Lindsay Wagner creates the impression that James Garner would give "acting" lessons to Timothy Bottoms.



She's not referring to before-the-camera coaching, but to the manner in which one should act
towards others. Lindsay co-starred in "The Paper Chase" with the young man who's fast gaining a reputation as highly opinionated and terribly surly.



She came away from the tension-filled production experience so discouraged that she was actually seriously considering giving up her career. "It was only my second movie part." says Lindsay. "And I had to ask myself, 'Do you really care enough about the profession to put up with such strife?'"



Obviously, her answer was "yes." Because Lindsay was very much available when Universal started its search for the guest lead actress in the James Garner "The Rockford Files" pilot which aired last month as an NBC movie.



Working with Garner, she says, gave her a chance to discover that actors can be a thoughtful, gracious lot. "Jim's a fantastic person," she says, "with a tremendous sense of humor. If all my future acting assignments turn out to be as enjoyable, I'll want to stay in the business forever."



As to the business that she and Sen. John Tunney have been carrying on a torrid romance, she explains that the situation (as reported elsewhere) has been grossly exaggerated. "We dated twice and that was it. Hardly seriously."



Hardly casual is her current relationship with director John Hancock. It's become so serious, in fact, that Hancock has given up his New York home and has moved into a Malibu pad — just to be close to the lovely Lindsay.

Marilyn Beck, Hollywood Hotline