“Senior Entourage” Mixes It Up With Industry Legends to Present a Farcical Mockumentry By Deborah Paul
“Senior Entourage” Mixes It Up With Industry Legends to Present a Farcical Mockumentry
By Deborah Paul
For two years, Director Brian Connor’s movie “Senior Entourage” has been gathering momentum around the inner Hollywood circles and beyond.
Months before the pandemic started Connors, investors, producers and a few cast members like Ed Asner and Mark Rydell presented a sneak preview of the unfinished work at the Palos Verdes Library. The now finished product showcases multiple shots of the Palos Verdes Peninsula coastline shot from drones. Other scenes were filmed at private Palos Verdes Estates residence.
Friends for life, actor Ed Asner, Director Brian Connors and actor Mark Rydell
“Almost everything is one take and spontaneous,” Connors said. “I’m throwing out situations and ideas. I know what the stars fight about. I started wars knowing it would be comic.”
Actor Ed Asner was a bit more circumspect about Connor’s stream of conscious directing in the movie. The 91-year-old actor had simultaniously good and snide things to say about his parts in Senior Entourage.
Portions of “Senior Entourage” was filmed on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Asner said he liked being around Brian Connors and Mark Rydell who he shared a gamut of emotions with while filming slapstick scenes. He said he thought Rydell was one of the most intelligent people he’s ever come across.
He added, the gang was tight and rode out the creative differences as old friends and colleagues usually do. There was no fighting on the set.
Ed Asner, David A. Lockhart who plays Tom Cruise in the movie and Marion Ross chat it up at Marion’s home during one of Director Brian’s Connors usual impromptu filming sessions.
Helen Reddy, Ed Asner, Marion Ross, Mark Rydell discuss ad lib scenes and their non-existent scripts.
“I do like Brian a lot,” Asner said, throwing in kind words about the driven director. “He was very helpful and instrumental in plotting ahead. “ Still, I felt like a lox, like a piece of Jewish dead fish,” Asner said jokingly about some of his scenes, but probably really meant it.
It seemed playing a nun with a five o’clock shadow just wasn’t the award winning, but grumpy actor’s idea of using his talents.
In defense, Connors said it was unusual for Mark and Ed -- two icons of the industry -- to be filming this low budget comedy, and knew they were uncomfortable about some of the scenarios. Still, the director was thrilled with the footage he got and believes Mark and Ed didn’t realize how truly funny they are together.
Actor Charles Robinson, Actor Mark Rydell
Asner said Connors has gotten a good response to what he’s showed the public, so far, but he’s still a bit skeptical the movie may go mainstream.
He said he hopes it does.
“If it shows, I bow to the public pressure and to Brian’s unbelievable, stimulating acumen to get those responses,” Asner said, enunciating each word.
Silvia Busuioc, one of the anti-heroines in “Senior Entourage” was a good sport during filming, even when thrown into the most absurd scenarios.
So far, Connors has showcased the movie at several select festivals in the US. The movie has also landed on the shelves of 4,000 Walmart stores around the country, and is streaming everywhere. Viewers can rent or purchase the 1:25 hour movie online and create watch parties and chat with others as the flick plays.
Fortunately, Connors said most all the participants were making the movie because they could work with dear friends. They weren’t in it for the money.
As an example of how well everyone worked together, Connors said while they were filming at the PV home, Reddy, who passed away last September, was going to sing “I am Woman” but they couldn’t find the sheet music. Rydell, who went to the Juilliard School of music was also there. Reddy and Rydell started tinkling on the piano, and Connors said he “captured the magic” of them singing “As Time Goes By” together in one take.
Palos Verdes resident and film supporter, Lynn Tang who was a major financial backer of the film also lives on “The Hill”. She said Senior Entourage needed to “make some dough” to keep production going.
“Money is coming in now,” Tang said who also had a spot in the movie being herself. “Looks like we’ll have a profit, straight out. Based on the feedback, we think we will be ok. We’re already talking about a sequel.”
Tang added, they are hoping to have big stars like Jane Fonda in the next one.
Connors said the movie has an important message for real life seniors.
“It’s not the beginning of the end,” Connors said. “The Senior Entourage cast kept working to keep it young and joyful, in spite of when news of loosing other elderly Hollywood counterparts that circulated among the cast.”
Reviews are varied, but most agreed Entourage is a whacky, farcical mockumentry filled with ad lib scenes, off-the-cuff jokes and absolutely no plot.
Jamie Lee Curtis makes a brief appearance and sings, “I am Woman” in the movie with Helen Reddy who showed up at a woman's march in Los Angeles where Jamie was on stage.
You will love Entourage or hate it. And you will laugh.
Connors gave a bunch of eccentric Hollywood personalities a scenario, turned them loose on themselves and let the cameras roll.
Still, it’s funny and the tumultuous endeavor deserves a cult-like following.
Front Seat: Ed Asner, Catherine Pi and David A. Lockhart in the driver’s seat. Back seat: Helen Reddy, Mark Rydell and Marion Ross
Helen Reddy at the 2017 Woman’s March in Los Angles
Actor Charles (Charlie) Robinson
Major supporter Lynn Tang (left) with friends
The hodgepodge cast consists of multi-racial, multi-aged, legends like Asner, Charles Robinson, Marion Ross and Mark Rydell. An accidental cameo of Jamie Lee Curtis singing “I Am Woman” with Helen Reddy caught at a woman’s march in Los Angeles was inserted into the movie after Curtis gave written consent.
“I wrote a two-sentence permission release thing, like ‘I give you permission to use Jamie Lee Curtis.’ Jamie signed it because she loves Helen Reddy, and said it was a highlight in her life to sing with her,” Connors said.
Others featured in the movie are award winning actor and producer David Lockhart who once jokingly said he was brow beaten into playing some rendition of a hyperactive Tom Cruise. Leading man-type Ian Fisher was badgered in the same manner to play a creepy Dracula character for no other reason than he had a cool Romanian accent.
The low budget endeavor hasn’t been without its rewards, though.
Connors and the film recently won “Best Comedy Film - 2021” according to Aurora DeRose, award coordinator for the Best of Los Angeles Award community.
The “Best of Los Angeles Award” community was formed about five years ago. The organization consists of more than 7,400 professional members living and working in the Southern California area.
The award acknowledges the best people, places, and things in Los Angeles and its tough, but succinct, no-nonsense slogan is “No Ads. No B.S. Only the Best.”
Connors said since its first unfinished premier in 2018, the grassroots movie is finally paying off.
His goal is to pay off investors and start work on a sequel while many of the aging performers are still ready, willing and able.
“Were still the little engine that could, but my goal is give bonuses to the stars who have been so generous,” Connors said.
And he meant it.
Freelance writer Deborah Paul is a regular contributer Peninsula News and other publications on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. She has self-published five children's books including a series four fictional ballads inspired by real people in the South Bay. Her most recent, beautifullly illustrated children’s book “After the Ark” is available at all the usual online outlets. She resides in Rancho Palos Verdes married to Jim, her husband of many adventures.