JANUA-RAY: SUMMER FUN (1997) *

Summer Fun is Ray Dennis Steckler’s tribute to silent movies of yesteryear.  Nobody was making silent movies in the ‘90s.  Heck, even when Ray made his silent films in the ‘70s, it was out of necessity because he couldn’t afford sound.  Now, in 1997, he’s shooting on video and STILL chooses to make a silent movie.  I guess you have to give it to Ray for continuing to blaze his own distinct path.  

Not only is it a throwback to the silent movies of yore, but it’s a reminder of the films Steckler used to make early in his career.  The music and dance scenes look like they came out of Wild Guitar.  That doesn’t change the fact that this is one of his all-time worst.  

Dirty Barry is a sleazy Vegas real estate mogul who wants to buy Uncle Charlie’s camp.  When he refuses, Dirty Barry sends his goons out to kidnap his niece, Zoe (played by Ray’s daughter, Bailey Steckler).  Meanwhile, the camp’s annual Olympic games are taking place, which eats up most of the screen time.

Part of the fun of watching a silent movie comedy is the black and white photography and the sped-up antics of the stars.  Watching a silent movie shot in the ‘90s on a grainy camcorder is an odd experience to say the least.  It’s as if Steckler is replicating a silent movie without any of its charms.  For example, instead of traditional silent movie cards, Ray uses crappy computer-generated text that looks like it was made on a Tandy.  The music is often terrible and sounds like it was stolen from TV newscast.  

Steckler obviously shot this with friends and family and limited resources.  It must’ve been nice for him to get back to his Lemon Grove Kids-style roots.  That doesn’t mean it’s a rewarding viewing experience.  It’s almost like watching an hour-long campground commercial on public access television.  In short, Summer Fun is no fun at all.

This is the first time we’ve seen some of Steckler’s Shameless Self-Promotion in a while.  The “bad” Olympic team is named “The Strange Creatures” and they wear The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies T-shirts.  I kind of wish I had one of those.  As far as Steckler’s directorial signatures go, we have musical numbers, scenic shots of the Vegas Strip, long driving scenes, and a dash of Batman influence (the villain’s henchmen are referred to as “the undynamic duo”).  Steckler Stock Players are limited to Herb Robins (who hadn’t appeared in a Steckler film since Sinthia:  The Devil’s Doll) as Uncle Charlie and his daughter, Bailey, who later turned up in Steckler’s final film, One More Time.

AKA:  Summer of Fun.