Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity (2007) (TV)

Director:

Michael Simon

Writer:

Jeff Dunham

Release Date:

17 September 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Stand Up Comedy | Ventriloquist And Dummy | Reference To Home Depot | Reference To Rosie O'donnell | Reference To Lindsay Lohan

Cast

Jeff Dunham	...	Himself / Walter / Achmed the Dead Terrorist / Melvin the Superhero Guy / Peanut / José Jalapeño on a Stick
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Paige Dunham	...	Herself

Directed by
Michael Simon

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jeff Dunham

Produced by
Judi Brown-Marmel	....	executive producer
Myra Byrne	....	associate producer
Jeff Dunham	....	executive producer
Tim Gaydos	....	line producer
Robert Hartmann	....	executive producer
Steve Kroopnick	....	executive producer (as Stephen Kroopnick)
Steve Marmel	....	producer
Stu Schreiberg	....	executive producer

Film Editing by
Dave Harrison

Production Design by
Bruce Ryan

Art Direction by
Ben Anderson

Production Management
John Bravakis	....	executive in charge of production
Sarah Briggs	....	post-production supervisor
Mike Nagle	....	production manager

Art Department
Mickey Berra	....	staging supervisor
Matthew McNeil	....	title sequence designer (as Matt McNeil)

Sound Department
Al Centrella	....	sound mixer
Jim Faraci	....	sound re-recording mixer
Dan Gerhard	....	front-of-house audio
Bryan Leskowicz	....	audio assist (as Bryan Leskowitz)
Steve Weinkam	....	audio assist

Camera and Electrical Department
Alan Adelman	....	lighting designer
William D. Barber	....	camera operator (as Bill Barber)
Helene Haviland	....	camera operator
Steve Leif	....	gaffer (as Steven Leif)
John Nash	....	camera operator
Darryl Player	....	camera operator
Joey Walker	....	jib operator

Editorial Department
Peter Bentley	....	assistant editor
Luke Szabo	....	on-line editor
Tim Wasmundt	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Mickey Berra	....	staging supervisor
J.W. Griffith	....	technical director
Mark McKenna	....	stage manager
Matthew McNeil	....	graphic title sequence designer
Robin Mishkin	....	associate director (as Robin Abrams)
Robin Tate	....	promoter

Thanks
Judi Brown-Marmel	....	special thanks
Ashlyn Dunham	....	special thanks
Bree Dunham	....	special thanks
Howard Dunham	....	special thanks
Joyce Dunham	....	special thanks
Kenna Dunham	....	special thanks
Paige Dunham	....	special thanks
Robert Hartmann	....	special thanks
John Power	....	special thanks
Stu Schreiberg	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Levity Productions

Distributors

• Comedy Central (2010) (Hungary) (TV)
• Comedy Central (2008) (Netherlands) (TV)
• Comedy Central (2007) (USA) (TV)
• Image Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• All Mobile Video  remote production facilities
• ICON Entertainment Media  promoter
• Icon Entertainment International  promotion

Also Known As:

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

USA:Not Rated | UK:12 | Australia:M | USA:TV-14 (TV version)

Filming Locations:

Warner Theater - 1299 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Company:

Levity Productions

Trivia:

The background set rotates to form different sceneries in between each of the puppets' bits.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[referring to the standing ovation Jeff received]
Jeff Dunham:Well, you can't fool me. I know that every bit of that is for the little guys in the suitcase.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Jeff Dunham: Controlled Chaos (2011) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Free For All

Dunham has no equal, but....

Dunham has to be one of the funniest comedians working today, and note I didn't specify just as a ventriloquist. Having said that, I have to pause for a moment to reflect on something: Achmed the Dead Terrorist is hysterical, and it's probably better to laugh at your enemy than fear him, but I think Dunham pushes the envelope a little too far with this character. Ditto Jose Jalapeno. I am amazed Mexicans haven't risen up in revolt, except they have no voice yet in America. Jose reminds me of Bill Dana's Jose Jimenez character or for that matter, the Taco Bell dog. Or even Speedy Gonzalez and his siesta-loving buddies. So maybe Dnham is the equivalent of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog or Lisa Lampanelli, both of whom also push the envelope to the point of discomfort -- even while they have me bending over in spasms of laughter. But it's easy for me, a white, English-speaking, Christian male, to laugh at what in truth is thinly veiled racial humor. Imagine Achmed as a Jewish moneylender or Jose as an Italian organ grinder. Not so funny now, huh? Characters like Walter and Bubba, on th other hand, are right out of the Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy days, although I don't think I ever heard Bergen's puppets get that rude. Peanut is another matter entirely. One way or the other, I believe Dunham is a truly gifted performer even if his humor does get pretty vexsome. The guy is pulling in $30 million a year, so he must be doing something right. Someone here has suggested characters like Achmed and Jose Jalapeno are simply playing on American ignorance, which is exactly what Borat does. But I'm not so sure this is true in Dunham's case.