Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • 133

"ft "i Movies WATTSTAX' moving in on Motown nimj iiim 1 rr I I tth, if KS v. i iff -J it i nr-f- nr aiiiiwiiiiiiini'iiiwi m-t-n By Gene Siskel BLACK-OWNED record companies are a new and vital source of film production money. The giant Motown organization, musical home of the Miracles, the Supremes, and the Jackson Five, was the first black record company to finance a motion picture, "Lady Sings the Blues," which stars Diana Ross as Billle Holiday. To date, according to Robert Newman, vice president in charge of "film production for Motown, "Lady" has returned $5 million to Motown in only 19 weeks. "We have 467 prints in the United States working every day," Newman said.

"Initially, in one theater in New York City, the audience was 70 per cent black and 30 per cent white. Nationally, however, that percentage has switched around. Fortunately, for our first picture, we didn't make one that had appeal only for blacks. And now every top agent in Hollywood is sending us all kinds of scripts. "Our next project? Nothing definite yet.

Berry Gordy, Motown's founder is looking for a project as good or better than 'Lady' for her." The "her," of course, is Diana Ross, who Is an odds-on choice for an Academy Award nomination. Production on any new Motown film with Miss Ross will presumably wait until after the March 27 awards Meanwhile, down south in Memphis, the Stax record organization is making an equally impressive entry into the film business. Stax, led by chief executive Al Bell, has been sort of a little brother to Its leading artists have been Isaac Hayes and the Staple Singers. The first Stax film opens Thursday in Chicago at the Oriental Theater, and, in my opinion, will do extremely well in spite of its weird title, "WATTSTAX." What's a It's a film record of the seventh annual, week-long Watts Summer Festival, held each year to commemorate the 1965 Watts riot or revolt depending on where your sympathies lie. This year the Stax organization donated its recording artists Albert King, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, and Luther Ingram in addition to Hayes and the Staple Singers to the festival for an all-day performance in the mammoth Los Angeles Coliseum in return for the right to film the event.

And then the Stax organization together with director Mel Stuart "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" decided to make a film that would be more than just another visual record of a rock-and-blues concert. "WATTSTAX" is -an attempt to deliver something else than just music, and it works. What Stuart has done is mix the music with hang-loose interviews of young, black, street people who live in south central Los Angeles. They talk about the white establishment, the blues, black women and men, and the police. Some of the talk is racist, some of it is self-deprecating, and almost all of it plays as disarmingly honest and refreshing.

An added pleasure Is that the whole affair is punctuated by the hilarious comedy routines of Richard Pryor, who played Diana Ross' piano man in "Lady Sings the Blues." Pryor had nothing to do with the Watts Summer Festival. Isaac. Hayes He is added for comic relief, as an additional piece in a mosaic that tries to represent what's going on in a portion of the young black community. "WATTSTAX" will be successful because it does manage to capture the enthusiasm and "separateness" of young black -people in the '70s. It is not a complete picture; it doesn't pretend to be.

But it is a fine documentary In that it does, better than any popular music film with the possible exception of "Woodstock," document a group of people, their music, how it came to be, and why they like it. Check out "WATTSTAX." I "'rff- The Staple Singers, AMUSEMENTS AMUSEMENTS AMUSEMENTS AMUSEMENTS AMUSEMENTS AMUSEMENTS ORCHESTRA HALL OPERA Harry Zelzer HOUSE Presents 'loxOtfia OpeallNoM $11, FEB; 25 2:33 P.M. Tcdsy at 2:33 P.M. ftimvjx JIMMIE RODGERS Feb. 12-24 A Captivating Company of 50 Dancers Singers Musicians 1 the Yugoslav National Dance Folk Ensemble and his Company of winner! chicago MFawaw HARRY ZELZER OPERA HOUSE I I PRESENTS rklll Wlltliftkt Spanish Dancers Singers and Musicians BEST ACTOR Direct mm VJersaw Relet.

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MAIL ORDERS tot Allied Arts 20 N. Wockr Chicago Cenilna; RAY AHTH0MY Feb. 26-Mar. SHOW 10 OOftOO, Enclos stomped, sell-addressed envelop. CHICAGO TRIBUNE Arts Section 6 Page '5.