THE FILM WE MADE

In 2003, three friends and I set out to chase a shared dream. The dream involved us making a film and a snake wearing a vest (well, that snake part wasn't actually shared by everyone.) Anyway, we decided our first project would be to adapt and expand my first Flip web toon into a live-action short.
We chose this subject matter because...
A. My friend's son looked like Flip.
B. We shared an interest in the themes of the story.
C. Little dialogue meant less chance for poor line delivery.
D. We'd get to buy a bunch of fun 1960s "props" on ebay.

A year's worth of weekends and "free time" later, we had ourselves a fifteen minute film that we were more or less happy with. In aught four (2004) we started selling DVDs online and showing it at film fests. Since then it's been featured in numerous festivals, conventions, lectures, and even on TV thanks to Nashville's Dr. Gangrene and Austin's Professor Griffin. We even picked up some cool awards including the beautifully horrific Rondo. Anyway, the whole thing has been a wonderful and even life-changing experience, and I could talk about it for hours, but I'd rather just show it to you.

I was inspired to post about it now because the HD Film Fest web site is currently featuring it for a limited time. But having seen how compressed it is over there I just decided to upload it to good ol' Google video. So I present you with Flip: a short film. If you like the junk I usually blog about then you just might get a kick out of the next fifteen minutes (oh, and for those curious, at the end you can see what I (sort of) look like)...



If you'd like to own it on DVD it's available here.

NEW S.S. ADAMS ONLINE CATALOG

Hey prank and magic fans! I finally put together a web version of the ol' S.S. Adams catalog I started way back in the day. It's pretty standard stuff except that this is the first time in the company's hundred year history that Adams has utilized actual photographs of their products. Don't worry, I included all the historic artist's renderings as well. Feel free to have a look.

And please don't overlook the very latest in gagery, the new instant classic, Gross Soap...

SECRETS OF THE WHITE LIGHTNIN'

Ok, the White Lightnin' log ride has never come close to possessing the mystique of the Phantasmagoria, but a lot of recent Secret Fun Blog visitors are looking for Bell's Amusement Park stuff so I thought I'd include another handful of Bell's photos. After my wonderful dark ride tour we had time to walk the Bell's thoroughfare once more just as the sun was setting.
The Lightnin' doesn't have too many "secrets" per se, so I'll do my best to improvise. (The photos enlarge super-big when you click 'em.)


Secret #1- The logs didn't actually float on homemade whisky.

This dinosaur once stood in the Bell's miniature golf course.
Secret #2- He thinks that he was the inspiration for the Sinclair Oil mascot. (He's wrong.)

Ok, here's the only part that might qualify as a "secret." The following photographs reveal the interior of the White Lightnin' mountain range...


Alright, I guess I have one more secret. In the photo below, the green building on the right housed a humongous water pump....


This is what it looked like...

You're probably thinking "this can't be happening." but I assure you.. your eyes do not deceive.
(Buddy, the park's electrician, said that the electricity to pump the water ran about 300 bucks an hour.)

Is this the ear you can't hear in? White Lightnin' I'll love you 'til the day I die.


And just for fun, this is a bumper sticker that I won with Ski Ball tickets once upon a time.


Well, that's all of my Bell's photos, really. Aw man, I can't lie to you. Here are more...

We were told that this sign would be somewhat modified and used at the future location of Bell's.

Sorry, there will be no more Pepsi parties at the new Bell's location. They just get out of hand too easily.

The Southern view from the front of the Phantasmagoria.

This was the former video arcade. Why are those colored panels so awesome?

Here's a shot of a row of hedges.

On the day of our visit (February 16, 2006) workers had just begun to disassemble the Zingo (the roller coaster) so we weren't allowed to get very close.

Another shot of Oklahoma's largest roller coaster taken from the parking lot.

It's the ol' Sky Ride hanger

They actually told us that this canopy would be moved to the new Bell's location for "sentimental reasons." Sentimentality over a metal roof on some poles seemed absurd until I realized just how comforted I was by this news.

On the off chance that you aren't sobbing yet, this parting shot of the "little amusement park that could" will certainly move you to tears. Stare at it for a while if you need to. There you go. Just let it all out.