"Amazing Stories" Gershwin's Trunk (1987)

Director:

Paul Bartel

Writers:

Paul Bartel (writer) &
John Meyer (writer)

TV Series:

"Amazing Stories" (1985)

Original Air Date:

13 March 1987 (Season 2, Episode 17)

Genre:

Adventure | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

Frantic to deliver a hit musical, conniving Broadway composer Jo-Jo Gillespie contacts the spirit of George Gershwin through psychic Sister Teresa...

Plot Keywords:

Character Name In Title | Anthology

Cast

Bob Balaban	...	Jo-Jo Gillespie
Lainie Kazan	...	Sister Teresa
John McCook	...	Jerry Lane
Paul Bartel	...	Detective Watts
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alan Bardsley	...	Boy #1
Christopher Blande	...	Boy #2
Pattie Brooks	...	Girl #2
Luis Daniel Ponce	...	Pepi (as Danny Ponce)
Pamela Galloway	...	Trish Charlton
Irene Olga López	...	Carmen
Barbara Turvett	...	Girl #1
Carrie Fisher	...	Laurie McNamara (uncredited)
Dana Gladstone	...	George Gershwin (uncredited)
Hurd Hatfield	...	Logan Webb (uncredited)
Sheryl Lee Ralph	...	Show Singer (uncredited)

Directed by
Paul Bartel

Writing credits
Paul Bartel		(writer) &
John Meyer		(writer)

Produced by
Kathleen Kennedy	....	production executive
Frank Marshall	....	production executive
Steven Spielberg	....	executive producer

Original Music by
John Mayer

Cinematography by
Robert M. Stevens

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Carla McCloskey	....	assistant director

Special Effects by
William H. Schirmer	....	special effects supervisor

Camera and Electrical Department
E. Scott Mayhugh	....	best boy grip
Rod Weaver	....	best boy electric

Casting Department
Craig Campobasso	....	casting associate (uncredited)

Music Department
John Williams	....	composer: theme music

Other crew
Peter Z. Orton	....	story editor

Makeup Department
Matt Rose	....	special makeup effects artist

Visual Effects by
Bill Kent	....	digital artist

Production Companies

• Amblin Entertainment
• Universal TV

Distributors

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1987) (USA) (TV)

Runtime:

30 min

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

Amblin Entertainment

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Sister Teresa puts her hands on the piano, someone is brought in to play the piano and their hands are placed onto the piano. The hand positions don't match and this can be seen when the hands "jump" across the piano.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[the doorbell rings]
Jo-Jo Gillespie:Who is it?
Detective Watts:My name is Watts. I think I have something that belongs to you.

Gershwin's ghost

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Jo-Jo Gillespie is a writer of musicals. He has murdered a man. Detective Watts is about to arrest him. In flashback, Jo-Jo tells Watts what led to the murder: Jo-Jo was suffering from writer's block and he had to deliver a new musical soon. His cleaner, Carmen, told him to visit 'Sister Teresa', 'World Renowned Psychic'. Jo-Jo asked Teresa for help. She changed into George Gershwin's ghost, who helped Jo-Jo by writing songs for him. The man Jo-Jo murdered had noticed that these songs are so much different in style from his previous work that they can't have been written by Jo-Jo himself, and he threatened to tell.

Jo-Jo is sure that the new musical will be a success and offers Watts a deal: he will get a share of the profits if he doesn't arrest him. Watts has some conditions: he wants 50 per cent of the profits, and the musical has to be a (financial) success...

I liked this episode, especially the music (for example the song 'Balboa thought it was terrific, when he discovered the Pacific...'). I also liked the twist in the end and the stylish sets and costumes.

I liked it almost as much as 'Secret Cinema' (#1.20), also written or co-written and directed by Paul Bartel (he's also a supporting actor in both episodes). The stories also have something more in common: they are both farcical in style. I liked 'Secret Cinema' a bit better because I think that the story is more interesting and that it has better jokes. But, as I've said before, I liked this one almost as much, so it still deserves seven points in my opinion.