Tom Neyman - Theater Rockstar

Some amazing things were just posted on Facebook by two different Manos Fans.  These articles and the Camelot playbill brought a flood of memory back as though it was all just yesterday.  Some of these things, I talked about in my book Growing Up With Manos The Hands of Fate but I had not found these articles and playbill when I was writing and when I was researching.  I want share them with you here.
I'll begin with Henry IV, the play where Manos: The Hands of Fate took flight.  Hal Waren had written the script and had titled it Fingers of Fate, but when he participated in the Festival Theater stage production of Henry IV, he knew then, he was ready to make his film.

Hal Warren (Manos Writer, Drector, Micheal) as Pietro Beleredi, William Bryan Jennings (Manos Sheriff) as the Psychiatrist and (The Master)Tom Neyman as Henry IV.

These two next photos shows John Reynolds (Torgo) as one of the knights in Henry IV.
Bob Guidry (not shown), who was the Manos cameraman, played the estate caretaker in this play.

My dad played a king more than once.  He was King Arthur in Camelot a couple years later.  It was the summer I turned 12 and my parents were doing the divorce thing.  I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible, so that meant the theater.  I loved it and was hanging out whenever possible during set building, rehersal, performances, acting class, anything.

...and teaching acting to teens and young adults.

I will share more as it turns up.  Thanks for being here and it would be really great if you added your email in order to "follow".  That way you will always know when something new, or old shows up in the Manosphere.

Thanks so much to Craig Connolly and Phillip Smith!

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click here >  paypal.me/JackeyNeymanJones/20  Includes shipping in U.S

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Manos Burlesque

Yes.  You read that title correctly.  There is Manos burlesque.

Mystery Science Theater Burlesque to be more precise, but a Manos themed Torgo performance logically had to be included.

I was so honored to be asked to host the MSTease3k show that played in Portland Oregon on August 17th at Crush Bar to a full house and very enthusiastic audience.  I've been to a few shows and have some good friends among the performers but being on stage with them this time was truly special.

In this post, I want to highlight all the performers that night because they are all so amazing.  First of all if you've never been to a burlesque show, it may not be what you imagine.  Of course, it's sexy as all get out but it is so much more.  Burlesque is empowering for not only those on stage, but for us in the audience as well when we see both traditional and non traditional beauty explode onto the stage with an outward shining confidence.  It gives you a feeling that maybe you, yourself might also find courage to step outside the comfort zones in your own life.  Maybe find a way to express your inner creative passions. By the end of the evening, my face hurt from smiling so much and as I looked around I saw a roomful with the same look.

I was invited to host this show by the producer Mona DePlume, a MSTie who created this show for MSTies.  Mona is the Queen of Awkward Boners, known for creating some really trippy and consciousness bending acts that mess with your head.  She has done Bob Ross as a burlesque performance and in this show she portrayed both Rosdower and Torgo.  Mona is also an instructor at the Rose City School of Burlesque and she was a guest on a recent episode of my Jackeys Hand of Horror Podcast.

Another performer is a sweet friend of mine.  We met on facebook years ago because she's a Manos fan and we got talking.  She went on to graduate from both The Rose City School of Burlesque and All That Glitters Academy  then began performing where I got to go see her a few times and became a fan of hers.  For this show, I was proud to introduce her on stage as "The Dizzy Dame with the Dynamite Frame.  It's Loxie Arcane!"   She did a Pearl act with her husband, Mr. Arcane performing as Brain Guy.  Loved it and love how husbands, wives and partners get worked into the act.  Loxie will perform again at Crush Bar on October 13th for That's Monster a Frankenstein Burlesque Story and in  Gods and Monsters Burlesque on October 20th
 
Baby LeStrange is the Glittering Misfit of Burlesque with a unique and very sexy Queen ant act inspired by MST episode nine, the film Phase IV.  Baby is a longtime Portland performer and can be seen in Renee's Queer Caberet on August 30th  Metalesque Heavy Metal Burlesque show at Dante's on October 4th.

The next performer traveled North from Eugene and performs a fantastic monthly show Miss Minskys Presents with the next one on September 22.  She is Bayou Bettie, The Giantess from Emerald City with the bayou in her blood.  For this MSTease3k show, Bayou Bettie transformed into a most regal and excellent sassiest robot on The Satellite of Love, MST3k Gypsy.

The Superhero of Sparkle was the next performer. Traveling South from Seattle, Washington, Scarlett O'HairDye was thrilled to bring her longtime MSTie dream to the stage.  Space Mutiny...Burlesue Style.
Absolutely click this link to see just some of what this woman an do! Unnatural Redhead Productions

I had a great back stage chat with the Delectable Dynamo - Dominoe Desoto and her Girl in the Golden Boots act was The Bomb.  If you missed this show, go see Dominoe  back at Crush for Totally Naked on September 21st. Dominoe is also a graduate from both the Rose City School of Burlesque and All The Glitters Academy.  You can see her perform again on August 24th in Pink Elephant Caberet at Mission Theater.

Next up was the Bookish Beauty of Burlesque...Lacey Knickers. Lacey did a Kinga character act that wold make the original Kinga blush, but in a good way.  Lacey can be thought of as burlesque for the intellectual.  If you think smart is not sexy,...check this out. Booklovers Burlesque and if you are a child of the 70's and muppets turn you on, this is the show for you.  Glitter Fever Disco Inspired Burlesque September 22.

Beyond all this, I want to thank
Door Madame - Lou Velvet
Stage Kitten - Lascivious Lenore
Lights and Sound - DJ Dom De Plume
...and the support staff at Crush

You can find these and other Portland Oregon Burlesque shows at BurlesquePDX

And check out the Burlesque Episode of my podcast Jackey's Hand of Horror

The First Failed Sequel: Part III

I arrived in El Paso on Friday afternoon and was picked up at the airport by a sweet young man holding a cardboard sign with my name on it.  We went for some amazing local tacos and then on to the hotel to meet with Ben Solovey and work out what would happen next.  Since the official screening event that had been scheduled for the next evenng had already been cancelled, he was looking into other possibilities.
Later that evening, Phil again contacted the Director of the El Paso Classic Film Festival saying they shouldn’t cancel and something could be worked out. He then gave his conditions.
 First, Ben must be banned from the entire festival and his photo distributed to all security personel.
 Second: I was to call Phil and the lawyers back in order to receive a script to promote the sequel The Search For Valley Lodge.
Third: the Film Festival had to get Joe Warren (Even though he had not yet been born at the time it was made) there by the next night night to join me on stage to talk about his dad’s film.

Those conditions would take all the time I was scheduled for on stage.

Bully tactics were not going to work.  The response from the El Paso side of things was a resounding No.

The Manos screening had originally been scheduled for Saturday night as the last film of the evening at The Plaza Theater.  On Saturday morning, arrangements were made across the street from the theater in the ballroom of the El Camino Real Hotel to set up a screen and seats and show Manos as planned, but for free. That evening, a couple of the festival volunteers were in front of the theater to refund ticket holders money and the people were then sent across the street to the hotel ballroom.  A couple more volunteers were posted outside an  earlier outdoor screening of Rocky Horror Picture Show where they distributed flyers directing them to the free Manos screening down the block.  All in all, about 350 people showed up for the Manos Restoration, some of them in Rocky Horror costume.  The hotel rolled a portable bar into the back of the room and the audience was able to enjoy cocktails as well.   Ben and I ended up hanging out with the audience for a couple hours after the show, just visiting and answering questions.  We learned later that had we done the screening as originally planned in the theater, we would have been kicked out right after so they could ready the place for the next days film lineup.  Seems we lucked out after all.

All in all it was an amazing time and The Will of Manos came through as it always seems to do.  Manos sees all.  Manos knows all.


Here is something cool I found while googling myself on the internet.  What a nice video about my book Growing Up With Manos The Hands Of Fate    https://youtu.be/IwxZQG9MZT4

 Watch the video and then order an autographed copy directly from me right here. $25.00  included shipping within the U.S. > .  paypal.me/JackeyNeymanJones/25


And if you happen to live near or are visiting the Portland Oregon area this coming Friday, I will me the MC for an Mystery Science Themed Burlesque show.  This is a truly amazing thing.  Torgo will be there too...burlesque Torgo.
MSTease3k

And lastly for today, check out my Jackeys hand of Horror Podcast.  Here is the Burlesque episode
Jackeys Hand of Horror - Burlesque

The First Failed Sequel: Part II

By the end of 2011, Philip had enough money to do another shoot so he assembled the main cast including Gene Snitsky  of WWE fame, Ryan Jimmo of MMA, Bryan Jennings the son of the original Manos Sheriff, Diane Mahree who played Maggie in the original, Bernie Rosenblum, the kissing guy in the car/cameraman, and me. We also had Jay Lee, Rick Zunck, the documentary team, Phil, some local actors and support. We all assembled in El Paso for five days to do those scenes. By that time, I had a clearer view of Phil’s business strategies and what he termed as his “wacky deals” while often boasting his great negotiation skills.  During the five days in El Paso, Gene Snitsky quit and was convinced to come back, Jay Lee, our director quit and then decided to finish the scheduled shoot because that's who he is.   Our El Paso coordinator, David Garcia quit while we were in El Paso and Phil convinced him back because we could not have completed our work there without him.  David arranged everything! 

Our leader massaged every story so he was never at fault when things don’t go well by painting himself as either a victim or as just wacky Uncle Phil who wants the best for everyone and in his excitement, sometimes makes little mistakes. When backed into a corner or accused, he would strike out turning the tables with belittling comments, negative pointed remarks and then finally indifference as in “Well, if you don’t want to do this, fine, we’ll just go find another Debbie" or "It is what it is”. When things were going well, he would create stories using fictional people as great supporters, or embellish a small detail to appear as the hero.

Sometime around then he began talking of doing a restoration of the original claiming he had found a copy of the film. He told me that Bernie Rosunblum, the original photographer on Manos, had a copy and he (Phil) was working on a deal to obtain it. Bernie then had a stroke in Nov 2011 upon which Phil called his wife and said “Well, too bad about Bernie. Guess he can’t be in our movie now”. She was so upset that they refused to speak to him again.  Phil called me after that to say “I think I put my foot in my mouth” After then went to Rifftrax to see if he could work a deal with them to get that copy and restore it with his help so they could be partners, with them footing the bill. Rifftrax then obtained their own copy somewhere and cut him out.  About the same time, I heard about Ben Solovey, a young film student in Los Angeles who had found the original Manos workprint in an ebay auction in a box full of old  films. He then set out to raise money and restore his print. I told Phil he should connect with Ben and that maybe they could work together and help each other since they had the same idea of restoring it. Phil ignored that and then posted on his website that he was already doing a restoration and then he began talking about Ben as some creepy kid. When Phil realized that Ben had raised over $45,000. in less than 3 months on Kickstarter for his restoration, Phil contacted Ben. At first friendly, then began to threaten him saying he (Phil) had found the original copyright to Manos and that Ben better team up with him and give him the rights or he would take it by force.

Phil told me he had the copyright and three of the best attorney’s in Hollywood working Pro Bono on the case.  Those attorneys agreed he had a valid copyright. He also said he had created a partnership with Joe Warren, Hal Warren's son to do this and that Joe now could demand licensing fees from anyone doing anything with Manos from here on. I expressed concern about how that would affect me, my planned career concerning Manos and all the projects people created out of love for the film.   He said that I could be assured that Joe listens to him and he would make sure that Joe shares with dad and I any money that comes from the licensing, etc. I did not believe any of that and began my own research as to what I can and can’t do regardless of their claims. Also, during all this, I learned that Phil was claiming publicly that he was in charge of dad and I and that we would not do anything without his permission. He represented us to Rifftrax in this manner. When I heard about that, I told him he clearly has no right to say that and does not represent us. He became very angry, yelling that we are supposed to be a team and stick together and if I didn’t want to be part of the family, so be it. I wouldn’t get to share in the future bounty and could merely be an actress in his film. He also expressly forbade me to communicate with Ben Solovey who I had become friends with. 

Many other things were going on at the same time that I wasn't aware of until later.  Suddenly I'm told that Rifftrax is doing a live show of Manos in Nashville in June 2012 and that Rupert Munch Senior (remember him? It's in part one so I'll wait if you need to go back) will get to do a Torgo Skit for the audience and that the trailer for his Manos sequel will screen.  I was told I need to be there. My reply was that as things presently stood, I didn't think I should.  I was told (again) that he could just go get another Debbie.  My answer to that was one of the few satisfactions I got to feel up to that point. "Good luck with that.  I am Debbie"

 Soon after that, I was contacted by the El Paso Film Festival about making an appearance at the annual Classic Film Festival where I would be a special guest on August 5^th 2012 for the screening of Bens restoration, and to talk about my role in the original.

They would be showing Ben’s restoration and I knew Phil would have a fit  so I didn’t tell him knowing that if I gave him an opportunity he would sabotage it.  Ben decided he would tell Phil and get it over with several weeks before the show so that he would have time to deal with any interference. Phil then demanded a $10,000. licensing fee from Ben in order to proceed. Ben refused and then ignored him after his (Ben’s) IP lawyer looked at the “copyright” saying it was nothing more than an application and therefore not valid. As I was boarding my plane to El Paso from Portland, Oregon on Friday afternoon August 4th, the Artistic Director of The El Paso Film Festival called me and said they had just received a call from Phil.  His lawyers were insisting the screening of Manos be canceled because it would be illegal to proceed and since the Film Festival was in full swing, there was no time to investigate, especially because they were contacted late Friday afternoon.  I got on that plane having no idea what was coming next.

Since you are already here, check out some of my artwork on tshirts.  

                                                                   The Master Tshirt

                                                           Frank Zappa as The Master

                                                                       and my podcast
                                                                 Jackeys Hand of Horror