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A young rock star, Paul Winters (Tim Hutton, above) gets fed up with all those adoring teenyboppers and runs off for a few days to find some peace and quiet. What he finds instead is Sultan, a 400-pound Bengal tiger. That's the story lie--honest--of "Sultan and the Rock Star," a Disney TV-movie scheduled for next spring on NBC.
Tim and Sultan became good pals, engaging, as pals will, in playful roughhouse. The way to survive this camaraderie, Tim learned from trainer Joe Campassi (above, right), is with affection, not whip-cracking. That is, one speaks softly to a tiger--incredibly good advice--and one does not turn one's back (that's Sultan's cue to attack). Further, one tries not to perspire unduly of appear to be scared witless, since these things may cause Sultan to forget his manners, ever, so momentarily, and mistake one for a tasty gazelle. So, no sweat, Tim. Just get in there and--hold that tiger!