Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"This is Ronald's home. I'm busy now and can't answer the phone. Please leave a message after the beep."

"It's me, Weintraub. Answer the phone."

Jerry Weintraub's voice came from Ronald's answering machine.

Since Ronald helped him block the gun last time, Weintraub's attitude towards Ronald has become much more intimate. He opened his heart to Ronald and told him the reason why he had to invite John G. Avildsen.

"The Karate Kid" had a total investment of 8 million US dollars, all raised by Jerry Weintraub, and Columbia was only responsible for distribution. So as a real investor, Weintraub was unwilling to have a low return on his investment.

So Weintraub urgently needed a star to participate in the production of the film to win free coverage and Columbia's cooperation for distribution.

In comparison, the cost of a star director is much lower than that of a star actor. John G. Avildsen did not have any new works after "Rocky", and his agent only gave him a salary of 500,000 US dollars. The most powerful male stars, such as Dustin Hoffman, who starred in "Tootsie", received a salary of $5.8 million.

Even new stars like Tom Cruise generally received a salary of more than $1 million.

Weintraub is a man with lofty goals but careful calculations. Of course, he chose the Oscar winner for Best Director between the two Oscar winners. John G. Avildsen also won the Best Director Award. Anyway, the free reports are the same.

However, Ronald Lee was kind enough to help him cover up the scandal and did not take the opportunity to blackmail him. Weintraub was a street boy from the Bronx, New York. He knew that such loyalty must be rewarded accordingly.

So he quickly took the initiative to contact Ronald's agent Niceta and agreed to invest in Ronald's next movie, whether it was a new movie written by himself or a script acquired by Weintraub that Ronald liked.

Even if "The Karate Kid" was successful, he could consider teaching him to direct the sequel.

"It's me, Jerry." Ronald picked up the phone and started talking to Weintraub.

"Come to my office early tomorrow. I'll introduce you to director John G. Avildsen. He likes your script very much. You can have a chat. Then we'll go to Frank Price at Columbia. After he gives the green light, we can prepare for the crew to start filming. I have an idea. You participate in the production of this movie throughout the whole process, and I'll give you the title of co-producer."

Weintraub meant to give Ronald some extra financial rewards. He had already paid the full amount of $200,000 for the script.

"When, I'll be there on time."

The next day, Ronald and Niceta went to Weintraub's office again.

At the door, they saw a middle-aged man in his forties. His medium-length blond hair was neatly combed and slightly white. His nose was strong and his eye sockets were deep. It can be seen that he must have been a handsome guy when he was young.

"Ronald, hello, I'm John, John G. Avildsen"

The handsome middle-aged man took the initiative to shake hands with Ronald.

"Hello Mr. Avildsen, I'm a fan of yours, I particularly like 'Rocky', and the shot where Rocky runs on the steps of Philadelphia City Hall with his arms raised high. If I'm not mistaken, that was the first time that a Steadicam was introduced in a movie, right?"

"Haha, yes, that shot took Stallone half a day."

Avildsen was very enthusiastic about Ronald, and told him a lot about his youth. Ronald found that the two had a lot of connections.

Avildsen is of Norwegian descent, and in his early years he also became a director by making exploitation films. At the beginning, he worked at Cannon Pictures before the Minahan brothers acquired it, specializing in making some Norwegian and Swedish films.

Although the film was made in America, it was dubbed with Nordic language dialogues to trick a group of audiences into watching it. At that time, the films of Swedish director Ingmar Bergman were popular all over the world. The exploitation films he shot had many nude scenes, and the box office was really good. He was also the gold medal director of exploitation films for a period of time.

Later, he was appreciated by Jack Lemmon and directed "The Tiger's Way", which fulfilled Jack Lemmon's dream of winning an Oscar and was gradually accepted by the mainstream of Hollywood. Behind him was the successful "Rocky".

The two chatted for a while, and the red-haired secretary named Susan Akins came late and invited the two to come in.

"Hi, Susan, nice to see you." Ronald greeted her with a smile. This kind of secretary who is a little shy when meeting people is rare in Hollywood. Ronald nodded to her to show his goodwill.

"Hello, Ronald." Susan led the way in front.

"Hi, Honey, don't you want to have a drink with me tonight?" Avildson and Susan flirted half-jokingly.

"Mr. Avildson," Susan smiled and continued to lead the way in front.

"John, Ronald, it's great that you've met. I was just about to tell you some good news."

"What is it, Jerry?"

"You know, Ronald. The name of your movie, 'The Karate Kid', happens to be the same as a young hero in DC Comics. I've contacted DC, and they've been very kind and agreed to authorize us to use the name, so we don't have to change it."

"That's great, but I really didn't mean to plagiarize them. I came up with the name myself." Ronald quickly defended himself by saying that he didn't plagiarize intentionally.

"Of course, if Susan hadn't looked it up and told me, I wouldn't know. There are so many comic heroes under DC, and we don't know many of them."

"So, John, do you have any actors in mind?"

"I haven't started thinking about it yet. What do you have in mind?"

"I have an idea. You guys can help me think about it." Weintraub began to talk about his blueprint. I think for the role of the master, it's better to invite Toshiro Mifune, the actor who is the exclusive actor of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. He has played so many Japanese swordsmen and is also very well-known in America."

"It's a good idea. We have to fly him to Los Angeles for an audition. I can't wait to work with him. "Avildson winked at Ronald and immediately agreed to Weintraub's request.

"I also have an idea for the male lead and his opponents in the Cobra Kai dojo. Why don't we invite the sons or nephews of famous actors to play them. On the one hand, they don't need too much acting skills, and on the other hand, they can get a wave of publicity for free. These stars are very eager to train their own children, right?"

"This?" Ronald didn't expect Weintraub's imagination to be so big. He wrote this script, and he knew that the protagonist Danny was not so easy to play. From a weak boy, to working hard to practice martial arts, and finally defeating himself and the enemy, the rhythm and level of emotional changes in the middle must be controlled by an outstanding actor.

"Jerry, should Danny consider using professional actors? I think the ones selected by Coppola in "Outdoor Urchins" are all good."

"Oh yeah? What do you think, John?" Weintraub asked Avildson.

"I think it's better to let them all try. If the son of a star performs well in the audition, it is indeed a better choice. ”

“I think you’re right. And what about the heroine? What do you think?”

“Well, I don’t have a fixed idea. What do you think?” Elson didn’t seem to have his own ideas.

“I need a very beautiful girl so that Danny and Johnny’s love for her can be convincing.”

“I think you’re right. We’ll audition according to this template. What do you recommend, Ronald?”

“It depends on everyone’s feelings. I don’t have the final say. I think it’s good if most of the audience thinks she’s the best girl next door.” Ronald also learned to follow Weintraub’s words. This person’s ego is really too big.

“I think you’re right. Once Price gives the green light, we’ll send invitations to major brokerage firms. Let’s go to Columbia right away, lock our briefcases, and get the order. "Weintraub waved his hand, and several people stood up and walked out.

After leaving the office, Ronald saw his secretary Susan who stood up to see him off.

"Sweetie, are you really not going out with me tonight for a romantic date?" Avildson returned to his handsome nature and teased her again, causing Susan to blush.

"Let's get in the car first, Susan, you and I will take one. Ronald and John will take the other one."

"Ronald, do you know why I didn't comment on the casting in front of Weintraub?" Avildson got in the car and sat in the back seat with Ronald. It can be seen that he was in a good mood. After "Rocky", he hasn't directed a big project invested by Hollywood for a long time.

"I was just going to ask you." Ronald thought to himself, isn't it just flattery?

"I like your script very much. This is a story of a person who is not optimistic about the success of the counterattack (UnderDog). I know that it can only be written by a talented person. But I've been in Hollywood longer than you. Do you know why I haven't made more big productions? Rocky is actually a small production. "

"Maybe the producers didn't find your talent, Mr. Avildsen?"

"Call me John. I didn't understand it until one day, I had the opportunity to visit Frank Capra, who is a three-time Oscar winner for Best Director. Did you know Clark Gable's It Happened One Night? "

"Ah, I saw it in the classic film appreciation class at New York University. I know his name. "

"Oh, you are also from New York University. It seems that we are alumni." Avildsen said, "What were we talking about? By the way, I asked Frank Capra, how did you deal with the top executives of those studios? Why did you get so many opportunities to direct classic big productions?"

After speaking, Avildsen looked at Ronald.

"Then, why? "Ronald also became interested. Dealing with the top executives of the studios had always been a pain for him. Those people didn't understand art or business, but they knew how to stay in a high-level position and were experts in office power politics.

"It's very simple. Let them think that your ideas are their own."

"Wisdom?" Ronald thought to himself. This was the wisdom of successful directors under the big studio system back then, and it is still of reference value today. Isn't that right? If I knew this secret at the time, I might have become a director of a multi-million production.

Meanwhile, in another Mercedes-Benz. Weintraub was particularly concerned about Susan, "How do you feel about working here these days? Your father and I are good friends, you can tell me anything."

"I feel that I can learn a lot from you and meet a lot of interesting people. In short, I feel very lucky to be able to do this job in the film industry."

"Oh, who do you think is more interesting? Ronald?"

"He is very polite, I think Mr. Avilson is more humorous." Susan replied.

"Oh, hahaha, it seems that you like older people," Weintraub continued to ask, "Do you like riding horses? On weekends, we go to ride my horses together. I spent a lot of money to buy them, but I always don't have time to ride them."

"Okay, I like horses and the smell of grass in the horse farm."