Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1963)

Cameras East The Eastern Shore Suddenly is Awash With Wave of New and Did Film Makers By JOHN ANO Film production, long a sometime thing in the East, has suddenly perked up, and with it has come the woebegone caterwauling of the professional soothsayers. Providing counterpoint are the jubilant arias of the novices, who try to ooze sincerity, rather than sweat, from their pores, as they modestly suggest that their amateur films eclipse Antonioni in sheer creativity and outshine Ross Hunter in mass appeal. Fortunately, there are those who feel that there is no substitute for talent, perspiration and hard work, and it is these men who, their efforts tempered, at times by caution and pessimism, are providing a resurgence in local film making. Inspired by the rather startling success of Frank and Eleanor Perry's "David and Lisa", numerous shoestring ventures are being planned in New York and environs, and some are under way. For those who can afford studio costs, Michael Myerberg, a stage and film producer, recently opened the Michael Myerberg Studios at Roosevelt Field, Long Island, in an endeavor toward making New York City a modern major film center. Myerberg's plant, a $2,500,000 complex, has three air-conditioned sound stages now under occupancy, and he envisions an eventual 16 sound stages, facilities for projection, cutting and processing of films, and, ultimately, establishment of the East Coast's first school of motion picture art. The studio officially opened on June 24 when the Columbia Pictures production, "Lilith ", directed by Robert Rossen, began a week's shooting in a remodeled hangar. After location shots at Oyster Bay, the "Lilith" company returned to the studio in late July to complete the 13-week shooting schedule. The sound-proofed stage used by Artist's conception of Myerberg studio complex on Long Island. "Lilith" measures 120 by 100 ft., with a 38-ft. ceiling, and, according to Myerberg, is the largest sound stage available for film production in the East. Pan Arts' "The World of Henry Orient", directed by George Roy Hill for United Artists release, moved onto stages 2 and 3 on July 29 for a scheduled 10 weeks. Before winter, Myerberg expects to utilize his facilities for his own production, "The Frog Pond." The producer anticipates a heavy demand on his studio by film makers, since television has forced motion pictures out of most of the available space in the metropolitan area. The Fox Movietone and Biograph (Gold Medal) studios are the only fully-equipped facilities available for major production in New Bin Maddow (on floor, right) discusses scene for "An Affair of the Skin" with Herbert Berghof (on ladder), Viveca Lindfors and crew members. York, and these usually are occupied by video projects. Mr. Myerberg, in a news conference at the opening of his studios, presented a grim picture of New York movie making and made it clear that only with proper facilities could the city hope to attract production. Richard Sylbert, "Lilith" designer, declared. "Without some space, pictures won't be made here. We have the talent and the people and this is the first indication that anybody cares." Meanwhile, across the East River in the ivory towers of Manhattan, realestate magnate Abraham P. Levine was heralding the renaissance of production, sparked, fostered, and nourished in New York, as a great breakthrough for American films. Scoffing at the need for elaborate production facilities, he asserted that "ideas and creativity" are the only real essentials, and pointed to the recently released "Greenwich Village Story" which was made under conditions that would have been considered impossible by accepted production standards. Yet, this low-budget ($125,000) film, made at little more than 1/19 the estimated cost ($2,300,000) of "Lilith", played through July and early August at Broadway's Victoria Theatre and received favorable critical response from all except the Herald-Tribune's ever-dissenting Judith Crist. "Greenwich Village Story" writerproducer-director Jack O'Connell is typical of the American New Wave movie maker. After gaining technical experience in Italy, he spent eight months raising money from backers, then assembled a technical crew, and finally cast his film — a modern retelling of "La Boheme" — from off-Broadway, television, and, in the case of lead ( Continued on P<ige 12) Film BULLETIN August 5, 1963 Page 11