Second-banana actresses steal a scene on Spontoon Island
Duke Denim, producer, released his first musical comedy, HOLLYWOOD PARADISE, in 1934. Much of the filming was done on-location on Spontoon Island. As in this sequence: Where one of the stars, Mr. Thornton Throbby (pop singer), is about to have this scene stolen by three local Spontoon Island comedians. The musical comedy is about filming a musical comedy on location on a Pacific Island, and the problems encountered filming on Spontoon Island, and eventually the problems encountered in the movie studio back in Hollywood. So, in this scene, Mr. Throbby is supposed to be clandestinely fiddling with the script-writing for his own scenes, and toying with the duplicitous plot-idea of editing his co-star's scenes, too.
Miss Victory has a speaking part as one of the featured 'Island Dancers'. Miss Fellowes is an overly-eager fan of Mr. Throbby. Miss Midland is a snarky young local hired to be a production assistant to Duke Denim Productions. Mr. Throbby's "Idea" may be... that these "3 Misses" are going to be written into the plot of the fictional movie - as scene-stealers of Co-star Fifi LaTour. Miss Fifi may not be happy with the idea of additional film plot developments.
It is difficult to describe how 'recursive' this comedy movie about making a comedy movie becomes and is. One may imagine the scenes in this movie filmed in the Duke Denim Pictures Hollywood film-editing department... while they are trying to edit the film.
http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwDuke1.html http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwMov1.html http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwHi01.html
Miss Victory has a speaking part as one of the featured 'Island Dancers'. Miss Fellowes is an overly-eager fan of Mr. Throbby. Miss Midland is a snarky young local hired to be a production assistant to Duke Denim Productions. Mr. Throbby's "Idea" may be... that these "3 Misses" are going to be written into the plot of the fictional movie - as scene-stealers of Co-star Fifi LaTour. Miss Fifi may not be happy with the idea of additional film plot developments.
It is difficult to describe how 'recursive' this comedy movie about making a comedy movie becomes and is. One may imagine the scenes in this movie filmed in the Duke Denim Pictures Hollywood film-editing department... while they are trying to edit the film.
http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwDuke1.html http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwMov1.html http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwHi01.html
Category Artwork (Traditional) / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Gender Multiple characters
Size 456 x 655px
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This is breaking my brain! I think it will go into some sort of Dr. Who timeline before it’s all done!
You've got it! King Vidor sees too many "Broadway Melody" and "Hula Island Comedy" movies after an S. M. Eisenstein film festival.
"Thank you! Thank you! I'll be here through Saturday evening! Try the mesquite BBQ poi platter! It's delicious!"
This reminds me a bit of the performance of The Murder of Gonzago in the course of Hamlet. "To pray's the fling/To scratch the cosmos of the bling." Or perhaps one of Hype and Crossley's À la Mode buddy comedies.
On the Road to Spontoon Island!
On the Road to Spontoon Island!
Fifi LaTour does her take of Bob Hope as Thelma Todd.
Several sets of doppelganger movie stars would attend the premiere showing.
(Hmm. "Todd". That would make a good name for a furry comedienne.... I wonder what anthro animal she could be?)
Several sets of doppelganger movie stars would attend the premiere showing.
(Hmm. "Todd". That would make a good name for a furry comedienne.... I wonder what anthro animal she could be?)
Yes. A character name that sounds like it comes from a standard burlesque comedy routine. The actress's actual nickname is "Frazzy" LaTour... so no one can say that "Fifi LaTour" is playing herself. 😎 (Wait... Is this getting confusing enough?)
If she is actually Francesca "Frazzy" LaTour, I can imagine some of her early comedy shticks.
If she is actually Francesca "Frazzy" LaTour, I can imagine some of her early comedy shticks.
Movies about movie-making seldom work. Just like country songs about country music, there's a point of ouroboros-like self referentialism where all meaning breaks down and you're left with squadoo.
"If one is silent, one can hear the coconuts dropping..."
"Yes. Unfortunately, on Spontoon Island coconut trees do not thrive. The botanists are not sure why. So we have to import the coconuts from the surrounding islands. When the coconut boat comes, specialist workers go out at night with baskets of coconuts and drop them around the hotel palm-trees. That is what you hear in the distance, in the night."
http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwGFr01.html http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwArt/coco002.gif
"Yes. Unfortunately, on Spontoon Island coconut trees do not thrive. The botanists are not sure why. So we have to import the coconuts from the surrounding islands. When the coconut boat comes, specialist workers go out at night with baskets of coconuts and drop them around the hotel palm-trees. That is what you hear in the distance, in the night."
http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwGFr01.html http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwArt/coco002.gif
I agree. It's fun to imagine maybe something like self-referential working, but the comedy grooves are located where the largest audience can forget they are watching a show, and enjoy the humor together. Self-referential is also where more-and-more of the audience will bounce out of the groove as each curve looms up. "And it's curves, young man! The record curves, All The Way Round!"
The movie "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" is too much of that for me... yet many of the individual gags are good. But I keep becoming aware of the set-ups and set-pieces, along the pre-dertermined way to the Place of Punishment.
Much better to suggest fragments, maybe, and let the viewer imagine their own version of the movie.
I remember a whole movie theater of audience leaving the theater absolutely silent after seeing the ending of Terry Gilliam's "BRAZIL". That was also labeled a 'comedy'.
The movie "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" is too much of that for me... yet many of the individual gags are good. But I keep becoming aware of the set-ups and set-pieces, along the pre-dertermined way to the Place of Punishment.
Much better to suggest fragments, maybe, and let the viewer imagine their own version of the movie.
I remember a whole movie theater of audience leaving the theater absolutely silent after seeing the ending of Terry Gilliam's "BRAZIL". That was also labeled a 'comedy'.
My guess is that HOLLYWOOD PARADISE would have a plot that was hard to follow in a normal way. There would have been actors playing ironic versions of themselves, and 'breaking the 6th wall' much more than Laurel and Hardy did...(comments to the audience, or playing a scene as the actor, rather than the character.) And there would have been some scenes of frantic (& frenetic) scene cuts (of points of view) with the inserted images being symbolic commentary. It would be hard to follow. Maybe some film-goers would go back to watch it a couple of times to see if they could catch something that they had missed previously. Other viewers might have been annoyed and left during the movie. At best, maybe it became a long term hit at film festivals, with people doing commentary on the in-jokes and references that they found. Maybe in the 1960s it might have been shown at least once a year as a Midnight Special at big-city art theaters, with the audience singing along with the film's songs. It might have been very popular as a DVD for a small audience. Maybe its shown at least once a year on streaming FletNix, or available on demand. An island cargo-cult film..... 😸🐱🦁🐯🐺🦊😻 It was probably always a home-island hit, at the home of NOOTNOPS Blue.
Where's Bob Hope? Road to Spontoon was shelved, unfinished. The studio didn't yet understand his humor.
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