Hyper Gumbo

As I mentioned the other day, I found someone selling DVD’s of the entire Strip Mall series, and while I have problems with the idea that none of my money is ending up going to the artists involved (the DVD’s seem to be made from an old stash of VHS tapes, still totally worth watching, but not a studio release by any means), the show was just too good to let slip into the cracks of time.  With the way we extend copyright these days in the US, chances are I won’t be around when it goes Public Domain, so I have to get now, while the getting is good.  Wanting to try and support the artists somehow, I started looking thru the imdb pages for everyone involved.  It’s an interesting tale told, of careers just starting, fizz’ling out, and giving worthy coda to a lifework.

Series star, Julie Brown, didn’t see much acting work until just recently, but did manage to find some sort of on-camera work for every year except 2003 and 2007.  2008 gave her a recurring role on Paradise Falls, which I’ve never heard of.

Harv (Jim O’Heir) doesn’t seem to have ever gotten another recurring role, but has had lots of work, without any gap-years since Strip Mall.

Hedda (Allison Dunbar) has had more gaps, but did get 4 episodes of the Sopranos in, which has to be good for a career.

Fanny Sue Chang (Amy Hill) has an insane amount of work, often, oddly enough, as a judge. Who knew there was a niche for the Asian Female Judge; well there is, and Amy has it down. She’s even done work for Avatar.

Fernando (Juan Vidal) seems to have been the TV equivalent of a one-hit wonder. I’d like to imagine his hot looks got him a spot as a kept husband, but who knows. It seems unlikely he got enough money out of Strip Mall to get himself into real trouble.

I noticed with sad regret that the end of the final episode, unlike every other episode, does not have the “to be continued tag”, something I either didn’t notice when it originally aired, or was there, but was removed by the time my copy was made. It certainly seems like, while things are “wrapped up”, they certainly don’t have anywhere positive to go. I certainly feel a sad respect for Hedda by the end.

I also notice that Carrot Top doesn’t get credit, despite being a significant plot point.  Sure, he only appears on-screen alive once, but still….