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re:<br />
'Close Encounters' Trio<br />
To UFO Conference<br />
BURBANK, CALIF.—Three principals<br />
behind the production of "Close Encounter-,<br />
of the lliird Kind." described as "the<br />
most ambitious production in the 52-year<br />
history of Columbia Pictures." will address<br />
the first International UFO Conference in<br />
Acapulco. Mexico, Tuesday afternoon (19).<br />
The week-long conclave opens Sunday (17).<br />
Appearing before the 3,000 delegates,<br />
drawn from every nation, will be Julia<br />
Phillips, producer of "Close Encounters of<br />
the Third Kind"; the film's director-writer<br />
Ste\en Spielberg, and its technical adviser.<br />
Dr. J. Allen Hynek, professor of astronomy<br />
at Northwestern University and founder<br />
and director of the Center for UFO Studies.<br />
Dr. Hynek's address. "Close Encounters<br />
Today," will be followed by a screening of<br />
a featurette based on the making of Columbia's<br />
suspense-mystery drama about UFO<br />
phenomena. After the screening. Ms. Phillips,<br />
who co-produced the Oscar-nominated<br />
"Taxi Driver," and Spielberg, who directed<br />
"Jaws." will discuss their work on "Close<br />
Encounters," which will be Columbia's<br />
Christmas release.<br />
The Mexican government is sponsoring<br />
the Acapulco UFO conference and the governments<br />
of the United States, Grenada,<br />
Indonesia and Brazil also will be represented<br />
among the 30 official<br />
speakers. UFO experts<br />
from many nations are registered for<br />
the event, which is expected to open the<br />
way for international agreements and government<br />
awareness of the UFO problem.<br />
Ron Perkins Is Appointed<br />
Sunn V-P, Eastern Region<br />
l.OS ANGELES—Clair Farley, vicepresident<br />
'operations.<br />
Sunn Classic Pictures,<br />
has announced the appointment of Ron<br />
Perkins as vice-president of Sunn Classic<br />
Pictures, Eastern Region.<br />
Perkins started in<br />
distribution with American<br />
National Enterprises as a theatre representative<br />
with the film "Alaskan Safari"<br />
and in 1969 was promoted to assistant district<br />
manager. In May 1971 he joined Sunn<br />
Classic as Syracuse. N.Y., branch manager.<br />
then was transferred in 1975 to Sunn's Detroit<br />
office as manager.<br />
In his new position, Perkins will be in<br />
charge of the Detroit. Boston and Toronto<br />
branches but will remain based in Detroit<br />
at 23300 Greenfield. Oak Park, Mich.<br />
Jim Slatter has been named to succeed<br />
Perkins as Detroit branch manager.<br />
Crown, Cinepix Finalize<br />
Film Distribution Deal<br />
BEVERLY HILLS—Crown International<br />
Pictures has set a distribution deal with<br />
Cinepix of Montreal, Que., for the French<br />
version of "The Pom Pom Girls" and<br />
"Death Machines." it was announced by<br />
George M. Josephs, Crown general sales<br />
manager.<br />
After eight weeks in Paris at seven theatres.<br />
The Pom Pom Girls" is holding and<br />
looking to a gross of over $1,750,000.<br />
Edward and Mildred Lewis on Tour<br />
Promoting Brothers/ WB Release<br />
By JOHN COCCHI<br />
NEW YORK. — Edward and Mildred<br />
Lewis, a husband-and-wife team ol writers<br />
and producers, are involved with the promotion<br />
of their new film "Brothers," a Warner<br />
Bros, release about racism in prison.<br />
Although based on the Angela Davis-Soledad<br />
brothers affair to some extent and having<br />
a cast headed by Bernie Casey, Vonetta<br />
McGee and Ron O'Neal, the new film is not<br />
another black exploitationer. Rather, it's a<br />
plea for brotherhood and for reform of<br />
prison conditions which still exist.<br />
Long List<br />
of Credits<br />
The Lewises have been prolific both as<br />
individuals and as a team. Edward was a<br />
producer-writer for Kirk Douglas' Bryna<br />
Productions and produced such films as<br />
"Spartacus," "Lonely Are the Brave." "The<br />
List of Adrian Messenger" and "Seven Days<br />
in May." For John Frankenheimer. he produced<br />
"Seconds," "Grand Prix," "The Fixer"<br />
and "The Gypsy Moths," among others.<br />
He was executive producer on "The Blue<br />
Bird" and three American Film Theatre<br />
presentations, "The Iceman Cometh," "Lost<br />
In the Stars" and "Rhinoceros." Mildred<br />
produced the cult classic "Harold and<br />
Maude." Together, the Lewises started out<br />
with an adaptation of Balzac. "The Lovable<br />
Cheat" (1949), and did "Executive Action"<br />
(1973), about President Kennedy's assassination.<br />
Filming of "Brothers" was done mainly<br />
at North Dakota State Penitentiary. Director<br />
Arthur Barron, whose output has included<br />
"Jeremy" and the documentary<br />
"Johnny Cash: The Man. His World. His<br />
Music," and the leading actors worked with<br />
actual prisoners and guards, many of whom<br />
appear in the film. Warden Joseph Havener<br />
is seen as the warden onscreen. Since there<br />
is only one black actually in prison there,<br />
other blacks had to be recruited from Minot<br />
Air Force Base. The white convicts are part<br />
of an acting class and one claims to have<br />
been in an old James Cagney prison picture.<br />
Davis Liked Film<br />
While Lewis stresses that Vonetta Mc-<br />
Gee's college professor-activist character is<br />
not really Angela Davis, he does admit that<br />
her letters to George Jackson in prison were<br />
used for their eloquence. Further, one of<br />
the Lewises' daughters was a student of<br />
Davis at UCLA. Now on the college lecture<br />
circuit, Davis continues to champion the<br />
causes of blacks in prison. She attended a<br />
recent screening of "Brothers" and loved<br />
it. according to Lewis.<br />
The score by Taj Mahal was composed<br />
after the film was completed. While Mahal<br />
never wrote a word or a note of music, he<br />
developed ideas in his head after repeated<br />
viewings and ad-libbed the full score at the<br />
recording session. Lewis states that the<br />
score lor the Warner Bros, album and sheet<br />
music was gotten directly from the sound<br />
track.<br />
The Lewises have so tar touted "Brothers''<br />
in Washington. D. C, Dallas (at its<br />
Film Festival), Michigan State University<br />
in 1 ansing, Detroit, New York and Baltimore,<br />
with Casey also touring many of the<br />
same cities. The film opened at the National<br />
and Fine Arts Theatres in New York on<br />
March 31 and then bowed in Baltimore<br />
on Wednesday (6). Other openings<br />
include Chicago and Los Angeles Wednesday<br />
(20) and Lansing and Detroit, Mich., at<br />
the end of April.<br />
Privately<br />
financed without benefit of distributor.<br />
"Brothers" was instantly picked<br />
up for release by Warner Bros. The Lewises<br />
hope to have a major success with the film<br />
and plan their next project. "The Snipers."<br />
about the Spanish Civil War, to start production<br />
this summer. As for "Brothers."<br />
Lewis wants it judged not as a black exploitation<br />
film but only on its own merits.<br />
Alan Flohr, Jeff Reinus<br />
Join AIP Field Forces<br />
HOLLYWOOD—Preparing to release<br />
nine films, American International Pictures<br />
has added Alan Flohr and Jeff Reinus as<br />
fieldmen to its national publicity-promotion<br />
force.<br />
Flohr, who has been assigned to work<br />
out of the company's Denver exchange,<br />
was director of advertising and publicity<br />
for Wolfberg Theatres seven years. His AIP<br />
assignment includes the Denver. Salt Lake<br />
Omaha 'Des Moines. Minneapolis and<br />
City,<br />
Milwaukee territories. Reinus' AIP territory<br />
will be the Los Angeles. San Francisco and<br />
Seattle exchanges. Prior to his new assignment,<br />
he had been in AIP's Beverly Hills<br />
advertising department; his headquarters<br />
for his new work will continue to be in the<br />
same AIP building.<br />
Other AIP field representatives: Sue Edwards.<br />
Dallas-based, covering the Dallas.<br />
Oklahoma Citv. Memphis and K.uis.is CitJ<br />
exchanges; Dave Tribble. Atlanta-based.<br />
serving Atlanta. Jacksonville. Charlotte.<br />
Washington. DC. and the New Orleans<br />
exchanges: Doug Hugelmaier. based in<br />
Philadelphia, serving that exchange as well<br />
as Buffalo. Boston. Pittsburgh and Cleveland;<br />
Ralph Schiller. Indianapolis-based,<br />
responsible tor Indianapolis. Detroit. Chicago,<br />
Cincinnati and St. Louis.<br />
Being publicized and promoted b\ this<br />
field force, under the direction of Milton<br />
Moritz, senior vice-president in charge ol<br />
advertising, are these AIP features: "The<br />
Island o( Dr. More. in " and "Empire o\ the<br />
Ants." both Cinema 77 Films: "Final Chapter—Walking<br />
Tall." "People That Time<br />
.•i." "Tentacles." "Joy Ride." "Trapped?'<br />
" Hie I ittle Girl Who I ives Down the<br />
Lane" and "Breaker' Breaker!"<br />
BOXOFTICE :; April 11, 1977