a short film by Jamie Donahue
2004 | 10 mins | US
Robert Gant .... Billy's Dad
Cady Huffman .... Billy's Mother
Alex Borstein .... Betty Henderson
Gina Rodgers .... Billy's Sister
Spencer Daniels .... Billy
Narrative by D C Douglas
Dedicated to the memory
of Greg Kidd
Billy's Dad is a Fudge-Packer
a tongue-in-cheek parody
of the educational films
of the 1950s
Screened in Great Britain as part of the
19th London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
- 2005
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With its tongue planted firmly in its cheek, writer and director Jamie Donahue takes us back to
the 1950s and a b&w styled public service announcement that proudly proclaims
that Billy's dad is a fudge-packer!
And he is. Working hard all day at the local candy factory, busy supervising all the men under
him, whilst his darling sweetheart with the ample assistance of Betty the grocer's wife, a woman
who is more than happy to service the needs of the local girls, gets ready to receive her man
with his favorite dish of meat and two veg. But wait, what's that I hear? For could it be
Billy asking his father the burning question that all boys of his age want an answer to.
Namely, will he be a fudge-packer when he grows up? Only time will tell on
that one Billy, but oh what a subject for discussion on careers day!
Yes you've guessed it, for this short has more double entendres than a host of Carry On films,
as clichéd jokes abound left, right and centre. All of which works well, given this is
but a parody of the educational films of the period and if anything, the wholesome image of
the traditional family unit itself. Then again and depending upon your view of political
correctness, the end result will either offend or delight in equal measure, inparticular
when the narrative comes to sardonically voicing the opinion
as was then, of a woman's place in society.
Thankfully the cast play the whole scenario 'nudge-nudge, wink-wink' style, lapping up the
seemingly endless series of sexual innuendoes and visual gags. Politically correct or incorrect,
hilarious or insulting - you decide, given this piece is clearly not going to be to everyone's
taste, but for those who like its style and of those there are many, then it marks yet
another entertaining entry from the good folks at POWER UP.
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