the developed film looks good

The developed film looks good. The magic continues.

(left) On the way to the city dump, at the stoplight in downtown Seward, a magical Coove hops out of the back of one truck and climbs into the back of the truck carrying Decker's dead body. As you can see we found a costume for Mike Duensing, complete with a cape and a cap.

(left) City employee Calvin Nordmeyer agreed to run his bulldozer for this scene at the city landfill, just a few miles south of Seward, Nebraska, off Hwy 15.

All it takes is asking grown ups to play a part. Tell them acting is easy. You are the director. Your energy and excitement will win them over. Directing is a lot of work, but it is so much fun. 

When the film comes back from the Kodak developer in New York state, the pieces of film are trimmed and spliced together. Bit by bit this fantastic written story becomes a reality.

(left) I am glad Ron Christie was the Rabbit. He had so much spunk and enthusiasm. It was a hot summer day when we gathered to shoot on site. I know Ron was sweating under his white makeup face and the heavy costume.

I used a tripod to hold the camera steady. Most scenes were shot once.

In the next scene, three Lincoln Continentals roar into the city dump yard, screech to a stop, kicking up the dust. Their doors open, and out pours a number of agents. They run toward and past the camera, in hot pursuit. Cut!

I had asked Luther Klenke from the Campus Center and other campus personnel to fill in. The dark sun glasses and suits are dynamite.

Action! In the woods the cooves are interrupted from their party. My brother Paul was wearing the orange, black, green, and white diamond corduroy pants my mother had sewn for my father. We had a punch bowl on a table. Colored paper streamers and party balloons hang from the tree branches. Cut! Later, I tape recorded voices which I ran at a faster speed to make them sound higher. The cooves ask themselves what is going on. "Where has Decker gone? He has disappeared." I filmed them running around in distress. Cut! Stop the camera. Have actors move out of sight. Move the prop table, punch bowl, and balloons. Then shoot the same scene. Action! When the film is edited the cooves have simply disappeared. Poof!

Suddenly the audience sees Decker walking through the tall grass, alive. There is a closeup of the special ring on his finger. A shot of the cover of the magic book and a close up of the sleight-of-hand illustration in the book. Magic is going on. Decker walks over to a free standing door. He opens it, walks in, and closes it behind him. Cut!

The camera was set up to look at the door from the side view. There is nothing behind the door, just the grass and trees. Action! Up run the agents to the door, banging on it silently with their fists, trying to get Decker. Cut! Action! Shot from the side again, we watch as the door falls to the ground with agents falling over themselves on top of the door. Their faces are puzzled. Where did Decker go? Cut! The film ends with credits.

The film ends up being 20 minutes in length. A separate tape recording of the music and sound is put on a cassette tape. When the film is finished being threaded in the projector, the cassette tape is started at the same time the film starts. The sound is matched to the film without actually being on the film itself. 















Cast:

Decker --Paul Duensing

First Agent --Gene Oetting

Girl in Bookstore --Lisa Zill

Second Agent --Marcus Zill

Third Agent --Arnold Krugler

Fourth Agent--Theodore Beck

Sun Bathers -- Jane Rolofson and Lisa Zill

Car Driver --Mark Middendorf
Rabbit --Ron Christie

Dwarp --Matt Rutledge

Gas Station Attendant --Roger Glawatz

First Coove --Mike Duensing

Bulldozer Driver --Calvin Nordmeyer

Other Cooves--
Tim Grothaus

David Lange

Paul Marxhausen

Cory Schulz

Other Agents --
Tim Timm
Robert Lemke
Dennis Behrens
Glenn Kraft
Vance Hinrichs
Luther Klenke
Charles Dull
Herman Glaess
William Karpenko
Erich Helge

Kinetic Findings Production
Thanks To:
Richard Bahr's Apartment
The Seward Police Dept.
Lincoln Gateway
Hall of Cards
Otto's Conoco Station
CTC Audio Visual Dept.
Seward Chamber of Commerce (for the rabbit suit)

Special Thanks To:
Robert Daum of SEWARD DRY GOODS
Don Rolfsmeier of ROLFSMEIER MOTORS
AND ESPECIALLY TO:
Brokemeier Ford

ALSO THANKS TO:
Rabbit Makeup:
Dorris Marxhausen
Rhoda Blomenberg
Assistance:
Gary Rolfsmeier
Reinhold Marxhausen
Tim Grothaus

Co-Producer:
Paul Marxhausen
Costumes by THE CAST
ALL THANKS TO GOD FOR MAKING THIS POSSIBLE!!

1973 copyrighted Karl Marxhausen

My father made up a handbill and we invited the whole cast over to our house to view the finished film. I tell you making films are the greatest. You should try it.