“Too Much Nutcracker”: A New Silent Comedy by Trav S.D.

Trav S.D. and Audrey Crabtree

We are pleased to present the next installment of our ongoing series of experiments in silent and slapstick comedy film.  Too Much Nutcracker is my tribute to what I call the “obligatory Keystone park bench picture”, complete with wayward husband, nagging wife, some shady dudes, and a girl whose job it is to be harassed. We shot the film last fall in a corner of Prospect Park so hidden and remote that one homeless man made off with our box of donuts while another man got “serviced” by a girl for hire on an adjacent bench. THAT should have been our movie, if we were truly intent on making it go viral.

Unlike our last such experiment, we’ve gone full into “period simulation” here: with undercranking (fast motion); black and white; artificial distressing; and period costumes and sets. An aspect I have retained from the last movie is the use of classical music. I’ve always liked this effect in comedy; I may use it a lot more.

Once again it was my privilege to work with really terrific artists, all of whom contributed more than just a performance: Audrey Crabtree, Glen Heroy, Jennifer Harder, and Jason Nunes in the cast; Jim R. Moore behind the lens; and Daniel McKleinfield in the editing suite.

If you care anything at all about the artists involved, we’d be so grateful if you could share this little movie far and wide — and please don’t forget to “like” it on Youtube!

As we go forward, look also for our obligatory beach comedy, our obligatory amusement park comedy and a comedy I’ll have to get in shape for because I’ll have to run and run and run.

For more on silent and slapstick film don’t  miss my new book Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube, just released by Bear Manor Media, also available from amazon.com etc etc etc

For more on the variety theatre, consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever nutty books are sold.