At a time when it’s considered impolitic to take cheap shots at ethnic groups or sensitive interest groups, some filmmakers aren’t reluctant to portray bowlers as beer-soaked buffoons.
In their 1996 gross-out epic, “Kingpin,” the Farrelly brothers made the pro tour look like a bizarre freak show. Last year, “Dream With the Fishes” introduced audiences to nude bowling.
Now, in “The Big Lebowski,” Joel and Ethan Coen make the real-life Hollywood Star Lanes the heart of their twisted homage to Raymond Chandler.
It is inside this decidedly retro establishment that the film’s lumpen trio of crimefighters–Jeff Bridges, John Goodman and Steve Buscemi–meets to unravel a nasty case of mistaken identity. It also happens to be the one place in Los Angeles where these three mopes command respect, albeit as accomplished league keglers.
Despite the Coens’ less-than-elegant depiction of the bowling milieu, Lake Forest’s Brunswick Corp.–a major promoter of the sport–provided support to the filmmakers, as it did for “Kingpin” and the 1994 Michael J. Fox comedy, “Greedy.”
“I think it’s good for bowling to have exposure,” says Jim Otterstrom, the company’s vice president of group marketing services. “Do I wish it was all positive exposure? Yes. Realistically, is that possible? No, it’s not.”
Before a company agrees to supply filmmakers with equipment or use of its celebrity representatives (Brunswick’s pro staff was used in “Kingpin” and “Greedy”), it is given a copy of the script to study. Unless the product is to be used in some patently offensive manner –as a weapon or sex toy, for instance–permission usually is granted in exchange for cash or prominent display of corporate logos.
Unlike other pastimes, bowlers can’t be choosers when it comes to product placement.
“Bowling does have a certain reputation, and people laugh at it,” Otterstrum concedes. “But they also enjoy it. A lot of movies use bowling because people understand it.”
The benefit to Brunswick, he explains, is to keep bowling as “top-of-the-mind” as possible. At the same time, the company is committed to changing the sport’s image by creating new family entertainment centers and developing such activities as “Cosmic Bowling.”
Brunswick didn’t have to pay the producers of “The Big Lebowski” for placement of its products, although it did supply balls, shoes and score-keeping equipment, as well as prizes for a promotional contest. In “Kingpin” and “Greedy,” the company also provided portable lanes.
“In movies, the bowling audience is narrowly defined, and Brunswick reaches it already through broadcasts of the tour, so bowlers know who we are,” said another company spokesman. ” `Kingpin’ has gotten this huge following, and bowling is helped somewhat by getting just normal people thinking about it . . . especially Gen X’ers. The bowling world was not thrilled by `Kingpin,’ but kids thought it was hilarious.”
`TITANIC’ WAVE
A big ship carries makes a large wake, and, not surprisingly, James Cameron’s juggernaut is having a huge influence on other “Titanic” products.
Benefiting greatly from the popularity of the movie are “Titanic: Music as Heard on the Fateful Voyage,” a collection of nostalgic songs performed by musicologist Ian Whitcomb and his orchestra, and A&E Home Video’s documentary, “Titanic.” Both had already been on the market when the film opened, but sales jumped after the box office exploded.
“On a percentage level, it was a fairly astronomical increase,” said Bob Carlton, vice president for Rhino Records, of the Grammy-winning CD (for packaging). “In the last 10 days, for example, we’ve seen a full third of our orders come in. This corresponds to the big 800,000-plus week the soundtrack album just had.”
According to Carlton, Whitcomb’s album has sold nearly 50,000 units in the U.S., and another 50,000 overseas. Normally, such a collection would be expected to sell a total of about 10,000 units over a much longer period of time.
“We’ve seen a real significant resurgence in interest in our product from consumers since December,” concurred David Walmsley, director of home video for A&E Television. “We released it in 1994 in a four-cassette pack. It’s been a good seller for us, but, in the last two months, we’ve actually exceeded sales from the last three years.”
A&E’s retelling of the Titanic story also benefited from a drop in the suggested retail price, from $59.95 to $39.95, and cross-promotions on two repeat airings on the cable network.
“We’ve had tie-in products with movie releases before, which have done reasonably well, and some that didn’t do very well at all,” Walmsley said. “Nobody really knew if `Titanic’ would hit it big. When it did, it caught us a little bit by surprise. But we were able to respond quickly to the pull.”
Video companies don’t like to give out numbers, but Walmsley did allow that sales this year alone are near the six-figure range. That is considered an extremely high number for a non-fiction title in a multicassette package.
A WISE MAN
One of this town’s most inspirational and entertaining annual events is the American Film Institute’s gala salute to the winner of its Lifetime Achievement Award. Recent recipients have included Elizabeth Taylor, Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood and Martin Scorsese, so tickets are scarce and the formally attired crowd is always filled with stars.
This year’s winner, Robert Wise, hasn’t directed a movie in nearly a decade (“Rooftops”) and it’s been twice that long since he’s had a hit (“Star Trek–The Motion Picture”), but that didn’t stop anyone from lavishing him with love and admiration. During his 65 years of work in Hollywood, the Indiana native has served as an editor (“Citizen Kane,” “The Magnificent Ambersons”), a producer, a teacher and the director of such diverse pictures as “The Sound of Music,” “The Sand Pebbles,” “I Want to Live!,” “West Side Story,” “The Haunting,” “The Hindenburg” and “Two for the Seesaw.”
Wise, 83, was remembered for his gentle manner, dedication to his craft and innovative use of the camera, and he was praised as a filmmaker who “never did the same thing twice.”
Looking back on his fruitful career, Wise said, “I fell under the spell of the movies. They show us the best we are capable of and the dangers to avoid. I hope I’ve made a small difference.”
He then raised smiles by evoking the message of universal harmony from “The Day the Earth Stood Still”: “Klaatu barada nikto.”
The ceremony was taped for broadcast this June on NBC.
METEORITE ATTACK
Two of this summer’s potential blockbusters–“Armageddon” and “Deep Impact”–speculate on what might happen if a giant comet or asteroid was on a collision course with Earth. In both films, teams of astronauts are sent to intercept and deflect the intruder.
According to an article in last week’s Broadcasting & Cable magazine, an actual comet is threatening to wreak havoc on communications satellites now in orbit. The fear is that Leonid meteorites will rain down from space and damage or destroy the satellites.
While such showers are an annual celestial occurrence, scientists suggest that the upcoming event could be the largest in 32 years.
Back in 1966–when the last big shower was recorded–there were hundreds fewer satellites in operation. The possibility of a direct hit will be discussed next month at a conference of the American Institutes of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ Aerospace Center for Orbital Re-entry and Debris Studies, in Manhattan Beach, Calif.
