Happy ending for cast and crew

after production’s financial fiasco

Vancouver: The American feature He Ain’t Heavy starring Danny Aiello and Mickey Rooney that’s been shooting in Vancouver took on extra ballast, according to many members of an angry, upset cast and crew.

The quasi sequel to the famed 1938 feature Boys’ Town hit the skids four weeks into filming on Friday the 13th when its distributor pulled the plug on l.a.-based producer Dean Hamilton.

According to inside sources working on the film about two orphaned lads who travel across America to reach the fabled sanctuary for orphan boys, the producers went ahead with production even though financing from their distributor, Republic Pictures, was not fully in place.

Hamilton says he began principal photography in December because he needed to take advantage of the 1994 tax shelters for Canadian investors in the $2.2 million budgeted film. Even though the deal had not been finalized with all the investors, he bankrolled the film through his own company, Dean Hamilton Entertainment.

The distributor apparently held back on payments for the final close because the contractual movie rights to the Boys’ Town title had not been nailed down.

Hamilton says he never wanted ‘specific’ rights to the title, only a ‘general’ reference to Boys’ Town and Father Flanagan who started the orphanage. Then Newt Gingrich, u.s. Congress House Speaker, started hyping the original film, which drew more attention to He Ain’t Heavy and prompted the distrib to demand more specific language in the contract.

When final crew payments began bouncing, the union, acfc, filed an injunction with the Labor Relations Board that would give it the power to seize the negative if the production company, He Ain’t Heavy Productions, couldn’t come up with approximately $300,000 for the payroll.

Aiello, among those who had not been fully paid, left the set prior to the last day of shooting, but was convinced to return to finish the film.

At press time, the producers had secured the final payment from the distributor and cheques to the crew and suppliers were being issued.

Says Hamilton, who has been run off his feet with damage control: ‘This whole event was very unfortunate. I am extremely angry about what happened. I could have fought this thing and threatened lawsuits but that wouldn’t have accomplished the end result of getting everyone paid. Thankfully, everyone in the industry was very co-operative.’

As a thank-you and peace-making gesture, Hamilton says the crew will receive an extra half-day’s wages.

Hamilton says he intends to shoot four or five more films in Vancouver. Production on his next film, Mask Of The Dreamer, is slated to begin next month. Hopefully Newt won’t hear about that one.

Wishin’ an’ a-hopin’

Another status report on b.c.’s long sought-after tax-incentive program. Word from the ranks is that we’re in the final stretch. The Treasury Board is going through its final analysis. Look for the nod in mid-February. The announcement will probably come from the premier as part of his ‘overall strategy for the arts.’ Whoa, you mean they actually have one?

The program will likely be in line with what the industry has lobbied for in design, although dollar-wise it will be considerably more ‘humble’ than hoped for.

With this in mind, it appears several local companies have been gearing up their operations to ensure their qualification under the long-awaited tax program, aimed at capitalizing b.c.-owned production companies.

Setting sail

Vancouver’s Ark Films, headed by producer Alan Morinis, is undergoing a major expansion in anticipation of increased production for 1995.

Isaac Thau has become a partner in the company and head of corporate affairs. Suzanne Chapman, former head of development with Forefront Productions, has moved over to Ark as head of creative affairs. Jane Charles (Cyberteens In Love) and Leonard Terhoch (Eye Level) will beef up Ark’s producer ranks.

Ark is finishing off post-production on the first six episodes of its syndicated youth drama series, Eye Level, and preparing for production of another 13 half-hours while fleshing out its development roster.

On the boards is a new feature film called Dmitriana, loosely based on a true story about a Doukhobor woman who walked from b.c. to Russia via Alaska to bury her dead father’s ashes, to be directed by British helmer Roger Spottiswoode (Mesmer); Shakin All Over, a tv coming-of-age movie set in the winter of 1964 written by David King (Harmony Cats) and being coproduced by Ark and Credo Entertainment of Winnipeg; and Entry Denied, a feature to be directed by John Irvin (Turtle Diary, Widow’s Peak).

ReBooting

One has to wonder how ReBoot, the highly rated new computer-animated tv series, will be affected by the sudden departure of its executive producer, Jay Firestone, former vice-chairman of Toronto-based Alliance Communications, coproducer of the series with Vancouver’s BLT Productions.

Firestone, working blt producers Chris Brough and Josanne Lovick, had been instrumental in getting the series off the ground. Firestone’s increasing aspirations as a producer were rumored to be the primary reason for his departure from Alliance.

Brough says Firestone did a ‘yeoman’s job by coming in to resurrect a project that was in trouble, establishing us on a sound economic footing and ensuring good distribution. I feel a sense of obligation to him. As far as the day-to-day running of the show, it will have minimal impact. To my knowledge, Jay is planning on remaining as executive producer of the show, possibly under his own company. However, our coproduction partner remains Alliance Communications. They’ve always been a good partner and they continue to be.’

One Foot In Heaven steps up

Could this be the next Double Happiness? One Foot In Heaven, the winner of this year’s Next Wave Competition that provided the cash and production oomph for Mina Shum’s big hit, Double Happiness, began production for one month in Vancouver Jan. 17.

Described as a road movie about discovering life’s passions and realizing it’s never too late to grow, One Foot In Heaven follows five seniors who flee an old-age home and journey across b.c. to throw the ashes of one of their dead friends off the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver.

Next Wave, which funds low-budget ($250,000) feature films from emerging filmmakers, is sponsored by British Columbia Film and the National Film Board’s Pacific Centre.

One Foot In Heaven was conceived eight years ago by Victoria native Brian Barnard, who scripted the film and will also direct. Tara Cowell-Plain will produce.

Chasing the blues

Here’s an update on one of the newsmakers from last year. Remember Teamster driver Fred Moroz who got popped near the border last August on his return to Canada after picking up a parcel at the Bellingham, Washington airport for actor/comedian Chevy Chase who was in Vancouver filming the feature Pals Forever (formerly Man 2 Man)? It turned out the parcel was filled with the prescription painkiller Percocet, and Moroz was charged with drug possession.

But like many films, the nightmarish ordeal for Moroz has a happy ending.

According to Associated Press reports, u.s. Whatcom County Superior Court Judge David Nichols, who dismissed the charges against Moroz last month, said following the hearing: ‘I just felt he was in the middle of something, that basically some people who were responsible hung him out to dry. It was certainly not this guy.ÉOverall, the situation just didn’t smell right. We had the wrong man in court.’

Apparently the deputy county prosecutor is still considering pursuing a felony drug charge against Chase.

Phewy! that’s one star who sure lost his luster in this town. And by the way, who got stuck with all the legal bills?