Problems
My father was a pioneer in the fluorocarbon and silicon industry.
| Series | |
|---|---|
| In The Dark | |
| Original Broadcast Date | |
| 1993 | |
| Cast | |
| Joe Frank, Grace Zabriskie, Ryan Cutrona, Phil Proctor, Alan Arbus | |
| Format | |
| Absurd Monologue, Improv Actors, Sound Effects, 30 minutes | |
| Preceded by: | God |
| Followed by: | Pilgrim |
Problems is a program Joe Frank produced as part of the series In The Dark. It was originally broadcast in 1993.
Synopsis
Joe's father works in a condom company, condom testing on animals and people. A testing lab made up like a hotel. His father escapes from an unhappy life in a dirigible, catches seagulls and fish. He meets the pope; we're given a list of topics they discuss. His father returns, works in prosthetics, then disappears to avoid patient lawsuits. A man talks about his gun, uses it to shoot a barking dog. His wife is furious. Sound of thunder in the background. The man and wife fight over the weather, over a squash dish, her housework. Monologue: Joe delivers monologue praising an idealized mother in a poor, rural household. Excusing her drunken outbursts, attempts to run away, repeated hospitalization, setting the house on fire, affairs with a doctor. The fighting couple - he refuses to tell her where he's been in order to prevent her from being captured and tortured for information. Monologue: remembering an idyllic past free from crime. A man on the phone describes seeing elephants from the window of his shack, his fear of a wet suit, says good bye. Bird and elephant sounds.
Music
- "Long Gray Line" - Thomas Newman (from Scent Of A Woman, 1993) | YouTube
- "Atom Dream" - William Orbit (from Strange Cargo 2, 1990) | YouTube
Commentary
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