Posts Tagged ‘Appearances’

Pee-Wee Herman, Death by Fruitcake & San Diego Comic-Con

Tuesday, June 3rd, 2025

The two-part HBO documentary, Pee-Wee as Himself (directed by Matt Wolf) hit me hard. It was, in many respects, delightful; but to revisit the unfair attacks on Paul Reubens, due to one ill-judged moment and a subsequent witch hunt, was a painful experience.

The Paul Reubens interviewed by Wolf (a great job by Wolf on this) was the Paul I knew – a pleasant, quietly witty soul who could be frank and guarded, all at once. He’s very funny in the doc, but Wolf wisely included Paul struggling with how deep to dive into himself. He dove pretty damn deep, actually.

The one thing that struck me most was how Paul and Pee-Wee had, on some level – again, a deep level – merged into one for these final trips in front of the camera. The playful Paul, and the private one, seemed to struggle with each other throughout – but the very sweetly funny man he was prevailed.

He made some enemies in his time here on earth. He was driven and that drive at times left people behind. I’ve spoken to several Groundlings (the Second City-style comedy troupe of which Paul was a part in L.A. at the start of Pee-Wee) who resented his success. You don’t reach the heights of show business without a certain coldness – asked about this in the doc, Paul shrugs and says, “It is show business.”

It’s tough to have the kind of large ego that leads to success without alienating some of those you meet along the way. I can only say that Paul’s generous, sweet nature that I encountered reminds me we were all lucky to know Pee-Wee Herman.

This is what I wrote about Paul and Pee-Wee before Christmas 2013. I’ve reprinted this before, but it seemed appropriate – even necessary – to share it again.

For me, Christmas begins when I receive my yearly Christmas card from Paul Reubens. Sometimes Paul writes a personal note. The cards are always charming and even hilarious, and we have easily two dozen of them. This year Barb made a wreath out of some our favorites.

I went crazy over Pee-Wee with his HBO Special, The Pee-Wee Herman Show in 1981. I was doing the DICK TRACY strip at the time, and I put Pee-Wee in the strip – he was on television saying, “My name’s Pee-Wee – what’s yours?” And a TV-obsessed villain of mine replied, “Splitscreen!”

Paul Reubens phoned me shortly after that, delighted by the TRACY appearance, and we chatted. Shortly after that, taking time out from a San Diego con, Terry Beatty and I visited Paul in LA – he was in a small one-story brick house filled with funky toys and oddball memorabilia. We watched a version of The Pee-Wee Herman Show that the cast had looped with blue improv material. The Pee-Wee Herman suit was on a coat tree. I asked Paul how many of those he had, and he said, “Just the one.” Then, noting my surprised reaction, he added, “Sometimes Pee-Wee doesn’t smell so good up close.”

Paul knew that I was a movie buff, and he was working on getting a Pee-Wee film going. Late at night, we would talk on the phone and (at his request) I would send him Betamax copies of offbeat films like Eddie Cantor’s Roman Scandals and Russ Meyer’s Faster Pussycat, Kill Kill! He called once every month or two for a couple of years, sometimes when he was off shooting a movie. (One was a Meatballs sequel, and I asked him what it was about. He said, “A virgin sees her first dick.” I thought he was kidding till I saw the movie.) Barb and I (and sometimes Terry) would go to live shows of Paul’s, and we’d see him after – we did this in New York and Chicago.

When the Pee-Wee movies and TV show kicked in, Paul changed his phone number and I haven’t heard from him since…except at Christmas. Always a wonderful card, and sometimes a warm personal note. I still love Pee-Wee Herman, and it’s been a nice perk of my minor celebrity that I got to know Paul Reubens a little. It’s very thoughtful and generous of him to send me these fantastic cards every year.

After this blog entry of mine appeared, I heard from Paul, as follows:

Max, is this you?! I recently ran across this (the above Update): I’d love to catch up with you. I now (maybe, if this is indeed you) have an email address but don’t have a phone for you anymore. It sure has been a long time!

I hope you’re reading this!

Paul

I was obviously thrilled by this re-communication, and on occasion would hear from him via e-mail, though we never spoke on the phone or in person again. Those Christmas cards kept coming. That’s stopped now, of course.

The last time I heard from Paul was when he thanked me for writing a tribute (here at the Update) about his friend and collaborator John Paragon, Jambi on Pee-Wee’s Playhouse and in the original HBO The Pee-Wee Herman Show. John had just passed away and Paul liked what I had to say about the man who’d perhaps been his most important collaborator. Here’s that tribute.

* * *

The important news this week is that I will be a Guest of Honor at the San Diego Comic-con.

I have attended many times, and of course I performed with my bandmates in Seduction of the Innocent on numerous occasions at the con. I have only attended once since my 2016 heart surgery; the con that time around was an experience that was hard enough to have me staying home after that, reluctantly. That was 2018.

So this return visit is going to be somewhat physically tough, but I am delighted to be making this one-stop farewell tour. As it stands now, Andrew Sumner will be interviewing me about all my Titan/Hard Case Crime projects (over the last twenty years!) and Robert Meyer Burnett will interview me about Nate Heller (among other things) with an emphasis on True Noir: The Assassination of Mayor Anton Cermak.

When I say “farewell tour,” don’t panic (I’m not). I generally feel fine, but a-fib has its travails. Nonetheless, please know I will be writing novels and screenplays until they carry me out in a body bag. And they better zip it, or I’ll crawl the hell out.

* * *
Death by Fruitcake poster

We haven’t taken Death By Fruitcake out on the festival circuit, concentrating on getting it on a streamer(s). Right now there’s no DVD or Blu-ray scheduled, as that market has (except for some niche stuff) pretty much dried up.

But we did enter the Iowa Motion Picture Awards. We were nominated in five categories and won five awards. Barb and I did not attend the event, because we’d decided instead to be in Des Moines for an evening screening of Death By Fruitcake (as part of the festival). Two trips to Des Moines from Muscatine in four days was a little much. So our leading man, Rob Merritt, attended for us and picked up the hardware after.

We received awards in all five categories in which we’d been nominated – Director: Award of Excellence: Max Allan Collins; Award of Achievement Long-form Narrative: Death By Fruitcake; Actor: Award of Achievement: Rob Merritt; Actress: Award of Achievement: Paula Sands; and Supporting Actress: Award of Achievement: Alisabeth Von Presley.

We are obviously pleased.

And I will tip my cap to all of those mentioned above, and the rest of my cast and crew, who pulled off something special in a limited amount of time and budget. Particularly I will salute my buddy Chad Bishop, who shot the film, edited it and co-produced it.

Death by Fruitcake IMPA Awards
* * *

At the suggestion of a potential distributer, we have added a subtitle to Death By Fruitcake. Now it’s DEATH BY FRUITCAKE: An Antiques Christmas Mystery. We think this was a good suggestion, because “Christmas” is a helpful thing as is tying the movie to its source, namely the Antiques series of cozy/crazy mysteries by Barb and me, writing as “Barbara Allan.” A novella of ours, Antiques Fruitcake, is the specific source.

* * *

I got a big kick out of being part of the 200th episode of Let’s Get PHYSICAL MEDIA on YouTube this past Sunday.

Most Sunday afternoons, new episodes of this fun show with Robert Meyer Burnett and Dieter Bastian will air with segments from me talking about film noir and crime/mystery movies in general, specifically titles that have recently appeared on physical media. I’ll also be talking about True Noir, which Rob Burnett directed and I wrote from my first Nathan Heller novel, True Detective. True Noir: The Assassination of Anton Cermak is available now at truenoir.co.

M.A.C.

Death by Fruitcake – A Quad Cities Premiere Showing!

Tuesday, April 29th, 2025

For those of you within driving distance, I wanted to let you know about several showings of our film, Death By Fruitcake, based upon the Antiques mystery series by “Barbara Allan” (my wife Barb and I). I directed and wrote (with Barb looking over my shoulder).

On May 9 we will have a Quad Cities premiere in Davenport, Iowa, at the Last Picture House with Paula Sands (Vivian Borne) and Rob Merritt (Chief Tony Cassato) in attendance and participating in a Q and A session after the screening. I will be there as well, as will co-producers Chad T. Bishop and Barbara Collins. So will other cast and crew members.

Here is how/where you can get tickets.

The Last Picture House is a terrific boutique theater masterminded by the Quiet Place team, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. This part of the world is very lucky to have this venue to enjoy film (including, from time to time, mine). And the generosity of these successful hometown filmmakers is much appreciated. (In my opinion, Heretic is their best yet.)


M.A.C., Bryan Woods, Scott Beck and Phil Dingeldein

Last November, we had two hometown screenings at the Palms Theater in Muscatine. These were very well-attended, but we had some audio problems that should not be an issue at the Last Picture House event. That said, Iowa’s Fridley movie chain has been most supportive, not just of our efforts but Iowa filmmakers in general. They are in particular supportive of the Iowa Motion Picture Association’s awards (I am a three-time past president of that association).

Producer Chad Bishop and I have selected clips for the five categories we’ve been nominated in for the Iowa Motion Picture Awards — Best Actress (Paula Sands), Best Actor (Rob Merritt), Best Supporting Actress (Alisabeth Von Presley), Best Direction (M.A.C.) and best Live Action Feature (Death by Fruitcake, of course).

These nominations each represent a shot at an award (there are two levels, Excellence and Achievement). The clips Chad and I selected will be shown with the other nominees at the Iowa Motion Picture Awards on Saturday May 31 at the Palms in Waukee (near Des Moines).

Also, as nominees, we’ve been selected by the IMPA to have Death by Fruitcake screened twice at the Fleur Theater in Des Moines — Friday 23 at 4:30 pm, and again on Wednesday 28 at 8 pm. Barb and I will be there for the Wed. 8 pm screening, and I’ll intro it and have a Q and A after — a few other cast and crew members will likely participate in the Q and A. Tickets are available here (for both performances).

In the meantime, we’re talking with several distributors in hopes of getting our film on one or more streaming service for the holiday season. This means the Davenport and Des Moines screenings may be the last opportunity to see Death By Fruitcake in a theatrical setting.

If you’d like to get a very early start on seasonal entertainment, our previous picture, Blue Christmas, is available now on Tubi, right here (free!)

Here’s a teaser trailer for Death By Fruitcake that our producer/editor/director of photography Chad Bishop put together.

And in case you missed it, the full-length trailer (and photos and more) can be seen at our IMDB page.

* * *

A gentle reminder that the complete True Noir: The Assassination of Mayor Cermak is available at Truenoir.co. Rob Burnett and Mike Bawden (and their Imagination Connoisseurs) have done right by Heller (and they started with my script for the ten-episode audio play).

M.A.C.

Death By Fruitcake Lives…Twice!

Tuesday, October 29th, 2024

This is a big week for us, or rather big weekend, as we’re having the premiere (aka advance screenings) of Death by Fruitcake at the Palms in Muscatine, Iowa, on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2. Start time both nights is 7 pm, and there will be a Q and A with cast and crew members after the movie.

Those of you familiar with the Antiques novels that Barb and I write as “Barbara Allan” will recognize the character names in what follows. On both nights (Nov. 1 and 2), Paula Sands – the legendary Midwest broadcaster, recently retired from Channel 6 in Davenport (KWQC) – will be on hand as part of the Q and A; she plays Vivian Borne, aka Mother. Rob Merritt, who stars in our other Christmas movie (Blue Christmas), will be here; he plays Chief of Serenity Police Tony Cassato. And Midwestern pop star Alisabeth Von Presley (of American Idol and American Song Contest fame, among much else) will be on hand Saturday night (Nov. 2).

The Friday night screening has reserved seats and is already 61% sold. Saturday night is at 38% sold. Get those tickets now (and I do apologize to regular readers of these updates/posts for showcasing this local event…but it’s a big deal to us).

Tickets are available here.

In further exciting Palms Theater news here in Muscatine, Blue Christmas is opening on Nov.8. Tickets for the run are available here.

Other Iowa theaters in the Fridley chain will be running Blue Christmas as well, and we should have more info by next week.

If all of this Christmas movie stuff confuses you, here’s the skinny: we had such good reaction early this year when we premiered Blue Christmas at the Palms in Muscatine, the Last Picture House in Davenport, and the Fleur Cinema and Café in Des Moines, we right away started thinking about doing a follow-up of sorts. When we landed a deal for VCI and MVD to bring Blue Christmas out on Blu-Ray and DVD, and to take it out to streaming services, that cinched it.

But we didn’t want to do a sequel or any similar film. And Barb and I have been frustrated by how close we’ve come to a network or streaming service sale for the Antiques/Trash ‘n’ Treasures novels that we decided our next movie would bring that series to life. I wrote a script expanding on (and somewhat loosely adapting) the novella Antiques Fruitcake in the three-novella collection, Antiques Ho Ho Homicides.

Barb liked the script, and of course had great suggestions and notes – the series has always been her baby – and we started putting Death by Fruitcake together right away. We called upon many of the cast members of our two previous productions, Mickey Spillane’s Encore for Murder (with Gary Sandy) – available on DVD from VCI and also a special feature on VCI’s Blu-ray of the revised expanded Mike Hammer’s Mickey Spillane.

Key to the project was producer/director of photography/editor Chad Bishop, who I got to know doing the edit of Encore for Murder. Chad was a producer among much else on Blue Christmas. Both it and Death by Fruitcake would not exist without his hard work and artistic inspiration.

We’ve had a bit of an unintended (if there is such a thing as an intended) collision course between Blue Christmas and Death by Fruitcake, when it became clear the release of Blue Christmas in Iowa theaters and nationally on physical media would collide with our premieres of Death by Fruitcake. Not much we could do about that but hope you good people out there can sort them out.

Death by Fruitcake will, we hope, we given a Quad Cities premiere at the Last Picture House yet this year – our star, Paula Sands, spends half of the year away in Arizona with her husband David, so we have to work around her availability for personal appearnces. The real marketing of Death by Fruitcake begins now and it’s unlikely to be streaming or on physical media till well into next year (holiday season 2025, most likely).

Blue Christmas and Death by Fruitcake, despite some shared cast members, are very different animals (albeit both being reindeer friendly). Blue Christmas, as you may already know, is a mash-up of sorts of A Christmas Carol and The Maltese Falcon, two of my favorite novels and movies (the Sim Scrooge, the Bogart Falcon).

Death by Fruitcake has been called a zany episode of Murder She Wrote or a low-budget Knives Out. And we are low budget – actually micro-budget. But my feeling is if the writing and acting are there, and the cinematography does them justice, a minuscule budget – if the script has been written toward such a budget – is beside the point.

I continue to be frustrated but mostly amused by the people who attack Blue Christmas based on its meager budget without having seen it. As the star of A Charlie Brown Christmas says, “Sigh.”

Here’s a nice write-up about the coming event from the Muscatine Chamber of Commerce.

There’s been a ton of coverage on the Net but much of it is similar, so I won’t put all the links here.

Finally, however, here’s what our local paper, the Muscatine Journal (where I once worked) has to say.

And this just in:

M.A.C.

Death By Fruitcake Premiere & Blue Christmas Blu-Ray & DVD

Tuesday, October 15th, 2024

For many of you, spread around the country (and even around the world), who are kind enough to follow these update/blog entries, this info will not be terribly relevant. But for those of you in Eastern Iowa or nearby Illinois – or are crazy enough to make a long drive – we want to make sure you know about our two-night premiere weekend showings of Death by Fruitcake.

Death by Fruitcake Premiere Poster. November 1 & 2, 7 p.m., Palms 10 Muscatine Theater

While it’s possible a screening or two will take place in Davenport and Cedar Rapids, this could be the only opportunity to see the new film in 2024. Its life as a limited theatrical release and on physical media, and streaming, will not occur until well into 2025…perhaps as long as a year from now.

These hometown screenings at the lovely Palms Theater will (as the poster art specifies) be on Friday Nov. 1 and Saturday Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. both evenings. On Friday, we will have stars Paula Sands and Rob Merritt on hand as well as other members of cast and crew, including Barb and me (and producer/editor Chad Bishop). And on Saturday, we will have Paula and co-star Alisabeth Von Presley “in the house,” again with other cast and crew members present. Both nights a Q and A will follow the screening.

The Friday night screening is reserved seating. The Saturday screening is open seating. The Palms is taking advance reservations now and you can go here to get your tickets. Publicity in the area is starting up, so if you have a desire to attend, now is not too early to act.

As you may know, Paula and Alisabeth are portraying our amateur sleuths Vivian and Brandy Borne from the long-running Antiques/Trash ‘n’ Treasures mystery-novel series written by Barb and me (as “Barbara Allan”).

Those of you who’ve seen my movie Mommy’s Day will remember seeing Paula Sands (as herself) there. Paula recently retired from Channel 6 (KWQC-TV) in Davenport after an Emmy-winning decades long run as one of the most popular talk show hosts in the Midwest with her Paula Sands Live.

And Alisabeth appeared on both American Idol and The American Songwriter Contest. She gigs not only in the Midwest but all around America and beyond, a remarkable performer who took her first starring movie role in Blue Christmas, for which she won the Best Actress “Award of Excellence” from the Iowa Motion Picture Association.

Barb and I are frankly thrilled with the way Paula and Alisabeth have brought our amateur sleuths Vivian (aka Mother) and Brandy to life. And Sushi is in it, too.

Here’s a teaser trailer.

Additionally, the Palms and likely a number of other theaters in Iowa’s Fridley chain will be showing Blue Christmas, tentatively scheduled for a week-long run beginning Nov. 8. You don’t have to live in Iowa, or commute to the state that put Barack Obama on the map, either, to see our award-winning little film. Pre-orders for the Blu-ray and DVD can be made here.

Blue Christmas Blu-Ray cover

We’re getting some nice advance coverage, including this from Inside Pulse.

And this from Andersonvision.

We also got some nice coverage from Blu-ray.com, although some of their forum members gave us some nasty snark. Apparently these self-appointed experts don’t know the difference between a $15-thousand dollar budgeted movie and a $100-million dollar budget movie.

Actually, had everyone been paid on Blue Christmas, the budget would have been at least $100,000. The same is true of Death by Fruitcake, although that budget (the real one was $25,000) would be around $250,000. Still chump change (or perhaps a day’s worth of Craft Services) on a Hollywood production.

For those of us who have been movie fans for decades, we know the difference between a movie directed by Roger Corman and a movie directed by William Wellman. Both Blue Christmas and Death by Fruitcake are micro-budget productions, but I am proud of them both. What I like about this budgetary level is that nobody screws with me or my script. It may require me to think small – Blue Christmas is shot on one set with a six-day shooting schedule, Death by Fruitcake at a single location (a community playhouse where the action takes place) on an eleven-day shooting schedule. (Both films had additional Second Unit location shooting of a day or two.)

But that’s a small sacrifice compared to the big satisfaction of doing something your own way.

If you enjoy my novels, or my comics, I hope you’ll give Blue Christmas a look on physical media (we should have news on streaming soon) and, if you can make the trip, to one of the two screenings of Death by Fruitcake on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2. I am happy with them both. I hope you will be, too.

Finally, the great website Thrilling Detective has given Richard Stone (hero) (anti-hero?) of Blue Christmas his own page.

M.A.C.