The Toronto Star from Toronto, Ontario, Canada • 57

ipiygpiBni pii Wi fij a I i i Barry Manilow sings the songs that thrill fansD3 Good reading in Star Long one of America's most respected ac tresses Nancy Marchand is finally being ac claimed as a star Regular TV watchers know her best as Mrs Pynchon boss on the Lou GrantShow Star drama critic Gina Mallet was in New York recently and interviewed her in her dress ing room at the Lyceum Theatre on her last night with the play At Seven A good read Toronto has just been blessed with a unique institution the Biggest Bookstore and Robert ulford found a million stories in the paradise for browsers at Yonge and Edward Sts JIM RUSSELLTORONTO STAR Shown the gate: What has to be the shortest lived sign for a movie tn mothballed until director Michael Cimino is able to transform Heav Toronto sits on truck outside University Theatre no doubt to be Gate into a movie the critics might like better next time 7s is tfjr It Eap rV? Hollywood reels from shock of $40 million bomb rom UP1 Los Angeles Times When a $40 million movie bombs a day before its general release the shock' waves reverberate like an earthquake in Hollywood The film community is reeling today from the pans Toronto and New York movie critics delivered to Gate the long awaited epic western about Wyoming's range wars and the unprecedented deci sion by United Artists to pull the three and a haif hour film out of theatres even as it was being screened to an invitational audience in the University Theatre Wednes day night Hollywood bettors are not only putting their money on the who shot JR sweepstakes tonight on TV they're also speculating on the fate of the executives at United Artists who gave the OK to the western when it was a $12 million film and watched it balloon into one of the most expen sive movies ever made Cutting room The movie's director Michael Cimino whose last film was the 1978 Academy Award winner The Deer Hunter went directly from the air port to a cutting room after return ing to Hollywood from Toronto yes terday According to Jack Bernstein senior vice president of amous Players which hosted the University Theatre premiere Cimino had asked the studio on the phono during the Toronto screening to pull the film winch had taken him two years to' make In a statement prepared and is sued for Cimino by the studio yester day Cimino said that meet his commitments for a November open ing he was unable to hold previews to gauge audience reactions and be lieves with added time he can finish the film with the same care and thoughtfulness 'with which it was begun" The changes are expected to be made for release of the movie in the first half of 1981 United Artists has an enormous in vestment in Gate which stars Kris Krislofferson The aver age studio film costs in the neighbor hood of $9 million This film cost more than four times that amount Over the years scores of Holly wood movies have been shelved alto Costly set: Director Michael Cimino built an entire western town for Heaven Gate and hauled in a nui row gauge railway which helped boost cost to $40 million I ft u2 5 i I 1 1 tern Si tv fcAWBBi I gether rather than humiliate the studios producers and stars The studios stood the financial shellack ing But no movie costing $40 million (a Boeing 747 airliner costs S53 mil lion to give some comparison in lay terms) has ever been written off as a total loss A United Artists spokesman in Hollywood said the company had spent $750000 to advertise and pro mote the film ($100000 in Toronto alone) a relatively modest initial in vestment The rumor that there was about to be a sweeping out of the executive suites at United Artists was dismiss ed by Transamerica president James Harvey Transamerica is the corpo rate conglomerate that owns United Artists Asked if the incident would have an effect on the future of the management he said no no No decision about them will be made as a result of that Steven Bach senior vice president for production did not return phone calls Gate which stars Kris Kristofferson and Christopher Walk en was two years in'preparation and eight months in production on loca tion near Glacier National Park in Montana Originally budgeted at $12 million delays and such expenses as building an entire western town and hauling in a narrow gauge train bal looned the cost to $40 including the promotional expenses Most recently rancis Apocalypse Now about the Viet Nam War more than doubled its original $15 million budget and still has not recouped its costs Cleopatra made for $30 million in 1962 was the most expensive film of its time It broke even 15 years later thanks to TV sales Loans on Cleopa tra forced 20th Century ox to sell its back lot which is now Century City Columbia Pictures and Universal Studios combined last year to spend $37 million on 1941 a bomb which whenever earn its money back main factor in over budget pictures is the ego of the said a Universal director called are catered to and pamper ed They think of themselves as gen iuses who can do no wrong John ord Henry King and rank Capra come in over Long faces In Kalispell Mont there were long faces at the Outlaw Inn where Cimino and company spent six months making Gate all quite saddened said Tom Day general manager of the hotel all liked Michael Cimi no and we were rooting for his film I hope he can fix it He may have a lot of fixing to do Some samples from critics who have seen the movie: The Star's Ron Base: Gate has thinnest gauze of a a plot which is and often confused and stripped down to its bare essentials cattlemen versus homesteaders Kathleen Carroll in the New York Daily News: film could be mis taken for a Russian made anti capi talist epic rankly if the film had been entirely in Russian without English subtitles it might have made more sense than it does in its present state which is a Vincent Canby in the New York Times: Gate is something quite rare in movies these days an unqualified TV reviewers were equally harsh Toronto Star riday November 21 1980 Section pages DI DI 2 Just in case been in a coma Only 20 people know who shot JR Ewing and not telling The selected 20 are employees of Lorimar Productions and the CBS and CBC networks JR was shot on March 21 and nobody on the show including the writers had any idea who toblame Now the crucial scenes have been filmed several different ways using various suspects up to executives at Lorimar and CBS to decide which solution seems the most plausible Tonight at 10 on CBC and CBS learn the identity of assailant But about all The reasons for the shooting and the fate of the assailant will come up on Nov 28 Remember Dallas is a soap opera and the tension will be spun out over many months The Dallas set has been closed to visiting press and cameras and tape recorders are not permitted on the MGM backlot where the show is shot Two prints There are two prints of to night's show One is in Toronto at the CBC under strict secrecy The other was delivered by plane to CBS headquarters in New York city and is in the CBS vaults under guard Only a few CBC employees have seen the print or know its precise location And even Larry Hagman and other cast members must wait until tonight at 10 to find out who shot JR Just in case been in a coma these past nine months here are the eight most likely suspects: 1 wife SUE ELLEN was drunk the night he was shot and can't remember a thing But she had motives living with the Ewings turned her into an alco holic and JR is not the father of her child be charged with murder but did she really pull the trigger? 2 Mistress KRISTIN felt JR was about to dump her When she tried to blackmail him he said have her arrested as a prosti tute One clue star Mary contract is ending and leav ing the show 3 Brother BOBBY seems like JIM BAWDEN Prime Time the saintly sort but always re sented meddling ways and attempts to brand him the fool He left Southfork the very day JR was shot and could not possi bly have gotten back that night Or could he? 4 ALAN BEAM a hustling law yer almost made his fortune when he persuaded little Lucy to marry him But JR heard about his little scheme and threatened to frame him on rape charges Beam was caught at the airport for questioning 5 MISS ELLIE the darling matriarch of the family seems in capable of hurting a flea let alone her eldest born But JR mort gaged her beloved Southfork spread and broke up the family by forcing brother Gary to move away Miss Ellie has several rea sons for plugging her son 6 VAUGHAN LELAND was an affluent banker until JR swin dled him out of millions of dollars and sold him bad oil leases that al most bankrupted the poor man He threatened retaliation Did he deliver on his threats? 7 Rival CLI BARNES was actually slapped in handcuffs But this may be a decoy scene to throw us off Cliff was Sue lover saw his sister Pam hurt by machinations and feels his father Digger Barnes was ruined by the Ewing family 8 JR may have staged his own assassination if you think devious enough After all credi tors were closing in his sis ter claimed he raped her and fa ther Jock was getting completely fed up Why not arrange a shoot ing collect the insurance money and start anew? am authorized to tell you the butler did not do says one CBS programmer only be cause the Ewings do not have a butler as JI A jg Sue Ellen Kristin Bobby Cliff Barnes Alan Beam JR: If you think devious enough Larry character could have staged his own assassination since his creditors were closing in on him a 'A' 5 Vaughan Leland IM Miss Ellie TV TONIGHT Local moviegoers got rude awakening By Bob Pomerantz Toronto Star It may have been an all time record for fastest switcho chango marquee in Toronto movie history The University Theatre Wednes day afternoon at 4 took down its Bette Midler Divine Madness sign replacing it with one for Michael Cimino's new $40 million western Gate It stayed up for the invitational premiere that night and was scheduled to remain through ebruary But at noon yesterday it was packed away in a truck and Bette Midler was up in lights again ilm goers clutching their $5 advance tickets arrived at the theatre only to learn Heaven's Gate had been shown tiie gate and it was Divine Madness or nothing Gerry Merchant was confused to say the least: was eating lunch across the street and saw the Heav Gate sign I came back two hours later to see the film and saw a Divine Madness sign Pretty incred WJiile word of the 1 Ith hour can cellation spread yesterday the vast majority of patrons arriving with re served tickets for the first screening still heard and got a rude awakening felt disappointed about the can said Merchant 33 of Biantyre Ave in the (film) business myself I can understand how a director can be overly sensi tive or afraid a film will But few others among the 15 peo ple arriving for the first screening with tickets were as understanding even though the theatre refunded their money and gave each a compli mentary pass for two to sec another movie Bub Miller who bought his ticket two weeks ago and was left out in the cold on his day off fumed about the last minute cancellation really stupid pulling it 24 hours before they were supposed to release he said The 28 year old accountant who lives near College and Yonge Sts said pulling the movie probably meant was no good so prob ably not coming back to see Tami Shulman and Jackie Potts have seen 52 movies together and yesterday would have made 53 The two 19 year olds bought their tickets nine days earlier and were ready for a big show heard on the radio United Art ists was taking the movie out of cir culation but figured it would at least be playing today so we said Tami a York University student who lives on Clancy Dr a little annoyed" Jackie also a York student who lives on Glentworth Rd said probably just as well they postponed the film: have to or want to sit through four hours of it But still not Gerry Gollaher manager of the University Theatre said the refund pass program is a courtesy to the ticket buyer went to the incon venience and expense to arrange are sparing people the boring segments we feel should be he added reaction to the film at the preview was it was too long too tedious not polished enough for public consumption Nobody sets out to make a bad film and Cimino's not finished his work as far as we're concerned "1 thought personally there were boring parts and also some good sluff but I think we were sparing the public this time Daredevils do darndest The Daredevils on Channels 2 and 11 at 8 stars such stuntmen as Kitty Steve Baker Rickie Wallenda in their most dangerous stunts Ancient Aztec astronomers are profiled on Channel 19's In Search Of at 8 and at 830 Of Gods And Men looks at the ancient Indians of New Mexico Convoy on Channel 7 at 9 stars Kris Kristofferson and Ali MacG raw in one long keep on chase The music of Jay Livingston and Ray Evans gets the profile treatment on Channel 19's Music Room at 930 The Alan King Turkey Awards on Channels 9 and 13 at 10 spoofs the major personalities of the year Michel Legrand's special on tnannel 1 1 at 10 is a choice rerun Jerry Lewis and Neil Sedaka are the guests Rabbit Test on Channel 79 at 11 is often screamingly funnyal though risque Billy Crystal stars as the first pregnant man in the farce directed by Joan Rivers The mysterious man with no name alias Clint Eastwood stars in A istful Of Dollars on Channel 7 at 1130 With A Song In My Heart on Channel 12 at midnight is the musical biography of Jane roman with spunky Susan Hay ward mouthing as roman sings away BEST BET: City or Conquest is a true Golden Oldie on Channel 5 at 1215 Jimmy Cagney is the boxer going blind Arthur Kenne dy his kid brother a composer and Ann Sheridan tough but with the New York heart of gold II 3 I I I.