dispassionate look at himself says Mcorkle. But at times Quaid. Seems to live in a child s world. His bedroom is decorated in a Cowboy Motif. The bed is custom made of rails shaped like Fence posts and the Wall trim is knotty Pine. Across a chair in an anteroom rests a Black leather Saddle. To this other world which extends Well beyond the bedroom Dennis Quaid has another identity. Buck Gibson a longstanding joke Between him and those closest to him. As Quaid envisions him and occasionally acs him Buck Gibson is an old Lime Homey entertainer with country and Western overtones. He is Host of a network television show. Buck Gibson s House party which features a choral group called the Gibson iras and a dance troupe the  Quaid and his personal assistant Greg Holden an of table of cop from Louisiana have a Good Lime in Buck Gibson s world Mori Buck "morin1. Beau  i la their re Ireal a place to withdraw from the Public Eye. Heretofore this penchant Tor play has served Dennis Quaid Well directors could see it was ingenuous and wanted that Quality or their films. Peter Yates who directed the actor in breaking away and suspect says there is a certain rawness to Liim an enormous  in everybody s Alt american Taylor Hack lard wanted him to play the quintessential hero a Guy who has been blessed with the ability to perform Brilliant acts nol an Ultra complicated calculating Guy in fact it was a Subtle and somewhat Complex Rola unlike anything Quaid had Ever played. Gavin Grey is a football Star the hero of bowl games who marries the Campus Magnolia Queen played by Jessica Large men turns professional. The movie tracks his Lite across 25 years to his retirement the -. Story of an athlete As his gifts diminish and he attempts to hang on to his past. In one climatic moment Grey realizes that his wife and Best Friend have been secret lovers. The Sling of the betrayal is palpable Quaid his face bloated with age and dissipation he added 40 pounds to play the part shows no evidence of the irrepressible boy of so Many of his other films i realized this was the first time 1 had such a full part Quaid says. It was spread out Over an entire movie. There was no need to try to do everything in one scene. That comes from the Days when i was a supporting actor you go in there like a fireball t used to be a Little Over intense. Most actors when you Start out you make sure you gel in your licks  Dennis Quaid is the younger brother by 3t% years of Randy Quaid a character actor who achieved wide critical acclaim in the last detail among other films. Growing up the Brothers shared the same room in a modes House in a Houston suburb. Dennis was the extrovert Randy More self contained. They five a Beaver Cleaver childhood so guns baseball games nifty cars and shopping centers. Their parents who separated when Dennis was 14, gave them what Kurnec Oul to be the essentials for an actor s life Pluck the habit of hard work and the inspiration that can come from a missed Opportunity. The work ethic came from Nila Quaid their Mother 1 taught them nol to just Laik about something she say today but to accept the Challenge and go do  but in was Likely thai their father the tale William r. Buddy Quaid. Was the one who incited them to act. Buddy an electrician who bore an uncanny resemblance to the 1940s actor Dana Andrews is remembered As a Volu to and gregarious Man who loved losing and perform for his family. Dennis went to the University of Houston where by his own account he slept through most of the curriculum save acting. Life after Bojangles Jerry Jeff Walker author of or. Bojangles by Mary Campbell associated press. T Here s life for a musician after one huge never to be equated hit song. Jerry Jeff Walker wrote or. Bojangles in 1966. About an old minstrel show dancer and recorded Itlen 1968. The nitty Gritty dirt band had a big hit record with it two years after that. It has since become a classic performed by countless artists Bob Fosse even choreographed it for Dandy on Broadway. These Days Walker travels around Mellow and. Cheerful with grading hair making his living As an entertainer without a superstar s distance from his tans and cutting records on his own Label. He s taken up jogging and Golf and replaced with Perrier the  substances he once ingested not out of desperation while seeking another High profile song but because of. Dedicated   is glad that or. Bojangles came Early in his career,."lt s a calling card. It gives people an idea a what you do it s a Good simple Stra Ghl ahead song. People know there s not a lot of gimmickry in what you do. I think or. Bojangles showed me that i have the knowledge of what a Well written song is. I think i used thai to the maximum a dozen times in my career he. Thinks his Best song is Layin my Lite on the line it s about being a musician he says. Wilh teen agers the biggest record buyers record Page 14 the stars and stripes. Companies currently have few performers under contract who Are the Vintage of Jerry Jeff Walker bom. March 16,1942, in . " As a teen Ager he Learned to play got while cad dying at a country club where his Fathor was a member we could play after 6 o clock it was a Groat Lite Tor a kid. Goll carts wiped cad dying out i thought they ruined Golf. I quit playing for 20 years i want on the Road. I started again in 1960. A lot of fans like to take me out arid show me the course when i m in their town. It makes something to do during the daytime Walker and Susan his wife of 12 years live in Austin Texas. He was married before Era couple of years in the 70s, tried and True music is Walker s company Lor publishing recording and managing. Susan Walker is listed As special agent he Sens his Gypsy song Nan cassettes at his shows and through inquiries fan club and previous mail. Orders has a list of about 12,000 people interested. His music. Basically any project i m working a has already got these people ready to buy a new record  Ryk disc has released Gypsy Zoogman As a compact disc there s talk of consolidating some of the fan club lists of some of our 8k, whose lyrics Are important to us maybe to help each of us reach some people we Haven t before Walker says he s also negotiating with a couple of major record Tabela since that s the Only Way his music will get Back on the radio. Early on. Walker and Bob Bruno started a Lolk Rock saturday