Kansas City Illustrated; 205

The program is Kansas City Illustrated and these are among tonight's story. The polls show Nancy Landon Kassebaum outdistancing her Democratic opponent Jim her in the U.S. Senate race in Kansas. The candidates are separated not only by the numbers in the polls but in their views on the issues and their approach to campaigning. It's a lot of work. I enjoy. I think. It is really you were able to try your. Best. How do. They know how to play in the NBA. And it's just getting them to utilize their talents and their knowledge. And. Put it together and. Form the kind of game that I want to play for years to. Make. It a cinematic world dominated by four plexus. Verbalized mega-hits

small art and repertory houses like the Tivoli Theatre and City movie Center. Now they've got their work cut out for them. We were doing a lot better than I thought we were. I mean people realize we're here they want to or. They just have to. Entice. Them with. These stories and more tonight on Kansas City illustrate. Good evening welcome to Kansas City Illustrated. I'm John master. We'll mix

politics with sports and an entertainment feature tonight and a story that would indicate that the chill of poverty is growing harsher for some in this city. For one family it's a story with a happy ending. First tonight to Kansas and the contest for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Nancy Landon Kassebaum the Republican some think may someday be her party's first woman vice presidential candidate. Her Democratic opponent is Jim. Hard more than party is a contrast in their candidacies. We have two reports from Randy Mason and Carol Whitaker are. The president calls now and then when there are. Close votes or sense the votes and I greatly respect President Reagan. I think he respects my views in when I have differed with him on that. But I've always been very upfront and have thought it important

to let him know it's a matter of fact when I could not support a particular position of the administration. Thank you. I enjoy visiting with people. I think you have to enjoy talking to people and be with people. Or it becomes a real effort. I think six years ago particularly in the primary you're only responsible to yourself and so it's a lot more fun you know once you. Become a candidate of the party. You feel like you're letting the party down. And supporters as well. And that's always hard because those six years ago and this year I've had a lot of volunteer support. I strongly believe the volunteer support is is very important to a campaign. Nancy Landon Kassebaum also knows that another important aspect of her bid for re-election to the

Senate is her position as incumbent Ganns a surprisingly independent junior senator has emerged as a prominent figure in Republican ranks achieving the type of one word name recognition that PR people must dream about. Despite the fact that polls place her comfortably ahead of Democratic challenger Jim Mahar Kassebaum continues to devote considerable time and attention to the campaign when her legislative schedule allows six years ago I was really literally campaigning all the time from March until November. Now I've campaigned very hard and we ran on races because I'm a strong believer in grassroots campaigning. I'm not using that much. TV commercial time and so forth and I try to. Get around in in July and August and reached the little towns as well as to the larger cities I'm saving. And tell now to

concentrate and will try and do some door to door work in Johnson County wind out cannery Topeka Shawnee County and said Tree Care in Wichita in the 1978 election Kassebaum captured 54 percent of the vote and ran particularly strong in traditional Republican areas like Johnson County. Since then she's broadened her base of support to include a number of more liberal Kansans many of whom may have voted for Dr. Bill Royce six years ago. Even her identification with some of the aspects of Reaganomics that have proven so unpopular with farmers in the urban poor haven't adversely affected her popularity or her approach to campaigning. I just visited where you're going I'm sure you know your home you know your I don't think you say one thing to one audience and another to another audience that's something I have to. You know sometimes if you're before an audience said to you isn't agreeing with you or feels almost hostile about some issues but nevertheless

you owe it to them and my respect for their views just as much as. They are there to tell me what they think to be. Just as honest and candid as you can with that group as you've been to maybe a group that was receptive to what you are saying. I would say though that the farmers while they are certainly in difficult straits today and the farm economy is the real soft spot to that you know. Economic picture there they're really not turning against President Reagan. They feel they still have confidence in his leadership abilities. And perhaps more importantly too they really don't feel much confidence in Mr. Mondale. They really don't relate to. As to whether she supports the president strongly enough Senator Kassebaum maintains that she's followed the party line. Seventy five percent of the time there is firm agreement with

Reagan on most budget matters and the need for a strong defense though she differ on specific plans of action. The two most noticeably disagree on issues surrounding church and state school prayer and abortion in particular. And despite some pressure Kassebaum has stood her ground. We can't always agree on every issue if we try your wishy washy way and I've always believed I don't like to public officials. Or even as a candidate. We have a responsibility. To. Present our judgments to bear on those issues. And. That's what a good election is all about and then. One of the things that's very frustrating to me. Once you're in offices How do you communicate with people.

I may have some of your mails because I spend a lot of time in the state a lot of time going around. And yet I bet three fourths of the people in the state don't even know whether you're in the state or in Washington. But how do you communicate. How do you take an issue. Real sensitivity such as the abortion issue or school prayer or Central America. Maybe some of our foreign policy issues which emotions become very much a part of analysis and be able to talk to enough people personally that you engage with. One an understanding of your own and be able to really get some thoughtful feedback on there they can be very frustrating. Thank you Senator. If one of the ways to communicate is through debate Kassebaum could be in good shape. She's agreed to a series of five debates with matter this fall including this televised event held in Wichita last month. Now her criticized her for spending too much time on foreign policy issues

like El Salvador at the expense of domestic solutions. She counters that his positions are confusing and unrealistic. He says Strong America America will be number one in defense strength but he advocates cutting the defense cutting the defense budget by 20 percent. That's more than almost anybody that I have heard except maybe I think Jesse Jackson was advocating. An enormous cut in defense. I I he has criticized. Me for my budget recommendation but I had something I have felt strongly about. And it's an across the board budget freeze for one year. It's in the fall it may be simplistic I think it's and it is for us today. One of the best approaches we can take to the budget because it's across the board. And it's a significant reduction by just holding one year

and I think that this will would force agencies and departments into better management. That's where I think it would come. Mr. Mayor says that I'm supporting in cutting Social Security because of the cap for one year at a time that I've voted to increase my own pay. That seems to be the main basis of his campaign. And I would only say that what distresses me in that is that it's a correlation that really isn't accurate as a matter of fact I kept my own salary when I took office in 1978 and except only that salary level which was fifty seven thousand five hundred compared to the seventy two thousand that it is today. AS. I am I am. There is little doubt that castle bombs political career has benefited from her father's

experience and know how and name. But most observers agree that she has learned the game well competently heading up a smoothly functioning big league political organization or stamina composure and accessibility have already made her a popular media figure both here and in Washington and this summer when the Democrats made their president setting choice even more heads turned gas A-bombs way but she steadfastly maintains that it's the Senate not the vice presidency that she's interested in. Broken a barrier as far as a woman there. I hope now we don't think we have to have a woman just because. That's part of the equation I don't think we well I think. Hopefully will still continue to look at the balances that are important there. Finally how does the candidate assess the current state of the Union at the administration's policies truly help make Americans better off now than they were four years ago.

Basically I think from an economic standpoint people feel more confident today that we do have things under control then we do porn years ago and I think secondly much more confidence in our ability to me to be strong in the international arena. You. Yes the Army. In contrast to the Kassebaum re-election effort. Jim Lehrer says he's running a low budget no frills campaign with a war chest hovering around the $20000 mark and no full time paid staff people he hopes to attract working men and women seniors farmers and other small business people to keep costs low

Maris campaign is mostly a one to one press the flash approach. The candidates even princes own lawn signs. This is a classic campaign Mrs. Castle represents well in power in a few big businesses and special interest groups. Jim May her campaign is the average kids and the people that are trying to regain a foothold in America to be able to pay their bills to be able to have jobs to be able to serve their country in a proper way. So. I think that Kansans can recognize a campaign of Jim Lehrer's that's based for the people and not just a few accumulated power and well on the other hand of Mrs. Kassebaum and don't undersell the Kansas border. They are able to discern which candidate will serve them best they won't be fooled by large budgets and large expenditures. You can't buy a Kansas vote and she is hidden or south of she thinks

that candidate is going to be bought by large expenditures on her part. So I would say government waste. You say high rising costs are a big item with people on utility bills that I think are going to be worse and you can do it with the labor movement here. Yeah yeah yeah yeah I said. And we need to go the other way. We need some really mad. Independent action Democrat Janson's face the facts. Millionaire senator voted herself pay raise to seventy two thousand dollars Kassebaum try to stop social security increases. Newspaper name Kassebaum among the ten least. The son of. A Marine what motivated Mahar to take on a formidable opponent like Kassebaum dismisses Gazprom has name recognition and family tradition. But the problems are so serious this year on the deficit and on taxes and on the major foreign misuse that are people are concerned about that the voter rises above her family name and her

tradition of Kansas. And they say we need a new approach a new vision to go to Washington to cut the waste to provide job opportunities for our people. And so we have been encouraged in the merit campaign that the people are saying go after the idea of cutting waste in the government providing job opportunities and making our pocket book sound again sound Our mayor is concentrating his campaigning efforts in the central and eastern parts of the state. He says hes come up with some innovative techniques to get his name and his ideas out to the voters including an automatic dialing machine that calls registered Kansas voters with a message on utility rates or Social Security. I'm not going to have a automatic dialer which dials all day long to voter's homes

and leaves a message with them and an opportunity to call in to our headquarters for additional information on social security or on different issues. We're talking about. So this should really been a excellent vehicle to get to the voters in the Kansas City area and eastern Kansas especially another what we had which are been very successful is the voter registration sweepstakes whereby a person can win a thousand dollars by merely sending in their name on a postcard. And we will have a drawing right before election day to pick out the winner. And this also is an innovation. Encouraging people to become cognizant of the issues this year and it is and the mare campaign has drawn wide entry blanks many people the mayor says he's cut corners in every way possible in the campaign to save money including purchasing a kit to reimburse the ribbon on the campaign's computer. He even was critical of a recent $500 a couple reception and fundraiser for

Kassebaum Merritt campaign is a people oriented. Campaign there is no doubt someone remarked on the Barry Goldwater $500 a plate fundraiser they said well let's have the election tomorrow and all those that want to pay $500 for dinner. Let them vote for her and those that do not wish to pay $500 dinner let them vote for Jim Lehrer. And I think you'll win the election. So we are in a contrast their campaigns there's a very heavy weighted high priced kind of by the voters type campaign as somebody said. And ours is to try to stay on the popular level family style where we really realize that the government belongs to the people it doesn't belong to an elite few of any of this type and so we find it's more successful and the voter listens they do not like to be intimidated by it. I don't think by over organization. Or higher price $500 dinners I think it turns him off. And so we have just stayed with the general the picnics and parades

county fairs and and then hand to hand visiting with the people who are going to the businesses going to the senior citizens and going to schools coffees and state of the conventional campaign and we're finding a lot of response from them. Hello I'm Vincent Price and it's my pleasure to announce. That Horace Rumpole returns to ministry in a delightful new series. Some of his old friends are back and the crafty rebel has some new tricks up his sleeve that you won't want to miss. So be sure to join me for next. Thursday at 8:00 here on TV 90. The Salvation Army helps people all year long but its main lodge on Linwood Avenue in Kansas

City has been filled for the past several months. There's no room in it for more homeless people. That's unusual for this time of year so vacation Army officials say many of those living in the lodge now are unemployed and looking for work. Deborah Holmes tells one family's story. The Salvation Army these days in fact it's been all summer long. There are entire families staying here. Some with one parent out of work all with no place else to go. Many of these people. Possibly have lived in their car for a night or sound. And to see these children. Having fun living in a car. It's really sad. That's why we're here. To help them to get back on their.

Linda Harriman and her family moved to Kansas City this summer. Her husband had been looking for work but the couple soon found out their jobs and places to stay were hard to come by. It's better than sleeping out on the streets are seeing people seeing your kids basically. This is the shelter we had we had to stay all day. We couldn't come in even when it was running. And my little boy he gets sick and he was hospitalized. And I told my husband said we can't go on like this the more I said. And then he told me so we're going to have to leave him over there and over there came the scene of one as they were going to go from there. He said well I'm the manager over there says she over gave you the phone number and he called over here. To the Salvation Army and the house parent house. We were more than welcome to come home. Salvation Army officials say the Harriman story is not unusual. Many families come to

Kansas City with the hope. Making a better life only to find the going tough. Most of these families that I see coming here. Nights. From the city. The. Head of the household is unemployed. And they just could not find any work from where they're at. Heard that Kansas City had jobs. They decided to. Strike out for Kansas City. Or possibly another city and just stopped along the way. It's. It's really sad to see. These children. That. You know. They may be. Without food. A lot of a lot of them. Come in. Here only have one change of clothing. My husband had a friend and there was plenty of work out here. We had a bunch of stuff bunch of our stuff stolen.

Didn't have much to go wrong. We come from Arkansas. And. Maybe we could make a go over there. We would settle down here. Roots were very much want to do. That in a few red places but. As far as I know is the best place. The Army gives people a roof over their heads and three square meals a day. It's free to those who need it but they must also show willingness to help themselves. There are jobs out there. And many of these people just need help in knowing where to go. And knowing how to go back. We've began offering employment sessions. Where. We. Help. Interviewing techs.

Filling out job applications. Writing resumes. Many of these people do not know how. To go about doing that. And they have to put your best foot forward. Interviewing. With an employer. So. Often times this is all people wrong. And when. They can. Find. That extra help and find the work paid off by the Harriman's early this week. Linda's husband found a job. They still don't have a place to live but with a steady income on the way. Thank you. High hopes for the future. You should have seen my husband Thank you Greg I'm overjoyed. He was more overjoyed than I was who was ready to go to work in a matter of fact he didn't wake me this morning when I'd say he was going to be just a girl. Did you ever feel that it was never going to happen that you may have to move someplace else. Yes it's sad we was trying to go back to Arkansas but we really didn't want to go back there and move it to the truth. We just

wanted to stay here and so raise their children right you know and who lives who lives here and I'm beginning to walk about really like Arkansas but I'm beginning to write this well and I will see some people that. This is their last. Never thought that they were my salvation. And that's really the people we have personally. A lot of reward. A lot of rewards when you see a family they've got a job they've got a place to live. Their Thanks for. The time and place. And for the service is. What's in the future for you. And I guess the next step for you now is to get a house your house your house and frys I know my husband is not going to just

from the start so Nation Army officials are apprehensive about the strain on their facilities a strain that will increase with cold weather. They're looking now for another satellite logic. In national politics tonight brings the debate between the vice presidential candidates. Round two of the presidential debate will be held here in Kansas City October 21st. With me are three people who attended the first presidential debate. In lieu of a bill to mayors columnist for The Kansas City Star and contributor to Kansas City Illustrated Barbara Bailey first vice president of the League of Women Voters of Kansas City and Chris Clowes or vice president of Hallmark cards he and Barbara Bailey are co directors of the Kansas City presidential debate project and played a major role in bringing the debate to Kansas City. First the bill. All three of you were in Louisville but I'm interested to know if you had in the hall the impression that others had that President Reagan was not doing as well as former Vice President Mondale.

I did I think it was evident from his initial question that it's a answer to that his voice was shaky. He seemed to really be in control of quite what he wanted to do. As the debate went on I think he became a little more for men and finally made some good scores as a debater but it was pretty evident being in the hall that that was not one of Reagan's best performances I must say though that I was seated some 90 feet from the podium and was unable to watch any of the facial expressions and that sort of thing and then as you know this really is a TV show so that I missed but just from being in the hall that was pretty evident. Well it certainly has heightened the interest in the in the city of it in that. Chris what do you what's your view from your many years in politics and as a political observer as to the importance of this to Reagan. Well the League of Women Voters is again legitimized the art of debating and

made it a critical element of the presidential campaign presidential race no matter what the format. And there is always a great deal of debate of whether or not this is a debate. It is a head to head encounter that I think the public benefits a great deal from Kansas City because of the results or what happened as Bill mentioned becomes very pivotal. After the vice presidential debate. But really the attention of the campaign will be truly on Kansas City at least on the October 21st. This certainly helps your organization in Kansas City doesn't have to score this coup in getting the second debate here and it certainly makes you look good because you had a lot to do with doing it. Well I had a lot of help. You have a number of other events scheduled around the time of the debate. Let's talk about some of those things so that people who are interested in that whole weekend will get a better picture of what will be coming up. Well we started off really Saturday night and we have an event on its own in

celebration of American democracy a musical event of Kemper Arena to which the entire population and the metropolitan area and farther is invited. This isn't going to be headlining and larceny and America. And Mark Russell the humorist and it's going to be a wonderful show. Very interesting and and exciting and we hope that everybody comes. How much of it's mission 558 of 625 It's a special price and we have it sponsored to help defray some of the costs. It's going to be it's our kickoff event. Well now if someone wants to get tickets to this where they go camp out let's permit capital capital. Or at the gate it's Bush sure lots of seats down there would you expect to feel the blood. We're trying we're trying our best that's it's an awfully good group of entertainers. And it also has I think some political satire with Mark Russell who I

think on public TV makes everybody laugh and I think he'll be a great attraction. But it's you know the ticket prices as low as any concert that's ever happened in Kansas City and hopefully people will get involved in it. Russell's good list Nicolette Larsen is a native Kansas City and that's a good that's a good attraction. Well how did you get Mark Roswell Nicol at large and wanted to come home for a visit as opposed to the city but how did you get Mark Russell Mark Russell was approached about coming to Kansas City and was aware that it was around the debate. He canceled a previous engagement to be able to come and he's going to be also we think taking part in other activities while he is here but he's ready to go with a pre-debate concert probably with the appropriate opinion Mark Russell opinions on the Louisville and Philadelphia debates. So this is yeah this is. What time on Saturday night the twenty eight. 8:00 p.m. Saturday night to play my camper. That's correct. OK now what other events are going to take place.

We started off with a welcoming reception which will be a vital lobby for the participants in the the weekend which will include invitations to the press and the debate goers and volunteer legal workers. Those kinds of people we have a number of receptions that are open for the people who are ticket holders at the same time we also have the opportunity for other people to attend a closed circuit screening at the folly they are handling it with. Available ticketed seats screening of the debate itself for that night so they can feel a part of it. Almost didn't know is that a free admission. Finally there's a charge which is going to go to charitable causes. Part of it is the folly itself and part of it is the love fund. So that that event who incident with the debate so let's cross the way at the same time. Isn't it true the woman who runs a folly helped to get the debate here

earlier was elected he was one of the initial encourages of us applying for it. That's correct. OK no. How many people from the press out of town do you expect to come to Kansas City. We aren't sure how many will come but it's there would not be less than twelve hundred and it could be upwards that many reporters and technicians technicians right camera crew. There's an interesting aspect to that that occurred in Louisville I think Louisville overestimated initially as the media swarm that would hit Louisville they were talking about maybe 2000 people. I think they ended up credentialing about 16 to 17 hundred people some of them technicians but a lot of them reporters. They also I think felt that there would be a lot of interest by reporters in writing glowing stories about how well Louisville is doing. I think they overestimated that. But there were in fact some stories written about Louisville itself we did a couple of them I

did one in the New York Times did one USA Today cable news network so their efforts to in effect promote Louisville paid some dividends in terms of national press but I think nothing like they initially thought would happen. You expect that to happen here. You know we're there's a large group of people in the thousands that are serving in some capacity similar to the host committee efforts from the Republican national convention the Democratic midterm. There will be people at the airports. There will be people at hotels giving information. We can engage I don't think in single minded boosterism because people are coming here to do a job I think it's our responsibility as a city to help them a bit do their job. There's two other events I'd like to throw in very quickly if I'm a John and they are open to the public as a pre-debate forum at the Folly theater on Sunday before the debate from two to four which which is sponsored by the Roosevelt foundation out of Washington. They will study the history of impact debating have the Kennedy-Nixon clips in the center and that is open

on Monday morning after the debate there will be a post debate forum which is being produced by the Business Journal and KMBC. And they will have seen or been open other people on the panel talking about the impact of that debate and what happened the night before. And that's open as well. You know it will moderate that Sunday but then Sunday event moderator has not been determined yet. Some of the panelists will include Reagan and Mondale campaign officials say Senator Eagleton Senator Dole. And they'll look at the whole debate aspect of debating. That's free that Sunday afternoon that's free yes. So it's not a day you know and then there's a modest charge for the theater event that night and you have moderators there the anchor people from the media. That's right. Be talking with the crowd and probably doing some analysis afterwards you know. Well this is very interesting if you heard from a lot of people that they do want to take part in these events. Oh yes there's a terrific response of people who are they ask can you get a ticket to the bait we tell them it's very tight and their chances are extremely slim.

What else is available we tell them they say oh that sounds terrific. Well you did set up a drop system did you know for the relatively few tickets that would be available. Yeah what we did is we took down all the names of all the many hundreds and hundreds of people have called in wanting a chance at getting a ticket we allocated 100 tickets which is the first time that has ever been done in any previous debate or any debate other than ours this time for the public at large. The star has to say I'm free to take care of the drawing. They are handling it. It will also include those people who send in postcards in response to the star's announcement. All of those will be in a pool and the drawing will be made by them. What has it been in other debates how did they determine who is going to get in. Well essentially the same way we are without the public allotment and that is to say there are certain elected officials that should be there and are there are other there are the donors who are supporting it paying for it. There are also

major people in the community. There are league officials national state and local. And this again is one of our problems were to state area so we have double everything's to deal with so our numbers get smaller and smaller and of course and not least the press. There are a large piece of it. How do you think they're going to resolve this issue about which reporters sit on the panel. Chris when Barbara's organisation leaders meet after the vice presidential debate. Barbara Walters made Bill heard of the other night made a very strong point before the debate even started. That is each candidate was given 100 names and veto power for some reason I am not a journalist but I thought the. The comments of Barbara probably timely how come ninety seven people were vetoed and only three panelists I didn't think the three panelists worked well. But the actual selection process I would guess Farber is a league official and principally responsible for the debate here but I would guess that some of that veto power which was I guess a condition of the league sponsoring debates will probably

be withdrawn and there will be some rationality brought to the selection of panels. I really you know I would hope that writing as a nationally president called it a total abuse of the of the system. I greed whether I thought it was it was just meaningless and a bad reflection on both the candidates and the journalists unnecessary. Absolutely. Well you do expect some so that perhaps the solution will be as you suggested something close to what happens in a trial in a courtroom where lawyers for the plaintiff and defendant have a certain number of strikes that would be on that but limited you know if you think that might be what the lead comes in. I hope so. Well the three of you were in lieu of them and you're going to be inside the hall in Kansas City. Did you have the feeling in Louisville that maybe this was a moment when some political history in the United States was about to be made.

I certainly didn't to begin with. I didn't expect it. I was really surprised that it was as lively as it was. I expected it to be a formula piece production piece and I think I was surprised that it was as lively and interesting. I don't mean the content I expected the content to be worthwhile but just the sense of electricity and something happening that I didn't expect to be there did you. Well like I view that is the way. Same way I'd watch a baseball game of the future releases the ball you'd never know what's going to happen and that's the way that I went into that hole the possibility that something fascinating would happen and we get lucky. So some good debates are kind of known for a line and I was sitting there trying to think Watch for the line that that debate would be no you know there you go again last night I talked to Amy about nuclear war Democrats war those different things which I don't think there was a distinctive line that bold. Everybody will remember but I hear what it was a thrill just to see the head to head and gauge when it would have been the same thrill on television but it was she was

very very interesting and very well done. So we built a bang up job. Right. Away. Then there Myron pick up the footage of Barbara Stanwyck Robert Ryan and Paul Douglas battle temptation passion and betrayal on popcorn paradise in clash by night. If you. Join us for clash by night next time on popcorn paradise. Saturday at 8:00 here on TV 90. If basketball comes Can winter be far away. The Kansas City Kings are getting ready for the season about to begin. But not doing well last night and Emporio the

Kings lost a third of four pre-season games played so far this does not please the Kings new coach Jack McKinney. He particularly does not like the Kings inability to do well in the game's final minutes. The season is a little more than two weeks away. Steve Holmes introduces us now to the new coach. While playing at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia the Future Kings coach learned from his coach Jack RAMSEY Yes the same Jack Ramsey now running the Portland Trailblazers. But Kenny spent nine years as a college head coach. Eight of them with us all no matter when the Hawks took five conference championships after stints as an assistant with Milwaukee and with Ramsey at Portland. McKinney went to Los Angeles to coach the Lakers his season ended after 13 games due to serious injuries from a bicycle accident. But he rebounded with four seasons as coach of the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers made McKinney available after last year's 26 and 56 year but Indiana's poor record may help him meet a

goal in Kansas City. What kind of a goal have you set for the Kings in the 84 85 season. Oh not a definite goal. I said goals I guess. I want to be with a team that plays a lot better than I have gone through the last couple of years and I feel pretty sure that that goal will be attained. I want this team. Definitely get into the playoffs and I feel pretty sure that we can do that because I think the team. Has pretty good potential coming into the 84 85 training camp. What are the major challenges that you have with the Kings. I don't think there's any with any one player or an area. I think it is the challenge for me I guess is to get them to. Revert back to the year that they had two years

ago. I think last year was a down year for cotton and the team. A lot of things went against them they had a lot of injuries to key players that hurt them pretty well. The name made a major adjustment. Two thirds into the season picking up Reggie thius and then losing a center STEVE JOHNSON So that takes time to adjust to. I think. Those things all should fall in place and better and I think it's my job to make sure that they fall correctly and that's the challenge that I have mostly put the team together because I think it does have pretty good potential. What are some of the biggest differences between the pacer team that you left him the king's team that you're coming to have you had a chance to look that over yet. I think the most obvious is that if we put. Those two teams together we'd have a heck of a team because. I think

the back court for. The Kings is excellent and the strength of the Indiana Pacers is its front line. They have some. Very good very young big man. And we have some very good very young and old guards. That's that's the difference where the strength lies. Speaking of young players one of your strengths is supposed to be in teaching players. Do you find that you'll have to do as much of that here as you did. In Minneapolis. No I don't think so. This is I have veteran team by half I mean half of the players are nice young players one two years or rookie. And the other half are good solid veterans six or seven years that are just as I said they are

veterans. They know how to play in the NBA. Then it's just getting them to utilize their talents and their knowledge and. Put it together in. The form the kind of game that I want to play for this team. How do you what kind of style do you use to teach a player considering that supposed to be one of your strings. Do you have any kind of routine that you go through or. Just how do you teach a player. I don't think there's a routine because each player is different. Each player is different in that they are strong in some areas and weak in others and those in which they're weak. The areas that I want to try and spend the most time teaching to correct. Some player that are very good defensively could be poor offensively and vice versa. So it's tough to get say that you have one way to teach. I.

I guess I could say that I. Well I know I've been told this I guess it's true that I am very low key. I. Feel that I teach rather quietly but I hope I teach positively and. Correctly. You coming in here and you're replacing a very popular coach cotton Fitzsimmons says this caused any kind of a problem for you. No definitely not. I haven't done that in the past. When I followed. The coach in college from. Freshman coaching and moved up to head coach I was replacing a. College tradition. Jack Ramsey who at the time was one of the two or three best coaches in college. When I got my first. Coaching job in the pros I was replacing Jerry West on the all time greats in the NBA history. It's

just something that happens I know that cotton. Was very very successful here and he coached here for six years. Which is a long time in the pros. And he was a favorite too. All the things. I don't think that puts me. In a difficult position really. It's just something that. It has to be accepted it over. I don't think that fans will turn against me simply because I replaced cotton. Well I have to do is prove to them that we're going to have at least as good a team is gotten ahead and hopefully much better. When did you know that you wanted to be a coach. Was it something that just happened in a moment or was it kind of a gradual realisation. And I was in college I started in my canning and after one semester I figured out that accounting was not for Jenkin inject me Kenny was enough for a canning. I switched to political and political science

with the intention of going to law school. So at the end of my senior year I thought Jack McKinney was a little tired of schooling right now so I took job interviews and. In the midst of that I got a call from my high school asking if I'd be interested in. Coaching back there. I had never thought about it I never had a physics course in my life. I sat down with my college coach Jack Ramsey. And spoke to Pharao spoke about it to him with him and he recommended it to me and me to it. Coaching I mean and I started coaching then I've been able to find another job since I was twenty seven years ago. That's how it all started. I started the Kings first game is Saturday October 27th Kemper

Arena the opponent Portland Jack Ramsey's team the summer of 1984 was another record breaker for the movie industry. Most of the releases that raked in those huge profits did so by playing it safe hoping to appeal to the largest possible audiences. Moviegoers with an appetite for heavier fare do have alternatives to over formalized Hollywood product Randy Mason is the report. When the beach Youth Theatre in Westport closed its doors for good this past summer it marked the end of a chapter in Kansas City film history. Along with the fine arts. The short lived Metro Plaza and the not for profit City movie Center. The beach was one of a handful of theaters which serve to remind Kansas City inns that movies aimed higher than the heads of 14 year olds were still being made. While some of its patrons may have initially been shocked at the BS used to minus their fears were quickly calmed by the news that a new theater the Tivoli featuring a crew of

familiar faces and a similar booking strategy would begin operation in the same location. After surviving eight years of the rice throwing and then sing in the aisles that always characterized the Rocky Horror Picture Show out. The interior of the theater. I needed some cosmetic surgery. The new owners installed an upgraded projection system and new sound equipment to ensure that the theatres one hundred four seats would remain the best place in town to view what the industry likes to call art films. The only thing we are going to do differently is we're going to try and mix some older movies with some new like every periodical you have seen festivals of older movies necessarily 30s movies but this movie sort of played in the city before. And because most of the films we play are. New movies new art films or new specialty films or new offbeat films.

Whatever you want to call it. Harrington had been booking films for the Bijoux for some three years before he and Mary Stryker took the plunge into theatre ownership this past summer. He thinks his familiarity with Kansas City tastes can help steer the new venture down the path of profitability. We are doing a lot better than I thought we would. I mean people realize we're here they want us to be here. They just have to be constantly enticed into coming for the next movie. It's always people don't come to a movie theater they come to a movie. So you're always having to promote a movie. And one of the movies people are coming out to see is a new release that straddles the line between art and popular film an updated version of Fritz Lang's classic metropolis which teams nine hundred twenty seven visuals with a modern rock score.

Look at this. When 400 people turned out for one of the initial screenings Harrington was surprised and began considering the possibilities of keeping the movie longer than the three weeks he'd originally scheduled it for that's why we are not on a calendar. See the Bee Gees to be on a calendar and they still have a specific date set. Well you get a film like this and you want to keep a form if you can. So the only way you can do that is by not setting specific Kansas City audiences are very skeptical. And they're not that adventurous on the side of like they haven't been as exposed to these types. And that's what we have to do. While the Tivoli represents a more up down approach to films lacking in mass appeal the three and a half year old City movie center likes to think of itself as the cutting edge when it comes

to exposing new filmmakers and presenting a variety of lesser known gems from foreign and domestic independents on the center's busy calendar for October. The original version of Metropolis we show films of artistic cultural historical value. We don't show films about young teenagers discovering sex for the first time. We don't show slasher films. We don't show those kinds of films that end up at the drive ins for 15 year olds we show basically our intelligent artistic films is the best way I can describe it. Passthrough teaches English and communications at UN Casey believes it's the low overhead at his midtown location that has made it possible for the nonprofit organization to survive and even gained a tional attention. When we opened in 1981 there was the beach in the fine arts the fine arts went under. Then they reopened another location. The Metro opened and the Paradise opened and closed. The BS you went under and has

reopened hopefully under really intelligent management as the Tivoli and we're still here so were the longest lasting art cinema in Kansas City at one location and some people say hey you're Trish location I don't want to come to Troost And my answer to those people is if you want to see the films this is where we are and if you don't want to see them then fine go see something else. We have we have set many new filmmakers on the road here. We have them here they show their films they do a show and then other places call and say hey I hear you did a show at the movie center and I know that they know that if you're a good filmmaker that we want you. We had one filmmaker who showed us films here and the next place he went was a Museum of Modern Art. Best is quick to point out that the theater has received sizable grants from the National Endowment for the arts and that the center's newsletter is now paying for itself on the downside he admits to working 70 hour weeks for less than $100 a month. But yet he remains optimistic and hopeful that the art and repertory

houses he seems to compete with are in actuality working in tandem to build a stronger base of support for movies made and distributed outside the Hollywood mainstream. The Tivoli is my favorite theater here in the city other than the center. I love the people I love what they do I love Sugar Cane Alley I love last night the Alamo and I think that both theaters represent something that people should be really proud of and supporting in the rest of the way because if they don't have them they're going to feel like they're back in another town. You want to know where I am from. Connecticut. Back at the Tivoli the search for a late night movie that might be as profitable as Rocky Horror

was in its glory days has turned up the first candidate this bizarre new wave fantasy called Liquid Sky and all the other times it's nutritious. It's a genuine holiday film in the sense that you spend no money on advertising it's word of mouth. It's people who come late at night they want to see this rather odd movie. And somehow it has meaning for them and they have an identify with this sort of the trendy thing and that's that's what it is and we're talking about trends. Whether or not it's great art I don't know but you know Rocky Horror was in the 70s it was more in the 80s and that does affect our business and we had to sort of keep up with that. Boy like people who are working very seriously on this

notion that people don't have to go see Indiana Jones and the Raiders Of The Lost Temple of Doom New York right that there is more space in the culture for people than that. We believe that otherwise we won't do this for so little money. Beginning with this edition Kansas City Illustrated will be broadcast twice a week on Thursday nights at 7 p.m. right after the MacNeil Lehrer NewsHour and on Saturday evenings at 6pm. That's it for now we'll be back with the next edition of Kansas City Illustrated next week. Until then I'm John Masterman Wishing you a good week and a good night. Sure.