Boxoffice-August.13.1979

IHMNM1
BOXOFFICE/AUGUST 1 3, 1 979
NEW YORK
The bitter controversy over the shooting of
"Cruisin'." the film in progress starring Al
Pacino as a cop investigating murders in
homosexual circles, has quieted down since
the initial protest two weeks ago In the pro
cess, director William Friedkin and producer
Jerry Weintraub have captured enough free
national publicity to earn a strong opening
next year. That, some say, was their intent jn
the first place, increased costs due to produc
lion delays notwithstanding
Gay rights demonstrators, who say the
movie will create "inflammatory and ex
plosive" reaction in their community, urged
boycotts of the businesses used in the Green
with Village location shooting, walked onto
sets and disrupted shots, and marched
1.000 strong chanting. "C'ruisin' must go" lJu
ly 25. 26).
All three New York dailies— the Times, the
News and the Post— reported in-depth on the
protests, and some commented on the
arguments in editorials or columns One com
ment came from Mayor Edward Koch who
refused the gays' demand to revoke "Cruisin s"
pemit to film. A forum was conducted in the
pages of the Soho Weekly News and the
Village Voice, which originally called attention
to the film's subject matter via columns
by gay affairs reporter Arthur Bell
Stories are circulating that the "C'ruisin"
filmmakers sent a page of the script to Bell,
who. finding the depiction of gay life objectionable,
urged nonviolent and violent disruption
of the shooting. The attendant uproar, it
is believed, would help add boxoffice dollars to
the originally dim prospects of a film based on
an unsuccessful book brought to the screen by
a director and an actor who have not had a hit
in several years.
Also shooting in the Big Apple: "Fame."
director Alan ("Midnight Express"! Parker's
first film made in the United States, is under
taking principal photography for the story set
in Manhattan's High School for Performing
Arts. It concerns the effects of eight
youngsters trying to make it professionally in
music, dance and drama.
The MGM presentation (to be released in
the United States by United Artistsi is produced
by Alan Marshall and David DeSilva from
an original screenplay by Christopher Gore.
John Cassavetes' "One Summer Night"
began location shooting at the end of July
The Columbia film pairs Gena Rowlands as a
former showgirl and gunman's moll who reluctantly
befriends a boy (Juan Adamsl whose
family dies in a gangland shooting.
Credits include executive producer Sam
Shaw and cmematographer Fred Shuler. and
cast Buck Henry, Julie Carmen and Lupc Gar
nica.
International Harmony has announced thai
"Rust Never Sleeps" will begin an exclusive
engagement at the Palladium on E. 1 4th
Street on Aug. 1 5. Featuring rock musician
Neil Young in concert, the film will be screen
ed 13 times during the five-day period. Tickets
went on sale through Ticketron last week
The distributors are aiming for an Aug. 29
start for theatrical run in the metropolitan
area. The Bernard Shakey film opened in Los
Angeles and drew nearly $85,000 in us first
week.
Meanwhile, the album of the same name
has entered the top 20 in all major national
sales charts Young is reportedly remixing "In
to the Black" for the singles market.
Another film relying heavily on a rock
act—"Rock n' Roll High School"—opened
Aug. 3 at the 8th Street Playhouse. The New
World release places American punk rock
group I he Ramones in Vmce Lombardi High.
a Southern California high school filled with
students who hate to sludy
There is a soundtrack album on Warner
Bros.' Sire label, and various record stores in
the Greenwich Village area near the 8th Street
theatre have erected window displays linking
the film and the LP. according to New World.
The movie, which made $10,784 in the first
weekend, is being aimed at the young rock 'n'
roll audience
the) must have wanted a T shirt very badly
On a sticky and rainy afternoon, the kids
began lining up at least two hours before the
doors were scheduled to open Aug. 3 for
United Artists Theatres' new fourplex in the
Bronx. In honor of the recently completed
renovations of the old 2,000-seat UA Inter
boro. the Tremont Avenue theatre handed out
free yellow shirts to the first patrons to enter.
The facility is highlighted by the single pro
jection room serving all four theatres and
equipped with devices enabling one projectionist
to unreel all four films at the same time.
Joseph Kelly. UA vice president, who installed
more than 400 theatres in his 20-year career,
designed the projection room, which runs
down the middle of the four piece, pie-shaped
structure.
The new theatre was hailed as an important
step in the increased revitalization of the
predominantly Irish Italian neighborhood ad
jacant to the Throgs Neck Bridge Attending
the ribbon^utting ceremony were Bronx
borough officials including president Stanley
Simon and ex-president and current Congressman
Mario Biaggi. From UA Theatres in
addition to Kelly: division manager Mel
Stewart. Mill Daly, vice president and general
manager. Daly's assistant . Saul Schreiber. and
publicist Herb Pickman.
Salah Hassanein, UATC president,
reportedly stopped in to check on the opening
day activity long before the guests arrived.
Hassanein was one of the many exhibitors
who look part in a trip to Europe furnished by
Sir Lew Grade. Toward the end of July, the
exhibs boarded the Queen Elizabeth II. and
sailed lo London, where ihey spent a few days
conferring with Grade, whose latest wellpublici/ed
project is "Sophie's Choice." The
guests were ihen flow n back via ihe Concorde.
hrench director Coline Serreau was in New
York Aug. 5-10 to meet the press in connection
with her film, "Why Not!." entering its
fourth week at the Pans. New Line Cinema
hopes the Robert McNeil presentation will be
opening there in the nexi six to eight weeks.
American International Pictures sneak
previewed "Something Short of Paradise"
Aug. 2 before a full house at the Beekman
Theatre. The contemporary romantic comedy
links comedian David Steinberg, in his first
leading role, with Susan Sarandon, who in re
cent roles has portrayed a prostitute ("Pretty
Bab>"( and a gypsy ("King of the Gypsies"!.
Ihe catchline lor the James G Gutman
Lester Berman production as it appeared in a
daily newspaper ad was. "Love isn't
blind. ..just a little nearsighted!" Al said the
picture will open in an East Side art house in
September or October.
Directed by David Helpern Jr. and written
by Fred Barron, the Samuel Z. Arkolf presen
lation also stars Marilyn Sokol and Jean
Pierre Aumoni.
AFD's "Ihe Muppet Movie" recently
hit
(he nullion^lollar mark alter six weeks in the
New York area. That covers three weeks in
five theatres and then three weeks in eight
theatres.
WASHINGTON
The Mlii'i- kt-ith Theatre's historic Beaux
Arts, white sione facade of five fronts, located
al 15th and G streets NW. across from the
Treasury Department in the White House
precinct, is about lo be razed, along with the
1,900.seal theatre and the ornate white stone
eight story building.
A $60 million office shopping complex is to
be constructed on the site by the Oliver T.
Carr development company. The 68 yearold
theatre was built for motion picture and
vaudeville entertainment. The last efforts for
showing motion pictures there were made a
year ago by exhibitor Don King, president of
the Town Theatre Group.
An editorial in The Washington Post con
cerning the theatre's demolition said, in part:
"There is a value to preserving the city's
history in sione. but there is also a value to
providing for the city's economic future."
Alexandria I able vision, the cable TV com
pany that the city council of nearby Alexan
dria. Va.. selected, expects to be operative by
1981 The award was made after Alexandria
Cablevision assured the council of its ability to
fund the $6.5 million system and begin local
programming and service to apartments and
private residents in 18 months.
Marty Zeidman, Columbia branch
manager, tradescreened "When a Stranger
Calls" July 31 and "American Success Com
pany" Aug. 2 at the Motion Picture Associa
lion of America's screening room. Both
releases are for fall distribution. The stars in
"When a Stranger Calls." named by Zeidman
in his invitation are Charles Durning. Carol
Kane and Colleen Dewhursl and starring in
"American Success Company" are Jeff
Bridges. Belinda Bauer and Ned Beatty.
Don Ritchie has been named manager of
Redstone Theatres' Queens Chapel Drive In.
Ritchie formerly was manager of the Laurel
Theatre al Laurel. Md., and also of the Elk
Theatre at Elkton. Md. The Boston based cir
cuil has two other drive-ins in this area, the
Mount Vernon and the Lee Highway.
R. Wade Pearson, president of NATO of
Washington, is back al his duties as director of
Neighborhood Theatres Northern Virginia
division, after serving as chairman of the mid
Atlantic regional NATO conference al
Virginia Beach. Md.. July 15 17.
Other NATO members in attendance from
here were: Paul Roth, president of Rolh
Theatres and a past president of NATO;
R ichard Olson. The Washington Star; Thomas
Camarda. The Washington Post; Roy
Tompkins, Neighborhood Theatres. Northern
Virginia division; Harman Martin, formerly of
Alexandria Amusement Co.. and son Philip:
Glen Norris. president of Glenoris Corp:
Harley Davidson, president of Independent
Theatres; Douglas Potash, United Artists
branch manager; Ned Glaser. Roth Theatres;
Samuel N Wheeler and son Ross. Wheeler
Films; Bob Rackensberger. Alliance
Distributing Co.; and Seth Hurwitz. manager
of the Ontario Theatre.
Ihe Ontario Theatre's screen is the largest
in the city . Manager Seth Hurwitz told Boxoi-Fic t
his triple admission feature programs at $2.50
per person were doing "incredibly well."
Grosses reached $9,300 the week the Ontario
programmed "Dawn of the Dead." "Frankenstein"
and "The Car."
15
"John Denver: Energy Conservation," a
new 35mm sound and color short subject. 4 Vi
minutes long, presented by the U.S. Depart
ment of Energy, is available on free loan to
theatres across the country. Requests should
be sent to ModcrnC inema 35. 2323 New
Hyde Park Road. New York 1 0042
Dan O'Bannon, screenwriter of the horror
movie "Alien." while here as a special guest of
the science fiction convention, explained thai
he had desired to create movie monsters on a
new plateau, to put new demons into public
consciousness and to speak directly to the un
conscious—carnivorously— so the audience
would have a feeling of primal evil. O'Bannon
said he had written his script "unisex " Ridley
Scotl. the director, and rewruers created male
and female characters. They determined thai a
woman, played by Sigourney Weaver, would
be warrant officer Ripley and the last person
lo face the monster, which. O'Bannon said,
pleased him. "Alien." a 20th Century Fox
release, is in its 1 1 th "smash hit" week, playing
the Uptown and saven other area situations.
Fredell Pogodin, Universal publicist based
at the Cherry Hill. N.J.. office, accompanied
star Sylvia Kristcl here to plug "Concorde—Airport
79" on July 27 The feature
opens Aug. 17
Movie openings in this exchange area in
eluded 20th Fox's "Breaking Away" and
United Artists' "Wanda Nevada" on Aug. I.
Other features, which unveiled later thai
week, were: Warner Bros' "Beyond the
Poseidon Adventure." Universale "More
American Graffiti" and Paramount* "North
Dallas Forty."
®See Bud Orton or Joe Testa al
The American International release "The
Anutyville Horror." which debuted July 27 in
12 area theatres, is a "Ho Hum Horror." and.
wrote the Post's movie critic Gary Arnold.
"Being presold, the film version should do a
good business until the news about the lack of
thrills gels around."
"Apocalypse Now" is scheduled lo
premiere in the Washington exchange area
Oct. 5. Douglas Potach, United Artists branch
manager, screened for exhibitors the "long
awaited much bally hooed" film at the Motion
Picture Association of America on Aug. 6.
The 139-minute feature stars Marlon Brando.
Robert Duvall. Martin Sheen and Denis Hop
per. Duvall is a native of nearby Alexandria.
Va.. where his parents still reside.
"The Great Saniini." in which Duvall slurs.
produced by Hollywood's Charles Pratt lor
Bing Crosby Productions, was previewed
recently at MPAA by Defense Department officials.
Producer Pratt was here from the West
Coast. Bernard Baruch. acting chief of the
department's audiovisual division told Bovn
Fit E that the department gave assistance in
the picture's filming, such as ihe use of Marine
installations at Parris Island. S.C.. and ihe use
of air craft. Duvall's nexi picture will be
"Angelo My Love." which he expects lo pro
duce and direct from his original script.
American International, which is
celebraling us 25th year, sneaked "Something
Shorl of Paradise" at General C mema's
Jenifer II Aug 2. The feature's commercial
release is scheduled for Oct. 26. Ira Miller.
Al's branch manager, said his company's cur
rent entry. "The Amityville Horror." is "the
hu of the summer." "Meteor" will unreel Oct.
19.
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