Somerville
Writer Dan Kimmel: A mix of Borscht Belt humor and Science Fiction.
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| Dan Kimmel |
By Doug
Holder
Well, since the predictions of the Mayans
have failed to see the light of day, I was able to meet with Somerville film
critic and science fiction writer Dan Kimmel. Kimmel is the author of a number
of books including: The Fourth Network:
How Fox Broke the Rules and Reinvented TV, and I’ll Have What She’s Having:
Behind the Scenes of the Great Romantic Comedies. Since we spoke two years
ago, probably at the same booth at the Diesel Cafe, Kimmel was nominated for a
HUGO AWARD for his essay collection Jar
-Jar Blinks Must Die. Kimmel also has released a science fiction novel Shh! It’s A Secret. The novel concerns
space aliens in the La La Land of Hollywood.
Kimmel is a resident of the Ball Square
section of the city, and he teaches film at Suffolk University in Boston. He is
a member of Temple B’nai B’rith on
Central Street, and he told me he feels quite at home now in the environs of
Somerville.
Kimmel revealed that a small press in Brooklyn
Fantastic Books—a press that usually
deals with reprints—took a chance on Shh!
It’s A Secret!
Shh!
It’s a Secret deals with a space alien who wants to be an actor. The alien
has the unlikely name of Abe—maybe a Jewish alien? The story also involves Jake
Berman, a Hollywood player who helps the alien realize his fevered dream. The
book is a science fiction/satire of Hollywood—laced with Borscht-Belt humor.
Infact, Kimmel, who is from the New York City area, worked at a Borscht Belt
hotel in the Catskill Mountains outside of New York City, and such a hotel is
used in his novel.
Kimmel has also written plays. One titled The Waldorf Conference, deals with the
Hollywood Black List era. Such tinsel town luminaries as Louie Mayer and Harry
Cohn make an appearance.
Since Kimmel has written extensively about
romantic comedy films, I asked him what his favorites were. Kimmel favors the
1930s films: Trouble in Paradise and My Man Godfrey, as well as Frank Capra’s It
Happened One Night. Hl also lists My
Man Godfrey.
Kimmel’s choices for more contemporary films
are Love Actually, Annie Hall and When Harry Met Sally.
The formula
for a good romantic comedy according to Kimmel is: “You have two characters who
need something from the other. In the case of Harry and Sally, Sally is wound
tight—and Harry is much more expansive—so they complement each other. They wind
up helping each other. They eventually find that they are the same species.
Kimmel will be reading from his new book Jan
27, 2013 at The Book Shop at Ball Square. I hope you can be there for his brand
of humor and insight, not to mention the spinning of a good tale.
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