Hollywood Studio Magazine (1978)

could we have ever done it.” The explosive, dramatic events chronicled inthe movie “Texas Detour” are representative of Hickmet Avedis’ concept of moviemaking. Avedis brings an excellent background to the movie industry. He began his studies in England, majoring in Drama while in college. Following graduation from the University of London, Hickmet pursued his life-long interest in film by producing several 16 mm shorts. Later, when me met with BBC TV officials, they became so impressed by what they saw of Avedis’ potential they hired him on the spot. Two weeks later, he was sent to Sudan, Africa to produce documentaries for the BBC TV station. “T lived in the jungle making documentaries on ‘snakes’ and ‘crocodiles’. All in all, I spent two and a half years there,” he reminesced. “Jungle heat is humid. It is not easy to work under such circumstances. Yet, I liked it. We also made some interesting documentaries on ‘monkeys’. And then came the most challenging assignment of all. We were assigned to produce a documentary film on ‘cannibal kingdoms’. We filmed on the colorful Solomon Islands in the Red Sea. This is where the cannibals have been exiled to. To complicate matters, the island where we filmed was surrounded by sharks.” Yet those harrowing two and a half years of movie-making in Africa were an important ingredient in the success of Avedis as a film-maker. For it was here in Africa, under such gruelling circumstances, he developed the discipline and skill that mark him as a unique professional film-maker, who never allows adversity to deter his film projects. “And what happened then?” “T returned to England,” he explained, “and went on with my training at the London School of Film Technique. Next door the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts offered superb productions which I was privileged to see.” Following graduation from the London School of Film Technique, Hickmet Avedis headed for Hollywood, checking in at the famed USC Cinema Department. Here, he not only picked up his Master’s Degree in Cinema, but won the George Cukor Award for his film work while attending this university. “T decided to stay in Hollywood as I have always considered Hollywood as the most important film center in the world. More Hollywood movies are shown in theaters around the world than all the film output from other nations combined.” “And then?” “Among my first films was “The Teacher” starring Angel Tomkins. It was a low-budget film, released by American-International but it did very 22 HOLLYWOOD STUDIO Magazine Cameron Mitchell gets caught in the middle of conflicting emotions in Hickmar Productions, “Texas Detour.” Patrick Wayne with R.G. Armstrong dur -§ ingatense moment | In a jail scene in “Texas Detour”. well at the box office. And then came “Scorchy” starring Connie Stevens.” “What was “Scorchy” about?” Leaning back in his high-back black leather chair, Avedis reminesced a moment, “Scorchy was about a glamourous undercover police woman played by Connie Stevens, who cracks a big dope ring. It was set in Rome and Seattle. Seattle proved to be a beautiful backdrop for this action-packed picture. We had a chase sequence at the end of the movie the audiences loved.” “And now?” “We're busy at work on a new movie into the upcoming distribution of “Texas Detour” which lives up to my motto of movie-making.” “What is that?” “People come to theaters to get away from their own lives. They don’t want to be preached to or exposed to pandering sex or blood-gushing violence. They want to be entertained. And my movie-making motto has always been to make movies to entertain people the best way I know how with a good story, good performers, and a well-paced production.” +x