User:JustinTime55/sandbox/Martian Space Party

Martian Space Party is a mockumentary film of a performance given by the Firesign Theatre before an audience on March 30, 1972, as the last episode of their radio show Let's Eat!. It was produced and directed by Columbia Records producer Stephen Gillmor, Additional insert shots of a monster attacking a village were filmed with miniatures, and the film was edited by the Firesign Theatre through April 1972. The radio program was recorded on 16-track tape, and much of this was used as source material for the Firesign Theatre's sixth record album Not Insane or Anything You Want To released in October 1972.

Surrealist Party convention
Peter Bergman is the convention speaker for the Natural Surrealist Light People's Party (a lampoon of George Lincoln Rockwell's National Socialist White Peoples' Party). He introduces Chaplain Bob Tackle (David Ossman) who delivers a benediction, using a football game as a metaphor for life and referring to God as humanity's biggest fan. This is followed by a country-style folk hymn sung by the Firesigns, with wives Annalee Austin and Tiny Ossman (who are credited as The Firebelles), accompanied by Phil Austin on guitar and Philip Proctor on violin.

The Firesigns portray news reporters named Walter (Austin and Proctor), Eric (Ossman), and Charles B. Smith (Bergman). These names are chosen in homage to CBS TV newsmen Walter Cronkite, and "Murrow Boys" Eric Sevareid and Charles Collingwood. The two Walters are covering the convention; Austin seems to have more trouble following the events than Proctor, because he is receiving an audio feed of the news that "the President" (Nixon) has just been denied entrance to the Forbidden City. Eric talks about the President's experience on Monster Island.

Proctor portrays General D.C. Blame, an old bomber pilot who relates a World War II story.

Next, a commercial for "Bird of Prey Motors" has Austin as manager "Edgar Allen Poe" and Proctor as Nick, who operates a raven hand puppet saying "Nevermore".

Speaker Bergman next introduces Austin as Sir Charles Gangabangaranger, with his two sons (Proctor and Ossman) who read an obsequious poem about "liking what the President likes".

Young Guy, Motor Detective
Bergman as "Rocky Rokomoto" introduces Young Guy, a Japanese detective parody of Nick Danger, who comes home to his girlfriend Nikki and robot butler Rotonoto. Bergman appears as Lieutennant Bradshaw. This version is heavily edited from the version which appears on the Not Insane album.

Shakespeare parody
This segues into heavily edited versions of the Shakespeare parody "ghost on the battlements" and "shipboard" scenes.

Back to convention
Proctor tells Austin he thinks the wrong tape has just been played, as he doesn't even remember giving that interview.

Papoon For President
George Papoon is nominated as the Surrealist party's presidential candidate; George L. Tirebiter (Ossman) is his vice-presidential running mate.

Back to Monster Island
Glutamoto (Godzilla parody) attacks the rocket.

Production
On January 3, 1972, the Firesign Theatre met and decided to expand their 1970 Shakespeare parody, Waiting on the Count of Monte Cristo, into a longer play which they titled Anything You Want To, which they planned to use as part of their sixth Columbia record album. They wrote through February 21 and produced two new scenes: the "shipboard scene", and the "ghost on the battlements scene". On February 2, Steve Gillmor presented an offer to co-produce a Firesign Theatre film, for which Columbia would advance $5000. The Firesigns spent February and March writing the script for the Martian Space Party which included the Shakespeare ghost scene, and would be performed live before an audience and broadcast as the final episode of their Let's Eat! radio program.

Release
The film footage was later released on the VHS tape Firesign Funnies.

Reference


Category: 1972 films]] Category: 1970s comedy films]] Category:American films]] Category: English-language films]]