ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, December 8, 1995 TAG: 9512080050
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: MAYESVILLE, S.C.
SOURCE: DOUG NYE KNIGHT-RIDDER/TRIBUNE
A bearded Beau Bridges, looking as if he had just stepped out of a 19th century tintype, was doing what a lot of actors do on movie sets - wait.
Inside the gothic-styled Salem Presbyterian Church, which dates back to 1759, the crew was getting ready to put some finishing touches on the film ``Nightjohn.''
``I play Clel Waller, a slave owner,'' said Bridges. ``He's not a real nice man. He beats his slaves and even cuts the hand off one.''
After spending a month in the rural sections of the South Carolina midlands, Bridges and company wrapped up filming on the project last month. Based on a novella by writer Gary Paulsen, ``Nightjohn'' takes place in the South of the 1830s, when teaching slaves to read was forbidden by the law. The film is scheduled to be shown on the Disney Channel next June.
Carl Lumbley plays the title character, who decides to go against the law and teach a 12-year-old girl to read. The name ``Nightjohn'' comes from her saying after each session ``[Good] Night, John.''
The subject matter was what attracted Bridges to the film.
``I took it because of this whole issue of racism,'' Bridges said during a brief interview between takes. ``We used to ignore it. At least, I know they did when I was in school. The research I did on this made me realize just how incredible it is that all of this [slavery] happened.
``Anyone who wonders about the roots of racism has only to study the history of slavery.''
Bridges said having respect for each other is the key. It's something he learned firsthand as a member of one of Hollywood's most famous families. Father Lloyd and brother Jeff have long been familiar faces on movie and TV screens.
``My mother and father made sure we had a pretty balanced life,'' Bridges said. ``We had a lot of friends from different backgrounds; not just those from the movie industry. That Hollywood party scene was never really a part of our family.''
Bridges literally grew up in and around the movie industry. By the time he came along, Lloyd was firmly entrenched in an acting career. His roles ranged from being the star of a 1945 Universal serial ``Secret Agent X-9'' to playing Gary Cooper's disenchanted deputy in ``High Noon.''
Lloyd became a household name in the 1950s as the star of the TV series ``Sea Hunt.''
``He didn't really reach success until `Sea Hunt' came along,'' Bridges said. ``By then I was in high school.''
Bridges credited his dad with getting him into acting.
``He got me my first job, playing a role in a movie called `The Red Pony.' I was 4 years old.''
Like his father, Beau Bridges has taken on a number of varied roles. Two of them - ``The James Brady Story'' and ``The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom'' - earned him Emmy Awards.
A couple of years ago, he starred in a TV series, ``Harts of the West,'' about a Chicago executive who ditches city life and moves his family to the West. The gentle and amusing drama failed to catch on with viewers.
``We did 13 episodes, but CBS only showed about eight,'' Bridges said.
In 1989, he and brother Jeff teamed up on the big screen for ``The Fabulous Baker Boys,'' a film that won praise from both fans and critics. Such success usually breeds a sequel, but that's not in the works.
``Well, I asked them to do `The Baker Boys Go To Hawaii,''' joked Bridges.
Beau said the family remains very close.
``We try to get together as often as we can. That's tough at times, though. Because we're all still acting and sometimes scattered around different parts of the the country working.''
He considers himself lucky to have been born in such a family.
Once his career began, his dad gave him ``the advice and the tools'' to make it in the business.
``I'll always be grateful to him,'' Bridges said. ``I've been very blessed.''
LENGTH: Medium: 76 linesby CNB