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