PAINFUL ASSIGNMENT

Wasn’t it last year that Cannon Films announced a comedy called “Who’s in the Closet?” to be directed by Mel Frank, with George Segal as the father of a gay son in his 20s? Since we hadn’t heard much since, we got to wondering if the AIDS issue had derailed the project.

Frank, readying MGM’s “Bobo” with Howie Mandel for March release, wouldn’t discuss the “Closet” storyline, but said that the AIDS issue “makes the main point of our story more poignant and topical each passing day. The word AIDS will never be in it. (But) I think there’s tremendous importance to this (subject)--our script treats homosexuality with great compassion, as something as other than reeking of illness.”

Script discussions continue and he fully expects “to be making this picture within 18 months.”