4/26/01

LC010426

VAL>> ON LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT --

IS THERE A FUTURE FOR A BUILDING KNOWN AS MUCH FOR WHAT'S ON IT AS WHAT'S IN IT?

JIM HILL>> FROM ACROSS THE STREET, VICTORS MAY NOT LOOK ESPECIALLY IMPRESSIVE, BUT WALK AROUND THE BUILDING AND FIND SOME OF THE DOWNTOWN AREA'S MORE IMPRESSIVE MURALS.

RAMIRO SALCEDO>> AS I SAID, 85 PERCENT TO 90 PERCENT OF OUR CUSTOMERS WERE LATINOS, OKAY? THIS IS AN EXPRESSION, LIKE GIVING BACK SOME OF THE PROFITS TO THE LATINO COMMUNITY BY HELPING THE ARTISTS.

VAL>> ON TONIGHT'S THINKERS, SHAKERS & NEWSMAKERS, A DECADE AGO THE BEATING OF RODNEY KING SHOCKED AMERICA. NOW ACTRESS, ANNA DEAVERE SMITH, HAS TAKEN THE REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCES OF ANGELINOS WHO LIVED THROUGH THE TURMOIL AND PLACED IT ON FILM.

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH>> I SAW THIS, ON THE ONE HAND, AS A TRAGEDY AND ON THE OTHER HAND, AS A REMARKABLE OPPORTUNITY TO SORT OF SEE PEOPLE STRUGGLING THROUGH A TOUGH MOMENT.

VAL>> ALSO, PATT MORRISON RAISES A QUESTION THAT MAY SADLY DEFY A SOLUTION.

PATT>> WHAT IS TO BE DONE ABOUT ROBERT DOWNEY, JR. AND EVERYONE LIKE HIM, ON TONIGHT'S INFINITELY MORRISON.

VAL>> AND A NEW MUSICAL WORK COMMEMORATES AN EVENT THAT ITS COMPOSER IS TOO YOUNG TO REMEMBER.

[FILM CLIP]

VAL>> YOU'LL MEET 20-YEAR-OLD MUSICAL PROTÉGÉ AND COMPOSER, ROBERT ELFMAN, AND LEARN ABOUT HIS NEW WORK DEDICATED TO REMEMBERING THE HOLOCAUST.

THESE STORIES COMING UP NEXT ON LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT.

LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FOLLOWING FOUNDATIONS:

THE JAMES IRVINE FOUNDATION
WHICH IS DEDICATED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INFORMED CALIFORNIA CITIZENRY.

THE L.K. WHITTIER FOUNDATION
DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE ENDEAVORS IN THE FIELDS OF MEDICINE, HEALTH, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

AND THE CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
UNDERWRITING THE SPANISH LANGUAGE TRANSLATION OF LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT.

VAL>> GOOD EVENING, I'M VAL ZAVALA. JESS MARLOW HAS THE NIGHT OFF.

OUR TOP STORY TONIGHT IS AN EXAMPLE OF REAL ESTATE RECYCLING. A MEN'S STORE THAT WAS A FIXTURE IN DOWNTOWN L.A. CLOSED ITS DOORS THIS WEEK, BUT IT'S A PROUD TRADITION THAT WILL LIVE ON. JIM HILL REPORTS ON THE FUTURE OF A BUILDING THAT BECAME A CANVAS FOR SOME OF L.A.'S BEST-KNOWN MURALS.

JIM>> A DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES INSTITUTION HAS GONE OUT OF BUSINESS AFTER 80 YEARS ON BROADWAY. TUESDAY WAS THE LAST DAY FOR CUSTOMERS AT THE VICTOR CLOTHING COMPANY. IN ANOTHER WEEK, THE ENORMOUS RETAIL SPACE WILL BE EMPTIED. FROM ACROSS THE STREET, VICTORS MAY NOT LOOK ESPECIALLY IMPRESSIVE, BUT WALK AROUND THE BUILDING AND FIND SOME OF THE DOWNTOWN AREA'S MORE IMPRESSIVE MURALS.

THERE'S ELOY TORREZ'S "THE POPE OF BROADWAY", A TRIBUTE TO ANTHONY QUINN, ALONG ONE SIDE. AND ON THE OTHER, FIND KENT TWITCHELL'S "THE BRIDE AND GROOM", SIDE BY SIDE WITH A MURAL HONORING THE 1984 OLYMPICS BY EAST LOS STREETSCAPERS. STEP INSIDE AND THERE'S ART EVERYWHERE. THE BEST-KNOWN WORK IS PROBABLY JOHN VALADEZ'S 1982 "THE BROADWAY MURAL" AND "460 YEARS OF CHICANO HISTORY" HAS BEEN THE MOST POPULAR AMONG VISITING SCHOOL CHILDREN. RAMIRO SALCEDO, WHO'S ONE OF VICTOR'S OWNERS, SAYS THE ART IS IN HONOR OF THE STORE'S CUSTOMERS.

RAMIRO SALCEDO>> EIGHTY-FIVE PERCENT OR NINETY PERCENT OF OUR CUSTOMERS WERE LATINOS, OKAY? THIS IS AN EXPRESSION, LIKE GIVING BACK SOME OF THE PROFITS TO THE LATINO COMMUNITY BY HELPING THE ARTISTS.

JIM>> SALCEDO STARTED AT VICTORS AS A SHIPPING AND RECEIVING CLERK WHEN HE WAS A TEENAGER IN 1956.

RAMIRO SALCEDO>> WE WORKED FROM NINE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING TO NINE O'CLOCK AT NIGHT EVERY SINGLE DAY. WE HAD PROBABLY CLOSE TO 50 EMPLOYEES AT THE TIME. WE HAD THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF SUITS, REALLY EXPENSIVE SUITS, MADE OUT OF MOHAIR AND ALL WOOL. WE HAD MAGNIFICENT MERCHANDISE.

JIM>> LEO "SUNSHINE" FONAROW STARTED THE VICTOR CLOTHING COMPANY IN 1920. HIS SON, CHUCK FONAROW, REMEMBERS THE STORE IN THE 1940'S.

CHUCK FONAROW>> IT SEEMED TO ME LIKE WHEN I WAS 10, 12, 13, 14, I'D HELP OUT AT CHRISTMASTIME AND EASTER BEING A RUNNER AND HELPING THE SALESMEN AND SO ON. IT WAS JAMMED IN THOSE DAYS.

JIM>> PART OF THE REASON MAY HAVE BEEN FREE CREDIT. GEORGE AGUILAR, WHO STARTED WORKING AT VICTORS IN 1955, HAS BEEN THE CREDIT MANAGER.

GEORGE AGUILAR>> WE HAD SOMETIMES THREE AND FOUR GENERATIONS OF FAMILIES WHERE THE FATHERS WOULD INTRODUCE THE SONS TO THEIR FIRST CREDIT AND, FROM THERE, THEY WOULD GO ELSEWHERE OR CONTINUE THEIR CREDIT HERE.

JIM>> BUT THAT HASN'T BEEN ENOUGH IN RECENT YEARS. FONAROW BLAMES THE 1992 L.A. RIOTS.

CHUCK FONAROW>> WE ALWAYS DID GOOD BUSINESS, BUT, BOY, AFTER THE RIOTS, BUSINESS JUST STARTED DYING AND IT'S BEEN DYING EVER SINCE.

JIM>> SALCEDO SAYS PART OF VICTOR'S DECLINE RESULTS FROM THE CLOSING OF THE NEARBY MILLION DOLLAR THEATER. IN RECENT YEARS, IT HAD BEEN A POPULAR SPANISH-LANGUAGE MOVIE HOUSE.

RAMIRO SALCEDO>> PROBABLY ABOUT 50 PERCENT OF OUR BUSINESS CAME DOWN FROM PEOPLE GOING TO THE MOVIES AND THEN THEY CLOSED DOWN.

JIM>> BUT NATHAN [KORMAN] IS A MAN WHO SEES MAJOR POSSIBILITIES IN THE VICTOR BUILDING. HE IS THE NEW OWNER. KORMAN PLANS TO RENOVATE THE BUILDING, POSSIBLY BRINGING IN A DRUG STORE OR RESTAURANT ON THE FIRST FLOOR AND THEN TURNING THE CURRENT LOFTS INTO MUCH FANCIER ONES.

NATHAN [KORMAN]>> I FEEL THAT THERE'S A LOT OF DEMAND RIGHT NOW FOR LOFT HOUSING AND THAT'S THE MAJOR DRIVING FACTOR FOR THE ECONOMICS OF THIS BUILDING.

JIM>> ARTIST NEAL TAYLOR HAS ALREADY LIVED IN THE BUILDING FOR FIVE YEARS. LIKE THE OTHER TENANTS, HE WON'T BE STAYING. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO AFFORD THE NEW LUXURY LOFTS, BUT HE HAS ENJOYED LIVING HERE.

NEAL TAYLOR>> THE MANAGEMENT'S KIND AND GENEROUS AND GRACIOUS. IT'S A GREAT PLACE TO WORK.

JIM>> FELLOW ARTIST, ALFREDO [DABATUK], SAYS THERE'S THE GOOD AND THE BAD.

ALFREDO [DABATUK]>> IN THE EVENING, IT'S VERY ALONE, SO PEOPLE ARE KIND OF NOT VERY WILLING TO COME HERE AT NIGHT AND THAT'S ISOLATING A LITTLE.

JIM>> WHATEVER REGRETS [DABATUK] HAS ABOUT LEAVING, HE SEES THE BUILDING'S RENOVATION AS A GOOD THING.

ALFREDO [DABATUK]>> THAT'S WHAT IT'S NEEDED IN ORDER TO PRESERVE CERTAIN BUILDINGS AND ARCHITECTURAL JEWELS OF THE CITY.

JIM>> AMY ANDERSON IS WORKING ON BEHALF OF THE LOS ANGELES CONSERVANCY TO ATTRACT INVESTMENT ON BROADWAY.

AMY ANDERSON>> THE CONSERVANCY GOT INVOLVED WITH BROADWAY AND THE HISTORIC CORE IN GENERAL BECAUSE THERE'S A PHENOMENAL CONCENTRATION OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS IN THIS AREA.

JIM>> IN THE 1920'S AND 30'S, BROADWAY WAS THE CITY'S PREMIER SHOPPING DISTRICT WITH MAJOR DEPARTMENT STORES AND A DOZEN THEATERS. IN MORE RECENT YEARS, IT'S BEEN A MAJOR LATINO RETAIL CENTER. UNLIKE THE NEIGHBORHOOD AROUND VICTOR CLOTHING, THE SIDEWALKS TO THE SOUTH ARE JAMMED WITH CUSTOMERS. BUT ABOVE THE FIRST FLOOR, MANY OF THE LANDMARK OLD BUILDINGS ARE ABANDONED.

AMY ANDERSON>> REALLY, THAT PUTS THEM IN A THREATENED POSITION. THEY'RE AT THREAT OF DEMOLITION BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE A VIABLE USE IN THEM.

JIM>> THE CONSERVANCY SEES WHAT'S HAPPENING AT VICTOR CLOTHING COMPANY AS A GOOD THING FOR ARCHITECTURAL PRESERVATION.

AMY ANDERSON>> YOU KNOW, WHILE IT'S SAD THAT VICTOR CLOTHING IS GOING TO BE LEAVING, IT'S EXCITING AND ENCOURAGING TO US THAT THE BUILDING WON'T BE SITTING EMPTY AND THAT, IN FACT, THERE WILL BE PEOPLE LIVING HERE (LAUGHTER) AND THAT'S JUST THE KIND OF USE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ENCOURAGE.

JIM>> SALCEDO IS GLAD THAT THE NEW OWNER PLANS TO PRESERVE THE OUTSIDE MURALS WHILE MUSEUMS AND OTHERS ARE BIDDING ON SOME OF THE INSIDE MURALS. FOR THE REST, THE MERCHANDISE, THE OLD PHOTOS, THE DISPLAY CASES AND THE OTHER ARTWORK, THERE WILL BE AN AUCTION NEXT WEEK AND THEN EVERYTHING WILL BE GONE.

RAMIRO SALCEDO>> WELL, YOU KNOW, 45 YEARS OF MY LIFE ARE IN THOSE FIXTURES, SO I HOPE THAT SOMEBODY ENJOYS THEM AGAIN AND GETS GOOD USE OF IT.

VAL>> SO, JIM, IT'S KIND OF A BITTERSWEET STORY IN A WAY. ON THE OTHER HAND, IS THIS JUST ONE BUILDING OR IS THIS PART OF THE LARGER SCHEME FOR DOWNTOWN? HOW DOES IT FIT INTO THAT?

JIM>> IT IS PART OF A LARGER THEME DOWNTOWN. THERE'S A MAJOR EFFORT IN ROUGHLY A 36-BLOCK AREA OF THE CENTER OF DOWNTOWN, THE SO-CALLED HISTORIC CORE, TO BOTH RENOVATE A LOT OF THE OLD BUILDINGS AND THEN DEVELOP NEWER BUILDINGS, TEAR SOME OF THE OLD STRUCTURES DOWN AND BUILD NEW. BUT THE GOAL IS TO HAVE A COMBINATION OF USES THAT WOULD BE WHAT THEY CALL A 24-HOUR DOWNTOWN AREA. PEOPLE LIVING THERE, RESIDENCES, ARTISTS' LOFTS AND SO FORTH, AS WELL AS NIGHTLIFE AND DAYTIME BUSINESS.

VAL>> A KIND OF ALA NEW YORK IN A WAY? I MEAN, YOU THINK OF THAT KIND OF LIFESTYLE IN NEW YORK, LOFT-LIVING AND 24-HOUR NIGHTLIFE AND SO FORTH.

JIM>> I THINK IT'S ALONG THAT LINE, BUT I THINK WHAT THEY'RE ALSO PATTERNING THIS AFTER IS THE SAN DIEGO AREA, THE HORTON PLAZA AREA. AND FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH THAT, IT WAS A DIVE REALLY AS RECENTLY AS ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO, 20 YEARS AGO, AND THAT WAS RENOVATED UNDER THE SO-CALLED GASLIGHT DISTRICT THEME OF AN OLD TOWN AND IT'S BEEN VERY, VERY SUCCESSFUL.

VAL>> NOW, WILL THE PEOPLE GET EVICTED? I MEAN, WHERE WILL THEY GO? THEY'RE KIND OF THE LOSERS IN THIS, NO?

JIM>> WELL, CERTAINLY SOME OF THEM ARE. ANY TIME YOU HAVE RESTORATION, YOU ALSO HAVE EJECTMENT. YOU HAVE HIGHER PRICED RENTS TO SUSTAIN THIS KIND OF THING AND SOME PEOPLE LOSE THEIR HOMES, BUT OTHERS GAIN HOMES.

VAL>> THEN AGAIN, THE BUILDING WILL SURVIVE. JIM, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

OUR TOP STORY TOMORROW, IT LOOKS LIKE CHANGE IS COMING ONCE AGAIN TO THE FAMOUS HOLLYWOOD BOWL.

>> IN A SENSE, WHAT WE'RE DOING IS TAKING THE VISUAL APPEARANCE OF THE SHELL BACK TO WHAT IT WAS.

VAL>> THE NEW LOOK FOR THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL. THAT'S TOMORROW ON LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT AT 7:00 P.M.

IN TONIGHT'S THINKERS, SHAKERS & NEWSMAKERS, TEN YEARS AGO THIS WEEK, A VIDEOTAPE OF LOS ANGELES POLICE OFFICERS BEATING A BLACK MAN STUNNED OUR NATION AND WHAT FOLLOWED, A TRIAL, RIOTS AND ANOTHER TRIAL, CHANGED RACE RELATIONS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FOREVER. BUT HOW EXACTLY DID IT CHANGE US? WELL, THE ANSWER CAN BE SEEN IN A NEW FILM CALLED "TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES". IN IT, ACTOR AND PLAYWRIGHT, ANNA DEAVERE SMITH, PORTRAYS DOZENS OF ANGELINOS USING THEIR OWN WORDS TO DESCRIBE ONE OF L.A.'S MOST TUMULTUOUS EVENTS. I SPOKE WITH ANNA DEAVERE SMITH AND GOT A PREVIEW OF "TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES".

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH, ACTRESS, WRITER, PLAYWRIGHT, JOURNALIST, ALL THOSE THINGS, WELCOME TO LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT.

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

VAL>> TELL US HOW YOU CAME ABOUT PUTTING TOGETHER "TWILIGHT: L.A."

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH>> GORDON DAVIDSON INVITED ME TO COME AND WORK AT THE MARK TAPER FORUM AND THIS WAS RIGHT IN THE WAKE OF THE LOS ANGELES RIOT. SO I ALREADY HAD A TECHNIQUE THAT I'D BEEN WORKING ON FOR MANY YEARS --

VAL>> -- EXPLAIN THAT TECHNIQUE BECAUSE IT'S VERY UNUSUAL.

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH>> I INTERVIEW PEOPLE WITH A TAPE RECORDER AND THEN I TAKE PART OF WHAT THEY'VE SAID TO ME AND THEN I LEARN THE WORDS AND USE THE WORDS LIKE ANY SCRIPT AND I CREATE THESE ONE-PERSON SHOWS IN WHICH I PLAY ALL THE PARTS. SO I CAME OUT HERE IN AUGUST AFTER THE RIOT AND INTERVIEWED ABOUT 288 PEOPLE.

VAL>> WELL, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE CHARACTERS THAT YOU PORTRAYED. TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MRS. ELAINE YOUNG. SHE IS A REAL ESTATE BROKER IN --

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH>> -- BEVERLY HILLS.

VAL>> BEVERLY HILLS.

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH>> YOU KNOW, WHEN PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THE RIOTS, I THINK THEY JUST THINK ABOUT IT IN TERMS OF SOUTH CENTRAL. BUT AS YOU KNOW, IT AFFECTED THE WHOLE CITY AND SO I WAS VERY INTERESTED WHEN I WAS DOING MY RESEARCH TO GO AROUND AND MEET ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF PEOPLE. I LOOK FOR MEMORABLE PEOPLE. I LOOK FOR PEOPLE WHOSE WORDS I REMEMBER, YOU KNOW, MANY MONTHS AFTERWARDS WHEN I SIT DOWN WITH THOSE 288 TAPES. AND I THINK, WHEN THE AUDIENCE SEES MRS. ELAINE YOUNG, THEY'LL UNDERSTAND WHY SHE WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT I REMEMBERED VERY WELL OUT OF 288.

AS MRS. ELAINE YOUNG>> "THAT WAS THE MOOD AT THE BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL. SAFETY IN NUMBERS. IT'S LIKE A FORTRESS AND WE WERE JUST LIKE, HERE WE ARE AND WE'RE STILL ALIVE AND WE HOPE THE PEOPLE WILL BE ALIVE WHEN WE COME OUT."

VAL>> AND HERE ARE SOME OTHER REAL-LIFE ANGELINOS THAT SMITH PORTRAYS:

AS SHELBY COFFEE III>> "YOU KNOW YOU'VE GOT SOME TROUBLE IN YOUR CITY IF YOUR STRINGER FROM BEIRUT CALLS TO SAY, 'ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?'"

AS SGT. CHARLES DUKE>> "THAT IS NOT GOOD. THE PROPER WAY TO HOLD A BATON IS LIKE THIS. NOW ONE OF THE THINGS THAT EVERYBODY IS TALKING ABOUT IS WHY DID IT TAKE 56 BATON HITS?" (LAUGHTER)

AS MAXINE WATERS>> "WE WANT OUR BLACK MEN BACK ON AMERICA'S AGENDA. THEY'VE BEEN SLAPPED OFF OF EVERYBODY'S STATISTICS."

AS CORNEL WEST>> "IF WHITE FOLKS WERE TO EXPERIENCE BLACK SADNESS, IT WOULD BE TOO OVERWHELMING FOR THEM. VERY FEW WHITES COULD TAKE SERIOUSLY BLACK SADNESS AND STILL LIVE THE LIVES THAT THEY LIVING."

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH>> ONE OF THE CHARACTERS THAT I PLAY, A MRS. YOUNG-SOON HAN, WHO WAS A KOREAN LIQUOR STORE OWNER I MET IN A VERY INTERESTING WAY, WHICH WAS, WHEN I GOT HERE, THERE WERE SOME KOREAN-AMERICAN STUDENTS AT UCLA WHO HEARD ABOUT WHAT I WAS WORKING ON. THIS WAS DURING THE RESEARCH PHASE. ONE OF THEM CALLED ME UP AND SAID, YOU KNOW, WE HEARD WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND WE'RE VERY WORRIED THAT YOU'RE GOING TO GET IT WRONG, SO WE'D LIKE TO HELP YOU. CAN YOU IMAGINE? WE'D LIKE TO HELP YOU. THEY CAME AND THEY TOOK ME TO PEOPLE IN THEIR COMMUNITY, SOME OF WHOM DID NOT SPEAK VERY MUCH ENGLISH, WHO WOULD NEVER HAVE SPOKEN WITH ME ON MY OWN --

VAL>> -- WHAT AN ENTRÉE.

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH>> WASN'T IT EXTRAORDINARY? SO ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE PEOPLE AND A PERSON WHO I FEEL TELLS ME STUFF ABOUT RACE IN AMERICA THAT I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IS MRS. YOUNG-SOON HAN. IF YOU COULD JUST IMAGINE ME SITTING AT HER COFFEE TABLE WITH THESE TWO YOUNG IDEALISTIC STUDENTS AND GETTING THAT STORY.

AS MRS. YOUNG-SOON HAN>> "THE FIRE IS STILL THERE. I WISH THAT I COULD LIVE TOGETHER WITH BLACK PEOPLE, BUT AFTER THE RIOTS, IS TOO MUCH DIFFERENCE."

VAL>> DID YOU EVER GET TIRED OF ALL THIS RIOT, SOCIAL UNREST, AS A SUBJECT MATTER? YOU SEEMED TO HAVE BEEN INUNDATED IN IT FOR SEVERAL YEARS. DID YOU EVER SAY, OH, I NEED A BREAK FROM IT ALL? I NEED TO GO LOOK AT SOMETHING ELSE IN SOCIETY?

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH>> WELL, I DON'T THINK SO BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW THAT I REALLY THINK THAT -- THE PLAY DOCUMENTS A RIOT, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S ABOUT A RIOT. I THINK IT'S ABOUT US. YOU KNOW, I GO AROUND NOW AND GIVE SPEECHES ABOUT SOMETHING THAT I CALL THE US PROJECT. YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST HOW DO WE GET TO WE THE PEOPLE IN AMERICA? AND HAVING GROWN UP IN SEGREGATION, I SUPPOSE I HAVE A VERY VESTED INTEREST IN EMBRACING ALL THAT AMERICA IS AND I'M FASCINATED BY DIFFERENCE. SO EACH TIME THAT I DO A CHARACTER WHO'S VERY DIFFERENT FROM ME, I SEE IT AS A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO EMBODY AMERICA, TO ABSORB IT, AS WALT WHITMAN SAID. I SAW THIS, ON THE ONE HAND, AS A TRAGEDY, AND ON THE OTHER HAND, AS A REMARKABLE OPPORTUNITY TO SORT OF SEE PEOPLE STRUGGLING THROUGH A TOUGH MOMENT.

VAL>> YOU SAID YOU GREW UP IN SEGREGATION?

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH>> UM-HUM. I GREW UP IN BALTIMORE WHILE IT WAS STILL SEGREGATED. I WENT TO A SEGREGATED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL --

VAL>> -- OFFICIALLY SEGREGATED OR -- ?

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH>> -- NO, IT WAS OFFICIALLY -- MY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WAS OFFICIALLY SEGREGATED AND SO I, YOU KNOW -- IT WAS QUITE A LITTLE BATTLE FOR US TO GET TO GO TO INTEGRATED JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS, SO THAT'S MY BACKGROUND.

VAL>> WHAT WOULD BE THE IDEAL REACTION THAT WOULD COME FROM SOMEBODY AFTER WATCHING YOUR PROGRAM?

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH>> I HOPE THAT "TWILIGHT" CAUSES CONVERSATIONS AND THAT THOSE CONVERSATIONS LEAD TO ACTION.

VAL>> OR IS IT JUST A WAY FOR US TO SEE PEOPLE IN A WAY THAT WE WOULD NORMALLY SIMPLY NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THEM?

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH>> WELL, ACTUALLY, WE DO HAVE ACCESS. I THINK THE QUESTION IS HOW WELL WE LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE AROUND US AND HOW OFTEN WE GIVE THEM THE CHANCE TO SAY ANYTHING TO US OTHER THAN "HOW WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR COFFEE?" OR ON THE OTHER SIDE --

VAL>> -- "YOUR DRY CLEANING IS READY TOMORROW" --

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH>> -- OR "YOU'RE HIRED" OR "YOU'RE FIRED". YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE A LOT OF POWER OVER THE WAY THAT WE LIVE OUR LIVES. SO, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T LISTEN REAL WELL IN OUR CULTURE AND, IN MY SITUATION, I HAD TO LISTEN BECAUSE THAT WAS MY WORK AND I HOPE THAT, IN THAT WAY, THIS EXPERIENCE OF SEEING THIS NOT ONLY ENCOURAGES CONVERSATION, BUT ENCOURAGES ANOTHER KIND OF LISTENING.

VAL>> ANNA DEAVERE SMITH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND FOR PASSING THOSE WORDS ON TO US AND, OF COURSE, ALWAYS SO MUCH FUN TO WATCH YOU IN "WEST WING". THANKS. (LAUGHTER)

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH>> (LAUGHTER) ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

VAL>> "TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES" AIRS THIS SUNDAY EVENING HERE ON KCET AT 9:00 P.M. AND ANNA DEAVERE SMITH HAS BEEN CALLED ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING INDIVIDUALS IN AMERICAN THEATER. YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS IT. AND A SPECIAL EDITION OF "THE BOOKSHOW WITH PATT MORRISON" WILL FOLLOW. PATT FEATURES AUTHORS WHO HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT THE UNREST OF APRIL 1992. THAT FOLLOWS "TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES" AT 10:30 P.M.

SO WHAT DO YOU THINK? WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. HERE ARE THE WAYS YOU CAN REACH US:

LIFEANDTIMES@KCET.ORG
WWW.KCET.ORG
LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT
4401 SUNSET BLVD.
LOS ANGELES, CA 90027
(323) 953-5555
VAL>> PATT MORRISON FINDS NO EASY ANSWERS, BUT A LOT OF TOUGH QUESTIONS IN THE STORY OF A WELL-KNOWN DRUG ADDICT. HERE'S TONIGHT'S INFINITELY MORRISON.

PATT>> WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT THE POWER OF FAME, ABOUT THE POWER OF DRUGS, THAT EIGHT MONTHS OUT OF PRISON AND A WEEK BEFORE HE WAS SUPPOSED TO GO TO COURT ON DRUG CHARGES, ROBERT DOWNEY, JR., OSCAR NOMINEE, GOLDEN GLOBE WINNER, IS BUSTED AGAIN? AND WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT US, THAT WE PAY MORE ATTENTION TO HIM THAN TO THE HUNDREDS OF ARRESTS OF DRUG OFFENDERS FOR THEIR THIRD OR FOURTH OR FIFTH OFFENSE ON THEIR WAY TO PRISON FOR LIFE?

IT'S BEEN A WEEK OF UNEXPECTED SKIRMISHES IN THE DRUG WAR. THE DEATH OF A MISSIONARY AND HER CHILD SHOT AS THEY FLEW HOME ON A PLANE THAT THE PERUVIAN AIR FORCE MISTOOK FOR DRUG SMUGGLERS, AND THEN ROBERT DOWNEY, JR.'S LATEST ARREST. DOWNEY HAS BECOME THE FULCRUM FOR THE NATIONAL SEE-SAW ARGUMENT ABOUT THE WAR ON DRUGS AND ABOUT ITS DISCOURAGING MIXED MESSAGES. HIS EXAMPLE SUGGESTS THE OLD DOUBLE STANDARD, SOMEONE GETTING MORE SECOND CHANCES THAN MATHEMATICALLY PERMISSIBLE.

AFTER HE WAS BOOKED AND RELEASED THIS TIME, DOWNEY'S PUBLICIST SAID HE HAD CHECKED HIMSELF INTO A REHAB CLINIC. WERE HE POOR OR BLACK OR BROWN, HE MIGHT HAVE STAYED IN JAIL TO BE SENT FROM THERE TO PRISON FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE. BUT HIS EXAMPLE ALSO WARNS THAT, EVEN SOMEONE WITH SUCH FINE ADVANTAGES AND SUCH GREAT PROSPECTS, MONEY, FAME, ALL THE BEST PRIZES IN LIFE'S CRACKER JACK BOX, CANNOT DISENTANGLE HIMSELF FROM DRUG LUST.

CALIFORNIA ACKNOWLEDGED THIS QUANDARY WHEN IT PASSED PROPOSITION 36 LAST YEAR. PROP 36 REQUIRES THAT FIRST AND EVEN SECOND TIME DRUG OFFENDERS BE SENT INTO PROBATION OR TREATMENT AND NOT TO PRISON. THE POLICE, THE PROSECUTORS, THE PRISONS DIDN'T LIKE IT, BUT 61 PERCENT OF CALIFORNIANS VOTED FOR IT ANYWAY. PROP 36 TAKES EFFECT JULY 1 AND, WHILE IT'S TOO LATE FOR ROBERT DOWNEY, SO MANY PEOPLE ARE EXPECTED TO BE COVERED BY IT THAT COURTS HAVE ALREADY BEGUN SENDING OFFENDERS INTO TREATMENT IN ANTICIPATION OF THE BACKUP.

HOW MONUMENTAL AN UNDERTAKING WILL THIS BE? FIGURE IT OUT. OF THE 162,000 PRISONERS BEHIND BARS IN CALIFORNIA, MORE THAN 50,000 ARE SERVING TIME FOR DRUG CRIMES. HOW EFFECTIVE WILL IT BE? HARD TO SAY, WHEN EVEN FIVE-STAR REHAB CLINICS COULDN'T KEEP ROBERT DOWNEY ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW. AFTER DECADES IN THE TRENCHES OF DRUG WARFARE, WE'RE NOT SURE WHAT DOES WORK, BUT WE'RE GETTING A PRETTY GOOD IDEA OF WHAT DOESN'T.

VAL>> IN TONIGHT'S PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS, A MAJOR SYMPHONIC WORK IS PREMIERING THIS WEEKEND IN LOS ANGELES. NOW THAT ALONE IS NOT PARTICULARLY NEWSWORTHY, BUT WHAT IS REMARKABLE IS THE COMPOSER. HE IS JUST 20 YEARS OLD AND THIS USC SOPHOMORE IS PAYING TRIBUTE TO SURVIVORS OF THE HOLOCAUST.

[FILM CLIP]

VAL>> WHEN LOCAL MUSICIAN-COMPOSER, ROBERT ELFMAN, WAS BACK IN HIGH SCHOOL, HE MADE A TRIP TO THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS OF EUROPE. IT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE WHICH INSPIRED HIS COMPOSITION, "WE WILL TELL THEM". JOINING US NOW IS AWARD-WINNING COMPOSER, ROBERT ELFMAN. WELCOME TO LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT.

ROBERT ELFMAN>> THANK YOU.

VAL>> NOW THAT PIECE OF JAZZ THAT YOU WERE PLAYING IS NOT THE TRIBUTE TO THE HOLOCAUST --

ROBERT ELFMAN>> -- (LAUGHTER) RIGHT.

VAL>> -- WHICH WE WILL GET TO IN A LITTLE BIT, BUT TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF. YOU STARTED COMPOSING MUSIC WHEN YOU WERE 14? HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT?

ROBERT ELFMAN>> I JUST HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENTER A VERY SMALL-SCALE MUSIC COMPETITION AND I WROTE THIS LITTLE PIECE. JUST THE FEELING OF HAVING A PIECE OF MUSIC IN MY HEAD SUDDENLY OUT IN THE WORLD WAS THE MOST EXHILARATING FEELING I'VE EVER ENCOUNTERED.

VAL>> WHAT KIND OF MUSIC WAS IT? WHAT STYLE?

ROBERT ELFMAN>> IT WAS KIND OF A MODERN CLASSICAL JAZZ-INFLUENCED LITTLE SOUND.

VAL>> AND THAT WAS YOUR FIRST COMPOSITION?

ROBERT ELFMAN>> RIGHT.

VAL>> AND THEN WITHIN -- I THINK BY THE AGE OF 16, YOU HAD DONE A COUPLE MORE, RIGHT? FOR ORCHESTRA?

ROBERT ELFMAN>> I'VE WRITTEN -- YEAH, FOR THE JUNIOR HIGH ORCHESTRA AND THE HIGH SCHOOL ORCHESTRA. JUST EXPERIMENTING, GETTING MY FEET WET.

VAL>> BUT PROBABLY A VERY EXCITING MOMENT IS GOING TO HAPPEN THIS WEEKEND WHEN A COMPOSITION THAT YOU'VE WRITTEN IS GOING TO BE PERFORMED BY THE LOS ANGELES JEWISH SYMPHONY. TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT COMPOSITION.

ROBERT ELFMAN>> WELL, THIS COMPOSITION WAS BASED ON AN EXPERIENCE I HAD WHEN I WENT ON A PROGRAM FOR TEENAGERS CALLED "THE MARCH OF THE LIVING". BASICALLY, 7,000 TEENAGERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD MEET AT THE DEATH CAMPS OF POLAND AND RE-CREATE THE DEATH MARCH THAT THE NAZIS FORCED UPON THE JEWS. FROM THERE, THEY GO TO ISRAEL AND EXPERIENCE ISRAEL'S INDEPENDENCE DAY, SO IT'S A DOUBLE-SIDED TRIP.

VAL>> AND YOU HAVE BROUGHT SOME PHOTOGRAPHS OF THAT TRIP WHICH WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A LOOK AT. NOW THIS TRIP MADE A REAL, REAL IMPACT ON YOU. WHAT EXACTLY WERE YOU FEELING WHEN YOU WENT ON THIS TRIP?

ROBERT ELFMAN>> IT AFFECTED GUTTURALLY. THIS IS A PLACE THAT I'VE HEARD ABOUT IN BOOKS. THE BARBED WIRE FENCES, THE INCINERATORS, THE GAS CHAMBERS, THESE TERRIBLE IMAGES OF PERSECUTION AND DEATH AND DESTRUCTION.

VAL>> DO YOU RECALL WHAT CAMP, IN PARTICULAR, YOU WERE AT?

ROBERT ELFMAN>> THIS WAS BIRKENAU, PART OF AUSCHWITZ. IT'S THE MOST NOTORIOUS DEATH CAMP IN THE HISTORY OF THE HOLOCAUST. SO TO BE STANDING THERE SEEING THESE IMAGES AND SMELLING THEM AND TOUCHING THEM, IT AFFECTED ME GUTTURALLY. MY MIND COULD NOT EVEN REGISTER WHAT I WAS SEEING. THESE WERE THINGS I ONLY HEARD ABOUT AND MERE FIGMENTS OF MY IMAGINATIONS AND NIGHTMARES AND NOW THEY WERE ACTUALLY COMING TRUE AND I WAS HERE AND I WAS IN IT.

VAL>> SO YOU'D READ ABOUT IT, BUT THERE WAS NOTHING LIKE BEING THERE, IS THAT RIGHT?

ROBERT ELFMAN>> IT WAS A FEELING THAT I'LL NEVER FORGET.

VAL>> SO WHAT HAPPENED WHEN YOU CAME BACK? YOU HAD THIS EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE AND, BEING A COMPOSER, DID YOU KNOW RIGHT AWAY YOU HAD TO WRITE MUSIC FOR THIS?

ROBERT ELFMAN>> I DID NOT. IT TOOK A WHILE FOR ME TO SORT OUT MY FEELINGS ABOUT THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE AND THEN I DECIDED I HAD TO GET IT OFF MY CHEST SOMEHOW AND EXPRESS, IN SOME SORT OF ART FORM, WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND HOW I FELT.

VAL>> SO YOU WROTE ONE MOVEMENT WHICH WAS VERY -- HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE MOOD OF IT?

ROBERT ELFMAN>> BLEAK AND DESOLATE, LIKE A SOLITARY DEATH CAMP IN 1998.

VAL>> BUT THEN YOU ADDED A SECOND MOVEMENT WHICH HAS A VERY DIFFERENT MOOD. TELL US ABOUT THAT SECOND MOVEMENT.

ROBERT ELFMAN>> WHEN I SHOWED THIS PIECE TO THE CONDUCTOR OF THE JEWISH SYMPHONY, SHE TOLD ME THAT I HAD BASICALLY NAILED HALF OF THE EXPERIENCE, BUT THERE WAS THAT OTHER HALF OF THE TRIP IN ISRAEL AND SHE WANTED TO HEAR SOMETHING MORE UPLIFTING ABOUT THAT SECOND HALF. SHE WANTED THE PIECE TO BE A COMPLETE STATEMENT WITH THE NEGATIVE AND THE POSITIVE.

VAL>> SO YOU WENT BACK AND YOU WROTE A VERY DIFFERENT MOOD, A SECOND MOVEMENT, AND BOTH OF THEM ARE GOING TO BE PERFORMED THIS WEEKEND. NOW WHAT'S FRUSTRATING, OF COURSE, TO OUR VIEWERS RIGHT NOW, THEY'RE SAYING, WELL, LET'S HEAR THIS, BUT, OF COURSE, WE CAN'T PLAY IT FOR THEM --

ROBERT ELFMAN>> -- (LAUGHTER) NOT YET.

VAL>> -- BECAUSE IT HASN'T BEEN RECORDED. THIS IS THE DEBUT, THE WORLD PREMIERE PERFORMANCE OF YOUR PIECE AND IT'S ONE OF EIGHT PIECES. BUT WE ARE GOING TO GIVE PEOPLE A LITTLE INDICATION OF YOUR TALENT. THIS IS YOU PLAYING JAZZ SAXOPHONE AT THE SPOTLIGHT AWARDS. THE YEAR WAS --

ROBERT ELFMAN>> -- IT WAS 1999.

VAL>> LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THAT.

ROBERT ELFMAN>> OKAY.

[FILM CLIP]

VAL>> WOW. YOU SEEM VERY MUCH AT EASE WITH THE JAZZ SAXOPHONE. IS THAT YOUR INSTRUMENT?

ROBERT ELFMAN>> PRETTY MUCH. I JUST LOVE THE ART OF SPONTANEOUS COMPOSITION, WHICH IS WHAT I CONSIDER TO BE JAZZ.

VAL>> AND YET, WHEN YOU COMPOSE, YOU COMPOSE ON PIANO?

ROBERT ELFMAN>> UM-HUM, WITH A PENCIL AND PAPER AND A BIG ERASER. (LAUGHTER)

VAL>> (LAUGHTER) NOW WHAT DO YOU HOPE PEOPLE WILL EXPERIENCE IF THEY GO TO THE CONCERT THIS SATURDAY?

ROBERT ELFMAN>> I JUST HOPE THEY WILL TAKE SOMETHING WITH THEM. MAYBE THEY'LL GET A SLIGHT FEELING OF WHAT I COULD NOT PUT INTO WORDS, BUT COULD EXPRESS IN MUSIC. WHAT I FELT LIKE BEING AT THESE PLACES, BOTH OF THE EXPERIENCES. THE ISRAEL EXPERIENCE, THE RELIEF I FELT, BEING BACK IN THE JEWISH HOMELAND.

VAL>> AND DO YOU THINK A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE FORGOTTEN OR ARE OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE HOLOCAUST EXPERIENCE?

ROBERT ELFMAN>> IT DEPENDS. I MEAN, I THINK THE JEWISH YOUTH ARE STILL VERY EDUCATED AND VERY FORTUNATE TO BE ABLE TO KNOW A LOT ABOUT IT AND BE INFORMED. BUT, YEAH, I THINK THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT.

VAL>> BUT THIS WILL HELP THEM GET IN TOUCH WITH THAT. ROBERT ELFMAN, CONGRATULATIONS, BEST OF LUCK TO YOU AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING BY.

ROBERT ELFMAN>> THANK YOU. IT WAS A PLEASURE.

VAL>> AND YOU CAN CHECK THE NUMBER AND THE WEB SITE ON YOUR SCREEN FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE WORLD PREMIERE OF ROBERT'S WORK THE LOS ANGELES JEWISH SYMPHONY WILL PERFORM. "WE WILL TELL THEM" IS THE NAME OF HIS WORK. THIS SUNDAY AT VALLEY BETH SHALOM IN ENCINO.

[818-753-6681]
[WWW.LAJEWISHSYMPHONY.COM]

VAL>> THAT'S IT FOR OUR PROGRAM THIS EVENING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WATCHING. TAKE CARE.

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