'The Kid' Robert Evans keeps the Big Apple in films in 1983 | The Vault

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Lights...Camera...Action!

Far from the glittering lights of Los Angeles, filmmakers from all over the world travel to New York City for the perfect backdrop in their movies.

Yet, in the early 1980s, creating a movie in the Big Apple wasn't easy.

Enter Robert Evans.

Evans, the legendary film impresario and author of "The Kid Stays in the Picture," made headlines during a press conference in 1983 when he announced a new deal with eight film unions.

"We are going to work European hours for the first time in the history of American film, which means that we work from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. without a lunch break," Evans said to a crowd full of reporters. "Eight straight hours with a continuous buffet."

The film producer believed that the buffet would allow longer working hours without union members having to work overtime.

Director Nancy Littlefield agreed that the new deal would send more producers to New York City.

"Even if it doesn't work, I definitely believe that it would mean more films for New York," Littlefield said.

Evans wasn't just the kid who stayed in the pictures, but also the kid who helped keep the pictures in New York City.