Tribeca: “The Hicks Happy Hour” Blends Backstage & Family Drama
The 1970s were the golden era for television variety shows. From The Carol Burnett Show to Donny & Marie and countless others, the recipe for success once upon a time was an hour-long show with a charming host (or hosts) and a collection of acts. Sometimes, a family is at the center of the variety show, like The Brady Bunch Hour, or in the case of Kate McCarthy’s upcoming short film, it’s the fictitious Hicks family. The Hicks Happy Hour will have its world premiere at Tribeca as part of the Shorts: Showtime! program with five other selected films. The Hicks Happy Hour gives viewers a taste of that golden era of variety shows while exposing the strife that often hides under shiny, smiley exteriors.
The Hicks Happy Hour likely began as something the Hicks family genuinely enjoyed. There’s Jill (Phoebe Kuhlman), the matriarch, and her three children: Susan (Ella Victoria), Val (Charley Rowan McCain), and Davey (Tristan Wilder Hallett). Noticeably absent is Richard (Adam H. Marchand), the patriarch of the family. He’s not there for the show’s opening number, but it doesn’t appear to be the first time this has happened. Whether it’s solely because of Richard’s frequent disappearances or low ratings, the end of The Hicks Happy Hour looms.
courtesy of Tribeca
If ever there was a short film that was begging for a feature adaptation, it’s The Hicks Happy Hour. As the movie unfolds, you can feel the potential for this story to grow and expand. Recent feature films like The Luckiest Man in America, Late Night with the Devil, and Saturday Night all focused on TV shows from around the same era as The Hicks Happy Hour. There’s no doubt that The Hicks Happy Hour could join them as a film offering a behind-the-scenes look at a television show that unfolds in real time.
What makes The Hicks Happy Hour so immediately compelling is the attention to detail in the production design. It’s clear that the decision to set a film in this world was not a spur-of-the-moment choice made by McCarthy and co-writer Michael Kefeyalew. There is a deep love and appreciation for the distinct visual language that comes with ’70s variety shows that is evident in the meticulously built sets and lighting design. It’s like stepping back in time to what is often referred to as simpler, but we all know that’s merely a myth. There has been family drama since the beginning of time and it will continue for as long as humanity exists. The Hicks Happy Hour is a wonderful, albeit stressful, world to live in for fifteen minutes. A reminder of a golden era whose sheen has dulled a little.
support your local film critic!
~
support your local film critic! ~
Beyond the Cinerama Dome is run by one perpetually tired film critic
and her anxious emotional support chihuahua named Frankie.
Your kind donation means Frankie doesn’t need to get a job…yet.
Follow me on BlueSky, Instagram, Letterboxd, & YouTube. Check out Movies with My Dad, a new podcast recorded on the car ride home from the movies.