KLUGMAN PLUMBS PAST IN SATISFYING 'EVENING'.

Byline: Julio Martinez  Correspondent

IN 1989, CANCER-STRICKEN actor Jack Klugman underwent surgery that removed a good portion of his larynx. ``An Evening With Jack Klugman,'' which opens the Falcon Theatre's second subscription season, is a thoroughly enjoyable two-hour sojourn down 81-year-old Klugman's memory lane.

With Falcon producing director Rowan Joseph serving as off-stage moderator, Klugman fields prewritten questions from the audience that run the gamut from his experiences as a slightly disreputable young lad from South Philly, to his early years as a struggling actor in New York, to his eventual successes on stage, TV and in films - and to his miraculous recovery from cancer.

Along the way, he offers colorful anecdotes about such luminaries as Henry Fonda, Humphrey Bogart, Ethel Merman, Judy Garland and a host of others. The evening evokes more the atmosphere of a cordial press conference than a theatrical production, but it still works. Divided into two acts, each segment of Klugman's discourse is preceded by a video montage.

Klugman readily admits that the four-minute first-act opener - filmed bloopers and outtakes from the Klugman/Tony Randall series, ``The Odd Couple'' - is aimed at getting the audience in the mood to laugh. Speaking into a handheld mike, Klugman demonstrates a voice that is raspy but quite audible and expressive.

Klugman utilizes each of the prewritten questions as a springboard for extended reveries on the different aspects of his life. When asked how he got into acting, Klugman launches into a captivating tale of his youthful addiction to gambling, which led to being pursued by loan sharks, his decision to get out of Philly and attend Pittsburgh's Carnegie Tech to study acting.

The year was 1945, and since most of the male youth of America were still in the service, the incoming freshman student body consisted of him and ``27 17-year-old virgins.'' Klugman is almost reverential when talking about his early years in New York, including rooming with Charles Bronson, touring with Henry Fonda in ``Mister Roberts,'' his Broadway debut with blacklisted actors Lee J. Cobb and John Garfield in the revival of ``Golden Boy,'' and his experience acing in such 1950s live television drama series as Playhouse 90.

One comical tale focuses on the improbable casting of Klugman to co-star opposite musical-comedy legend Ethel Merman in the original Broadway production of ``Gypsy.'' The second act is preceded by another video montage featuring some of Klugman's memorable feature-film appearances, including ``Days of Wine and Roses,'' ``12 Angry Men,'' ``Goodbye Columbus,'' and 1962's ``I Could Go on Singing'' - Judy Garland's final film role.

Though he lightheartedly reminisces about the making of his two hit series, ``The Odd Couple'' and ``Quincy,'' Klugman quite seriously communicates the deep gratitude he feels that he was able to live his life on his terms, including overcoming the disease that almost took away his most precious asset, his ability to speak.

AN EVENING WITH JACK KLUGMAN - Three stars

Where: Falcon Theatre, 4252 Riverside Drive, Burbank.

When: 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, 4 p.m. Sunday; through Oct. 19.

Tickets: $25 to $37.50. Call [phone].

In a nutshell: This decidedly informal Q&A offers rewarding insights into the 50-year career of a show-biz vet who battled throat cancer and won.