The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • 259

CALENDAR ITIMATE WEAPON IN AGAINS Wale MEE ITIMATE WEAPON IN AGAINS CRIME 00 1: 1: ilP1 4 I 4 a i 1 eilif 2 a ra Art :4 ctiv 11 osyout 11 vat 1 Itit 4- 0: 1 11 70:4 1 I it to be "catered by the Brown Derby" He said he had heard stories about toilets flowing over in the mobile trailer but that they were fictitious 0 By the second week of filming according to several participants "Young Warriors- had ground to a standstill The production spent seven days on location in Newport Newport Beach license supervisor David Larson ordered Foldes to pull out of town "Imagine if you can a movie where everything is done ass-backwards" said Larson who has handled licensing for a variety of film and TV productions over the last 11 years Added Larson "It was more amateurish than home movies" Larson said that Foldes repeatedly ran afoul of city filming regulations and eventually was evicted after a scene in which automatic weapons were fired on city streets late at night He added that the production returned to Newport Beach several weeks later for additional shooting and again breached regulations It "didn't last one night" Foldes said he didn't recall any problems in Newport Beach He acknowledged that the production had occasional difficulty meeting its schedule of prearranged permits but said it was "no big deal" While in Newport Beach Foldes lost both his director of photography and his production manager according to Larson and Sourapas The production manager reached by phone said that upon departing he sent a letter to the film makers threatening a lawsuit if his name was ever associated with the film in its credits or publicity He wasn't the last production manager to quit "I'd say we went through five or six and that's a conservative estimate" Sourapas said "By the end there weren't any production managers in town who would work for the movie" 0 Foldes needed he resorted to a ghostdirector according to Sarafian He said Foldes and Meyerink confided that their production was sinking and that they had heard from Sourapas of his work as a fix-it man For Saralian it was a familiar deal In return for his fee he said Foldes wanted him to stay in the shadows "I asked for something in writing" he recalled "Larry just raised his eyebrows and said kind of snidely 'Oh you're one of those'" Sarafian says he made a handshake deal with Foldes and Meyerink calling for $5000 for five weeks to be paid out of profits) plus 5 of the film's gross earnings (By comparison Sourapas said he was initially hired as second assistant director for $1000 for five weeks' work) Foldes did not dispute Sarafian's weekly salary but called the profit percentage claim "ridiculous" Sarafian's arrival on the set marked a dramatic turnaround according to Lock hart: "When he first arrived it appeared he was just another assistant but it took me about an hour and a half to figure out what was going on The first week he sped things up about 300" "He's the only reason the movie got done" Norris said "I knew something funny was up but when I asked him why he was there he just said he was doing a job He wouldn't disclose any information" On previous films Sarafian said he worked almost exclusively behind the scenes providing the director with detailed notes on how each scene should be acted and shot But on "Young War riors" he claimed that in addition to preparing Foldes he occasionally worked more shots rehearsing actors keeping the produc tion on schedule On some scenes he said he did everything but call "Action" That job still belonged to Foldes "I think of Larry as a kid with a new toy who got tired of it" Sarafian said It wasn't unusual according to Sarafian and others for Foldes to be asleep on the set in his director's chair while a scene was being prepared Sarafian said he had to shake Foldes for several minutes until he woke up and mumbled for the cameras to roll Foldes said that stories about his falling asleep had circulated among the cast and crew but had no credence Sarafian according to some members of the production may have saved Foldes from a full-scale rebellion Lockhart said she decided to quit almost daily remaining only at Sarafian's urging Others staged walkouts to protest the lack of food and consecutive 18-hour workdays Sourapas said the chief electrical gaffer "cut the juice" and departed one day on another occasion the wardrobe staff stalked off with all the costumes Foldes acknowledged that some crew members who "wanted more than they initially contracted to" occasionally "took certain items and held them for ransom" Sarafian said that he began locking horns with Foldes after four weeks on the set and was fired soon after He maintains that he shot more than half of the film before Foldes returned to the helm Sarafian's contribution was less apparent to some members of the surprising according to Sarafian since his job involved keeping as low a profile as possible Lead actor Van Patten was reluctant to discuss the movie but he said that Foldes deserved full credit for directing the film He added however that Sarafian was an "extremely talented guy" who seemed to "take charge" in ways exceeding the scope of an assistant director Co-star Tom Reilly declined to comment) Director of photography Mac Ahlberg who began work two or three weeks into the production after his predecessor quit C) said that Sarafian worked only briefly 5) and had very little idea about movie production" Production designer Karl Pogany said that Foldes was a "brilliant z-8 creative mind" and that Sarafian's claims were motivated by jealousy And actor Rick Easton said that Sarafian was incompetent and his claim was ludicrous Eventually the movie was completed cri "I really admire Larry in one respect" Sourapas said "Through all the prob- lems the film is still going to come out" Sourapas added that the final version is no masterpiece He said that although the bulk of the movie was shot by Sarafian Foldes spoiled most Of Sarafiarfs work in the editing room Please Turn to Pagr 6 -r ERNEST BORGNINE RICHARD ROUNOTREE LYNDA DAY GEORGE STAR CINEMA LAWRENCE HOES 'YOUNG WARRIORS JAMES VAN FATTEN ANNE LOCKHART TOM RERIY ED DE STEEANE DCK SHAWN gs MIKE NORRIS ADAM SLATER ROB WALSH VICTORIA PAIDE MEYERINK LAWRENCE EOIDES RUSSEL COLGIN LAWRENCE FLOES A poster for "Warriors" a film illustrating problems on quickie film circuit She said the food served to cast and crew included cold Jack-in-the-Box hamburgers and Spam sandwiches: "At one point they brought out some packaged sweet rolls that had been purchased well after the sell-by date and then had been sitting in some guy's car for months" Lockhart said the cast dressing room was a mobile trailer dubbed "the Stink-mobile" because its toilet tanks didn't function properly "When they opened it up the first time everyone ran for cover" she said "You had to hold your breath to put on makeup And you couldn't close the doors because of the smell) even when you were getting dressed" Sourapas Norris and others confirmed her story Foldes denied that inadequate food was served on the production adding that no one on a low-budget film expects IINIP 1 A 40? lk A i 'Ilil- --A 1 Li ---403'''' (-( -4 --010-' a j''' of i' i 11- 11 1 t'- ek From left appearing in "Young Warriors" are Lynda Day George Anne Lockhart Ernest Borgnine.