Portland Premiere – Campy Screwball Comedy Movie “Pocket Mouse Protector”

Winner of Best LGBTQ Feature Film (Seattle Film Festival), POCKET MOUSE PROTECTOR brings its zany humor to Clinton Street Theater on November 5th, 2022.

Starring Portland talent James Sharinghousen, Eleanor O’Brien, Blake Stone, Jonas Israel, Yelena King, Daniel Villarreal, and Paul Bright, the movie is a send-up of screwball comedies from the 20s, 30s, and 70s.

Environmentalist Larry takes an experimental virility drug to woo back his wife Mary who’s having an affair with Barry who works for Thierry who plans to destroy the remaining habitat of the endangered pocket mouse. Larry and Barry both take a double dose of the virility drug and when it makes them gay their entire worldview changes. Barry resists and attempts ridiculous ‘conversion’ treatments; Larry discovers the joys of being a gay man. They both get what they want in the end.

We filmed in the spring and summer of 2021 in Portland at iconic locations such as Pharmacy Bar (location for DRUG STORE COWBOY), 21Ten (Shoebox Theater), Dots Cafe, along the Willamette River, and in multiple high-end hotels. The timing of filming was very fortunate since everyone was vaccinated for original covid which was waning and Omicron hadn’t yet arrived. Principal photography took a few weeks; B-roll filming spread over 6 months.

 

While editing the movie I decided to add a musical number to the movie (because why not?) which we shot in February of this year. Our composer Will Gooding scored a perfect musical spoof on ‘Meglio Stasera’ (1963 PINK PANTHER) that I dropped into the film the same way Blake Edwards incongruously added Fran Jeffries to his comedy. Our musical number introduces Marge (performed by Kolten Franklin), who is a bitter waitress from New Jersey and desperate for a drink.

The movie also has memorable cameos of Portland actors Jonathan Hernandez, Janet Scanlon, Samson Syharath, Robin Michaels, Alec Lugo, Maria Mogavero, Christie Quinn, Timothy Krabill, Phillip A. Rudolph, Aaron Filyaw, Matthew Sepeda, Devon Roberts, and more.

POCKET MOUSE PROTECTOR world premiered at Hollywood’s Chinese Theater last month. Since then it’s played theaters in the US and Australia.

November 5th is the only scheduled showing in Portland. Cast and crew will be in attendance. Eventbrite Tickets: http://bitly.ws/vrNL

-Paul Bright, director.

This is Paul Bright’s 12th feature film as writer, director, producer, and editor.

More info at https://paulbrightfilms.com

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14458370/

Runtime 84 minutes.
Mature audiences only.

 

 

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