Ted McGillicutty, Man of Action

genre: action-comedy
running time: 4:28
completed: January 2003

directed: Fuzzy Gerdes
featuring: Dave Colan, Shaun Himmerick, Lance Hoffman, and Andrea Swanson

Synopsis: Ted McGillicutty, Man of Action is an entire action movie in one continuous shot. Ted McGillicutty has just been named Cop of the Year when his wife is kidnapped by his arch-nemesis. Ted pursues them through the seamy underworld of the back porch to a startling climax at the back gate. “Ted McGillicutty” was originally shot for the Fast Forward Film Festival and the first and last images are the visual “suggestions” we were given by that festival (they are found photos supplied by Found Magazine). As with all Fast Forward Film Festival films, the short was conceived, shot, and edited in 21 hours.

Honors:

Included on the Fast Forward Film Festival "Producers’ Choice" DVD
Winner of the "eFilmCritic.com Award" at the Chicago "Really" Short Film Festival
One of three films from the Chicago "Really" Short Film Festival selected to shown on WTTW’s Image Union
Aired on WTTW’s Image Union and screened at the Music Box Theatre as part of Image Union’s Short Film Showcase.
Selected as a semi-finalist in the Second City Shortcuts Film Festival

Reviews:

"Ted McGillicutty, Man of Action is so funny that it may not strike you until near the end of its 4 minutes that it’s all been one unbroken shot. Imagine sticking in every cop movie cliché you can into a confined setting that our hero must maneuver through. In just a few minutes, filmmaker Fuzzy Gerdes and star Dave Colan (whose style strikes one as a cross between Will Ferrell and Philip Seymour Hoffman) produce a satire that gloriously pokes fun at those tidbits savvy moviegoers grow weary of. Truly hysterical stuff." — Erik Childress

Stills

Our first "found" image