THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 31, 1994 TAG: 9408310039
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Craig Shapiro
LENGTH: Long : 107 lines
``I 'M JUST TRYING to keep the laws of gravity from destroying my career.''
Deborah Shelton - Norfolk native, ODU grad, ex-Neptunes cheerleader, Miss U.S.A. 1970, one-time Playboy cover girl and J.R.'s mistress on ``Dallas'' - delivers that line in ``Silk Degrees.''
She doesn't have to worry. At 44, Shelton looks 10 years younger. She has defied Isaac Newton.
Now, about her career. Are the Neptunes still playing?
That's not to say ``Silk Degrees'' (1994, Imperial), her video coming out today, is bad. Nor is it exactly good. It's like dozens of other thrillers - a ``USA World Premiere Movie'' with some skin. The flip side is they fly off the shelves, so Shelton will be seen. That IS good.
She plays Alix Ramsey, a TV actress who huffs off the set and witnesses a murder. The bad guy is some kind of international terrorist being tailed by the feds, who take Alix into hiding for her own good.
You can guess the rest: The independent type, she clashes with one of the feds, a shoot-first type played by Marc Singer, who is lucky TBS pays him those ``Beastmaster'' royalties. His partner is a by-the-books type, played by a pudgy Mark Hamill, who is lucky he gets a check for ``Batman: The Animated Series.'' (Did you know he was voice of Joker?)
Shelton and Singer fall in love and then into bed. Or into bed, then in love. Someone rats them out. There's gunplay.
So ``Silk Degrees'' (UNRATED: violence, nudity, language) isn't ``Body Double,'' the 1984 Brian De Palma thriller that was Shelton's big break. And it won't lead to a profile in People. It still pays the bills. How many actors and actresses can say that?
And it stars someone from around here, which is pretty cool.
That got us thinking about other locals who've been in the movies. Here are their videos. If you can come up with others, call the Videomatic Infoline Mailbox at 640-5555, category 2827 (2VCR).
Margaret Sullavan, Norfolk: ``Moon's Our Home'' (1936), ``The Shining Hour'' (1938), ``The Shop Around the Corner'' (1940), ``So Ends Our Night'' (1941), ``Three Comrades'' (1938)
Pearl Bailey, Newport News: ``Carmen Jones'' (1954), ``The Member of the Wedding'' (1983), ``Peter Gunn'' (1989)
Stephen Furst, Norfolk: ``National Lampoon's Animal House'' (1978), ``The Dream Team'' (1989), ``Getting Wasted'' (1980), ``Midnight Madness'' (1980), ``Ninja Dragons'' (1992), ``Swim Team'' (1979), ``The Unseen'' (1980), ``Up the Creek'' (1984)
Tim Reid, Norfolk: ``Dead Bang'' (1989), ``The Fourth War'' (1990), ``Stephen King's It'' (1990), ``You Must Remember This'' (1990)
Deborah Shelton, Norfolk: ``Blind Vision'' (1991), ``Body Double'' (1984), ``Hunk'' (1987), ``Mysterious Island of Beautiful Women'' (1979), ``Perfect Victims'' (1987), ``Silk Degrees'' (1994)
Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps. The Norfolk rockabilly cat did one movie, ``The Girl Can't Help It,'' a 1956 satire starring Jayne Mansfield.
Ava Gardner. OK, she grew up in Smithfield, N.C., but the great beauty lived in Newport News while her mother ran a boarding house. For starters: ``The Barefoot Contessa'' (1954), ``55 Days at Peking'' (1963), ``The Night of the Iguana'' (1964), ``The Snows of Kilimanjaro'' (1952)
TOP TAPES (in this week's Billboard):
Sales: ``Thumbelina,'' ``Beethoven's 2nd,'' ``Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,'' ``The Return of Jafar,'' ``Woodstock: Three Days of Peace & Music''
Rentals: ``Philadelphia,'' ``On Deadly Ground,'' ``Beethoven's 2nd,'' ``Grumpy Old Men,'' ``Tombstone''
The Couch Report
``Serial Mom'' (1994, HBO). Divine is gone, so who is John Waters' new leading lady? Kathleen Turner. She's great fun as the perfect suburban mom who turns into June CLEAVER at the first social miscue, like wearing white pumps after Labor Day. The chief target is the cult of personality, and Waters - proud owner of a vial of dirt from John Wayne Gacy's yard - hits the funny bone. Vintage stuff, plus cameos by Patty Hearst and Suzanne Somers!
(CAST: Kathleen Turner, Sam Waterston, Ricki Lake. RATED: R for violence and language)
``8 Seconds'' (1994, New Line). John Avildsen tries to do the ``Rocky'' thing on rodeoing, but his biopic about bull-riding legend Lane Frost doesn't have the dramatic kick. It's much better when soaking up color, and there's plenty of that. Luke Perry, who did some of his own riding, leaves his ``90210'' ZIP way behind as the Oklahoma cowboy.
(CAST: Luke Perry, Stephen Baldwin, Cynthia Geary. RATED: PG-13 for language and rodeo violence)
``Greedy'' (1994, MCA/Universal). If Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel (``City Slickers'') didn't tack on a sappy ending, this very funny black comedy would be even better. Kirk Douglas is a manipulative rich uncle being circled by his kin. Likable Michael J. Fox is the nephew who honestly loves him. The film boasts some fine ensemble acting.
(CAST: Kirk Douglas, Michael J. Fox, Olivia d'Abo, Phil Hartman. RATED: PG-13 for language, themes)
``Dark Angel: The Ascent'' (1994, Paramount). It's a silly premise - an avenging angel leaves hell and comes to Earth to see why man is so rotten - but this Full Moon yarn is pretty good. Angela Featherstone has the otherworldly schtick down. Some thought went into the script, too.
(CAST: Angela Featherstone, Daniel Markel. UNRATED but there's skin, rough stuff and potty mouth)
Also: ``Mr. Write,'' a romantic comedy with Paul Reiser and Jessica Tuck (no rating); Stephen Baldwin and Lisa Bonet in the sci-fi thriller ``New Eden'' (no rating); and ``Leprechaun 2,'' more scares definitely not for the wee folk (R).
Next Wednesday: ``PCU,'' ``Combination Platter,'' ``Gypsy'' (Bette Midler), and two Cary Grant re-releases, ``I Was a Male War Bride'' and ``People Will Talk.'' by CNB