Lubbock Avalanche-Journal from Lubbock, Texas • Page 51

lUBBOCK Morning, July 24.1977—1 UC America Goes Wild Over Movie Wars By WILLIAM D. KERNS A-J Fine Arts Editor Few celebrities are more discussed these days than Luke Skywalker, Han Solo. Princess Leia Organa, Grand Moff Tarkin. Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi. See-Threepio.

Artoo-Detoo. Lord Darth Vader and, of course, Chewbacca. All are characters in the film phenomenon called Wars" a space fantasy which manages to leave kids smiling. adults smiling and 20th Century Fox Films wearing the biggest gun of all. Probably the only unhappy party these days is Universal Films, the production company which spumed an opportunity to make the movie analysts now claim will become history's top monev-making picture The film is playing at the South Plains Cinema in Lubbock where, according to manager John Morgan.

sold out 7pm and 9 45 showing the first two weeks we had it. has set every house record that is, broken all records previously held by 'The We've had our highest grossing matinee, highest grossing evening, highest grossing day and highest grossing week already with the Fourth of July weekend, when a lot of people leave town We sold out the two evening shows Friday and all four showings on Saturday, Sunday and Monday 1 can remember 9 45 p.m. shows where we had sold 320 tickets (capacity is 350) and there was still a line all the way down to Morgan says his theater has also already sold 125 posters at $2 apiece, which is peanuts compared to the film-related merchandise others are handling Shirley Beard, manager of Century Bookstore, said, sold over 500 copies of the novel in the last two to three weeks just been selling tremendously." The book, a novelization of George screenplay, was not even on the market before the film's June release At least one major Texas newspaper is serializing the novel in its Sunday pages. When asked how Wars" soundtrack (music only) sales were holding up. Glenn Barnett of Record Town said, "We've sold at least 205 of the albums in the past two weeks or so, and probably 40 more cassettes and eight-tracks The business has been excellent The only thing that even came close for a soundtrack was Star Is Born' (which boasted established singers Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson as selling points)." The record outlet manager offered a bit of scale by adding, "Normally, we consider a soundtrack red hot when we sell five or ten copies a week." But the response is not imited to Lubbock It is literally sweeping the country.

P. Dwyer, 20th Century Fox's district representative in Dallas, explained, have made predictions that the film will wind up grossing between $150 million and $200 million It's pure star-gazing at this point, but the figures sure point at Wars' being the all time winner at the box office. "Of course, no picture like this can get such astronomical revenue without repeat busmen the people who see it. then want to take a friend and see it again Listening to the movie-goers in the Cinema lobby will find a few repeaters in no time flat. Morgan says he's seen the same faces in the ticket line at least five times, but he must have blinked once or twice Twelve-year-old John Parkins told the A-J he's seen Star six times already.

really neat." he explained. "I brought my folks a while back and they ended up taking this other married cou pie to see it on the Martin Meredith, a 25-vear-old Lubbock realtor, has seen the picture seven times: once in Abilene and six times in Lubbock He's gone with a different person every time and added. sixth time 1 saw it I went with a large group, and all of us had already seen it twice before But according to Dwyer, such outlandish reaction was impossible to predict film was made very quietly," he said a lot of production publicity. My earliest report came from a vice president of production, who was predicting it would be the best movie of the year and perhaps the greatest ever made But how do you anticipate a You can You just hope for things like this You wonder, if it clicks, will it click like a Poseidon Adventure' or a Towering Inferno' or a Silver Streak' or a 'Butch Those films met with great response, but nothing the likes of example, the front page of a Dallas newspaper re- centlv had a headline which read Not A Star Wars Set' The story even about Star but the film had crept into the headline And when a movie permeates the hard news area and TV broadcasts, you know got something special." Naturally, myriads of others want to jump on the bandwagon Fox Films has already filed $23 million in lawsuits against 12 people for allegedly "illegally reproducing Star Wars' material And Dwyer said his office alone has been with people requesting licenses to sell or reproduce 'Star Wars' merchandise COUNTRY REACTS TO STAR WARS In this scene from the film phenomenon "Star Wars," Sywalker and Han Solo disguise themselves as Imperial Storniti(Xipers and join Chewbacca. a 200-year-old Wookie, in fighting the Death Star.

The film has become the rage of the nation and is to become history's top money maker It also is making money for 20th Century Fox via exploitation merehan dise. For example, it be long before Stormtrooper uni forms and Wookie masks will be available on the public market Asked to get into specifics. Dwyer accomodated with, "We've already lined up toy manufacturers, crafts games and Parker Brothers games so people can have their own X- wing fighters, light sabers and slam bombers T-shirts are sold at hundred of different places, and posters too. International will be selling Star material at 120 airport instillations Kenner Films has been licensed Reasonably priced children's masks will be sold soon and (he more expensive, intricate one likes the Wookie mask will be available through Dr Post Studios. Marv el Comic Bodes.

Peter Pan Records. Ballantine Books: they're all with Still reeling them off. he said, "Fast food outlets, the ones offering glasses with historical figures, will have characters on their glasses within a month We ll have a major hamburger chain on this Talk is steady of having Wars' trading cards, like baseball cards, and cards inside loaves of bread A major soft drink company is currently contracting to put Star Wars' characters on posters, glassware and plastic cups Camera firms are having contests Costumes are being made available in a variety of sues And of course soon there will be licensed fan clubs, lunch boxes and model flying Pausing for breath. Dwyer concluded, "The last guy 1 talked to wanted to be licensed to sell 'Stir Wars' belt buckles And think "Star is a one shot movie Fox is the company that kept coming back with a sequel to the sequel to "Planet Of The Apes" a few years back and Dwyer said, Ladd Jr. with our feature department, has made a provision with Lucas contractually and artistically Star Wars' will follow the same route as Apt's We ll have three feature films and then follow up by producing a Star Wars' television series Asked fm more information regarding the sequel's direc (ion and proposed release date, the Fox representative said, "We re pretty sure Geoige l.ucas who wrote and directed the first one will do the other's As for a release date, who The summer of 1979 is the date I've seen in inter views, but you have to ask will Lucas put the same time, pa tience.

energy and creativity into Beyond Star Wars or whatever they call it "And what new optics will he be able to think He used W0 separate optieals in the first 'Star Wars' Those questions will obviously not be answered for at least a year Bill tha( does nol stop Wars" from keeping Fox stock on a dramatic rise and fan interest burning ABC TV is already promoting a special on "Star which will air in mid September And alter watching the behind the scenes action. Lubboekites can still get up and drive out to the South Plains Cinema to see Han and Chewbacca battle Darth Vader torws Because manager John Morgan says he's certain his thea ter will still be plaving "Star Wars" even then Reynolds Designs Restaurant With Famous Film Sets NEW YORK. Y. (Special) Ever pictured yourself in the Grace Kelly-Gary Cooper roles in Noon?" Or as Scarlett O'Hara-Rhett Butler in With The Then hurry on down to Atlanta. Today.

Burt Reynolds will open a totally unique restaurant called Burt's Place, and designed to make all your Hollywood dream fantasies come true At Place, YOU are the leading man and the leading actress. Place is located in the fabulous 5 acre Omni International entertainment and business complex in downtown Atlanta The 10,000 square foot restaurant is an authentic recreation of a Hollywood studio sound stage. Guests may dine in reproductions of sets from eight of most memorable films The sets are the saloon from the teahouse from Of The August the dining room from "Gone With The and the trolley featured in "A Streetcar Named Also the locker room from "The Longest Yard," Hernado's Hideaway from Game," the back room from "Nickelodeon" and the bow of the paddlewheeler Cotton Blossom from "Show Boat," actually afloat in water Each set seats 15 to 25 people. Towering over the sets are catwalks, cables, scenery' ropes, cameras and other movie paraphernalia Menus Match Themes Menu selections correspond to the theme of each set. Seafood gumbo, catfish.

oysters and creole dishes are served on the "Show set. Hearty beef stew, steaks and ham with homcmades- biscuits are featured in the Noon" saloon setting. In addition to the eight theme dining rooms, there is a disco area called Joint." which is contemporary in style and mood. It has a raised glass dance floor with a caricature of Reynolds reflected beneath it. Patrons may dance under the strobe lights or relax in the dimly lit sidelines Live entertainment will be featured along with the disco music.

The restaurant facade duplicates an early movie theater marquee, its once gaudy glitter and paint deliberately faded. as if by time. Shadow boxes that originally contained posters of current and coming attractions now display photo stills of the movie sets inside the restaurant Under the marquee is a French ticket booth, occu pied by a lifelike mannequin Double brass doors, with beveled opera-glass open into a Victorian lobby. It is furnished with such period pieces as loveseats, an ornate chandelier, oil paintings representative of the period, and a worn, faded carpet Across the lobby is a velvet-draped archway An usher dressed in a red, gold and black uniform parts the draperies and passes arriving patrons over to a second uniformed usher who escorts them to the movie set of their choice Area Designer Recreated Sets Tommy Anderson, an historic restoration expert based in Savannay. and a longtime friend of Reynolds, was commissioned to create the concept and design of Burt's Place The job took nearly two years to complete.

In July 1975, Anderson began a series of trips to Hollywood to research and select the films he wanted to feature The next step was the selection of particular scenes and set from the films he wished to recreate. Then came the ing. but successful task of scouting the studio lots in search of the appropriate props and furnishings to dress the sets Four of the sets in Place were built ir Holly wood, following Anderson's minutely-detailed sketches. The remaining sets were built by Anderson and his staff in Georgia TV-STEREO SERVICE Ivan Certttied flettrom U.V. BLAKE RECORD CENTER 2401-34th sim tut 795-6408 IOH VMM ANT AI NBW LAWN INSTALLED! TEX TURF 10 U3 Sprigging OO 1000 ft WILCOX LAWN SIRVICI744-0829 ftl 8301 SOUTH UNIVERSITY OPEN 7:30 A -6 00 P.M.

Monday-Saturday ONLY $8 99 paint Reg. $10.99 Great coverage; superior hiding power Elegant flat finish scrubs clean Essy to apply; quick drying Soapy water tool clean-up HOW BOUT DINNER A MOVIE? Tv host Mike Douglas, left, and Burt Reynolds relax during a recent taping session at Burt's Place, the actor's new restaurant which opens today in Atlanta. The setting is a reproduction of the saloon porch seen in the film "High Noon Recreations of sets from Off To Fish No Boat seven other memorable Hollywood films form the dining areas of the unique restaurant. Burt's Place is located in tht 5 acre Omni International entertainment and business complex in downtown Atlanta Correspondent BROVVNFIELD For a fisherman, it was a particularly gilling. er.

uh. galling mistake Kenneth and Ruth Purtell were packed and ready to go at 6 a happily anticipating a week of fishing at Lake Falcon They were rolling down the highway, halfway to Lamesa. when she looked hack and decided the road behind the car looked blank The boat, a 16-foot Kingfisher with 50 hp motor, there boat was parked right beside us ready to go when we left All we had to do was hook it onto the car," he moaned Purtell spun a quick line to get himself GREAT MEGAPHONE Alexander the Great is purported to have had a megaphone able to send a human voice a distance of 12 miles off the hook for (he mistake It was Ruth fault, pure and simple. She forgot to remind him about the boat And besides he had his mind on a fish story Did he ever tell you about the time Now GIFT SHOP open in the lobby of the South Park Inn Custom Made Jewelry Exclusive Hand painted jewelry by Frank Baggerman Turquoise, Etc. Owned Operated by Jo McGee ONIY 6 Reg.

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