We just got back from Belfast, Maine, where we had two screenings of a 10 year retrospective of the Best of Probot Toy Cinema 1998 - 2008 at the Colonial Theatre as part of the Inaugural Comic Arts Laugh Festival. It was the first ever screening of Probot movies on a big screen for a public audience, so we couldn't miss it, travelling 3200 miles from Hollywood to get there.

click to enlarge

Representing Probot were Carla Remy Norton, Eric Coburn, and myself. Carla and I introduced the program which included a special intro featuring a miniature model of the Colonial Theatre...

here's a photo of the real thing...

photo by Jay Davis
VillageSoup/Waldo County Citizen Senior Reporter

The program started with a truncated version of ALIEN 5 to show the audience our humble beginnings. We also screened Star Wars in 3 Minutes, ALIEN 5², all six episodes of THE CELLBLOCK LIFE, and a couple of clips from our upcoming feature film, THE GIBBON. After Fridays show, Carla and I answered questions from the audience. Both nights the movies were very well received.

I met some wonderful people, I love Maine and Belfast especially. One special person I met was Jackson Gillman, a comedian who performed for me his epic comic ballad to Rustic Potatoes featuring no less than THREE vintage Mr. Potatoheads, performed in the thick accent of a Maine potato farmer! Almost like a live performance art version of what I do, it was something I will surely never forget!

Special thanks to Mike Hurley for organizing the event!!! We all had a blast!!!

The weekend festivities also included a reception at the Waterfall Arts Center commemorating the managerial transfer of the Richard Norton Memorial Scholorship from the Remy/Norton family to the center. The annual scholorship is given to a Waldo County arts student in honor of the late photographer. Denise Remy and Carla Remy Norton are shown here presenting WAC founder Al Chrichton with a check.

 

 

 

Probot received a lot of press coverage at the event...

Read Jay Davis' article on Probot Productions from the Waldo County Citizen

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Read Walter Griffin's article on Probot Productions from the Bangor Daily News.