European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 15, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Martin actor Larry Hagman escorts hit Mother Mary Martin during december Feit Otlet at the John f. Kenned Center for the performing arte in Washington Martin alien filet through the air at Peter pan in 1955. By Mary Campbell associated presso thers have dared but there s really Only one Peter pan. And her name is Mary Martin along with her role As nurse Nellie Forbush in South Pacific Peter pan is the 76-year-old entertainer s favorite part. It s in his sell description that she d like to be remembered i m youth. I m Joy. I m  right now though she s Happy to have been recognized in december by the Kennedy Center for the performing arts in its annual the Kennedy Center  other Honoreen were actress Claudette Colbert entertainer Harry Belafonte composer William Schuman and Ballerina Alexandra Danilova. Martin found out she was to be honoured from her old Friend Colbert. I was on Martha s Vineyard last summer and she called from Barbados and said did you hear we re going to be together " although Martin counts her three years of making movies As the Low part of her life she did make some close friends in the business including Colbert. She came to stay with me in England when i was doing South Pacific Over there. She had just lost her husband Martin recalled in an interview in the new York apartment of her son actor Larry Hagman. In the Paramount studio Days they made me up to look like her. In those Days whoever was very famous they made you look like her. One night we were at a party at Jack and Mary Benny s House. I was sitting with Claudette s husband a very famous doctor. We were talking at great length. He said he must go see a Man he came Back and said i think we have to go Home now i said i d like to go Home with you. But you can t go Home with me. I m not Claudette they made me look so much like her. He thought it was. I have pictures. You can t Tell us  Martin went to Paramount pictures after her Star making debut on Broadway in 1938, singing my heart belongs to daddy in leave it to me. I did t like making movies at All she said. She and the president of Paramount out southerner each other talking Tough in honeyed accents Over her declared intention of leaving she saying she d go Back to Weatherford Texas and reopen her dance studio he saying she could t break her contract. The Compromise was a leave of absence to Star on Broadway in one touch of Venus in 1943. She went on to portray Maria in the sound of music and to Star in Peter pan and soufan Pacific. Her last show legends in which she toured with Carol Channing in 1986, did t make it to Broadway. It s one show i did t like she said. I did the show because Larry said to me. Mother you be been off Long enough now i think my children Are going to decide to let me do what i want to. I think it s very Sweet of them. I have Many  Martin last flew in Peter pan s Aerial Rig when she was 70, at a Benefit in san Francisco. I could do it this minute she said. Learning to Fly came naturally and very Young i put my arms up and took off from our garage i heard Mother screaming from the Kitchen what have you done now she saw me take off. I knew i could Fly. There was a Little problem there. I hit the ground first. Peter pan had t come along i broke my  Martin was 13 years younger than her sister. Her Mother had wanted a boy but got a Tomboy who broke Many Bones. And Young Mary married at 16 to get away from school had a son at 17 and went into show business her Mother was More than Happy to raise her grandson. She worshipped him i could t take him away from her Martin said. Hagman 13-year Star of Dallas grew up saying he wanted nothing to do with show business because it took his Mother away from him. He Felt neglected she admits. But he overcame negative feelings about both show business and his Mother. Martin was divorced from Ben Hageman. A lawyer shortly after their son was born Larry later dropped the e in his last name. In 1940, she married agent Richard Halliday. They had a daughter Heller. Richard was fabulous. We had a wonderful  he died in 1973, a few years after they retired to a ranch in Brazil. Heller was getting married so Martin spent a year in London then sold the ranch and bought Homes on Martha s Vineyard mass., and in the California desert. She has six grandchildren and one great grandchild. All attended the Kennedy Center ceremony. Martin a had two abdominal operations for cancer and says she s now All right. Let s Hope it stays like that. In my life i Don t dwell on anything. If it s going to happen it la happen. I believe a great Deal in a higher being. Every time i can t figure anything out i think about it and ask what else can i do it is always turning out. I be had an absolutely wonderful life with my family and my children and my friends and the theater which i love More than anything she said. I have no fear of leaving the world. I think you have a happier life if you can feel that Way. You go on to the next step. When it s time to go you go. I said to the Man who owns Madison Square Garden who lives in the same place i do Rancho Mirage calif., do you have a window in the Back of Madison Square Garden he asked Why. I d like to use it sometime he asked for what. I m going to Fly out the window and not come Back every time he sees me he asks when do we Start on that window i say i la let you know i m not kidding much. What a Way to go if you  just like Peter pan. There was a time when nuclear weaponry gave a nation an Edge As a world Power. But now a new form of warfare has been unleashed and every country in the world is after it. Rock music. The United states developed it in the 60s. In our innocence it was sold Over the counter for Home use. Then Side effects began to develop. Parents who climbed into their car and turned the key often had their faces blown off by the noise of the radio. Sometimes on Long vacations prolonged Rock music played at 86 decibels could cause dad to Stop As Early As 2 o clock in the afternoon and whimper throughout the night. Ultimately mothers began to answer phones that weren t ringing and to run away periodically from Home. But foreign Powers sensed we were on o something. During the korean War Tho chinese used a barrage of bugles just before Battle but it was t the same thing As the grateful dead. The film apocalypse now touched upon the effectiveness of loud music coming from a chopper to create frenzy on the ground but Wagner did t Cut it. In 1982, we knew the red brigade terrorists had the weapon when Brig. Gen. James l. Dozier was taken captive for 42 Days. When he returned he reported they put earphones on me and played hard Rock music All Day Long. Do you have any idea what hard Rock music can do to a person parents All Over the country Rose to their collective feet As one and saluted him for his courage up until a few weeks ago the United states had been reluctant to use the weapon on foreign Powers lest we be accused of defying rules of the Geneva convention. Noriega pushed us too far. He Learned a lesson that parents have known for years you can run but you can t hide. You re not fooling around with a couple Megatons of atoms Here that can level a country you re dealing with sounds that invade an elevator assault you in supermarkets and department stores destroy a quiet Outing at the Beach attack you from another car at a traffic Light and numb your brain while you Are on hold on the Telephone. In retrospect i Hope history will be kind to our government s decision to use Rock music on a drug lord. Harsh times Call for harsh measures. It s unfortunate that the assault on the Vatican embassy also affected scores of innocent priests and Bishops who must be asking themselves Why am i being punished there s probably an answer but we can t hear it. C 19u Ejmi to mock Page 16 the stars and stripes monday january 15,1990