I was in this film along with several of my friends from an acting troupe in Long Beach, CA. We were known collectively as Denalee Productions, and Robbie Wolcott was an actor/member. We shot a scene (at a party) with me and Gregory Harrison exchanging lines, nose to nose, both of us standing at the end of a diving board, over the deep end of a pool. It later transpired that I was unable to attend the premier, and was told that my scene and dialog had been cut. I would love to see this movie- just to see how it all turned out. Much of the film was shot in and around Long Beach. It would be great to see the old gang again- our group was used as extras throughout the film. My name is Glen Banks. Thanks for the memories....
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charterloungeparty2 December 2005
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lianzantoro5 November 2017Jim Nolan (Gregory Harrison) is a somewhat typical teenager. He plays on his high school football team. He works at a fast food restaurant (Jack in the Box). And he lives with his father (Angus Scrimm here billed as Rory Guy) and little brother Kelly (Robbie Wolcott). But Jim is sullen and mopey all the time. The problem is that Jim's father is a worthless drunk that is abusive towards Kelly. Their mother has abandoned the family.
Eventually Jim gets fed up with his father and throws him out. One day while Jim is at work his father sneaks back home and murders Kelly. Jim stalks the local bars with a kitchen knife seeking to kill his father. When he finally catches up to his father he can't go through with it. Jim spends most of the rest of the film driving around in a daze. Finally Jim befriends a little boy playing basketball, presumably a surrogate for Kelly. The film ends with Jim again driving around dazed while a catchy song by America plays.
This is a pretty well acted film. Harrison and Wolcott have great chemistry as the brothers. Scrimm is both menacing and a little bit sympathetic. It's a pretty well made film considering that it was made by a couple of teenagers with the help of their family and friends. But the film somewhat falls apart after Kelly is murdered. It's almost as if murdering a child isn't even a crime. Scrimm's character is free to roam skid row with seemingly no hint of the police even searching for him. But overall I really liked it.
Don Coscarelli's Phantasm is one of my favorite movies. This was his first film and it's interesting to see how it influenced Phantasm. Both concern a younger boy who idolizes his older brother. Both have the brothers in a sense being orphans. In Phantasm the parents were actually dead. In Jim the mother is absent and the drunken father is essentially absent. Both have plot lines of the older brother trying to protect the younger from a menacing older man (even played by the same actor). Gregory Harrison strongly resembles Bill Thornbury, the older brother in Phantasm.
For me Phantasm, Kenny & Co, and Jim the Worlds Greatest are Coscarelli's best films. It's kind of a shame his career went downhill after that. So much potential for such a young guy. I wished that instead of making Beastmaster, he would've made Phantasm 2 in the early 80s. -
GigiFastElk27 April 1999One of his earlier pieces, Don Coscarelli (of Phantasm Phame) has a knack for seeing the world through the eyes and heart of a young boy. He offers a Peter Pan-esque adventure to men from the boomers to present day, with each generation being introduced to a more innocent time.
Little known fact, Reggie Bannister (Reggie of Phantasm) appears bringing that flavorful polished character to compliment that of Angus Scrimm. It's an unverified rumored that Bannister had something to do with the soundtrack as well.
Copies are hard to find, but, if you have one. . . treat it as a treasure! Neat films like this are rare today.