The Tampa Tribune from Tampa, Florida • 46

6- THE TAMPA TRIBUNE, Wednesday, July 27, 1977 AERODYNAMICS SEEK FIND Busch Gardens' Congo Measures Up since the animals are alive and well-cared for, you can overlook insignificant things like vines nailed to artificial rocks for effect IF THE AFRICAN QUEEN ride turns you off, you can saunter over to Claw Island, the Dark Continent's home of 12 Bengal tigers. They are let out of their air-conditioned cages and into the landscaped tiger complex six RATIREIRRABLAMREHTB CWN0ITAT0R GK NAN 6 AA I A A I TWL MG0RATKL M-U 0 Jm PZMLARYIQ 0 HAP SL0LFSJINL I Qyt I I 0 IVyf IVARGIATKRRA AA A I I A B6A UIPHUAAJIDRPCE rnk berkzmrgktn fy06 TEESZRARJ IAAAPIQ Afl RA IRPGP ILMCLGRMOD I A I 0 A A A The Congo includes an African Queen boat ride, Claw Island, the Swinging Vine ride, the Moba Marksman shooting gallery, the Python and the Monstrous Mamba ride. Vines, a chair swing ride that, believe it or not, looks safe. So many of them look like last wills and testaments that it's a relief to see each swing in a protective enclosure. AN ELECTRONIC shooting gallery, named the Moba Marksman (who in the world sits around thinking up these names, anyway?) is nearby as is the Monstrous Mamba.

The latter is billed as, and we quote, "an around and around thrill ride named for one of the most vicious of reptiles." No wonder they call it the Dark Continent Completing the Congo is the Python, the latest in coaster-style "G-force" rides. One of its claims to fame is the fact that it appeared on a cover of National Lampoon magazine several months ago. Maybe we should qualify that statement HALF of the Python appeared in the picture. Thanks to some doctoring of the picture, the other half was missing, as we felt sure those approaching that half would discover any minute. Never mind.

The Congo measures up and once again, we are reminded of why Busch Gardens' Dark Continent is referred to as one of the world's finest zoological facilities. THE 300-ACRE theme park, located at 3000 Busch is open from 9:30 a.m. until 8 p.m, daily except from Labor Day until June 15 when it is open from 9: 30 a.m. until 6 p.m. A single admission charge of $7 entitles visitors to all rides, shows and attractions with children 3 and younger admitted free.

There is a $1 parking charge. By PANKY GLAMSCH Tribune Staff Writer Chirrup. Chirrup, chirrup. As the good ship African Queen moved silently along the jungle waterway, crickets and frogs, all unseen, voiced their warnings. Native drums could be heard in spite of the fact that the fishing village showed no signs of life.

NO ONE DARED jump ship for fear they wpuld waken the lazy crocodiles or anger the huge white rhinos glowering from the banks. The boat slipped between towering rocks and swinging vines, past wooly monkeys, Cape hunting dogs and zebra tails hanging by the entrance to the fishing village. Everything was there, just as promised. Yesterday was the day the people at Busch Gardens' Dark Continent unveiled yet another hew attraction to the news media. This time, it was the $7.6 million expansion known as the Congo.

Located adjacent to Stanleyville, it includes the African Queen boat ride. Claw Island, the Swinging Vines ride and Moba Marksman shooting gallery. Already opened but still considered part of the Congo are the Python and Monstrous Mamba scream rides. How do they do it? How do they manage to entice you into these places and have you wind up liking them? YOU know that half of it's not real; THEY know it, too. But it's still fun and, Instructions: Hidden words below appear forward, backward, up, down or diagonally.

Find each and box it in. at a time. They lope around the island, scratching on trees, grooming each other and, short of lolling around and eating French bonbons, live the life of luxury. When the spirit moves them, they fade Into the water and swim over to the waterfalls and back to Claw Island. Some grasp the best of two worlds by lying in the shallow water with nothing but their magnificent heads above water.

The 10-foot-deep moat in which they play separates the big cats from visitors lining a railing high above. A few steps away is Vivi Storehouse, a delicatessen center surrounded by pods with picnic tables. Behind it is the Swinging Tail Spin Bernoulli Mach Number Rotation Skin Friction Parasite Drag Thermal Barrier Laminar Flow Lift Drag Thrust Gravity Tomorrow: Preservation Finance the film, the script and the underlying information but generally they never have the budget information," he said. With a small grin, Rykert allowed that several producers have attempted to appeal to his sense of glamour. But the Miami area, the time to court Miami banks may be at hand.

Huttoe said many of the area's local studios, refused financing in the past, have become some of Dade County's more solvent businesses because they have had to survive over the years by pouring their profits back into the company. As a result, many of the film industry-related companies are relatively debt-free. Still, local banks are far from becoming money trees for the Miami area film community. Since the banking seminar, Second National's senior vice president for commercial loans, John Rykert, has seen a number of film investment proposals float across his desk. He has yet to approve a loan for any of them.

"At this point, I havent seen one that has been presented to us in the proper form," Rykert said. RYKERT SAID he has discussed most of the proposals with Horwitz and the singular fault with most of them, he said, was that the proposals provide no line budget for the suggested film. The problem is that they usually have the synopsis of Steven Corriff of the Barnett Bank Corp. says the bank's philosophy is to assist the Florida economy, but that the bank doesn't intend to become speculators in the filmmaking business. "We do intend to become investors.

Continued From Page 1 that has a lot of money and they get excited over the movie business. "BUT WHEN IT comes down to laying out that kind of money they want a building to look at, ground to walk on something that is material not a can of film sitting on a'shelf somewhere. "And they also, being novices in the industry, realize it Is' one hell of a gamble. A gamble can be that you make five pictures and lose, but on the sixth one you make $100 million. "And they are not ready to gamble that five before getting to the sixth," he said with an air of frustration.

Browning said the only financing he has ever found for a film project has been out of New York or Los Angeles. "I've wasted a lot of time trying to raise money here. In fact, right now, I don't even try anymore." I STILL may have problems raising capital as an independent producer with no prior films that he owns to use as collateral But for the established studios in nocent lovers. The producer of that film wanted $2.5 mil-litjn. He is still looking for the money.

Rykert said the famed X-rated film producer Russ Meyer, who made the "Vixen" films, is also interested in financing for a picture to be filmed in Florida. The problem with the potential Meyer loan, Rykert said, is not the X-rated content, but the fact that Meyer wants the financing for a proposed R-rated film. Rykert explained that while Meyer has a profitable distribution arrangement for his X-rated films, the same distributors would not be interested in a mere R-rated Meyer film. Thus, Meyer must find new distributors, which casts the potential profitability of a Meyer film in doubt IN CONSIDERING a loan for a film venture, Rykert said the fact that a producer may have been involved in X-rated or clearly pornographic films has no bearing on the status of the loan. "I don't think we should hold their morals against their business ethics," Rykert said.

One other bank in the Miami area has also investigated the film investment field. Steven Corriff of the Barnett Bank Corp. said several scripts have been considered but turned down, principally for the same reasons offered by Rykert Corriff said the bank's philosophy is to assist the Florida economy, but that the bank doesnt intend to become speculators in the filmmaking business. "We do intend to become investors," he said. Corriff, who handled a number of entertainment loans while with the Chemical Bank of New York, mused that with the many technicalities involved in making a film, many investments in the field can be like, rolling the dice." STILL, THROUGH several alternative collateralization plans such as holding the rights to the film negative and second mortages on property, such investments can be negotiated.

But perhaps the most enthusiastic banker remains Horwitz. "You can pump $20 million to $30 million into the state and never take anything out except an image," he said, adding that someday, the film industry in Florida could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars if it is supported. The future, Horwitz said, is absolutely super." Exclusively for persons 60 and over. Rykert just as shyly revealed that his sense of glamour toward filmmaking is somewhat jaundiced after dating two actresses. All Rykert said he asks of a producer is the same thing be asks of any other potential loan that it make sense.

IN RECENT WEEKS, Rykert has become the Rex Reed of Florida banking, as he has perused a number of scripts. He smiles over the fact that most of the scripts generally have the same plot "Let me see if I can get into the proper spirit," he said, casting a glance at the ceiling. Rykert recalled one script that had a Howard Hughes type" who leaves his will to a number of people including a gangster, a starlet, a butler, an industrialist and others who all wind up getting killed as they show up for a reading of the will. "And then there was the psycho-killer, who sees two young newlyweds on a beach and now he starts to chase them through the jungle," Rykert grinned. "I think it was called '42 Hours of Psychic with snakes coming out and all kinds of things." He has also read a couple of sniper scripts.

"Most of them the psycho, the evil spirit, the blood and guts are the ones mat sell," he said. RYKERT EVEN had one script that included the seven drawfs, a hunchback houseboy and the mandatory two in thine wmd JfeDMlSniiMiicnniigL- J- John Knox Village of Tampa Bay is offering you a special invitation to be our guest for a day. Xow, you can visit for a day and see what Living-Care retirement is really like. The Village combines comfortable, maintenance-free living, companionship, freedom, and life-time medical care. We believe that one visit is worth a thousand words.

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