TO LORD

I wk
Rocky' Records 425
n Cleveland Sixth
CLEVELAND—Bolstered by victors al
|r victory, "Rocky" grossed 425 in its sixth
:ek to lead .ill first runs, "Black Sunday"
tened at 255 while "Demon Seed" spawn
.1 ISO iii us i ii si week, Oilier strong
ildovers were "Airport '77" ,a 285 .md
llap Shot" ,u 240.
29e Is 100)
Ihecrtr.-:. Airport '77 (Univ), 2nd wk 285
a theatres— Black Sunday (Para) 255
s theatres—Demon Seed (MGM/UA) ...
e theatres—Network (MGM/UA), 8th wk. 145
e theatres—Slap Shot (Univ). 2nd wk 240
theatres—The Domino Principle (Emb),
wk 95
heatres—The Eagle Has Landed (Col),
145
theatre—Bruka. Queen of Evil: Duel Dragons
SB) 200
e theatre—Freaky Friday (BV), 7th wk 140
• theatre—The Town That Dreaded Sundown
A1P). 4th wk ... 50
theatres—Rocky (UA), 6th wk. .425
o Iheati -Wizards (20th-Fox), 5th wk 85
Hagle Has Landed Drive
o Assist Detroit Zoo
DETROIT—To herald the March 25
emiere of Columbia Pictures' wartime esonage
drama, "The Eagle Has Landed,"
:atres in the Detroit area showing the
m have collected donations from patrons
"adopt" a male eagle at the Detroit Zoo
>r one year.
The Detroit Zoo's male eagle died last
ill and it has petitioned the federal governlent
for another mate for the remaining
male eagle. The zoo is expecting to have
s request fulfilled soon. If the nine Detroit
•ea theatres participating in the promotion
'uild raise $1,000 in donations from movie
'ttrons attending performances of "The
.igle Has Landed." that sum would be
, tough to pay for the care and feeding of
M new eagle for one year.
"The Eagle Has Landed," rated PG. is
ased on a best-selling novel by Jack Higins.
It stars Michael Caine, Donald Sutherind.
Robert Duvall and Jean Marsh and
pened at nine area theatres, including the
lien Park, the Americana, the Gateway.
le Livonia Cinema, the Macomb Cinema,
le Pontiac Cinema, the Quo Vadis. the
omerset Cinema and the Warren Cinema.
The "Adopt An Eagle" promotion will
ontinue throughout the run of the film
ere and all funds collected will be donated
l the zoo.
^id-America Names Rosen
To Helm Detroit Office
DETROIT— Rick Rice, president of
lid-America Releasing, has announced the
poning of a Detroit office and the appointment
of Bob Rosen as branch manager.
Rosen, formerly a buyer for General
inema in Detroit, previously was associjted
with Paramount Pictures' office here.
M'd-America Releasing's office will be
Pealed at 23300 Greenfield. Oak Park.
A Chicago-based film distribution company,
Mid-America Releasing, represents
'".dependent production firms and distributes
their product in Illinois. Wisconsin and
>tichiean.
Marcel Ophuls to Make PA April 24
At Film Festival in
l \ I 111 \s. oiiio The >77
l
Athens International
Film and Video Festival, the
largest of its type in the Mideast, got under
waj Fridaj (15). Featuring presentations at
the \llicna Cinema and at the Ohio University,
Festival '77 continues through Saturday
(30). The 16-day event is scheduled
to be highlighted by film and video screenings,
animation and film workshops, guest
appearances, seminars, premieres and film
and video equipment exhibits.
A major feature of Festival '77 is the premiere
program, which includes such films
as "Idi Amin Dada," a controversial documentary
by Barbet Schroeder; "Kings of
the Road." by Wim Wenders. winner of the
critics' prize at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival;
"The Story of Sin," by Walerian Borowczyk,
and "Edvard Munch," by Peter
Watkins.
'Modern European Directors'
The festival's theme is "Modern European
Directors" and underscoring it is a
major retrospective of European films rarel)
seen in this particular geographical area.
Included are: "Stavisky." by Alain Resnais
(France): "Fox and His Friends," by Rainer
Fassbinder (West Germany): "Lancelot du
Lac," by Robert Bresson (France); "WR-
Mysteries of the Organism," by Dusan
Makavejev (Yugoslavia); "Every Man for
Himself." by Werner Herzog (West Germany),
and "My Friends." by Mario Monicelli
(Italy).
The festival also features film tributes
honoring independent filmmakers. Included
are James Broughton, Robert Breer and
Chick Strand. These filmmakers plan to be
in attendance at the festival.
Marcel Ophuls. internationally acclaimed
documentary filmmaker, is scheduled to
make a personal appearance. His "The
Memory of Justice" (1976) will be screened
Sunday afternoon (24) in the Athena Cinema
and the director will deliver an address,
then discuss the film, his latest, that
evening at 7:30 p.m. in Ohio University's
Baker Center Ballroom.
'Memory' Print
Uncut
"The Memory of Justice" focuses on the
Nuremberg Trials and on events in Algeria
and Vietnam, probing problems of personal
conscience and accountability in wartime.
I he print to be screened at the festival will
be uncut. Ophuls. now 49. currently is
teaching at Princeton.
The festival also will be screening approximately
300 competition entries in the
categories of feature, video, experimental.
animation, narrative. 100-foot film and
documentary. Countries of origin include
Canada. Holland. Poland, England and
Yugoslav i.i
Judges for the festival will include: Lee
G. irmes. distinguished HolKwood cinematographer
who will
chair the features panel;
Athens, Ohio
(Irani Munro. who will represent the National
Film Board ol < anada; Kathy Rose,
winner Ol the 1474 and 1476 animation
awards at the Athens International Film
Festival; Edgar Daniels, film critic for Filmmakers
Newsletter, and Richard Blumcnberg,
from the department of cinema and
photography at Southern Illinois University.
Tickets for the festival are available at all
Ticketron outlets in Ohio, In-depth details
concerning the program may be obtained by
calling (614) 595-6888.
Alger Theatre Is Closed,
Product Shortage Cited
DETROIT—The 900-seat Alger Theatre,
showhouse at East Warren and Outer Drive
owned by Suburban Detroit Theatres, has
shuttered because of a lack of business, according
to a spokesman. Built in 1932, the
Alger was remodeled just six years ago to
compete with modern suburban movie theatres.
The decline of the Alger, according to
one observer, came "more from the shortage
of quality films than from a lack of
patrons."
The Punch and Judy Theatre, on Kercheval
in Grosse Pointe Farms, has been
dark during the winter months. One of the
theatre's owners. Robert Edgar, said there
are "several parties" interested in leasing
and operating the house.
Said Edgar, "Theatre owners have to pay
so much for the first-run films they can't
run them at a profit." He noted, however,
that by presenting less costly second-runs,
enough patrons were not attracted to realize
a profit.
The Vogue, another east-side movie
house at Harper and Cadieux, is reported
to be "struggling along." R&R Theatre Co..
which operates the Esquire Theatre on
East Jefferson in Grosse Pointe Park, said
business is down, even with a $1.25 admission
price.
R&R's Robert Patansu said the Esquire
would continue to operate "but business
is definitely down from a year ago. It's the
product, not the prices, which keep people
away from the movie houses. The product
is terrible right now. The theatre owners
depend entirely on HolKwood. yet we have
no control over what we get."
Patansu stated that only 700 of the 900
seats in the Esquire are filled, usually, even
though the admission charge is less than
half that asked at first-run houses. "We
never close to a sellout." he lamented.
Plitt division manager Jack Cataldo declared.
"We've got a basic product shortage
When the movie product was abundant, we
used to change films twice a week. Now.
between the shortage oi quality films and
what they're producing on TV. the audience
is staying at home."
Plitt Theatres operates the Woods 1 and
2 on Mack in Grosse Pointe Woods.
iOXOFTICE :: April 18, 1977 ME-1