On the Record

By Guy D. Garcia

He first appeared as the lusty Greek peasant in the 1964 film, which earned him an Oscar nomination for best actor. Now, 19 years later, Anthony Quinn, 68, is once again playing Zorba, this time in the flesh. Looking a little older and maybe even wiser, Quinn this week opens in a Broadway revival of a 1968 musical version, which originally starred Herschel Bernard!. The intervening years have hardly mellowed the Mexican-born Quinn's old-fashioned machismo. "Men don't know where they are with this women's liberation," he says. "I don't see many men today. I see a lot of guys running around television with small waists. But I don't see many men." Is Quinn still man enough to play the feisty Zorba? Boasts he: "Today I'm a better Zorba. Before, I had to paint my hair white. Now I'm just right."

It was not exactly your standard duet on last week's Country Music Awards show. There was Willie Nelson, the crusty country and western singer, sharing the stage--and microphone--with Julio Iglesias, the Latin crooner who does not serenade his multinational audiences in a good ole boy's drawl. The unusual pairing came about after Nelson heard about Iglesias during a visit to London. The two got together to record the oldie As Time Goes By for Nelson's next album, and for Iglesias' next LP they did To All the Girls I've Loved Before, which they sang together on the televised awards show. Who knows? They might even win one of the awards next time. Nelson did in fact win Vocal Duo of the Year last week. But paired with a more certified country boy, Merle Haggard.

The 20 billboards around Nottinghamshire, England, were certainly attention grabbers. They asserted that Ronald Reagan has "never had a pint of Mansfield." That was true enough. The President had never even heard of the small, 150-year-old local brew. The ad, with its crafty nonendorsement endorsement, was designed to "provoke intrigue," explains Mansfield Marketing Director Richard Lewis. The brewery was careful, however, not to provoke the White House, which voiced no objections because the picture was in the public domain. But Lewis piously protests he would never take similar advantage of a British politician. The U.S. Chief Executive was chosen, he says, because "we don't think a picture of President Reagan in Nottinghamshire is going to affect the outcome of the next presidential election." Hmm. Even now the wheels may be turning at some U.S. brewery. "She may have recaptured the Falklands, but she's never hoisted a. . ."

The faces are of the famous--politicians, writers, composers, artists and movie stars. But in the half-century that he spent capturing their images, Yousuf Karsh, 74, himself became celebrated as a master of the photographic portrait. A tribute to Karsh's artistry, some 80 prints, is currently on view at the International Center of Photography in Manhattan, which is displaying his work in conjunction with the publication of Karsh: A Fifty-Year Retrospective. The book ranges from his classic picture of Winston Churchill, which became a symbol of British resistance during World War II, to a recent photo of Italy's leading lady. "When an actress has the intelligence and professionalism as well as the beauty of Sophia Loren," says Karsh, "photographing her becomes a highly enjoyable collaboration."

On the Record

J. William Fulbright, 78, former U.S. Senator: "Every contest with the Russians we've got to win. There's no thought that you compromise. We have this football mentality. Win, win, win."

Marvin Mitchelson, 54, palimony lawyer, on prenuptial contracts: "In nine of ten agreements I've drawn up, the couples eventually got divorced. It might be a wise legal move, but it sure isn't romantic." This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.