Early on in Save The Tiger the apparel executive Harry Stoner is trying to mediate a dispute in his dress factory between an ancient tailor and a young, flashy designer. The two quarrel ferociously; Harry, needing to keep both happy, tries to be diplomatic and not take sides. The designer storms off with a cruel barb to the old man: “I can’t wait till they replace you with a laser beam!” All *he* means is to hurt the old man’s feelings, but we take this remark, from our perspective in 2005 (the film is from the mid 70s) as a prescient comment about how quickly the world around us can change.

Just as an idea of how fast things move, let’s look at another brief scene from Alvidsen’s film (Rocky would be his next project): on his way into the office Harry stops on an LA boulevard to pick up a hitchhiker, a young hippie girl with nothing to do but smoke pot all day. He makes a call from his car phone, a huge contraption hooked into the dashboard with a long cord, and the girl is simply incredulous – she gapes, “My God! You have a phone in your car! Are you, like, super rich?” In just thirty years an episode goes from being so far out of the ordinary to being as ordinary as possible.

Such is life!

The plot of Save The Tiger is relatively simple: Harry and his business partner, Phil, have cooked the books in their apparel company for years and lived the high life. Now time has run out, there are no more accounting trick rabbits left to pull out of the hat, they’re going bust. The solution: hire an arsonist to burn the factory to the ground, collect the insurance settlement, cash out.

Why is this so important? Because Harry is having a midlife crisis of major proportions. He screams in his sleep, remembers the names of baseball players from his youthful days in Brooklyn, recalls lovemaking scenes with his wife from twenty years ago, has mirages of his old company from World War 2 before his eyes. Upon repeated viewings one comes to understsnd that this is a movie about time – not clock time, necessarily, but psychological time, the time inside, Heidegger time. How you wake up one day and you’re fifty years old all of a sudden and people you’ve known your whole life are dying all around you.

The brilliant metaphor of the title comes when Harry is walking down the street and an activist with a poster of a tiger that is going extinct calls out, “Hey mister! Wanna help save the tiger? Only a few thousand left in the world!” Even the mighty tigers die out, are not immune to the ruthlessness of time.

At the end of the film, after giving the arsonist a deposit, Harry walks slowly, in loneliness, past a park where some kids are playing baseball. One whacks the ball out of the park, and Harry gives chase and throws it back onto the field. A young player protests – “Hey mister! You can’t play with us!” Harry at once seems to accept this remark, as he has not throughout – has in fact fought against accepting it. He sees himself among the youngsters playing, and comes to an understanding that only true reflection and contemplation can lead to. And we see with him.

Peter Quinones is the author of Amethyst Secrets, published by I Universe. His work has appeared in anthologies with some of the most esteemed speakers in the world such as Les Brown, Brian Tracy, and Dr. Warren Bennis. Peter’s websites are http://www.peterq.net and http://www.cultureboutique.com.

“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

That phrase, in the acting industry, is worth more than a $20 million-dollar, big-budget film contract. If you haven’t experienced a scam yet, you soon will! There is almost no place like the entertainment industry for con and scam artists. That’s partly because people can scam you out of your money legally by taking advantage of your dreams and inexperience in the industry.

The scams come in all forms, all shapes and sizes, and from all directions. You can even go to a reputed photographer or agent and find he or she trying to lure you into an acting class, sell you something, or simply being dishonestall for the sake of making a buck. And for the scammers, there is almost no police involvement, little legal action one can take, and virtually no punishment.

There are many scams out there, but we’ve picked a few doozies to show you for the next few weeks. Here’s one of our all-time favorites.

Scam #1 – “Suckers Wanted”

You see an ad in the paper from what sounds like a reputable agency. In the ad, they rattle off about how they have launched the careers of so many famous people or have booked an unbelievable amount of jobs for their talent. Now, their ad claims, they are looking for new talent and new faces. And, what gets you even more excited: they claim you don’t need any experience. All you have to do is go to their office for an interview and you will have a chance to be a big star.

Dead giveaways to look for:

Tags: acting, actor, actress, entertainment, film, performing arts, theatreacting, actor, actress, entertainment, film, performing arts, theatre

Slow down the sugar consumption by emphasizing children’s Halloween activities this year. Don’t nag about the candy just keep youngsters busy and they will be less likely to eat it all in one sitting. When they are engaged in a vigorous game of Name That Tune, Halloween songs will hold their attention better than the candy in those trick-or-treat bags. Even the extreme candy consumption is not a big concern when compared to the possible problems when unsupervised youths allow festivities to get out of hand. Better to offer a night full of holiday favorites that will keep them close to home even when the candy, scary movies and exuberance get a little nerve wracking.

A scary movie trivia game can be a great way to satisfy the kid’s desire for Halloween type activities while still encouraging them to use their minds. Before the party put together a bunch of index cards, you can decorate them if you like in Halloween colors, with a scary movie trivia question and the answer on it. These questions can be multiple choices if you like. Then at the party have the kids gather round and draw cards to take turns asking each other questions. You can keep track of who has the most right answers and give them a special treat at the end of the game.

Younger children can play the same type of trivia game but use cartoon characters or holiday images that are more familiar and less frightening. Guessing games can be adapted to any age group. These can be as simple as “I’m Thinking of a Number” where each has to write down his guess and the answer is drawn from a bowl. This can actually help young children reinforce learning their numbers. Simple games with fewer rules and quick conclusions are best. Attentions spans are usually shortened by the increased excitement level of this season.

Mrs. Party… Gail Leino is the internet’s leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies, using proper etiquette and manners while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. Visit Halloween Party has free Halloween games, activities and coloring pages for a fun Halloween holiday celebration.