NIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, August 19, 1992
13C
Comic's work goes to the screen
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Comic Robin Harris convulsed night club audiences with his routine about taking four pestiferous toddlers to an amusement park. Harris died at 36 in 1990, but his hilarious act lives on in the new animated film "Bebe's Kids."
The Paramount Pictures release started promiscuously with an opening weekend gross of $3 million, providing a $4,661 average in 646 theaters. Quite an achievement for a film without big names or an established story. What's more, it's the first full-length animated film by and about blacks.
Harris' routine was expanded into a script by Reginald Hudlin, who directed Eddie Murphy in "Boomerang." Reginald and brother Warrington served as executive producers of "Bebe's Kids." The director is Bruce Smith.
Smith shepherded the movie in record-breaking time at the Hyperion Studio in downtown Glendale, a few miles north of Los Angeles. The studio is a bare-bones operation occupying three floors of a renewed urban center. A tall, slender man in his early 30s, Smith talks calmly about what must have been a hectic experience.
"This film was done in nine months an incredibly short schedule," he says.
"That was nine months' total. At Disney, it's usually nine months for rough animation. We had to combine every element of the film and sandwich it in the nine months. We weren't even in production a year ago at this time. We really packed it up.
"Our budget was about half of a Disney film. Theirs run to the upper $30 (million) to $40 million to produce. We had half the time to make ours, so the budget was reduced to about $15
million.
"A lot of the animation was done overseas, some in Taiwan, some in London, some in Ohio, and the rest here. About three-quarters was done in the United States. That helped to keep the authenticity.
"We had 12-13 animators here, in Ohio five guys, 10 in London. And in Taiwan, they brought in new people every day. The rough animation was probably done in four or five months."
Smith grew up in Los Angeles and started drawing cartoons for the Washington High School paper. Like many of today's animators, he studied at the Disney-endowed California Institute of the Arts in Valencia. After two years, his work at the annual audition attracted an offer from an independent company. He worked at several animation studios, including the Walt Disney Co. for a stint on "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" as well
as Roger Rabbit shorts.
Why has the black experience been neglected in animation now?
"I think primarily it's because we're only represented in the industry by 5 percent," Smith said. "And there's not anyone in the upper brackets who can say, 'Let's do this project.'"
"They did some things with Flip Wilson in the '70s, also the Fat 'Abert cartoons. But there weren't many black people working on them. In 'Bebe's Kids,' you see the attitudes of the characters, because of myself and the animators of color who can inject the quality of the characters.
"Why did it take this long? This is Hollywood, and now it's 1992 with our first black animated feature. I'm hoping a film like this can be the springboard for many more films. This is definitely an untapped medium as far as black entertainment goes."
SUA provides entertainment to students
By Carmen Phelps Special to the Kansan
Each year the Student Union Activities organization of the University of Kansas provides a variety of entertainment for students.
SUA has nine committees, each responsible for providing a specific kind of entertainment to campus. A newly-formed committee, the University Events Sub Committee, will be responsible for the public relations of the organization and will also work to increase the contact between students and SUA, said Liz Singer, vice president of University Affairs.
"There is a distance between us and the students," she said. "We want to get information about our events out to the students. If we could get other organizations to help sponsor events, it would be beneficial both to them and us."
Songer said the process of selecting coordinators and committee members of SUA was a lengthy one.
"We select coordinators every spring," she said. "We train the coordinators on policies and by-laws of our program, and we teach they select their committee members."
Although being a part of SUA is voluntary, members are required to do a certain amount of work in the office.
Songer said the organization provided staff members with training sessions on time and stress management.
"It's a rewarding job, with all the experience members can get when they have to work with agents of entertainers and lecturers," she said.
This fall, SUA will show such films as "Basic Instinct," "Lethal Weapon 3," "Batman Returns," "Boomerang," "Delicatessen" and "My Own Private Idaho."
Activities for this fall include a free Jayhawk jam Concert on the Campanile Hill, Beach and Boulevard activities and post sales. Lecturers
such as Nadine Strossen of the American Civil Liberties Union will also speak at the Kansas Union.
Kent Kennedy, program assistant,
said student members of SUA were
responsible for scheduling activities
during the year.
"The students don't have much experience when it comes to setting up contracts with entertainers, so we do most of that work," he said. "These are students who are really dedicated to SUA. All the money that we make from ticket sales goes not to them but to financing future activities. They're doing it because they enjoy the experience."
Association helps students help the University
Special to the Kansan
By Carmen Phelps
Students at the University of Kansas can be part of a social organization on campus and at the same time prepare to become active members of the Alumni Association for the future.
The Student Alumni Association offers KU undergraduates an opportunity to learn about the importance of supporting the University after graduating and promotes an appreciation of alumni programs while the student is still on campus.
Established at KU in 1987, the association is composed of a Senior Council and an Executive Council, both or which work to implement the programs of the organization..
Jodi Breckenridge, director of Student and Kansas Honors Programs, said that the association acted as a communication link between students, alumni and the University community.
"The basic purpose is to prepare students to volunteer and support their university when they leave," she said. "Educating students about the alumni association so that they realize its purpose is important."
Breckenridge said that the student
group was responsible for many activities during the academic year, such as sponsoring a senior cookout for graduating students and organizing the homecoming parade to Mount Oread in the fall. The association also distributes inexpensive "survival kits" to students during final week each semester.
"We usually provide at least one social event a month," Breckenridge said.
Londonne Corder, Olathe sophoe more, said that one of the greatest benefits of being involved in the group was making contacts with
alumni.
"The major purpose is to serve as a liaison between the University and the graduating students," she said. "We help them make contacts with alumni members while they are still in school and after they graduate."
Breckenridge said that membership in the SAA was open to any KU student in good academic standing. The membership fee is $7.50 a semester. The student is also expected to attend all monthly meetings and participate in the activities. Anyone who is interested should contact the Alumni Association.
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