Hi, and thanks for checking in to see what's happening. Last summer saw my debut in Joliet with a very successful run of Happy Days: The Musical at Bicentennial Park. I played Arnold, owner of the malt shop where all the kids hang out, who was threatened with foreclosure until everyone came together to save the day.  It was a fun time with a great group of kids and some talented adults as well.  My thanks to all who attended one of our performances.

I followed that up with my annual Fall appearance with St. James Playhouse in Sauk Village, IL for my 30th consecutive year with them.  I'm sure everyone is familiar with the original farce comedy and fun music that comes out of there each year and last Fall was no exception.  I had a great time spoofing Tim Conway from the old Carol Burnett Show, Jackie Gleason in a scene from The Honeymooners and even got to throw on my Elvis outfit for One Night With You.  Once again I appreciate all who came out in support.
 
In other happenings, I voice the role of (fictional) former Chicago Bear Sheldon Shortz in my son Justin's animated web series, Gym Shortz, which was recently awarded Best Animated Webseries of 2010 by the podcast Indie Intertube.  Next, I'll be playing King Hangrenade in an upcoming episode of his acclaimed web series, Big Bother.

On the film front, the following is an update on some of the projects that I have recently worked on:

Marlin is a graduate thesis film from Columbia University.  It's a dark fairytale in which I play the title character, a 150-year-old man who has forgotten what it was like to be young.  This was quite a challenge, if you can imagine 3 &1/2 hours in make-up each day on the set.


Woman's Prison continues to make the film festival circuit and has garnered awards at every stop.  It's a dramatic feature that follows a young woman's struggles through life as she tries to overcome the many obstacles placed in her way.  I play an evangelist preacher in this one.

 Dog Jack has had special screenings throughout the Midwest and was recently released on DVD.  It is scheduled for a television premiere in February to coincide with Black History Month.  Dog Jack is a Civil War film about a runaway slave and his dog in which I have a small part as a train conductor.  It's based on a true story and is narrated by Lou Gossett, Jr..

 Fancypants is a compelling story about an over the hill wrestler who befriends a young boy and the lengths to which their bond will take them.  I play a doctor who does his best to look after our fallen hero.  If you click on the link, I'm sure you will recognize some of the names in this one.  It has appeared in several film festivals and won Best Picture at St. Petersburg before its gala premier here in Chicago last Fall.  It is currently being screened in select theaters and will soon be available On Demand.



Additional information and previews of these films can be found by clicking on the appropriate links.  Thanks again for checking in and check back again for updates on these and other projects that yours truly might be involved in.
~ Jim Marchert

Content copyright . Justin Marchert. All rights reserved.