2008 FHE Video: The Desperate Plight of Sweet Caroline

My FHE group's entry for the 2008 BYU 11th Ward Oscars. We lost. But it is still a treasured memory.

Kat was a no-brainer for the role of the damsel in distress. I was always so nervous around her. In the scene where we reunite for the first time, I had no idea what to do with my hands. I remember thinking, "I should swing her around like those cabaret partners do at DanceSport." But then, instead of committing to the full-body-hug, I just locked my wrists to avoid any touching that could possibly get me in trouble with the BYU honor code office. (At least that was my justification.) #SIMPrespect

My roommate, Brian Spencer (pictured above), was terrific in his role as Lester, the deed-owning banker. Not only was his acting spot on as a vaudeville villain—he improvised the ENTIRE audio track on the piano. If you listen closely, you can hear whispers throughout the track. That's the cast giving Brian dynamics cues as we watched the video. HE'S SO TALENTED!

When I re-discovered this video after six years, my first impression of seeing myself was, "I hated paying for haircuts back then too."

I remember feeling really embarrassed during this scene. Kat and I were both wrapped in a 50' extension cord. I fully intended on being the one to rescue Kat, but I couldn't free myself from my binds in time—so Bar Woman #2 ended up helping her off the tracks, while I stood there wriggling.

(Continuity issue: No mustache in this scene.)

In an effort to service the script, which called for me to be "out of breath," I remember sprinting around the Monticello Apartment block 2x before racing up to the doorstep where everyone was waiting for me.

I'm still a bit embarrassed to admit that the "hat-covered kiss" (15:15) was my first kiss ever! #leadburied

Edit: It went so well in production, I tried it years later with an girlfriend of mine (at the time) on a public porch; it didn't work as well.

Edit2 : Fun fact, I saw Kat years later at my cousin's wedding. It took my wife an hour of encouragement for me to work up the courage to talk with her. She's married with kids and still cool.

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