Peter Bergman

An exhaustive examination of cut-ups, the control machine, and the algebra of need figure in this epic found-footage adaptation of Burroughs’s 1964 novel, which pits Inspector Lee and the Nova Police against the Nova Mob: Sammy The Butcher, Green Tony, The Brown Artist, Jacky Blue Note, Izzy The Push, The Subliminal Kid, Uranian Willy, and Mr Bradly Mr Martin, alias The Ugly Spirit. Features unreleased readings by Burroughs and voiceovers by Proctor & Bergman of the Firesign Theatre on such topics as hot crab people, language as virus, tape recorder warfare, death dwarfs, and Hassan Sabbah: the Old Man of the Mountain. “Minutes to go. Souls rotten from their orgasm drugs, flesh shuddering from their nova ovens, prisoners of the earth to come out.” (via cinema.indiana.edu)

This PBS special, concocted in support of the wickedly witty Firesign Theatre's "The Bride of Firesign" CD, has the comedy troupe delivering high-octane humor in a number of classic bits. Featured are skits such as "How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere at All" and "Hand Me the Pliers," and characters such as Nick Danger, Jack Poet and Bebop Lobo. Extras include a documentary, excerpts from audio rehearsals and more.

Peter Finley is a cable-TV newsman who is led into a network of sin and conspiracy when he has interest in a missing anchorwoman's story.

Ed Blake is a balding middle-aged man who decides to buy an old movie theater, The Ritz, to shape it up into a retro 1950s music hangout. With the aid of loyal girlfriend Nancy, foreman Bruno, and assistant Marcus, Ed is able to assemble a construction team to plan to be on time for the grand reopening. But unknown to everyone, a disfigured character has lived in the passageways of the old theater since the 50s, occasionally popping out to murder an indigent or intruder that happens upon his domain.

At Kudzu County's annual Harvest Festival, a virgin must be sacrificed, to keep the giant kudzu vines from destroying the town, but plans go awry when a talk-show host from out of town gets involved.

The comedy group Firesign Theatre satirizes the old Saturday afternoon cliffhangers by taking clips from many Republic Pictures serials and substituting their own comedy dialogue.

The Yolks, a poor hillbilly family, are transported to a high-tech, futuristic home with all the latest gadgets, doo-dads and labor-saving devices. They soon begin to realize that their old life may not have been so bad after all, especially when their son gets mixed up with a TV star and the family hires a strange private investigator to find him.

The Lightning Bug has a multi-prong scheme to enslave the earth. First, rock and roll, which the JMen counter with Muzac, then marijuana. Finally, the JMen build a bomb to blow up the moon with, but the Bug beats them to it by self destructing the moon by playing his rock and roll too loud.

An animated fairytale about a princess, who because she is an only child, must perform the traditionally princely duty pf rescuing a princess. Instead she rescues a prince.

What would happen if a 9.7 magnitude earthquake were to strike the L.A. area? This is what "Cracking Up" looks at from the lighter side. The movie is composed of individual skits of original material by the actors spun around this hypothetical disaster.