Title: Funny Juice
Length: 60 minutes
Date Premiered: 2002
Production Time: 1 year
Cast Members:

• Johnny Lion
  
• James C. Lion
  
• Nels Ovestrud
  
• Amanda Wheeler
  
• Eric Shreck
  
• Jon Beckingham
  
• Derric
  
• Little Bob*
  
• Little Betty*

Funny Juice was a different venture for Johnny. Thought encompassing the classic gothic style he is famous for, in this film he turned to a more comedic-based formula for this short film. After the epic production of Attack Of The Evil Dolls, Johnny had toyed with many ideas, including short stories and scripts. He decided that a funny show that contained two or three short projects would be ideal for his newest creation.

The first short film in Funny Juice is called "Tripping Out". The elicit drug use connotation in the title was a deliberate misdirection. The movie actually had the more literal meaning of the word trip, which is to go on a journey. Tom, played by Eric Shreck, put forth a great performance as a zany, naive character. Tom has a revelation on his way home from work one day, and realizes that he must leave his girlfriend, his best friend (Dave, played by Derric), and his beloved home town of Bremerton to travel to Latin America. In the course of his preparation, for this trip, many wild and hilarious events occur. In this movie, there is slapstick comedy along with British word humor. The length of this piece ends up being a whopping 8 ½ minutes.

The second (and last) short film in Funny Juice was titled Snarky’s Tips For Dating. Snarky, the undead, gothic Clown of Darkness displays his weird and wacky style of courtship for all to see. This film is 25 minutes in length and won Johnny his first BKAT Emmy Award in 2003 for the best "On the Fringe" video (see About Johnny for more info).

The Funny Juice show has a whacky ventriloquism doll named Little Bob (with the voice of Nels Ovestrud) as the host. Johnny plays himself, the angry, overbearing director of the show. Besides introducing the two shorts, Little Bob’s other mission is to create the “Funny Juice Potion”, a special drink which, when consumed, will make that person funnier. Many wild and wonderful antics occur throughout this show.

It was shot in Bremerton and Silverdale, with "Snarky’s Tips for Dating" at Olympic College, "Tripping Out" at Olympic College and Silverdale, and Funny Juice in the basement of Johnny’s house in Bremerton. The medium used was digital video, which was downloaded onto VHS. There is a distinct but positive difference in this digital format compared to the Super-8 mm movies, including a boost on clarity, sharpness, and sound quality.

This new comedic direction definitely seems to be the right path for Johnny. This film still has a dark and gothic influence, but with a definite emphasis on humor. Funny Juice is a definite turning point in Dreamtown Film’s history. With this humorous influence and the creation of new and interesting characters, such as Snarky, Little Bob, and Little Betty, Johnny is treading a new and shining path through the mysterious gloom and darkness of gothic films.

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