in PROCRCJT Comics "My feet are freezing." "I wish I was like Miles. He has electric socks." "What?" "Electric socks. Socks with an element wrapped around inside Like an electric blanket" It's past midnight on the set of Comics, and there are still four more hours to go. No one ever said night shooting in Mont­ real during November was easy — es­ pecially when the story is set in Los Angeles. The former Pretzel Enchain^ on Clark Street has become The Funny Farm, a fictitious LA comedy club. Its interior is remarkable: wall-sized posters of Chariie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, W.C. Fields and The Marx Brothers loom high above the small black tables, cluttered On the steps of The Funny Farm comedy club, they'll do anything for a laugh: here (left to right) with Budweiser and Miller Lite bottles Comics' Howie Mandel, Marjorie Gross, Eugene Clark and Peter Ackroyd. that surround the tiny, empty stage upon which the comics will later succeed or fail. and pizza are in place. "Good. Not great" But tonight the shooting takes place out­ cover shot calls for Howie Mandel, playing a hyper comic moonlighting as a pizza declares Clark. "Lef s do it again." He side in the parking lot — where the confers with director of photography temperature is —6° Celsius. delivery driver, to pull up his car on the sidewalk in front of parking lot attendant Rene Verzier: "There are still some Standing in the middle of the set Marty Balin. After shuffling frantically up shadows." wrapped in a thick blue parka and smoking and down the stairs trying to decide Take four is a winner. Mandel, Balin, a cigar, is Ron Clark, directing his first whether to go inside or to deliver the the camera, the parking sign and the feature film. He appears unperturbed by pizzas, Mandel finally goes in and Balin pizza are all great Ron Clark even though the cold or by the lapses in concentration helps himself to a snack as he parks the he wrote the script even though he's seen his cast and crew are experiencing during car in the street the shot nearly ten times already, even their first shot back after supper. The long "Is there a pizza we can rehearse though ifs cold and conditions aren't with ?" calls first assistant director John great still laughs at the funny parts. Fretz over the megaphone. "I find comics fascinating," says Clark, Comics During the first dry run, Mandel forgets who has lived around them for the last to shift the car into park. With one foot out twenty years, writing stand-up material p.c. Filmplan International 1980 exec. p. Pierre for Jack Carter, Buddy Hackett and Afan David, Victor Solnicki p. Claude Heroux d. Ron the front door, both he and the vehicle Clark d.".p. Rene Verzier 1 st a.d. John Fretz suddenly lurch backwards toward the King; television shows for Steve Allen, p.man. Roger Heroux p.co-ord. DanieleRohr- camera. The crew crack up. "Howie," Jackie Gleason, and The Smothers bach unit man. Jean Savard 2nd a.d. Frank Clark quietly suggests to his actor before Brothers; hit plays for Broadway; and Ruszczynski 3rd a.d. Michel Sarao loc.man. films for Mel Brooks and Blake Edwards. Christine Burke sec. to p. Monique Legate the next run-through, "there's also an admin.asst Mel Chan cont France Boudreau emergency brake." "A profession in which you make people art.d. Carol Spier, Barbara Dunphy (1st asst), During another rehearsal, Mandel goes laugh is half noble and half crazy. The Nikki Geoghegan (2nd asst) set dress. Serge inside, then comes right out during Balin's difficulties and chances of failure are Bureau, Pierre Gros D'Aillon props mas. Gilles tremendous." Aird set props Jean Bourret Michel Comte action. "Don't stop until someone yells carp. Dean Eilertson hair Constant Natale 'cuf," shouts Fretz. "I know," replies Comics is the story of Mark Chapman make-up Kathryn Casault focus puller Denis Mandel, "I just didn't want to get warm." (played by Miles Chapin), a kid from Gingras 2nd asst. cam. Jean Jacques Gervais stills Pierre Dury gat Don Caulfield elec. Yves After several rehearsals, they're ready Cleveland who drops out of college to try Tessier key grip Franpois Dup6re 2nd grip for the real thing. Take one is great to make it as a stand-up in LA He meets Michel P6riard sd. Jos Champagne boom Yvon except as script person France Boudreau a lot of other young comics at The Funny Benoit ed. Marcus Manton, Jean Marc Magnan Farm, lands a job as the club's parking lot (asst) cast Ginette D'Amico, Elo Gallant (asst) points out the parking sign is missing. drivers Claude Delorme, Charles Toupin, Mur­ "Someone must have forgot" says Clark attendant and falls in love with an actress ray Ostroff pub. Pierre Brousseau l.p. Jack calmly. After ifs put back in place, they try moonlighting as a waitress (Tracy Breg­ Carter, Eileen Brenner, Miles Chapin, Tracy again. This time, there is no pizza for man). Mark's debut as a comie is medio­ Bregman, Howie Mandel, Peter Aykroyd, Gene cre, he becomes discouraged and thinks Clark, Maurice Lamarche, Alan Riven, Marjorie Balin, who plays out the shot anyway with Gross, Mike McDonald, Tony Molesworth, Mar­ an invisible slice. Clark reacts with humor. of going home. Instead, he tries again and ty Galin, Lou Dinos, Howard Busgang, Alan "C'est le theatre de I'avant-garde," he succeeds. He is offered a TV series, but on Katz, Briane Nasimok, Arthur Corber quips to the crew. the verge of this overnight success the During take three, both parking sign show's producers replace him with a

4/January—February 1981 in PRO(jR€xr more experienced comic. "If I had to categorize it Td say it was the A Chorus Line of comics," says Clark The Grey Fox "Ifs a film about a group of ambitious young people trying to make it big. The Director Phillip Borsos says he "just Being a survivor, he turned his talents to truth of it is, most of them don't" Adds goes out and makes films." train robbery. Eventually, two of his Howie Mandel: "Ifs not a wacky comedy Pretty humble words for a man who, by marks were Canadian Pacific trains that — ifs a real comedy. There's nothing in making The Grey Fox, is also turning a lot made their runs through the Fraser Valley this film that shouldn't or couldn't or of dreams into reality. Some of them are in 1904 and 1906. hasn't actually happened." his own — for six years, Borsos has "His character attracted me," Borsos Comics deals with some of stand-up wanted to bring to the screen the story of said. "He is out of time and out of place." comedy's harsher aspects, among them Bill Miner, a man with the dubious distinc­ The Grey Fox picks up Bill Miner's the comic's greatest fear: bombing, fail­ tion of being Canada's first train robber. story onJune 17,1901 — the day he was ing to make the audience laugh. "Ap­ The fact that ifs Borsos' feature film released from prison. Two exteriors cen­ proval is so much needed," says impres­ debut at age 27 is a bit incredible in itself. tered around that day were shot in the sionist Maurice Lamarche. "If you bomb On a larger scale, this $3.48 million North Vancouver alley that set designer on stage, you've only got yourself to production embodies many peoples' Bill Brodie (Superman, Barry Lyndon blame." To Howard Busgang, bombing is dreams of actualizing a feature film, a and Silence of the North) had effectively "an empty pit of loneliness, the most good feature film, thaf s a born-and-bred turned into a 1901 San Francisco street lonely feeling ever. You accept it but you west coast Canadian production. A 12-foot fence built at the bottom of the never get used to it" The dream-come-true spirit has infected alley blocked out the 1980 traffic Paramount originally bought the rights the entire production crew since shooting Awnings, old barrels and a sign proclaim­ to Comics, but according to Clark, they started in the Rocky Mountains on Octo­ ing "North Star Steam Beer" were added wanted to soften the script and change ber 7. ^ow, on location in an old alley to existing buildings. A catwalk was built the emphasis. "They wanted primarily a near the North Vancouver waterfront at the second-story level to block out a love story about a guy who was already an Richard Farnsworth, who plays the lead skyscraper that appeared in the camera's established comic, which of course role as Miner, summed it up: "The line of vision. changes everything." Paramount and weather has been fantastic. The coun­ The first scene involved Miner walking Clark parted ways amicably over the tryside... beautiful to shoot And the crew into the shop where he bought his first project and Comics lay dormant until is so very enthused. Ifs just been going gun after his release. The alley was filled Pierre David arrived in LA eariier this awful smooth." year, in need of a script with which Film- For Farnsworth, The Grey Fox is plan could complete a previously nego­ providing him with "the role of a lifetime." tiated three-picture deal. Of the dozens of He's been riding horses and performing scripts he read, David liked Comics best stunts for the likes of Henry Fonda, Mont­ Film Arts Shooting began the first week of Novem­ gomery Clift and Kirk Douglas in over ber; the eight-week schedule included 300 movies since 1937. Now at age 60 seven weeks in Montreal and one in LA, Farnsworth has finally been recognized *"•• '••• at a budget of $3 million. as a competent and talented actor capable "There would have been no deal if I of handling major roles. He was recently couldn't have directed," claims Clark "I featured in Tom Horn with Steve Mc­ didn't want to explain the material to Queen, and was nominated for Best Sup­ anyone else." Of his first try at directing, porting Actor in Alan J. Pakulas's Comes Clark says, "I like it For Silent Movie I A Horseman. took the concept to Mel Brooks, and then Farnsworth more than physically he hired me as a production consultant I resembles his character. There is some­ followed that whole film through every thing in his gentle and gentlemanly ways stage — pre-production, post-production, that echoes the legendary Miner. and scoring. It was terrific training. If I "Miner was a fantastic old man," Farns­ hadn't done that I wouldn't dare direct" worth said. "I identified with him the first Many of the film's young comics, Mau­ time I read the script" rice Lamarche, Mike McDonald, Howard Bill Pinkerton of the famous detective Busgang, Marjorie Gross and Tony agency described Miner as "the master Molesworth, were discovered at Yuk- criminal of the American West" He was a Yuk's comedy club in Toronto. Lamarche curious blend of hood and Robin Hood. and McDonald along with Howie Mandel, Even in the heat of a robbery he never 461 CKurch Street Toronto • perform original material for the film. A forgot his manners, apologizing to pas­ feature film role is a long-awaited break sengers for the delay while he robbed their Ontario Cdnddd for many of the stand-ups. "Ifs like a train. dream come true," says Busgang. "Ifs Telephones: something a lot of us have been waiting After serving 33 years in San Quentin for." prison for robbing stage coaches. Miner 9^-0181 was released. He then realized that his old trade was obsolete. The 20th Century 962-0182 Bruce Malloch had arrived, and with it the steam engine.

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