22 - North Shore News — Friday, September 1, 2000

HT:

From Page 13

tle metaphysical thriller that I had penned 20 or so years earlier. The script had been sitting in a box all rhat time. { had pulled it out and reluc- tandy sold it for a mere $3,080 to Trans World Entertainment ({ needed the money) and proceeded to contribute to the transforma- tion and deterioration of my own story to that of a cheap “slasher.”

Original intent was undoubtedly to fashion yet another unwanted film abaut a Vietnam vet suffering oodles of angst over his war guilt. Accompanied by hor- rendously phony reenact- ment footage of supposed war atrocities in a California forest area, plus poor stock footage, John Phillip Law is the sufferer.

Gary Graver, who has sev- eral different careers as cine- matographer, director and adult-filmmaker, is credited with the principal footage and it is very dreary.

Perhaps he was aiming at his late mentor Orson Welles’ Lady From Shanghai or unfinished The Deep in the central motif of a group of scabrous individuals trapped on a yacht together, as part of a wedding gift to Law and

-his bride Britt Ekland.

Technical credits are poor, and the cast is awful, particularly hammy Ekland and in undoubtedly his worst performance, William Smith. Graver’s starlet (from his

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World Entertainment were looking for a property for Graver to direct for them. He was reluctant to take the script there but | was urging him to do something with it, fast. He presented it, they liked the gist of it and pro- ceeded to convince me to accept much less money than I had requested; { signed a writer's flat deal contract which employed me to “write a complete and fin- ished screenplay for a pro- posed motion picture presently entitled and desig- nated Moon In Seorpiv.”

I was to “immediately on execution hercof diligendy proceed to render services hereunder and continue until such services are completed.”

I was promised “more substantial monies” (per day) to turn my script into a more internationally saleable com- modity from their marketing perspective. Also, I would get to play script supervisor (for the first time). {1 is rare, indeed, that producers allow the writer anywhere near the set, much less to fill that important position.

Graver and I got to work on improving (we hoped) the original screenplay. Day after day, the producer, Alan Amiel would drastically alter what we had done (all the while blaming it on “the guy upstairs,” the executive pro- ducer, Moshe). The casting was going well; Gary’s old friend, John Phillip Law (of, The Russians Are Coming...The Russians Are

: ROBERT Alken and director Gary Graver on board

yaent during Moon in Scorpio shoot.

Party Camp pic) April Wayne is embarrassing.

Gary and [had been friends for nearly 30 years. He had previously hired me to write several screenplays

_ for him (low budget fare). Some he made, some not. His association with Orson Welles had led to my involvement (as actor) in, The Osher Side Of The Wind

_ (early 70s). Orson gone, he - had hoped to be able to make a very special picture

from my commercially viable screenplay. He liked the supernatural elements — he ~ saw the possibilities. It could ostensibly enhance his career. - The people at Trans

correction Notice in our 7 - 4A Weekend Sate Flyer, on -the fiysheet, Amarige de Givenchy. 50 mi Eau de Toilette Spray is $65... th our 8-1 Back @it flyer “Brioche” casual Jeather shoe by Nicole on page 8 and “Aegean” platform boot on page $9 will be late - rainchecks available at the store. Carpets on page 30 will not be

. | avatlable for this event. Sorry for any incomvenience this may have causad,

Coming and. Barbarella fame), my acquaintance, Britt Ekland (whom I had previously met socially with her former ausband, Peter Sellers), Lewis Van Bergen, William Smith, the delicious- ly attractive April Wayne. But, Ameil would repeat- edly iecture us as to how there should be a wild sex act or bloody murder and/or mayhem every twenty min- utes (one of his least outra- geous statements), and,

Photo Trans World Entertainment

MOON In Scorpio star April Wayne with two cast members in a scene shot off the coast of Maiibu.

strangely enough, as appalling as this was, we, somehow, couldn’t help lik- ing him. It was curiously fas- cinating to experience, far too close and personal, the “purveyor of schlock” mind- set.

Being on the yacht off the colourful coast of Malibu (out of Marina Del Rey) was fun. Some of the actors were quite impressed with me — that I had actually sold a screenplay — even as they would sabotage the best lines; “Oh, he wouldn’t say that, would he? How about...2” Then, ad lib something totally inappropri- ate which would lead to the

Need for further on-the-spot

changes...“madness”! And, typical.

As script supervisor, I failed miserably. At one point, during a crucial scene, Britt asked me, “Was I carry- ing the purse over my left or right shoulder?” (in the last shat). I was supposed to know. All eves were on me. I hadn’t the foggiest idea. If 1 just guessed, the shots might not match. After a long embarrassing pause...*Do I know?” or, “Beyond me...!” (or something lame like thar). ,

Basically, I was “out of it”...couldn’t believe what I was seeing...day after day...the systematic degrada- tion of what might have been a good, little movie.

One evening, having tol- erated enough, I took it upon myself to cail in an

See Writer Page 23

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