Nearly 800 Pack Lowell JCR, Audition for Bit Parts in Film

With a $35 paycheck as their excuse, hundreds of Harvard students crammed their way into the Lowell House Junior Common Room yesterday with hopes of landing a job as an extra in "A Small Circle of Friends" which United Artists and MGM will film on the Harvard campus this spring.

Danielle Alexandra '79, in association with the "Side by Side" Council for the Performing Arts, arranged for the photographing and processing of 781 students who auditioned between 11 a.m. and 3:45 p.m.

"We want students who are real students, not kids who think they can act like them," she said yesterday.

"I'll wait here until hell freezes over," Jeffrey A. Horrowitz '80 said as he watched the line for applicants grow.

"I want to be a star and this is going to be my foot in the door," Jeff S. Martin '82 said yesterday.

The movie, starring Brad Davis (Midnight Express), and directed by Rob Cohen (The Wiz), concerns life in the '60s. Shooting at Harvard will begin March 26, Alexandra said.

Most students said the paycheck of $35 for 12 hours' work rather than the mystique of Hollywood prompted them to wait in line for two hours. "At $35 a day, who can turn it down?" Mark H. Hellmerichs '82 said yesterday.

John A. Rosenfeld '79 said, "They say they'll pay extra if you come in with a bike, so I'll bring two."

Specialties

One question on the application asked students to list their "special abilities." Rob P. Inches '80 said he wrote fencing is his forte. "I can't really fence, but what the hell, I'm just in it for the good time," he added.

The idea of working on a professional set is very appealing, Peter F. Walsh '82 said, adding "It's a weird, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"The whole thrust of 'Side by Side' is to bring professionals to the campus." Alexandra said. She wanted to use Harvard students in the film because "there is not enough professional outlook for students here."

Though the competition looked rigorous and the numbers of people overwhelming, most students kept smiling faces. "I can't take it all too seriously," Martin said. But when the photographer called his name, he stepped forward and said "See you in Hollywood."