2009-01-23

 

Zack Norman is Sammy in Chief Zabu

Monster Moonshine is probably not what you think it is. Memorize the formal versions. You will be required to integrate them in future blog posts.

"Zack Norman is Sammy in Chief Zabu" is kind of a weird story:

Variety (the entertainment trade newspaper) ran an advertisement on page two every day for almost four years.

It was a small box with a black-and-white headshot of character actor Zack Norman with the caption "Zack Norman is Sammy in Chief Zabu".

To the best of my Google abilities, the film "Chief Zabu" never picked up a distributor, and no one but the makers has ever really seen it. Zack Norman has continued working steadily in Hollywood.

But to my satisfaction, no one has yet explained to anyone;
  1. What was the purpose of this ad?
  2. Why did it run for so long?
  3. Who could afford to continuously place it so prominently in this major magazine?
  4. Why did it feature that particular combination of obscure film and obscure actor?
Zack Norman, I know you're out there! Please write when you get time off from playing Kaz in "Queen of the Lot"!

# posted by Mark @ 6:58 AM
Comments:
I worked on the film as an intern. The whole thing was made using Zac's mafia money. He probably ran the ad in variety because he wanted the publicity, but also so that he could write it off as a business expense and loss. That is why the film was made in the first place; as a tax shelter. It was shot in the summer of 1986, not 1988, btw, at Bard College in NY.
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 6:25 AM
 
Sorry I'm late getting back ... I had an upset stomach. By the way, the Anonymous Contributor from Bard is absolutely right: the film was shot in 1986, not 1988. He is the only one of the Bard interns that knew I was in the Mafia and why I was doing the picture ... to get publicity and to write off everything I spent ... what a bright guy he is!!

Well, I'm still in the Mafia, and I finished writing off the picture, so we're gonna open it Friday at the Laemmle Monica Film Center in Santa Monica, California.

For tickets and showtimes: http://www.laemmle.com/films/41327#get-tickets

For t-shirts: https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/103437-chief-zabu

All my love, Zack ... but you can call me Sammy.


# posted by Anonymous Zack Norman : 8:38 PM
 
See, digging up stuff like this is what spooksme away from blogging.

But I gotta think--the story of how this movie got made...would make a *great* movie!
# posted by Blogger Mark : 10:20 PM
 
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