'Little Crumb' crumbles Dutch kid pic B.O. record

Shooting Star's classic tale of a street kid tops 'Abel,' 'Tarzan'

By MARLENE EDMUNDS

AMSTERDAM -- Shooting Star Prods.' "Little Crumb" (Kruimeltje), a story about a Dutch street kid whose father has gone to America, is angling to rack up a record high gross for children's pics in Holland.

The film had already brought in 12.3 million guilders ($5.9 million) and 1 million visitors in its 11th week. That has toppled the figures of "Little Abel" (Abeltje), which last year brought in some 880,000 admissions and $4.9 million in box office receipts.

It has also surpassed the figures of Disney's "Tarzan," which brought in 817,000 admissions in its first 11 weeks and a box office of $4.7 million.

Directed by Maria Peters and set circa 1921, "Little Crumb" is based on the classic Dutch children's book of the same name about a street kid left to fend for himself until a kindly man takes him under his wing.