Finally, Sally Kellerman Weekend is here!
All right, things haven't quite escalated to that level of officialdom yet. Still, all the hoopla surrounding the Oscar-nominated actress' visit here suggests commemorative T-shirt hawkers might already be gathering outside the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema.
That's where Kellerman will appear Sunday morning for a special screening of "M*A*S*H," the 1970 movie that showed war in a whole new way, put famed director Robert Altman on the map and, oh, by the way, paved the way for one of TV's greatest sitcoms.
"This was kind of a surprise hit for Altman and the studio, because it was [initially] thought to be this low-budget service comedy," Emory University film and media studies department chair Matthew Bernstein said of "M*A*S*H," which takes place in a U.S. Army field hospital unit during the Korean War. With its "amazing combination of gore and humor that showed, 'This is war itself,'" Bernstein said, "M*A*S*H" outgrossed the much higher profile "Patton" by nearly $12 million at the box office that year, despite being made for one-quarter of its budget.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Kellerman, who played nurse Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the movie.
Emphasis on the "A" part. Wherever that might lead.
"It ain't about being perfect, it's about being free and fun," Kellerman, 75, exulted from California last week. "That's what this has become: having a blast and connecting with the audience."
By "this" she means not only Sunday's extended "M*A*S*H"-note (a benefit for the "Friends of Film" at Emory, it includes a brunch at Apres Diem). Kellerman will also perform her cabaret show for the first time in Atlanta Friday and Saturday nights at Jerry Farber's Side Door in Buckhead.
It might surprise fans who mostly know Kellerman from her wide range of screen roles — the only survivor of the title character's fiendish clutches in 1968's "The Boston Strangler, Rodney Dangerfield's gal-pal in the beloved-by-a-generation 1986 romp "Back to School," etc. — to learn she's also a serious jazz singer with two well-received albums to her credit.
"It's hard for people to get their heads around the idea that an actress could be a singer, because, let's face it, every actress sings," Kellerman quipped in the signature husky tone that's also made her a successful voice-over artist (Think: Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing commercials). "But this is the real deal. It's so much fun, I feel like I'm a 15-year-old out there."
This harmonic convergence between Hot Lips and Hotlanta was forged by Howard Osofsky, an Avondale Estates attorney. After meeting Kellerman's movie producer-husband Jonathan Krane ("Primary Colors, "Look Who's Talking") and learning of her singing chops, Osofsky suggested the Farber's gigs as fundraisers for worthy local causes and arranged the screening with Bernstein. And — this just in — on Sunday night, the star will tell tales of Hollywood and more at a Farber's event Osofsky's dubbed "Sally Kellerman Unplugged."
Sounds perfect to put on a commemorative T-shirt.
EVENT PREVIEW
"Sally Kellerman Live and On Stage"
8:30 p.m. July 28 and 8 p.m. July 29. $50, advance purchase at www.xorbia.com. Jerry Farber's Side Door, 3652 Roswell Road, Atlanta. 770-738-3000, http://jerryfarberssidedoor.squarespace.com
"M*A*S*H" Screening, with Sally Kellerman Live
10:15 a.m. July 29. $25 and $75 (includes ticket to the screening, followed by a VIP Champagne Brunch with Kellerman afterwards at Apres Diem), advance purchase at www.xorbia.com. Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, 931 Monroe Drive, Atlanta. 678-495-1424, www.landmarktheatres.com
"Sally Kellerman - Inside the Actor's Studio"
7:30 p.m. July 29. $25, advance purchase at www.xorbia.com. Jerry Farber's Side Door, 3652 Roswell Road, Atlanta. 770-738-3000, http://jerryfarberssidedoor.squarespace.com
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