The Akron Beacon Journal from Akron, Ohio • Page 18

rtsiDiniinnieinit Saturday, June 23, 1979 Akron Beacon Journal C5 Durango: Western filmmakers ,4 ft Zi 4 riih'f iiiMiimrtiiMtinv iff-i-i nfcawimMriiiHwiwiiniffni "Going South," "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid," "The Scalp Hunters" and "A Man Called Horse" among them. In the Far West, a downtown Durango bar and restaurant, poster-size pictures identify some of the stars who've worked here: Clark Gable, Robert Jvlitchum, Robert Ryan, Audrey Hepburn, Dean Martin, Charlton Heston, Glenn Ford, Lee Marvin. John Wayne, whose death was as painful to Durangans who consider him almost a national hero as it was to Americans, made eight westerns in Durango. They include "Big Jake," "Chisiim," "The War Wagon" and "The Train Robbers." American film companies aren't the only ones who take advantage of low labor costs and magnificent landscapes here to make movies that might otherwise be impossible. The Mexican film industry makes frequent use of Durango, as do filmmakers from other countries.

American producers have discovered that Durango can be used for films other than Westerns. "Who'll Stop the Rain?" about heroin smuggling, with Nick Nolte and Now, however, it's time for another Western "Cattle Annie and Little Britches," a film based on the true story of two teen-age girls from New England who ran off to join one of the Old West's last outlaw gangs. It is Lancaster's fourth film in Durango. He made his first in 1959 and his most recent in 1970. To producer Rupert Hitzig, the weather is one of the big things, but not the biggest.

According to him, the film could not have been made anywhere else. "We are at $5 million right on the nose," he said. "It would have cost us another $1.5 million to shoot in the U.S. and there's just no way we could have gotten that money." The savings come at every level. Extras can be hired for $14 to $16 a day, horses trained to take falls and ignore gunshots cost $10 to $15 a day and the wranglers that handle them work full time for $60 a week.

But the starting point for production savings is at the western sets, each of which has been used over Bart Lancaster venture John Wayne all-time champ and over. Although most of them are either being lived in by locals or vandalized by them from the moment the film company wraps up and leaves, the shells and foundations remain. Tuesday Weld was shot here two years ago. Earlier this year, Telly Savalas completed work on "The Border," which is about migration from Mexico into the U.S. By JACK MATHEWS KtWght-Ridoer Newt Service CHUPADEROS, Mexico Director Lamont Johnson had a final word with Burt Lancaster on the steps of the Empire City Bank, then stepped back and gestured to one of his assistants.

"All right, let's take one," he said. "Silencio, por favor!" the Mexican set boss roared into his megaphone. "Silencio, por favor!" "Is this rehearsal or are we shooting?" asked Rod Steiger, one of Lancaster's co-stars in "Cattle Annie and Little Britches," a Western being filmed in this high Mexican desert country 600 miles south of the Texas border. "We're shooting, Rod," Johnson said. "Fine.

OK," Steiger said, setting i his feet wide apart on the porch of the City Hall across from the bank. Steven Ford, youngest son of former President Gerald Ford and a rookie doing his first acting turn as 'a sheriff's deputy, took his position the right and behind Steiger. Just as the order was being given to roll the film, one of Chupade-ros' low-slung, hungry pigs waddled into camera range, pushing his snout through the dusty ground in search of food. One of the Mexican extras got the pig turned around, then gave him a boot in the ham that sent him squealing back toward the tiny adobe village that adjoins the movie set. The filming continued.

Normally, Johnson said, the pigs are welcome. They add authenticity to the scene. They and the chickens and dogs of Chupaderos, who compete for the leftovers from the crew's lunches, are just one advantage to filming westerns in the State of Durango. "We've even tried to shoo them ONTO the set," Johnson said, "but they pretty much go where they want." The western street at Chupaderos which is eight miles north of the state capital, also named Durango is one of more than 60 locations within a radius of 40 miles. The country is big and undeveloped and offers almost every imaginable form of topography to filmmakers.

"Cattle Annie and Little Britches" is the 66th movie to be made in Durango, the busiest film location in the world outside Hollywood. More than half of them were made by Americans! Most were Westerns "The Wild Bunch," Beyond the fact that it is cheaper to get things done in Mexico, the list of advantages for shooting Westerns here reads like the flip side of a sales pitch for a housing development back home: There are thousands of square miles of land without buildings, telephone poles, highways or other evidence of man to shoot around. There is no radio interference to complicate transmissions between crews being maneuvered by radio. There are few jetliners cutting their tell-tale streaks through the sky or adding a low hum to the sound tapes. As for the weather, yes, it's nearly perfect.

From October through May, it rarely rains and the sky strikes the same spectacular blue pose every day. The terrain doesn't change, leaves don't fall from the trees, the water levels in rivers and streams remain steady. All of which, Hitzig says, means there are no "matching" problems: You can mark your scene at the end of one day and pick it up the next or three months later, if necessary and have it look identical. Last week, however, "Cattle Annie" was having to scramble to get itself in the can before the rainy season washed it away. At the peak of the wet season, you can expect some rain two out of every three days and the season begins well, on schedule.

There's not a lot for Americans to do here. Unless you speak Spanish, you can't even learn much about it. Very few Durangans speak English, including, sadly, hotel clerks, waiters, rent-a-car people and pharmacists vital if one hopes to buy a cure for "la turis-tas," a bacterial bushwacker that fells any gringo unwary enough to drink the water. Meanwhile, Rod Steiger, Steven Ford, Diane Lane and the other Americans here wrapping up "Cattle Annie" content themselves with each other's company in an area somebody called "Detroit's graveyard," because of the number of 20 and 30-year-old American cars lumbering down Durango's narrow streets. The only thing cheap about owning a car here is the price of gasoline 48 cents a gallon.

A new American car, because of taxes imposed by the government, costs twice as much as in the States. Orchestra's 'fantasy' slow starting By LEON DOBBS Beacon Journal Staff Writer That old saying, "save the best for last," must have been the motto of the Cleveland Orchestra and its "Symphonic Visual Fantasy." To be sure, everyone in the crowd of about 8,000 at Blossom Music Center Friday night enjoyed the two-hour fusion of symphony and visual art, despite the show's disjointed first half. The orchestra, conducted by Erich Kunzel, joined forces with the Women's Voices From the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, five dancers from the Cleveland Ballet and the electronic visuals designed by Daniel Flannery in the first summer pops concert of the season. A conglomerate of spotlights, projectors, scaffolds and screens in front of and behind the musicians were employed to add imagery to the symphonic sound. But the performance, featuring laser lights, electronic animation and three dimensional pictures began a bit out of sync.

THE PRODUCTION sought to incorporate all the visual aspects of theatre, opera and dance along with space age technology. But, throughout the first half of the show. The extra effects only seemed to interfere with each other and the music. There is something conflicting about watching the string instruments violently sawing away with horns blaring and percussion bashing in the background, while motionless on the screen before the audience is a stoic statue of a Greek god. And at other times, the use of the effects appeared to be added on as an afterthought.

Stacked on for the sake of being there, first lasers, then explosions, and a little ballet tucked in for good measure. But after intermission, everything came together. Mime Hayward Coleman's rendition of a clown with a small dog on a leash gave Kunzel a chance to do a little acting of his own. KUNZEL first kicked the invisi on the screens in front of and behind them. But, its a good thing they didn't see the first half of the show, they'd have been disappointed.

Still, the music was excellent throughout the show, with pieces from Walt Disney's "Fantasia" adding to the performance. Coleman's portrayal of a puppet is superb, as is violinist Raymond Kobler's solo in "The Lark Ascending." The Symphonic Visual Fantasy is definitely a show worth seeing and hearing. From the intermission to the end it is full of startling effects and smooth orchestration. KUNZEL, who is the music director of the newly formed Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, will direct the same performance next Tuesday evening at 8:30. This second show was scheduled to accomodate the great demand for tickets to the first performance.

ble mutt away from his legs and later pitched the drunken master away from the platform, all while conducting "Minuet from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach," by Bach. A transparent screen between the audience and the orchestra showed pictures of outer space while the music built to a stirring climax, augmented by laser flashes, explosions emitting smoke from the pit and roman candles filling the sky with streaking balls of light. It was as if Luke Skywalker and Obie Wan Kenobie of the film Star Wars, were blasting their way through the halls of the Death Star. The crowd loved it. And the spirit of Richard Dreyfus could be felt through the haze of the fog machines during "Suite from Close Encounters of the Third Kind." THE VISUALS got so good that some of the musicians could be seen straining their necks trying to get a glimpse of what was going on Television today Television highlights strange object that calls itself Nomad.

Repeat. 6:31 The Moppets (8). Harry Belafonte clowns with Kermit and the group. program ABCAkron NBC-Cleve. I ABCCIeve.

I CBS-Cleve. I I NBCYoungs. I PBS Cleve. I CBS-Youngs. I ABC-Youngs.

I I PBSXent mm WKYG WEWS WJKW WJAN WFMJ WVIZ WXBN WYTV WUAB 45 JL2335 33 43 49 4 n-M Pink Panther BufordGhost Pink Panther Kidsworld Ordination Over Easy Space Acad. Superman Supe's On Journal I American Fabulous Fun. American to the Advocates Fat Albert Lone Ranger 3 Stooges Vic. Garden tiOO Bandstand Here It Is Bandstand Space Acad. Richard Hogue Priesthood Ark II Movie: 'Movie: Farm Digest Sprts Legends The Racers Sat.Fest.

New Wine Vic. Garden Sat.Fest. "Blood "Valley of Pearls Baseball: National Hot Brown's Jornal Good News Baseball: Here'sHealth F.Y.I. Rose" the Dragons" David An. San Fran.

Rod Assoc. Marcus Overview San Fran. Julia Child Expressions Hollywod Teen Movie: Susskind tlTecttumVa vs. Cincinnati Mother Welby, M.D. Jacob Bros.

vs. Cincinnati Footsteps Soul Train SFM Holiday "Dick Tracy Previn the Hilites Reds Daughter WeekBasebll Hi. Adventure Que Pasa USA Special Detective" Pittsburgh Bonanza Beauty Pag. Canadian Maranatha Sesame Canadian Movie: The Japanese Patsy Awards Open Concert Street Open "World 5:00 Wide World Odd Couple Wide World Sports Richard Hogue Adam-12 Europe: The Sports Wide World Without Creatures 30 of Stand By of Spectacular New Wine Rhoda's Reprt Continent Spectacular of SuiT Great Smal Sports News Sports News Good News News Nova News Sports Star Trek Que Pasa USA Ernest NBC News $1.98 Beauty Muppet Show Overview NBC News Match Game Bugs Bunny Another Voice 7:00 Angley Family Feud Insight Hee Haw Lawrence Lawrence Kamm'sCrner NameThtTne Hee Haw Space: 1999 Health's Sake :30 J. Swaggart Sha Na Na BlackBlack Welk Welk SnekPrevews Muppet Show Here's Health 8:00 Battlestar CHiPs Battlestar Baseball: Jacob Bros.

CHiPs Meeting Bad News Bers Battlestar Movie: Meeting :30 Gaiactica Gaiactica Cleveland Hi. Adventure of Minds Just Friends Gaiactica "Adventures of Minds 9:00 Love BJ and the Love Indians PTL Club BJ and the Prime of Miss Movie: Love ofHuckle- Showdown at :30 Boat Be Boat atN.Y. Bear Jean Brodie "Save Boat berry Finn" theHoedown 1 1 Fantasy Supertrain Fantasy Yankees Supertrain Showdown at the Fantasy H.H. Honeys Best of I Island Island Just Friends the Hoedown Tiger" Island Pert. Junction Families 11 Ernest News News News Maranatha News News News Nash.

Music Movie: 1:38 Angley Saturday Movie: Movie: Concert Saturday 'Movie: Movie: Marty Robbins "Cesar and I ft Jesus Ans. Night "Pursuit "The Club PTL Night "Decision "Petuiia" PopCountry Rosaiie" I Live Happiness" Burglars" Live Befre Dawn" NashvilleRad 7:00 P.M. (8) ROY ACUFF THE KING ON HEE HAW TO SING Adv. 7 Hee Haw (8). John Hartford, Roy Acuff and Gunilla Hutton visit the cornhuskers.

7:31 Sha Na Na (3). Gary U. S. Bonds sings "New Orleans" for the rockers. Here's to Your Health (45), (IS).

Dr. K.ith Seh-nert offers advice on ho to he-come an ap.rressh'e patiM by assuming tespoticibimy for your own he and taking an active rr-k ia the puriciii physician relationship. 8:90 P.M. (43) Mark Twain's Classic! "HiiCV.rSESPY fiNN" Sim Metwork Mr. CKIPs (3), (21), Jon and F-och ttvir counsel to an iei retirement and try to sira gnun out an ugly custody when a father kidnaps his own chilli i'rorn its mother.

Repeat. BattfeNUr Gaiactica (23), (5), (J3). While testing a new spaceship, Starbuck is marooned on a mysterious planet where people serve sentences for the crimes of 1:31 Saturday Film Festival (8), (27). Two productions are presented. In "The Promise," a girl learns something more important than a broken promise, and in "The Secret," several children a pact to keep a secret and then must face an even bigger one.

2 Baseball (3), (21). The San Francisco Giants take on the Reds at Cincinnati. Backup game matches Los Angeles and Atlanta. 3 Mother-Daughter Beauty Pageant (5). Dick Van Patten i hosts taped coverage of this family-'I type event from Miami Beach.

4 Canadian Open (8), (27). Third-round play in the $350,000 Canadian Open is covered from Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario. 5 Wide World of Sports (23), (S), (33). Featured are the Michigan 400 auto race from Michigan International Speedway and AAU outdoor track and field champior-ships from Walnut, Calif. Sparta Spectacular (8), (27).

There'll be coverage of the PBA City of Roses Open from Portland, and highlights of the "superbantamweight title fight bt-tween Wilfredo Gomez and challenger Julio Hernandez. Nova (25). "Patterns ti the Past" looks at the Q'tos who live below in snow-' capped peaks of the Pex uvian Andes. They are seen leading lives that conceal a complex pattern of survival based on the ways of their ancestors. Repeat.

Star Teli M43). The Enterprise is a'ws' destroyed when it encciiiiUTs Television movies today their ancestors. James Whitmore Jr. and Ted Gehring guest-star. BaaebaU (8).

The Indi ing behind the rubble of the Spanish-American War and the revolutionary growth of industry and technology. 11 Country Music (43). Guests over two hours of shows include Mel Tillis, Leroy Van Dyke, Pam Tillis and Stella Parton. 11:31 Saturday Night Uve (3), (21). Elliott Gould hosts a repeat edition from last December.

1 Don Kirshner's Rock Concert (3). Performers are John Travolta, Carol Douglas, the Silver Convention, the Manhattans and Jimmie Walker. I "Valley of the Dragons" (43). Cesare Danova, Sean McClo-ry, 1961 (color). 2:31 "Dick Tracy, Detective" (43).

Morgan Conway, Ann Jeffreys, 1945. 4 "World Without Son" (43). Jacques Cousteau, 1965 (color). 8 "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (43). Eddie Hodges, Tony Randall, 1960 (color).

II "Cesar and Rosalie" (45), (49). Yves Montand, Romy Schnei der, 1972 (color). 11:31 "The Pursuit of Happiness" (5). Michael Sarrazin, Barbara Hershey, E. G.

Marshall. 1971 (color). "The Burglars" (8). Jean-Paul Belmondo, Omar Sharif, 1972 (color). 1:31 "Company of Killers" (8).

Van Johnson, Ray Milland, 1970 (color). 3 "Backtrack" (8). Neville Brand, Peter Brown, Ida Lupino, 1968 (color). Cable highlights stowaway family of the chief engineer; a minister who falls for an exotic dancer, and a couple trying to adjust to the wife's advancing blindness. Repeat.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (25). Inspired by Dorothy's gymnastic skill and grace, Miss Brodie goes to great lengths to obtain tickets for the girls to see the great ballerina, Anna Pavlova. Repeat. Showdown at the Hoedown (45), (19). Also at 10 on (25).

Here's a behind-the-scenes look at an oldtime musical festival in Tennessee the Smithville Fiddlers' Jamboree. Movie (27). Jack Lemmon, Jack Gilford and Laurie Heineman star in "Save The Tiger," about a garment manufacturer trying to regain his self-respect. II Sopertraln (3), (21). When a young heiress learns that three former servants are plotting her murder, she seeks the help of a shy doctor aboard the Supertrain.

Joyce DeWitt, Bernie Kopell, Jamie Farr, Isabel Sanford, Vic Tayback and James Gregory star. Repeat. Fantasy Island (23), (5), (33). A woman photographer (Michele Lee) believes she is being haunted by a little girl, and a poker player (John Rubinstein) wants to find a million-dollar game. Repeat.

The Best Families (45), (49). The Raffer-tys, Lathrops and Wheelers review the passing century, projecting their dreams into the uncertain clouds of the modern age and leav ans are in the Bronx to play the New Ycrk Yankees. Meeting of MintS (25). Steve Allen con-dudes is two-part chat with William Shakespeare, Romeo, Juliet, Othello, Desdemona, Iago, Woman, Hamlet and the ghost of Hamlet's father. Meeting of Minds (45), (t9).

Thomas Jefferson, Bertrand Uussell, St. Augustine and Empress Theodora of the 16th Century Byzantine Emotre are Steve's "guests' i.i edition of the PBS series. The Bad News Bears (27). Rescheduled from last week is coach Buttermaker's dream of a championship playoff for the Bears in Dodger Stadium. But it all de-fiends on changing the negative self-image of Lupus, his fearful first baseman.

9 BJ and the Bear (3), (21). BJ has a confrontation with a wealthy, reckless sports car driver (Edd Byrnes) who later tries to have him arrested. Repeat. The Uve Boat (23), (5), (33). Larry Storch, Peter Graves, Roz Kelly, Vivian Blaine, Alan Young, June Allyson and Van Johnson are passengers for stories involving the Radio today Unleis noted, news is heard every hour and halt-hour.

WAKR (1S90) i tended newscast 6 SS-7 IS a.m.. 7 45-8 IS a.m., and SSS-4 30 pm 6-10 a Adam and Bob 10 Oave Bennett WKNT-AM-FM News and Music 24 hours dally. Network news on the halt-hour. -10 Stan Piatt 10 Howie Chuek 4 30 Srvce Wilson 7 55 Indians Baseball: Cleveland vs. New York Yankees WKDD-FM fc5) News 10 before the hour Mellow rock in stereo 7 Danny Thomas I Joe Christopner 7 Burton Lew WKSU-FM 7 (National Public Radio) Saturday Goidcase Houston Grand Opera 10 The Bottom Line Warner Cable of Akron broaocasts programming from Atlanta's WTCtj tcaoie position t).

and New York City's WOR-TV (position 12). Positions may vary in other communities. Also listed are Warner's Star Channel movies (caole position T) and events at Madison Square Garden (position KM. The fowowing are msnlisnts trom those cftennets, beoinntng at 4 P.m.: () Mission: Impossible -() Wresttme (7 Movie: "The, God It Friday" -(IJ) The Persuaoers 1-m -(13) World at war -() Country Music (12) Baseball: hew York Mets vs. St.

Louis 40 (7) Movie: "The Duellists" hJ Onstage at the Atlanta Aoore 1IOO -(12) Second City Television 1 1 JO -U) Rock Concert -(12) NKht at the Races IfcOO -(7) Movie "The One nd Only" (12) Wrestling -(4) Juke-Bo. -I2) Movie: "Attack ol the Mayan Mummy" IJI -14) Movw: "The Minion Eves of Su-Muru" WO -(7) Movie: "Thar God It's Friday" XM -(4) Movir. "Black Sun" Mike O'Brien 4 Craig Johns 525 Howard CoseM Olckie Michaels 10 hvlhm '79 WSLR (1350) News every hour and halt hour. Trallic reports every 10 minutes a Coftev and Carns 10 Don Dempsev 2 em Love Gene Wise 12 Javbird Drerman Paul Harvey News at 130 a 12 noon and 4 30. WDBN-FM (V4.V) Stereo musk 24 hours a day.

WHLO (440) News-Tath-AH news 6 a.m. to a.m.; noon to 1 pm. and 4 to 4 p.m. Sports Talk I Phil Ferguson Astrotosv With Deborah Crews a Outdoor With Jerry Blimlev 6 15 Akron Baotist Temote a 45 Church News 7 BiHv Soute 7 55 Indians Baseball. Cleveland vs.

New York Yankees II 15 CBS Mvsterv Theater All-Niohl Snow WAEZ-SttrM Stereo musk 24 nours daltv News and weather on the hour. WCUE-AM (1150) News 10 tut me hour alter the hour. Steve Brodie (75 Howard CoseM 10 Dick Michaels and 12 p.m. WAUP (N.I) ABC News extended at an daily. Ja IT nrk.