THE DUCK LIGHTING

As many of you know, Bill loved Ducks. One of the things we both recalled from our youth was the Duck building that we passed on trips to Montauk. I found this news item that I know I would have shared with him, so I share it with you.

Long Island Celebrates Holiday Season With 'Duck-Lighting' Ceremony

FLANDERS, N.Y. (AP) -- Who needs Rockefeller Center when you have the Big Duck?

It was 1931 when construction workers at Rockefeller Center put up a modest Christmas tree to begin what would become one of New York City's greatest traditions. That same year, a Long Island farmer decided to build a giant duck-shaped shop where he could sell fresh ducks and eggs by the side of the road.

Seventy-five years later, as millions watch Christina Aguilera, Sting and Bette Midler perform at the Rockefeller Center tree-lighting, a much smaller group will gather 75 miles to the east to light the Big Duck.

A volunteer fire department, a middle-school choir and local baseball team mascot named "Quacker Jack'' will light up the 20-foot-tall duck. Santa Claus will arrive atop a fire truck and youngsters will sing carols.

The duck will be decorated with a huge wreath around its neck and holiday garland and lights around its base.

The Big Duck is on the National Register of Historic Places.

In the 1950s and '60s, Long Island boasted about 70 duck farms, raising $6.5 million birds annually and contributing two-thirds of the nation's duck output.

Today, Long Island is down to three farms that raise about two million ducks annually - about ten percent of the nation's output.

THANKSGIVING VISIT

My wife and I drove up to Delaware to surprise the family this Thanksgiving. On Friday, my dad, Cindy and I drove to The National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa to visit Bill's grave. Here are some pictures from our visit.





The interior and exterior of the Shrine Chapel where Bill's funeral mass was said.








Bill's final resting place and the mausoleum where his remains are interred. Anyone that ever received a Holiday card from Bill knows that he enjoyed the festiveness of the season. That's why my mom and sister thought that hanging the ornament would be appropriate.



My dad, Cindy and I during our visit.

THANKSGIVING

It seems strange to be thinking about Thanksgiving this year. In the year that Bill died, it almost hard to think of things to be thankful for but here goes my Top 10 list :

1. I'm thankful that I got to spend New Year's Eve with Bill.
2. I'm thankful that I got to spend Bill's last birthday with him.
3. I'm thankful that my new family got to meet Bill.
4. I'm thankful that, when the end came, Bill did not suffer long.
5. I'm thankful for Bill's friends who selflessly helped my family in Los Angeles.
6. I'm thankful for everyone who attended Bill's funeral and made it a day of special remembrances.
7. While I missed my brother at my wedding, I am thankful for my new family and the joy they have brought me during some difficult times this year.
8. I'm thankful for all of you who have sent an email and have stayed in touch.
9. I'm thankful for all of the photos that Bill left which have helped me get through some tough days.
10. Finally, I think that I can safely speak for my entire family when I say that we are thankful for Mike Groob who has helped in many ways, with his actions, his memories and his kind words.

BILL IN YAHOO TIME CAPSULE

I have made an entry remembering Bill the the Yahoo Time Capsule project. The project will be closed in the near future and reopened again in 2020.





Click here to view the entry.

BRILL REMEMBERS BILL

I recently received an email from Bill's friend Bob Brill. Bob has been in China since January and did not find out about Bill's death until a few weeks later. Here is an excerpt from his email:

Bill is someone I truly respected and asked advice from regularly.

He was truly an amazing person - granted I was not around for the "good years" but I was always amazed at his talent and his wit. I have never laughed so hard as when I was laughing with Bill. Working and being frineds with Bill really added to my life. He is someone that I will never forget and would regret if I never befriended. A true friend. I actually broke down and cried when I found out.

Bob also paid tribute to Bill's memory on his blog:

Guilao Bob In China

Thanks Bob!

NEW EMAIL ADDRESS

You may have noticed that the email address for this blog has changed. While you will still be able to use the previous address for some time:

bukowskibigbukowski@yahoo.com

the new and simpler address is now in service....

big.bukowski@yahoo.com

CORONER'S REPORT

The coroner's report came in this past week and I opened it with mixed emotions: relief that we would finally know how Bill died, but also apprehension, since I might not really want to know the details.

To my family, the most important part of the report is where the coroner indicates that "the trauma present DID NOT contribute to his demise." He continues that it "was sustained as he collapsed." Based on this finding it seems that Bill died before he collapsed and thankfully did not suffer for an extended period of time.

Ultimately, Bill died of something called "Left Ventricular Hypertrophy." I will not even begin to try to explain what that is since I am still trying to fully grasp the meaning of the condition. Click here for a Google search result for more information.

I would like to thank everyone one of you who has stayed in touch during the last several months while we waited for these findings and I hope that you will continue to do so. It has been wonderful to get to know Bill from different perspectives.

Finally, I found this picture of Bill on the same day I received the report and it seems fitting to me that it be included in this post.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

I don't recall too much about Bill and Halloween. The only time I remember spending at least part of the holiday with him was when I was living in L.A. in 1984; I remember being with him at the Halloween Parade in Hollywood. If you have any memories, I'd love to hear them. Also, I'm finishing work on my photo book of Bill and would love to include any words you might like to add. For now, here's Bill on an unknown Halloween.

OCTOBER UPDATE

Last week I discovered that the L.A. Coroner closed Bill's case on July 3rd. I was a little stunned when they told me since I had spoken to them in late June and they had stated that they did not expect to close the case for at least another six months.

In any case, a determination of death has been made. I have requested the autopsy report and a death certificate and expect to have these within the next month. I will post information when I receive the documents.

As stated in a previous post, I am working on a photo book of pictures of Bill. If you are interested in a copy, drop me an email and I will provide the information.

I will begin posting photos again in the next few weeks.

SIX MONTHS

Today marks six months since Bill's passing. I hope you are all well. I wanted to put up a post today to mark this date, but I wasn't exactly sure what I would say. Fortunately, when I was speaking to my dad today he said something that struck me. In the words he spoke you could hear a fond memory and a hope for the future. He said, "it was six months ago today since I last spoke to him." Although he didn't continue, in his voice you could hear his hope that it wasn't last time ever and I'm pretty sure it won't be.

Rest peacefully Bill.



Here's a photo of Bill and our mom, Louise.

IN REMEMBRANCE

Bill lived in the shadows of the Twin Towers during their construction. I seem to remember that he had a love-hate relationship with the buildings. However, after the events of 9-11 he was drawn to visit ground zero. Therefore, I thought it was appropriate to make this post since I'm sure that if he were with us today, Bill would have been thinking of the events of September 11, 2001.

SEPTEMBER RECESS

Now that my anniversary celebration of "Comin' At Ya!" is complete, I'm going to take a month off from the blog. I've had a lot of craziness in my life since March and now I need a little time for myself. If anything happens that I think needs to be shared, I will post an entry - otherwise I will return in October. By the time I begin to post again I hope to be able to report that I have found a home for the Optimax III lens system in a museum.

As always, if you have anything you want to post, simply drop me an email.



Bill and I on December 30, 2005, in my home in Delray Beach, Florida.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON AUGUST 1981

August 1981 - It must have been an unbelievably exciting time for Bill. And although I can't be certain, I'm sure Bill supplemented it with some crazy activities. At the time, it probably seemed like the end of one era and the beginning of a brand new adventure. And, to a certain extent, it was.



It seems that it wasn't too long after the release of "Comin' At Ya!" that Bill was headed west to California. The fact that he went west was probably inevitable; That he stayed there as long as he did was a surprise, since he was true New Yorker at heart.

Unfortunately, the 1980s 3-D craze was short-lived. I'm not sure of when the plug was pulled, but I do know that when I moved to L.A. in 1984, Optimax III was no longer a viable operation. But, before its demise, there were two more significant 3-D projects for Bill - "The Man Who Wasn't There" and an Aerosmith concert film.



Once the 3-D projects had ended I never heard Bill say why it thought the 3-D craze fizzled out. But, I think the article that was posted yesterday pretty much summed it all up. It seems that everyone in the 3-D community was more interested in bad mouthing the competition. Had they worked harder a developing a niche, 3-D would probably be a standard today. As we know, hindsight is 20-20, and 3-D awaits its next period of reemergence.

I've had this month to contemplate whether or not Bill was better off for having been involved in "Comin' At Ya!," and I can't say one way or another. Certainly, it was a highlight of his career, but it was also the event that pointed his life west. In retrospect, while he liked Los Angeles, I'm not sure it was the best place for him to be. The one thing that I do know for sure is if he stayed in New York, I would have had the opportunity to get to know him - and his world - a little better. And, I would have loved that!!!

"COMIN' AT YA!": ARTICLE 11

In this final article in the series, Gene Quintano (one of the producers of "Comin' At Ya!," discusses what he believes will be the bright future of 3-D film making. Unfortunately, Quintano continues the trend of bad-mouthing all other 3-D systems (other than his). If you read articles relative to 3-D which were released during that period you will see this was common practice. In our conversations, Bill engaged in the same practice. The article appeared in the Hollywood Reporter on February 2, 1983. The author is Tina Daniell.






1983 crucial year for acceptance of 3-D films: Quintano


This will be the year that makes or breaks 3-D, predicted Gene Quintano, who with Tony Anthony produced 1983's first 3-D release, "Treasure of the Four Crowns." Quintano said he and his partners, Anthony and Marshall Lupo, are determined to take 3-D out of the "R-rated chop-em-up realm" with "Treasure."

"We consciously set out to make a PG movie, so everyone could go to the theatre and see it," he recalled, "and we wanted to integrate the special effects with the structure so that you don't have to be throwing things at the audience all of the time. Instead, you create an aesthetic 'window effect' so that the viewer thinks he could step up on stage, through a window into the action."

Budgeted at $3.5 million, "Treasure," which Quintano described as an action-adventure story, was shot in Spain. In order to accomodate the effects and the depth of field potential offered by 3-D, the production team constructed a 160-foot-long and 60-foot-high temple where the climactic action scenes that place, Quintano said.

Ironically, Lupo-Anthony-Quintano's initial 3-D effort, 1981's "Comin' At Ya!" was "guilty" of the very things the trio tried to get away from in "Treasure." Quintano said, however, the first film was essentially an experiment to show that the public would go out to see a 3-D movie.

"In 'Comin'' we had gratuitous things like the yo-yo and corn shucking, to show the effect. We had gone to all the majors and nobody thought 3-D had value anymore," he said. "Forgetting artistic consideration for the moment, we showed that it is a viable commercial product."

The film had a "domino" efect, Quintano added, pointing to the current wave of 3-D projects.

One side effect of breaking the ice with "Comin' At Ya!" was that the technology for exhibiting a 3-D film was not easily available.

"The distributors (Filmways) did a terrific job, but their hands were tied in that there were not enough projection devices, theatres didn't have the silver screens and the requests for glasses far exceeded the supply. The 3-D industry was not prepared," Quintano said.

"Comin'" never played in more than 205 theatres, he added. The film, which cost about $1 million to make still grossed over $11 million. By contrast, "Treasure" will be in about 700 theatres by February 11. In just 113 in its first week and a half, it's taken in $2,002,825, and its distributor, Cannon Releasing, has estimated it will hit $30 million hased on these early results.

Halfway through "Treasure's" shoot, the film became a co-production with Cannon Films due to a financing snafu, Quintano said. The money package that Lupo-Anthony-Quintano put together for the film was from Mexico, and the peso was devalued during filming, reducing their production fund to a third of its original size. Cannon was approached long distance and then shown the footage already shot. The company made a decision within 24 hours to come in on the production, Quintano said.

Since "Comin'," 3-D technology has progressed rapidly, with Quintano and his associates in part responsible, he said. The system used to shoot "Comin'" was literally held together with scotch tape by the end of the shoot (in Italy), he said. Through their experience, they had a list of 50 improvements they wanted to make to the system. The filmmakers returned to the United States and put their heads together with Marks Polarized Corp., which had the prototype Marks 3-Depix camera, and Aeroflex, to develop a new system, Lupo-Anthony-Quintano financed the work, Quintano said.

One of the chief advantages offered by the new system that resulted was the mobility, Quintano said. Though still needing more light to shoot in 3-D, the cameraman had more options because he could do hand-held shots.

THe work is continuing, Quintano added. "It's still a small family, and people are spending money to develop its potential. We're going to see more growth in 3-D technology in the next year than we say in the last 25," he predicted.

"COMIN' AT YA!": ARTICLE 10

This piece first appeared in American Cinematographer in February 1983.








The Future of 3-D

This is an open letter to the film community.

Exactly 30 years after the BWANA DEVIL-inspired 3-D boom, history is repeating itself. A number of 3-D productions are planned, and some have already been exhibited in the nation's theaters. Without making any comment on content or production values of these films, I can only say that the three-dimensional images presented in theaters usually have been of very low quality.

It's very difficult to tell what's gone wrong in the production chain, from photography to exhibition. However, it is clear to me that most of these films have been shot with inferior optical systems by technicians who know very little about stereoscopic cinematography. The K.O. punch has been poor production.

If we face the fact that there are grave technical problems, we can at least take the steps to solve them. This will take an industry-wide commitment. The problems can be solved through proper quality-control. Quality-control must begin with photography and end with projection. Standards and tolerances must be established and adhered to, or the 3-D bubble will burst again, as it did in the early '50s.

The stereoscopic cinema is a beautiful medium which customer will gladly pay to see if properly executed. If there is no improvement in the present technique, they'd better start handing out aspirin with the polarizing glasses.

Good quality three-dimensional images can be produced on a routine basis. It remains to be seen if the industry can get it together and put 3-D on the map once and for all.

"COMIN' AT YA!": ARTICLE 9

This is the first of the final three articles that will appear in this month long celebration. I have chosen them since they speak of the promise of 3-D at the beginning of the revival started by "Comin' At Ya!", as well as the improvements that would need to be made to make 3-D a standard in film making, and finally, what was needed to keep the revival afloat. This first article appeared in Daily Variety on June 17, 1981.







INDUSTRY EYES 3-D REVIVAL

New orders reported by equipment manufacturers and a bevy of production announcements signal what appears to be a serious industry attempt to revive 3-D. The depth process' fortunes have mainly ebbed since it hit the public consciosness in a big way in 1953, but many in the trade figure the time is ripe to relaunch the gimmick via new and improved camera systems.

Working in favor of the potential trend is the youth-dominated profile of today's audience, more so than in the early '50s when 3-D briefly flourished. Also, with theatrical attendance dipping and homevideo expanding tv screen options, packaging film-going as a "special event" or "experience" is gaining currency among exhibs and makes the "depthie" hoopla a natural.

Most imminently, Filmways has scheduled a late summer release of Tony Anthony's indie 3-D western, "Comin' At Ya," lensed last year in Spain by Italo western director Ferdinando Baldi. The modestly budgeted pic was shot using the one-camera system (shown with one projector and polarizing optics) and has aroused exhibitor interest via recent screenings at a convention in Kansas City and at nationwide screenings.

Its bow marks the first test of mass-audience interest in dpethies since the craze inaugurated in 1952 by United Artists' "Bwana Devil" (from director Arch Oboler) fizzled out two years later.

United Artists Theatre Ciruit is in preproduction on the first of its projected series of two-camera/two-projector 3-D films, to be shot in 70mm using a newly developed camera system. UATC techinal expert Richard Vetter reoirts a fall start on the first feature, budgeted in the $10,000,000 range, with details of technical and talent credits to be disclosed in August.

Theatres, not limited to UATC houses, will be equiped for the new process by UATC technical staff, with hefty conversion costs to be shared by distributor and exhibs. Specifications have been set for new 3-D glasses, requiring improved polarized lenses and comfortable frames, with contract to bid out in time for summer of 1982 launch.

Elsewhere, Eastman Kodak is in preproduction (storyboards are being prepared) on a 3-D short scheduled to unspool at Disneyworld in Orlando, Fla., in October, 1982, at the Kodak Pavillion of Disney's Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. Expected to direct the film is Oscar-winner (for "From Mao To Mozart: Isaac Stern In China" documentary) Murray Lerner, who earlier reined the the Marineland of Florida 3-D short. "Sae Dream."

While "Sea Drean" utilized the one-camera process, Kodak plans to go with two-camera, 70mm format akin to that used by UATC. Walt Disney, which made several animated shorts in 3-D in the '50s, is mulling the prospect of in-house projects in the depth format.

Other 3-D projects in various stages of preparation include Universal's planned remake of "The Creature From The Black Lagoon," itself a successful 1954 release in 3-D (shot in black-and-white). The new version may team the original's director Jack Arnold, with the instigator of the remaked project, fellow director John Landis.

Andre de Toth, who directed the biggest hit of the '50s depth cycle "House Of Wax," is preparing an indie Western in the process, "Fool's Gold." The project is unusual as it would use the original twpo-camera 35mm format rather than the new one-camera or 70mm two-camera system.

PROMO #3

This is third (and final) piece of promotional that will appear during this 25th Anniversary celebration.

PROMO #2

Here is another promotional piece used to support the release of 'Comin' At Ya!'.

"COMIN' AT YA!": ARTICLE 8

Here's article number eight in this series. It appeared on October 31, 1981 in the New York Post. The article credits "Comin'At Ya!" for the 3-D revival. The author is only identified as E.N.






Is the film world ready for a 3-D revival? Yes, judging form what happened to Comin' At Ya!, the first 3-D movie in more than 25 years.

Despite rotten reviews, the western earned a fistful of money at the box office. That success has given birth to a small army of 3-D thrillers that will soon hit the theaters.

Warner Brothers is re-releasing the classic 3-D horror film, House Of Wax, nationally in November with new publicity and advertising campaign.

Producers George Braunstein and Ron Hamady are planning Surf!, a self-proclaimed "comedy with music" that will star Linda Kerridge and Bo Derek's beauteous sister Kelly Collins.

From the producers of The Wolfen is promised Louisiana Swamp Murders, and an independent company is considering author Roger Zelazny's science-fiction anthology Roadmarks for possible three-dimensional filming.

From Iwin Yablans, one the folks responsible for Halloween and Hell Night, comes an eye-popping "futuristic science-fiction scarer" called Parasite.

"COMIN' AT YA!": ARTICLE 7

The seventh article in this series was published in the New York Post on August 17, 1981. The author of the article is Stephen M. Silverman.






New 3-D Wave 'Comin' At Ya!'

By Friday, the need will arise for 6 million Polalite 3-D viewers. To the neophyte, these viewers, composed of two grey celluloid lenses and flimsy cardboard frames, look like the cheapest sunglasses imaginable. But to the cinema buff, they recall the 3-D movie boom that took over Hollywood 30 years ago with one minor change - back then, one lens was tinted red, the other green.

Similarly, back then the 3-D process called for cumbersome camera equipment, thus were the 3-D cinematic endeavors deadly stagey and loaded with some tiresome gimmicks. One last garsp at 3-D featured an actor spitting into the audience.

Enter Tony Anthony and Gene Quintano, business partners and, in their own way, movie pioneers. They have a new $3.5 million movie opening Friday entitled, Comin' At Ya!, which does just that - it comes at you. The men consider their movie the most sophisticated 3-D display yet, as far as the effects are concerned, they might be right.

It is being released by Filmways, and a spokesman for the studio, inviting journalists to view two sample Comin' At Ya! reels, flatly stated, "As a work of art, forget it. It's like a spoof of spaghetti westerns. But in terms of 3-D effects, it's wild. We may have hit upon a gem here."

The figures back up the representatives statement. In Phoenix, he said, Comin' At Ya! grossed $59,000 its first week, only $1,000 less than Star Wars' earnings. In Kansas City, the picture drew $28,000 in a week, on a two-a-night showing basis. "We outdrew $110 million worth of pictures other studios opened in town the same week." said Anthony.

Antony plays the hero; Quintano, the villain, and there are a scant 51 lines of dialogue. The two sample reels placed on view earlier this week (the entire film was not made available to critics) displayed countless real-life protrustions into the audience. These included a writhing rattlesnake, the contents of a coffee pot, shucked corn, flying bats, probing fingers, rats, bullets, hot pokers, spears, falling bales of hay, a baby's bottom and a rolling watermelon. The plot seemed to have something to do with kidnapping women.

"We didn't set out to do Shane or High Noon," said Quintano, though he and Anthony believe that 3-D is not only here to stay, but are prepared to ride out a new 3-D boom with a simplified shooting process they are soon to represent and market. (Adapting a theater to 3-D, they said, reasonably costs between $500 to $800.) Moreover, both men are convinced that, just as 3-D in the '50s pried audiences away from TV sets at home, so will their new improved 3-D technology pull people away from current video disk players and cable TV.

"I'm not suggesting a movie like Kramer vs. Kramer be made in 3-D," said Anthony, "But can you imagine the first 10 minutes of Raiders of the Lost Ark in 3-D or Superman?

In case you can't, Anthony and Quintano have a new script they'll begin shooting soon. They dubbed it, "an action adventure romantic comedy thriller." Its title: Seeing Is Believing.