Ernie Fosselius
Encyclopedia
Ernie Fosselius is an American
filmmaker who has largely stayed out of the public eye. He is best known for his satirical spoofs of popular films, including the classic Star Wars
parody Hardware Wars
.
.
Fosselius is known for his satirical short films. One of the most notable, made in 1976 for "Mother's Little Network", a Pythonesque sketch comedy show for WGBH in Boston, was The Hindenburger, in which a flying Big Mac
burst into flames over New Jersey while a radio announcer (voiced by Fosselius) emotionally sobbed: "Oh the humanity!"
Porklips Now
was a send-up of Francis Ford Coppola
's Apocalypse Now
which starred Billy Gray of TV's Father Knows Best.
It has been said that Fosselius was the studio pick for the director of Pee-wee's Big Adventure
but passed on the film after a meeting with the film's star, Paul Reubens
. A later encounter in an elevator with the film's director, Tim Burton
led to his role in working as a sound editor on the Ed Wood
film. Fosselius was sound engineer and foley editor on many films, including Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
and The Unbearable Lightness of Being
.
Fosselius continued to work in the movie business as a director of "industrial" shorts, an actor, a screenwriter (11 scripts that never went into production, including the Zippy the Pinhead movie) sound effects and Foley editor, voice actor, and special effects fabricator (Robocop 2
, etc.)
Ben Burtt
asked Fosselius to contribute unusual voices and vocal effects to several Lucasfilm productions, such as the two pilots in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
. He wrote the lyrics to "Lapti Nek".
He voiced many of the "Ack Ack"s in Mars Attacks
and he is also the voice of Trantor The Troll in Ernest Scared Stupid
. He provided the voice of Poggle the Lesser in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
and voiced the sobs of the Rancor Keepers, Malakili and Giran, in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
. He also contributed to the music score of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and is credited with co-writing the song "Lapti Nek".
After a long hiatus from filmmaking and directing, Fosselius returned to the scene, directing the Eegah episode of Cinema Insomnia
with Mr. Lobo
in which he also created many of the props. Most recently, Fosselius created the short film, Plan 9.1 from Outer Space, which featured hand-carved wooden puppets of the characters from the popular Ed Wood film, Plan 9 from Outer Space
. The puppets acted out the scenes along with the edited soundtrack of the original film.
, a 12 minute parody of Hollywood coming attractions that took on the cultural juggernaut that was Star Wars
.
Complete with cardboard sets and visible wires holding up ships which were various household appliances, the film was shot over 4 days with a budget of around $7,000. When released, the film became a hit on its own, grossing close to three million dollars over its lifetime, making it one of the most popular and profitable short films of all time, but Fosselius netted very little of that profit.
In later years, George Lucas
called it his favorite Star Wars parody. Fosselius was honored by Lucasfilm
when Hardware Wars was given the Pioneer Award at the 2003 Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards
.
When Hardware Wars was re-released in 1997 with new special effects in a "Special Edition" to spoof the special editions of the original Star Wars trilogy, Fosselius was not involved, as he disagreed with the concept of adding actual digital effects to a film which satirized digital effects, and asked that a "Not Approved by Ernie" label be added to the release. The film was finally released on DVD
in its original form in 2002, Fosselius did participate, restoring the original stereo soundtrack, adding additional material and original outtakes, and recording a director's commentary that itself was a parody, poking fun at similarly self-indulgent tracks. However, Fosselius was reportedly flummoxed by the technicians who performed the telecine transfer and who made attempts to digitally remove the strings and wires and clean up the print, not realizing that the "defects" in the original were put there on purpose. Fosselius later teamed up with Apprehensive Films
to release a 30th anniversary DVD.
, for whom he wrote the song "Hipsters on Parade".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
filmmaker who has largely stayed out of the public eye. He is best known for his satirical spoofs of popular films, including the classic Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
parody Hardware Wars
Hardware Wars
Hardware Wars is a short film parody of the classic science fiction film Star Wars. The thirteen-minute film, which premiered in theatres only seven months after Star Wars, consisted of little more than inside jokes and visual puns that heavily depended upon audience familiarity with the...
.
Film career
Fosselius' film career began in the early 1970s when he co-created 20 original animated films for Sesame StreetSesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
.
Fosselius is known for his satirical short films. One of the most notable, made in 1976 for "Mother's Little Network", a Pythonesque sketch comedy show for WGBH in Boston, was The Hindenburger, in which a flying Big Mac
Big Mac
The Big Mac is a hamburger sold by McDonald's, an international fast food restaurant chain. It is one of the company's signature products...
burst into flames over New Jersey while a radio announcer (voiced by Fosselius) emotionally sobbed: "Oh the humanity!"
Porklips Now
Porklips Now
Porklips Now is a short, low budget parody film, made in 1980 by the American director Ernie Fosselius, based on the 1979 motion picture Apocalypse Now....
was a send-up of Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
's Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
which starred Billy Gray of TV's Father Knows Best.
It has been said that Fosselius was the studio pick for the director of Pee-wee's Big Adventure
Pee-wee's Big Adventure
Pee-wee's Big Adventure is a 1985 American adventure comedy film directed by Tim Burton in his full-length debut and starring Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman. Reubens also co-wrote the script with Phil Hartman and Michael Varhol. Supporting roles are played by Elizabeth Daily, Mark Holton, Diane...
but passed on the film after a meeting with the film's star, Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens is an American actor, writer, film producer, and comedian, best known for his character Pee-wee Herman. Reubens joined the Los Angeles troupe The Groundlings in the 1970s and started his career as an improvisational comedian and stage actor...
. A later encounter in an elevator with the film's director, Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
led to his role in working as a sound editor on the Ed Wood
Ed Wood (film)
Ed Wood is a 1994 American comedy-drama biopic directed and produced by Tim Burton, and starring Johnny Depp as cult filmmaker Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film concerns the period in Wood's life when he made his best-known films as well as his relationship with actor Bela Lugosi, played by Martin Landau...
film. Fosselius was sound engineer and foley editor on many films, including Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is a 1993 American semi fictionalized biographical martial arts action film telling the story of actor and martial arts expert Bruce Lee, starring Jason Scott Lee as Bruce Lee, Lauren Holly and Robert Wagner...
and The Unbearable Lightness of Being
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
The Unbearable Lightness of Being , written by Milan Kundera, is a philosophical novel about two men, two women, a dog and their lives in the Prague Spring of the Czechoslovak Communist period in 1968. Although written in 1982, the novel was not published until two years later, in France...
.
Fosselius continued to work in the movie business as a director of "industrial" shorts, an actor, a screenwriter (11 scripts that never went into production, including the Zippy the Pinhead movie) sound effects and Foley editor, voice actor, and special effects fabricator (Robocop 2
RoboCop 2
RoboCop 2 is a 1990 science fiction action film directed by Irvin Kershner and starring Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Belinda Bayer, Tom Noonan and Gabriel Damon. Set in the near future in a dystopian metropolitan Detroit, Michigan...
, etc.)
Ben Burtt
Ben Burtt
Benjamin "Ben" Burtt, Jr. is an American sound designer who has worked on various films including: the Star Wars and Indiana Jones film series, Invasion of the Body Snatchers , E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial , and WALL-E...
asked Fosselius to contribute unusual voices and vocal effects to several Lucasfilm productions, such as the two pilots in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a 1984 American adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. It is the second film in the Indiana Jones franchise and prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark . After arriving in India, Indiana Jones is asked by a desperate village to find a mystical stone...
in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan. It is the third film released in the Star Wars saga, and the sixth in terms of the series' internal chronology...
. He wrote the lyrics to "Lapti Nek".
He voiced many of the "Ack Ack"s in Mars Attacks
Mars Attacks
Mars Attacks is a science fiction trading card series released in 1962. The cards feature artwork by science-fiction artist Wallace Wood and tell the story of the invasion of Earth by cruel, hideous Martians. The cards depicted futuristic battle scenes and bizarre methods of Martian attack, torture...
and he is also the voice of Trantor The Troll in Ernest Scared Stupid
Ernest Scared Stupid
Ernest Scared Stupid is a 1991 American comedy film directed by John R. Cherry III and starring Jim Varney. It is the fifth film to feature the character Ernest P. Worrell. The film has Ernest accidentally unleashing an army of trolls upon a small town on Halloween. It was shot in Nashville,...
. He provided the voice of Poggle the Lesser in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones is a 2002 American epic space opera film directed by George Lucas and written by Lucas and Jonathan Hales. It is the fifth film to be released in the Star Wars saga and the second in terms of the series' internal chronology...
and voiced the sobs of the Rancor Keepers, Malakili and Giran, in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan. It is the third film released in the Star Wars saga, and the sixth in terms of the series' internal chronology...
. He also contributed to the music score of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and is credited with co-writing the song "Lapti Nek".
After a long hiatus from filmmaking and directing, Fosselius returned to the scene, directing the Eegah episode of Cinema Insomnia
Cinema Insomnia
Cinema Insomnia is a nationally syndicated American television series presented by horror host Mr. Lobo.- Format :Typically, Mr. Lobo opens each episode by promising to screen a well-known horror or science fiction classic ; however budgetary limitations, acts of God or other circumstances...
with Mr. Lobo
Mr. Lobo
Erik Lobo better known by his stage name Mr. Lobo is an American artist and comedic actor best known as the horror host of the nationally syndicated American television series Cinema Insomnia.-Career :...
in which he also created many of the props. Most recently, Fosselius created the short film, Plan 9.1 from Outer Space, which featured hand-carved wooden puppets of the characters from the popular Ed Wood film, Plan 9 from Outer Space
Plan 9 from Outer Space
Plan 9 from Outer Space is a 1959 science fiction film written and directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film features Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Tor Johnson and Maila "Vampira" Nurmi...
. The puppets acted out the scenes along with the edited soundtrack of the original film.
Hardware Wars
Fosselius' biggest hit was his 1978 parody Hardware WarsHardware Wars
Hardware Wars is a short film parody of the classic science fiction film Star Wars. The thirteen-minute film, which premiered in theatres only seven months after Star Wars, consisted of little more than inside jokes and visual puns that heavily depended upon audience familiarity with the...
, a 12 minute parody of Hollywood coming attractions that took on the cultural juggernaut that was Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
.
Complete with cardboard sets and visible wires holding up ships which were various household appliances, the film was shot over 4 days with a budget of around $7,000. When released, the film became a hit on its own, grossing close to three million dollars over its lifetime, making it one of the most popular and profitable short films of all time, but Fosselius netted very little of that profit.
In later years, George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
called it his favorite Star Wars parody. Fosselius was honored by Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm Limited is an American film production company founded by George Lucas in 1971, based in San Francisco, California. Lucas is the company's current chairman and CEO, and Micheline Chau is the president and COO....
when Hardware Wars was given the Pioneer Award at the 2003 Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards
The Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards
The Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards is an annual contest put forth by Lucasfilm and AtomFilms to showcase and acknowledge the growing genre of fan films made by, for, and about fans of the Star Wars saga. The inaugural contest in 2002 was the first time Lucasfilm had officially sanctioned the...
.
When Hardware Wars was re-released in 1997 with new special effects in a "Special Edition" to spoof the special editions of the original Star Wars trilogy, Fosselius was not involved, as he disagreed with the concept of adding actual digital effects to a film which satirized digital effects, and asked that a "Not Approved by Ernie" label be added to the release. The film was finally released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in its original form in 2002, Fosselius did participate, restoring the original stereo soundtrack, adding additional material and original outtakes, and recording a director's commentary that itself was a parody, poking fun at similarly self-indulgent tracks. However, Fosselius was reportedly flummoxed by the technicians who performed the telecine transfer and who made attempts to digitally remove the strings and wires and clean up the print, not realizing that the "defects" in the original were put there on purpose. Fosselius later teamed up with Apprehensive Films
Apprehensive Films
Apprehensive Films is an independent American film production and distribution company. Established in 1997 as a production company, Apprehensive Films' main focus was low-budget Grindhouse-inspired films shot in Super 8 mm film and 16 mm film. In 2006, Apprehensive Films became a DVD distributor...
to release a 30th anniversary DVD.
Musical career
Fosselius performed with the San Francisco bands 'Earth Mother' and 'The Final Solution'. He was also a founding member of the band The Mystic Knights of the Oingo BoingoOingo Boingo
Oingo Boingo was an American new wave band. They are best known for their influence on other musicians, their soundtrack contributions and their high energy Halloween concerts. The band was founded in 1972 as The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, a performance art group...
, for whom he wrote the song "Hipsters on Parade".
Other works
In recent years, Fosselius has taken to whittling mechanically animated carved caricatures and automata which he displays in traveling galleries called the "Marvelous Mechalodeon" and the "Crankabout Mechanical Theater", an entirely human powered exhibit. Several of these creations were used in a 2005 music video for The Heavenly States' song "Car Wash." Some photographs of these devices is in this flickr album. He is a celebrated performer and a puppeteer and is constantly creating.External links
- HardwareWarsDVD.com - Official Webesite For Hardware Wars & The Films of Ernie Fosselius
- ErnieTown - Fosselius' personal website
- Interview about wood sculpture for Make magazine