Kazan (Columbia Pictures) (1949)

Greenland Husky Plays Title Role In Curwood’s ‘Kazan’ Zoro, a seven-year-old Greenland Husky, represents a perfect piece of casting as James Oliver Curwood’s great-hearted dog hero, Kazan, in the Columbia outdoor thriller of the same name now at the .......... Theatre. As the snarling, savage, wildas-a-wolf sled dog, the canine actor gives an Academy Award performance for viciousness in this great adventure of the great outdoors. Actually, the huge, white malamute is a friendly, lovable canine who enjoys being petted and made a fuss over. Zoro’s owner and trainer, Jimmy Griffin, causes the transformation by using both sign language and voice to impart his instructions. Zoro was originally discovered by Griffin in a pet shop and purchased for $100. Since then, his canny investment has paid off to the tune of $200,000! Griffin, to insure the comfort of his prize pooch, has had a special dog den built in his house with a unique floor suitable for dry ice packing for the hot, summer . months. When the weather becomes too sticky, Zoro retires to the cellar, where a tailor-made hole has been burrowed in the dirt for him to relax in. And for their personal appearance tours, Griffin has purchased an _ air-conditioned trailer. Fans who see Zoro in action as Kazan, snarling king of the frozen wilds of Canada, fighting cougar, wild wolf pack and human cruelty, will find it hard to believe that such a savage animal can ever be gentle. Human performers in ‘Kazan” include Stephen Dunne, Lois Maxwell, Joe Sawyer and Roman Bohnen. Arthur A. Ross’ screenplay, based on the Curwood novel, was directed by Will Jason for producer Robert Cohn. Kazan Mat 1-A; Prod. Still No. 39 ROMANCE blooms even in the North woods. Stephen Dunne and Lois Maxwell are shown in a scene from Columbia’s “‘Kazan”’ HnowAst: the 254. Theatre. Frozen North Film Seriously Hampered By Hollywood Snow Capricious weather created an ironical situation during the shooting of snow sequences for Columbia’s “Kazan,” James Oliver Curwood’s great dog adventure set in the Canadian Northwest, now playing at the Pee BA NY Theatre, The day that the location troupe arrived at June Lake in the High Sierra to shoot all of the outdoor scenes, Hollywood had its heaviest snowfall of all time. Actually, enough snow fell on the ground of the Columbia Ranch to make it just right for dog and sled teams, but it was too late. Furthermore, when the five inches of additional snow piled up in the High Sierra, the ground became too soft for the heavy weight of the sleds. This presented an immediate problem as a smooth, hard-packed road, five miles in length, was absolutely necessary for picture purposes. This meant using a 17-ton bulldozer, a jeep truck, and a “weasel,” track-driven vehicle. After two tortuous miles of this flattening-out process, consisting of the bulldozer, weasel and jeep truck slogging along in a bumping, grunting snarling single file, the truck and the bulldozer got stuck. But the amazing, square-turning weasel kept chewing its way forward, as the temperature hovered around the zero mark and icy particles whipped by a gale bit into the technicians’ faces. The “Kazan” company, wishing they were back in Hollywood, stuck to their job and grimly went on with their work. Featured in the “Kazan” roster are Stephen Dunne, Lois Maxwell, Joe Sawyer, Roman Bohnen and Zoro, in the title role. Arthur A. Ross’ screenplay, based on the Curwood novel, was directed by Will Jason. Robert Cohn produced. Wolves Keep Wolf From Trainer’s Door Jimmy Griffin doesn’t have one wolf at his door — he has ten. Griffin is a famous Hollywood trainer who supplies animals to the movies. He had his pack of wolves before the cameras at Columbia where “Kazan,” James Oliver Curwood’s ‘story of the irozens INOPUN Tat UMe@l steer. eac Theatre, was filmed with Stephen Dunne, Lois Maxwell, Joe Sawyer and Roman Bohnen in the two-legged leads. Jimmy has a monopoly on the animals in the picture, as he is the owner and trainer of Zoro, a huge malamute, who plays Kazan on the screen. One of the highspots of the film is a terrific fight between Kazan and the leader of the wolf pack. Yet, away from the screen, Zoro and that particular wolf are the best of friends—in fact, they went to the same school together—Jimmy Griffin’s school for animals. x x x x s x x ‘ % % % EXPLOIT THE NOVEL: ‘‘Kazan’”’ is adapted from the famous novel of the same name, written by James Oliver Curwood. Take advantage of this fact in the following ways: 1) Arrange for library and book store displays of the novel plus other dog stories, as well as some of Curwood’s other famous novels. Include cards carrying your complete picture, theatre and playdate credits as well as production stills. X x 2) Organize a drive to have children contribute copies of James Oliver Curwood’s books for distribution in hospitals and other institutions. Have the books displayed in the local library and give ‘‘Kazan”’ guest tickets to all donors. IDENTIFICATION MAT: Plant this novel identification contest (illustrated here) with a local newspaper. Offer guest tickets to the senders-in of the first 15 correct answers. As grand prize, to be detemined by a tiebreaking essay on ‘‘Why | Like Dog Pictures Like ‘Kazan’,’”’-have the cooperating newspaper award the winner a puppy named ‘‘Kazan.’’ Correct contest answers: A—-arm; B—brisket ; C—chest; D—elbow; E—forearm; F—hocks; G—hucklebone; H—knee; I—nasal bone; J—pastern; K— shoulders; L—stifle-joint; M—rump-bone. Order Mat 2-C (same size as shown) from your National Screen Service exchange. CONTESTS: 1) Radio or newspaper contest in which entrants name famous books dealing with animals that have been made into movies. 2) Link various breeds of dogs with their countries of origin. Examples: Husky (Kazan) —Greenland; Scotty—Scotland; etc. 3) Newspaper contest: Identify dog breeds from their photographs. 4) Find the local dog with the most unusual name. 5) Conduct a dog snapshot contest with cooperation of local photo store. Post entries in store window and award winners with promoted prizes. Use Prod. Still No. 52 in all contest publicity. 6) Award ‘‘Kazan’’ trophy to owner of cutest puppy in town. Get newspaper or radio cooperation. STREET BALLY: Have an usher lead a husky, German shepherd or other large dog through the streets. Signs on dog and man should credit your playdate. SETPIECE: Make up an attractive lobby setpiece from the ‘‘Kazan’’ three-sheet. Outline as shown at right and flank with stills on right side of the display. Place your playdate along the base. ADVANCE TRAILER: An exciting sampling of the picture for your patrons. Order from National Screen Service for frequent showings well in advance of playdate. EXPLOITATION ~~ X % % % x : x mi % x s x s y ‘ x s ‘ x x x s x % ; x x % x x % x % X x x x x x % x X s % x % % % % ‘ ‘ x s me x ‘ s ‘ ‘ ‘ s s ‘ s ss % % % % x % % ‘ ‘ % % x %, mt % x x x x ‘ x x % x x % s x x gs