by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

This weekend sees the 11th in a series of High Class Picture Shows from Montreal’s own Automatic Vaudeville Studios. What this scrappy, ambitious outfit lacks in budget, style, inspiration, originality, timeliness and taste, they make up for in heart, chutzpah and hyperbole. Plus, they know a good gimmick when they see one. The talented triumvirate at the pinnacle of this cinema-and-so-much-more operation are Mark Slutsky, Dan Perlmutter and Seth W. Owen, and they promise that Saturday night’s spectacle will be, in Mr. Owen’s words, “the best show that’s been seen in the last 20, 30 or even 50 years.

“We’re putting on a full show, and to that end we have a great number of live acts and fancy trimmings that will give people a well-rounded night of entertainment.”

Well, this writer can say that, from looking at the wild, bursting-at-the-seams program for the evening, this will be the last Automatic Vaudeville show you’ll ever need to see! Just like all their other shows!

The main attraction is of course the latest films churned out by the AV machine. The jewel in the crown is Hysteria 3000, a psycho-chiller directed by the mysterious Pablo Norway.

“Despite working in very close collaboration with Mr. Norway,” says Owen, “I know very little about the man. He is, I think, very sinister. There’s a certain diabolical quality about him. We’re taking a bit of a leap of faith here, because there’s some concern that the film might be too scary. We’re hoping to get everyone to sign a waiver so that we don’t run into any lawsuits. We’re going to have a nurse there and a licensed psychiatrist, or psychotherapist, or psychologist—we haven’t decided which—someone to provide some comfort, to talk people down, because it will be a fairly disturbing and disquieting motion-picture experience.”

Prancing prince

Perlmutter’s Underworld Broadcasts serial returns as well. Then there’s The Successor, a travelogue/fantasy film “lensed” by Mr. Slutsky during his recent journey through Budapest and Paris. It’s the tale of a delicate, sheltered little prince who leaves his castle and ventures into a world with no patience for effeminate and ineffectual aristocrats.

“The film is shot in Super 8,” he says, “and manipulated it in a digital, virtual environment. I don’t want to give too much away, but I think this is a big step for Automatic Vaudeville in terms of special effects and visual impact.”

“This is the film that we hope will capture the hearts and minds of the more artistic-minded, critical set,” says Owen.

In addition, this is your chance to catch Spanked: The Ron Friendly Story, initiating AV’s Perspectives documentary series on under-appreciated artists.

“Ron Friendly, as everyone knows, is one of the late 20th century’s most influential conceptual artists,” states Slutsky. “Maybe only 100 people ever saw a Ron Friendly show, but they all became artists. He disappeared after Hat Magic 2000, a revival of his very successful show, and hasn’t been heard from since, so this is a look back—where did he come from, where did he take us?”

“He’s best known for Hat Magic,” says Owen, “but he also did a great show called The Gorilla Spanks Me, one of his breakthrough works. He was dressed as a large infant and was being spanked by a gorilla. We’ve uncovered some rare, archival footage of this, which is genuinely disturbing and arousing.”

Going bananas

Speaking of gorillas, a real live one will be the cornerstone of the program’s bonus material—this in addition to music from Kosher Dill Spears and Dr. Nadia Moss and her Amazing Music machine, tap dancing by Big Gold Hoops and Slutsky’s usual performance of a celebrated movie monologue (previously he has brought his magic touch to scenes from The Abyss, The Devil’s Advocate and Fools Rush In).

Not only are the AV trio prepared to go on record as stating that this gorilla isn’t just some jerk in a monkey suit, they’re absolutely willing to guarantee the safety of the audience with a solemn promise that the gorilla will not escape.

“Security is always a priority for us,” says Perlmutter. “Right now, we have people working on the safety devices, the cage and chains, so there’s no way the gorilla can get loose. But in a hypothetical situation, it is possible that, should it escape, it might do sexy, grind-up dances with the ladies.”

“Our worst fear,” adds Slutsky, “is that the gorilla might escape and engages in hilarious antics. If the worst happens, we do have a net.” :

Automatic Vaudeville unreels at la Sala Rossa
this Saturday, Nov. 30 at 9pm. $6

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