The Current Cinema Nirvana by Pauline Kael. Review of "Saturday Night Fever", suggested by Nik Cohn's June 7, 1976 "New York" cover story, "Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night...

Our Local Correspondents S.R.O. by Whitney Balliett. OUR LOCAL CORRESPONDENTS about jazz clarinettist Benny Goodman. Goodman, born of Russian-Jewish parents in Chicago in 1909, became a proficient clarinettist in his early teens. He put together his first band in 1932 and another in 1934, which became a weekly fixture on the three-hour Saturday-night "Let's...

The Talk of the Town Rehearsals by Jane Boutwell. Talk story about rehearsals of the Metropolitan Opera's new production of "Tannhauser." The production, which is the first new one of "Tannhauser" in twenty-four years, is directed by Otto Schenk and conducted by James Levine. Tells about two rehearsals which also involved David Stivender the chorus master, James McCracken...

Around City Hall Milestones by Andy Logan. Since the election most of those who voted for incumbent Mayor Abe Beame seem to have adjusted to the notion of Edward Koch as mayor. They may feel there will not be a dramatically different personality in City Hall. Within hours after the election Koch was being described by reporters...

The Talk of the Town The Mall by Ian Frazier. Talk story about a visit to the Bergen Mall in Paramus, N. J. to see the effects of Christmas...

Fiction Tales of the Swedish Army by Donald Barthelme. Suddenly, the narrator encounters a unit of the Swedish Army. Their vechicles are painted sand color, quite different from the American Army's dark green. He begins talking to a lieutenant, Bengt, who has a portable chess clock he has made himself. The narrator is on his way to his sister's...

Musical Events City Pastoral by Andrew Porter.

The Race Track Close, But Slew Gets It by G. F. T. Ryall. Lists the horses that will be honored at the Eclipse Awards Dinner in Miami on Jan. 27th. Steve Cauthen will receive an Eclipse Award...

Books Hard Times by Lis Harris.

Cartoon Subways by Lou Myers. Six cartoons, each with a one-word caption, depicting subway entrances...

The Talk of the Town Hunts Point by James Stevenson. Talk story about early morning visit to Hunts Point, produce market, on the desolate shoreline of the southeast Bronx. Describes the area, surrounded by high fences of corrugated steel topped with barbed wire with guard booths blocking the entrance. Outside the fence, there were a few prostitutes standing, and signs...

Fiction Small Family With Rooster by Daniel Asa Rose. Amy, Mark, and their baby, Billy, have left their farm and come to Charlottesville, Va., to visit Amy's affluent parents, the Hunts, for Christmas. The Hunts are selfish, snobbish, domineering people. The family is full of tension. Everyone misses Vance-- the Hunts' favorite son and Billy's godfather--who died a...

Comment by Jonathan Schell. Ever since the State of Israel was founded, in 1948, the nations of the world, including the U.S., have sought to bring peace to the Middle East. For nearly three decades, they tried every means, used every technique... None of it was of any avail. Then, a few weeks ago...

The Talk of the Town A Moody Business by Laura Fortenbaugh. Talk story about the New York Doll Hospital owned by Irving Chais and run by him and his older sister, Ronnie Chais, for almost thirty years. The hospital is located on Lexington Ave. in the low sixties (787 Lexington). Mrs. Tillie Lancet, Mr. Chais' mother-in-law, founded the shop...

The Art World (The Art Galleries) Twenty Years of Jasper Johns by Harold Rosenberg.

The Marts of Trade THE LAW SCHOOL AND THE NOODLE FACTORY by John Brooks. THE MARTS OF TRADE about the New York University School of Law which over the past generation derived a substantial portion of its income from the sale of spaghetti and related products as the sole beneficiary since 1947 of the profits of the C. F. Mueller Company, of Jersey City...

Poetry Elizabeth's War With The Christmas Bear: 1601 by Norman Dubie. The bears are kept by hundreds within fences...

Poetry Skirting the Calm by Nicholas Christopher. Isaiah the weatherman, next door...

Poetry Greetings, Friends! by Roger Angell. Come, Muses all, grab Bic and lyre...