Raising laughs is a serious business

Entertainment Editor Bob Eveleigh chats to South Africa’s favourite film funnyman, Leon Schuster.

COMEDIAN, film star, recording artist, scriptwriter – there are many strings to Leon Schuster’s entertainment industry bow. But anyone who thinks he’s just like his zany on-screen and on-CD self in private life is barking up the wrong tree.– Away from the studio and set, he is as serious about his work and career as any banker or schoolteacher.

He zipped in and out of Port Elizabeth (“I love this place but I’m never here long enough to enjoy it’’ he wails) last Wednesday for the premiere showing of his latest hit, Mr Bones.

Yes, it’s already a hit, after only one week in release and seems set to be a – if not the – holiday season blockbuster all over South Africa.

But PE was just one whistle-stop on an “if it’s Wednesday it must be PE’’ tour schedule promoting Bones with UIP and Videovision Entertianment marketing and publicity executives – and the film’s co-producer Helena Spring.

The party had already hit Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban and still had Bloemfontein and Benoni to go on the promo trip when I chatted to him.

And even that had to be squeezed into the middle of the film so I still haven’t seen about 15 minutes of the mayhem at Sun City that is Mr Bones.

But back to Schuster, who is deadly serious about this movie.

Who wouldn’t, with a budget of R33-million, put up by Videovision?

“I’ve got to thank Anant Singh for that ‘’ says the comedian. “He’s quite prepared to put his money where his mouth is if he thinks a project is worth it.”

How long had he been working on Mr Bones?

“On and off for six years. I first had the idea for the movie way back in 1995 but the new South Africa was too new at that stage for the wider comunity to acceopt a white sangoma,” he says.

“Now, everything’s changed but it has still taken me over two years, working with Gray Hofmeyr and and Greg Latter, to come up with the final screenplay’’.

Even then Schuster was worried about certain aspects of production.

“I didn’t think we had the resources in this country to handle the special visual effects we needed for this movie.

“But Gray calmed me down and said ‘Don’t worry. We can handle it,’ and he was right, because we have, even if we don’t have an Industrial Light and Magic organisation in South Africa!’’

There is far more riding on this film than just the usual South African support that, more or less annually, turns out in their thousands to fil cinemas when a Schuster film is on – candid camera or narrative.

“Anant is off to London shortly to show it off to UIP international executives.’’

“We’ve also shown it in overseas production markets and we’re all hoping that it achieves an American release’’.

“It’s been created with just that market in mind. While still writing, I asked David Ramsey, the American actor who co-stars with me, what appealed to US audiences about South Africa at the moment’’.

He replied, without hesitation, “Animals – and they still have a fascination with witchdoctors as well.’’

“So that’s why there are so many jokes with animals and I’m playing a sangoma!’’

“The other thing you have to do,” says Leon, “if you want to appeal to the vitally important American teens and twenties audience, which makes up the bulk of the movie ticket-buying public there, is pitch the sight gags on a toilet-based level.

“I’ve always loved physical humour – you don’t need spoken language to get the laughs across – but, in this case, we’ve done some special sight gags so that we can grab the young American Pie and Something About Mary patrons.”

But one thing the production team has tried to do is give each gag a special situation.

“So much so that we had to go back and shoot some of them over and over – which was tough on Faizon Love, the chubby American actor who is the butt of many of the worst – and gross – jokes in the movie. He really earned his money!’’ chuckled Leon.

At this point, I asked him why he didn’t do what the Marx Brothers did with key scenes (the crowded stateroom, the opea house etc ) from A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races – put them in an inexpensively mounted theatrical production and tour the sticks checking on what got laughs and what didn’t.

But although a fan of the Marxes and their classics (their Duck Soup is a particular favourite of Leon’s), he hadn’t heard of that idea before.

So watch out South Africa, I might just have given him the spur when preparing for his next assault on the box offices of this country...

Apart from superb verbal and physical clowns like the Marx Brothers, Schuster’s comedian of choice is Woody Allen, not entirely coincidentally also a writer/comedian – and a jazz musician to boot.

“He’s really something else,” says Leon. “He creates comedy out of nothing and has such a distinctive style as writer, director or actor.”

One thing I realised about Mr Schuister while chatting ro him is how much he is loved by the public.

As we sat outside Squire’s Loft at the Boardwalk outside the Cinema Starz complex, a woman diffidently approached us and asked whether Leon wouldn’t mind autographing a piece of paper with a message for her blind brother.

It sounded strange, as the star reacted – how could a blind person appreciate an autograph?

“No, I’ll read it to him. We ’watch’ all your movies like that near the end of their runs so I can whisper to him what’s happening on the screen.’’ she said.

Lengthy message duly completed and autographed, a few minutes later she was back, cellphone in hand saying that her brother would like to talk to Leon and say “Thank You’’.

Which, extremely jaded and tired though he was from a hectic few days, he proceeded to do for a couple of minutes.

All of which gives you another kind of insight into the man, rather than the entertainer, on a very personal level.

And the public seem to respect that, away from public appearances, he simply wants to be Leon Schuster – ordinary guy, since he was not bothered at all while we were chatting.

Amazingly enough, it has been almost exactly ten years since I last interviewed Leon Schuster (on the cusp of the New South Africa, as he pointed out!) since when he has certainly entrenched himself even more firmly in the South African entertainment scene.

And, with another smash like Mr Bones on his hands – and potential overseas success beckoning – who knows where he will be in ten years time?

Probably still making South Africans laugh, I shouldn’t wonder....