[Home Edition]
Los Angeles Times (pre-1997 Fulltext)
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Los Angeles, Calif.
| Author: | Cieply, Michael |
| Date: | Mar 21, 1988 |
| Start Page: | 1 |
| Section: | Calendar; 6; Entertainment Desk |
[Heather O'Rourke] was featured on poster ads for the first two
"Poltergeist" films and is among the top name stars in the third. But
[Barry Lorie] can already imagine angry letters to MGM/UA Communications
Co. chairman Lee Rich if the MGM division appears in any way to trade
on O'Rourke's death in handling "Poltergeist III."
-Publicity is out: Promotional interviews are a favorite tool in selling horror films, and O'Rourke did some publicity for the earlier films. But MGM wants stars Tom Skerritt and Nancy Allen generally to avoid interviews, which would inevitably lead to maudlin questions about Heather.
Things worked out less well in 1981, when Natalie Wood drowned before the studio, by then known as MGM/UA, had finished "Brainstorm," a $25-million science-fiction thriller. MGM/UA quickly shut down production and filed a $15-million insurance claim with Lloyd's of London. Lloyd's gave director Douglas Trumbull $3 million to finish the movie instead, but MGM/UA decided it didn't like the result and sent Wood's last film from studio to studio in search of a new home. Finding no takers, MGM finally released "Brainstorm" in 1983, to poor audience response.
-Publicity is out: Promotional interviews are a favorite tool in selling horror films, and O'Rourke did some publicity for the earlier films. But MGM wants stars Tom Skerritt and Nancy Allen generally to avoid interviews, which would inevitably lead to maudlin questions about Heather.
Things worked out less well in 1981, when Natalie Wood drowned before the studio, by then known as MGM/UA, had finished "Brainstorm," a $25-million science-fiction thriller. MGM/UA quickly shut down production and filed a $15-million insurance claim with Lloyd's of London. Lloyd's gave director Douglas Trumbull $3 million to finish the movie instead, but MGM/UA decided it didn't like the result and sent Wood's last film from studio to studio in search of a new home. Finding no takers, MGM finally released "Brainstorm" in 1983, to poor audience response.
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