Grandpa's Famous Enemy (Hillywood)

Mid 1960's: One of the then boarders has a huge fight with Grandpa over something petty. The fight lasts a few days and finally they both snap at the same time. Grandpa says he's going to evict the man; and the man says, "you can't evict me, 'cause I'm movin' out!" Once the man moves out, he's discovered to be a very talented actor and he becomes really famous.

present day: The man is still really famous and now directs and produces his own movies (obviously he's quite a bit older, but his name is still well known...kinda like Sean Connery or Dustin Hoffman).
He decides that he wants to make his next movie at the boarding house, and hopefully make amends to Phil. So, he stops by one day and tells everyone his plan and asks all of the boarders, Phil, Pookie, and Arnold to be extras in the movie. Grandpa, of course, is still holding a grudge and refuses to participate...but everyone convinces him to let him film the movie at the house anyway.

I haven't really thought of anything after that. Maybe Phil tries to sabotage the movie, and Arnold tries to stop him and tell him that they both need to talk to each other and work out their problems.

Good idea, or no?

I love this idea! Perhaps, also, they might have to film some scenes outside of the boarding house on the streets. They could ask some of Arnold's friends to be extras as well. XD The other kids could add more comedy relief, haha.

Maybe Phil, at first, does agree to participate in the filming so Arnold and everyone else will be happy, plus the actor says he's changed for the better. But then, during the process, Dustin Wannabe says something that reminds Phil directly of what happened when they were younger (like being too bossy or something) so they start to fight all over again. Phil comes to the conclusion that his rival hasn't changed for the better at all. Arnold explains to Phil that the guy is the director afterall and that he's just doing his job.

As a side-note, if we did this idea, it would be pretty cool if one of the artists could draw the actor looking kind of like Dustin Hoffman, haha.

coloredskies84 wrote:As a side-note, if we did this idea, it would be pretty cool if one of the artists could draw the actor looking kind of like Dustin Hoffman, haha.

So would his name be Sam Etic?

I'm sorry - I couldn't resist the Simpsons reference!


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I like the idea!

Perhaps they reconcile at the very end, but as the boarders sit around to watch the movie, when it comes to Grandpa's scene in the film, it's either blatantly cut, or his face is obscured/digitally altered ala Mike from "Monsters Inc.", and he makes a big stink about it, to which somebody mutters "Some things never change"

coloredskies wrote:They could ask some of Arnold's friends to be extras as well. XD The other kids could add more comedy relief, haha.

Maybe there could be a sub-plot where Arnold's friends keep bugging him about letting them in the movie too. Then they come over to his house and they act overly-dramatic all the time trying to convince the director that they're good actors.

shameonpretzel wrote:Perhaps they reconcile at the very end, but as the boarders sit around to watch the movie, when it comes to Grandpa's scene in the film, it's either blatantly cut, or his face is obscured/digitally altered ala Mike from "Monsters Inc.", and he makes a big stink about it, to which somebody mutters "Some things never change"

I really like that idea

btw, this idea is kind of based on a true story that my own Grandpa told me a little while ago. Before he became famous, my Grandpa knew Evel Knievel...but one day they got in a big fight over a motorcycle and never spoke to each other again.
lol, I like shameonpretzel's idea of an ending a lot better than that one.

funnybones021 wrote:Maybe there could be a sub-plot where Arnold's friends keep bugging him about letting them in the movie too. Then they come over to his house and they act overly-dramatic all the time trying to convince the director that they're good actors.

I really like this spin on the sub-plot. I think it would be hilarious. XD I can definitely imagine Arnold's friends doing something like this, especially Harold, Rhonda or Eugene. Eugene might start singing.

Brilliant! I think that's an excellent idea, but what about Helga? Is she going to want to be in a movie? If she is, then what are her motives?(Arnold of course.) How does she find out about this movie? Does she over hear Arnold talking to Gerald or something?

This is probably a crazy idea, but what if Helga didn't want to go? What Big Bob finds out about this "movie" and sees it as a way of advertising Big Bob's Beepers. So he makes Helga go were a "Big Bob's Beeper" T-shirt or something. Or what if Helga just flat out says no to her dad? He could find another way to do it. Maybe he could offer one of Helga's classmates to wear one of the shirts for like $5 (because we all know that's a lot of money to a 4th grader) or one of the borders. Oskar would definitely do it. lol

This also gets me thinking that some other people in the neighborhood like Mr. Green would attempt to advertise. Maybe not since this would be better suited for a large business empire like Big Bob's Beepers.

You guys don't have to build on this idea. I'm just exploring so if I get lost, be sure to bring me back on the trail. Thank you.

I can definitely see Bob trying to use the movie for advertising. I think Helga would do it until she remembers that she can say no. Like she would be in the middle of saying one of her "lines" then she would realize that she doesn't have to be there and leaves. I mean I don't think that Helga would be all that excited about being in a movie. (Unless she really liked the famous guy's movies or other movies he's directed) Then, after Helga quit, I think Bob would start to look at the other kids and borders for "ad space." I think it could be really funny.

I also suppose the director would start to get frustrated as the extras begin to ham it up for the camera.

acemcjace169 wrote:but what about Helga? Is she going to want to be in a movie?

You know, I didn't even think about Helga because I didn't think that she would ever be interested in being in the movie. But, you make a good point in that she probably would want to do it if she had a good scene with Arnold (maybe she has to play his girlfriend or sister...playing his sister would look really weird since she'd probably be swooning over him the entire time).

Or, she would agree to do it if she were promised some money (I'd say at least $20).

What if she originally agreed to be in the movie because she got to have a scene with Arnold. Bob, sees it as a great advertising opportunity, so he tells her to put on a "Big Bob's Beeper" shirt while she's shooting the movie. She doesn't want to at first, but he bribes her with money.
Then, the director refuses to let her wear that shirt in the scenes, so he and Bob get into a big fight. Helga is stressed out about it: "Bob, don't blow this for me!"
So, eventually Bob caves and has to find sneakier ways to slip advertising into the movie (probably by means of product placement).

What if Phil agrees to help Big Bob in order to get back at the director. Phil knows it would really make him upset. The director begs Phil not to mess up because he is sort of film or something and this is the last shot. Maybe Arnold could find out about what Phil's planning to do at some point and give a morale speech about how he and the director once lived in the same house. He could say that they're like family and, like a family, they shouldn't betray each other. Phil must choose between revenge or forgiveness.

Just a thought.

I really like where this is going so far. I see this episode being divided into Plot A, Plot B and Plot C. Plot A would be the rivalry between Phil and Dustin Wannabe (sorry, this name just amuses me, ) and Arnold trying to smooth it over. Plot B would be Helga being in a scene with Arnold and Big Bob trying to advertise for Big Bob's Beepers, like acemcjace169 said. And Plot C would be just the small bit of comedy relief provided by the rest of the kids acting over-dramatic to get parts in the movie. And I can definitely imagine Dustin Wannabe getting annoyed with some of the kids and trying to gracefully turn them away (or rudely? We never really established what kind of person he would be). Though slightly complicated at the moment, I do like how you guys bounce the main plots and subplots off of each other. I think once ironed-out, this could fit very well together!

Phil and Big Bob being in cahoots is a BRILLIANT way to tie in the Helga sublot! I never would have thought of that!

Also, this may be an off-topic question, but what type of movie is the director filming in Sunset Arms? Is it a teen drama, a horror, romantic comedy, etc? (I wouldn't do a documentary; it smacks too much of "A Day in the Life of a Classroom")

Depending on what genre is being filmed in the boarding house, different characters may or may not be involved as extras.

e.g. If it's a horror film, I doubt the director would want a bunch of kids on the set, in which case it would be a great opportunity to focus on the boarders. If it's a kids film, then it's a different story.

I think they should be filming some kind of drama because extras like Stinky, Sid, and Harold could make it funny by goofing off on camera. They could be the first to get the boot. lol

This is only if Stinky, Sid, and Harold are extras. If Phoebe was an extra, she could mess up shots by being nervous in font of cameras. (Got that idea from the "School Play" episode.) Rhonda could mess thing up by yelling MAKE-UP in the middle of a take when she doesn't need any. Brainy would not be able to stop breathing loudly. Helga could just be hard to work with. Curly could lack the ability to stay still and keep from doing anything crazy.

I was thinking horror film because 1)the boarding house is supposed to be kind of creepy looking already; and 2) we could play off the fact that the director doesn't want the kids on the set, even though they really want to be there (they would be trying to convince him that they're perfect for the movie...even though they aren't). And just like shameonpretzel said, it would put a little more focus on the boarders.

Helga and Arnold would have to be the exception to the "no kids in this movie" policy; because as Coloredskies said, that's an important aspect of Plot B.

Those were just my thoughts, though. Any other ideas/opinions about the movie's genre?

Also, if it's a horror movie and Arnold and Helga are the only kids allowed to be in the movie, I think we'd have a few of the other kids saying "hey! It's not fair! How come THEY get to be in the movie??? Let's show this guy WE'RE better than THEM!" It'd be a way to tie in the small but useful, because of comedic value, Plot C.

Agreed. Sorry guys. I completely forgot about the borders...

I think horror is a great genre. That'll probably catch Helga's interest in the first place. (aside from it being an excuse to hang out with Arnold)

I was wondering. Does Dustin Wannabe (the director according to coloredskin84, lol) know about the secret tunnels under the boarding house like the creepy cave looking one that leads to Phil secret bathroom or the caverns in the movie. Maybe this could be why the director thinks the boarding house is the perfect place to film this horror movie.

acemcjace169 wrote:Does Dustin Wannabe (the director according to coloredskin84, lol) know about the secret tunnels under the boarding house like the creepy cave looking one that leads to Phil secret bathroom or the caverns in the movie.

Sure, maybe he does know about the tunnels. He could reference them when trying to convince Phil that the boarding house is the perfect place for a horror movie

He could also make some back-handed compliments about the boarding house when he first arrives. Saying things like, "this house is perfect for a horror movie" or "why didn't I think of using this old dump sooner?"

The other (unrelated) thought I had is this: What if the finished movie turns out to be so ridiculously bad because of the bad acting, the advertisements everywhere, the kids on set, but off screen.
Dustin Wannabe is so upset because he thinks his career is completely over, but when the movie is released everyone mistakes it for a really good comedy and the movie is a smash hit.

The alternative to that could be that Dustin Wannabe still thinks that his career is completely over because the movie is so bad (because of all the chaos as I mentioned above). This time, though, the movie is released and it achieves a cult following because "it's so bad, it's good."
Kind of like the real movies Plan 9 From Outer Space or Manos: The Hands of Fate are considered to be 2 of the worst movies ever made, but they have a huge cult following because of that.

Oh yeah lol
i think i heard on the news once that there was a movie that people called 'The Best Worst Movie Ever' and millions of people actually went to see it xD
Even though it was a drama, people thought of it as a comedy


and the idea of making the movie so bad, that its good, is a great idea!
but how can we make him to get the movie to go on screen?

18log wrote:but how can we make him to get the movie to go on screen?

Well, let's say that he's such a good actor that the production company didn't even hesitate to fund production (we can say that this is his first time directing, but the company knows that the movie will probably be marketable since his name is already so well known).

That way, he's got all of the money he needs and he's got a willing production company before he even begins production.
So once things start to go awry, it's too late to pull the plug. The production company, at this point, would rather put the movie on screen in hopes of at least breaking even, instead of just pulling the plug.

I'm not sure that we would really need to explain all that in the comic, but it seems like something that could happen in real life.

About "so bad that it's good": I remembered Woody Allen's movie Hollywood Ending, about a film director who went blind, but hiding it from everyone, and thus making an absolutely terrible movie (but very well accepted in France). I think it's a good idea — Dustin or the film crew should be hiding something, maybe hiding their intentions or problems, their care about it much more than about than about the movie, letting it downhill.

Sorry Hellerick, but you lost me. I'm a little confused about what you mean when you say the crew should be hiding their intentions and problems.

btw, I watched the trailer for Hollywood Ending. lol, psychosomatic blindness is so typical Woody Allen.

Like the director has some financial problems, and now he uses film-making as an excuse to be seeking for something he has lost in the house earlier, or for the treasures which he believes are hidden somewhere in the tunnels; or he's actually hiding from his creditors (and that's why he insist that "for marketing sake" the filming location should be kept in secret) etc.

Oh, ok. Thanks for clearing that up.

I like that idea. Lol, he could act completely apathetic about the whole film.

Mr. Potts: Where do you want me to stand? Here?
Dustin: Yeah, yeah. Whatever, that's great.

of course, I guess that would mess up Plot B from Coloredskies's plot outline. It's probably doable with some tweeking.

EDIT: oops, I meant Plot C from Coloredskies plot outline, not plot B

The director could see this film as his last attempt to get out of debt. That way he would want his film to work out; but still have some alternative motives. Like he sleeps in the boarding house because he lost his house; but he could claim it's so that he can really get a "feel" for the place.