By Lee Pfeiffer
Andy Albeck's name may not be known to even the most die-hard movie fans. Like most executives of United Artists, Albeck, who died on September 29 at the age of 89, chose to keep a low profile even when he was appointed president of the company in 1978, following many years of service. Albeck took over the position when legendary UA chief Arthur Krim and his team left the company to form Orion Pictures. Albeck's unobtrusive manner belied the fact that he championed a number of highly successful films including sequels to Rocky and Pink Panther franchises. He also backed Scorsese's masterpiece Raging Bull when many others in the industry thought a black and white film about boxing would be a major miscalculation. Albeck also oversaw the continuing success of the James Bond series, working with producer Cubby Broccoli to produce the Roger Moore hits Moonraker and For Your Eyes Only. However, Albeck's legacy and reputation were caught in the whirlwind of director Michael Cimino's 1980 box-office disaster Heaven's Gate, a film that came to symbolize inefficiency in the big studio system. The movie went 500% over budget and was a total write-off. Albeck and other studio executives walked the plank as United Artists struggled to survive. It can be argued that the shell company that is UA today never recovered from the Heaven's Gate debacle, and Albeck features prominently in the best-selling book Final Cut by former UA executive Steven Bach, that chronicles the madness of the making of that film. For more click here