The Christmas Caper

When a Brock Gatling explosion at the North Pole goes very wrong, Willie Topaz and Maury Stillman find themselves face-to-face with a very real, very upset Santa Claus. With Christmas on the line, a busted sleigh, and Maury’s bad habits under intense moral scrutiny, the duo must save the holiday, survive the shoot, and learn the true meaning of Christmas—just in the Knick of time.

The Yuletide Ensemble

• Terry Briscoe as Willie Topaz
• Jim Fronk as Maury Stillman
• Brad Hyland as Santa Claus
• Mitch Leschinski as Audio Engineer
• Jeffrey Hawkins as Stanley Pfister, Director
• Phil Doane as Bertram, Assistant Director
• & Annabel Rosario as Chloe

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Concept by Jim Fronk & Terry Briscoe

Created, written, directed & mixed by Jason Beard

Episode 5 – “Chiaroscuro”

The Lowdown

In this episode of Topaz & Stillman: An 80s Adventure, we jump between past and present as Maury’s first childhood deli heist with his kid sister Rosie sets the tone for a life of hustle—and trouble. In 1981, Willie and Lyric are literally tied together and accidentally abandoned on the Natyr Zane set just as Rhythm Mercy, posing as “Fire Marshal Eugene,” shuts down the Brock Gatling shoot with bogus safety violations, spectacular chaos, and a one-way ticket to jail.

With the production now at risk of being stolen by ruthless exec Gale “The Duchess” Lanzing and her powerful Dutch-backed studio, Willie, Maury, Kiff, Rosie, and slick attorney Chet Laskey team up for a desperate counterplay—armed with a stolen keycard, a tip from a burned ex–P.A., and an unexpected encounter with Freddie Balzac and his dangerously charming niece, Salem Minte.

The Roll Call

• Terry Briscoe as Willie Topaz
• Jim Fronk as Maury Stillman & Fire Marshal Eugene (Real)
• Damon Alums as Rhythm Mercy & Fire Marshal Eugene (Fake)
• Mitch Leschinski as Chet Laskey, Esq. & Audio Engineer
• Mike Cunningham as Show Announcer
• Shaun Scott as Freddie Balzac & Dallas Ames
• Marisa Conway as Salem Minte & Margie
• Diamandi Devereaux as Lyric Dorsey
• Samantha DeSuze as Gale Lanzing
• Katie Jostock as Rosie Stillman
• Lisa Stewart LeBon as Cleo Ames
• Leslie Grant as Abellonia Suni
• Derek States as Curly (Stillman #1)
• Mike Pelletier as Kiff Maxon, Robert (AD) & Silvio Provenzano
• Larry Oblander as Brown Derby Byron & Casting Director
• Brendan Wreay as Frank
• Eric Carlino as Dean (Producer)
• Robb Smith as Police Captain Drummond
• Melrose Johnson as Deputy

The Dream Team

• Executive Producers: Terry Briscoe & Jim Fronk
• Associate Producer: Andy Parkin

The Banger

"The Willie Strut" performed by Possum Bobby

• Producers: Robert Lloyd, John Pennington, Bob Harvey
• Composer/All Guitars, Bass Guitar: Robert Lloyd
• Drums: Marcus Graham
• Post Production, Keyboards: John Pennington
• Recorded and Mixed at Fahrenheit Studio by Bob Harvey and John J.P. Pennington

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Concept by Jim Fronk & Terry Briscoe

Created, written, directed & mixed by Jason Beard

The Skinny

Willie Topaz just landed the condom deal of the decade, but there’s no time to celebrate—because in The Dutch Angle, Hollywood is about to tilt sideways.

While Willie preps for steamy reshoots with his long-lost love Lyric Dorsey, a ruthless Dutch studio boss named Gale Lanzing (aka “The Duchess”) recruits Rhythm Mercy to sabotage Brock Gatling from the shadows.

Meanwhile, Maury’s world is shaken by the arrival of his scheming sister Rosie and Abellonia’s brutal encounter with Hollywood ignorance.

A fake fire marshal, a shut-down set, and one pitch-black lair later, Willie and Lyric are tied back-to-back in the dark… with something else lurking just out of sight.

The Scene Stealers

• Terry Briscoe as Willie Topaz
• Jim Fronk as Maury Stillman
• Damon Alums as Rhythm Mercy
• Mitch Leschinski as Audio Engineer
• Mike Cunningham as Show Announcer
• Diamandi Devereaux as Lyric Dorsey
• Samantha DeSuze as Gale Lanzing
• Katie Jostock as Rosie Stillman
• Leslie Grant as Abellonia Suni
• Shaun Scott as Freddie Balzac
• Mike Pelletier as Kiff Maxon & Robert (AD)
• Larry Oblander as Brown Derby Byron & Casting Director
• Eric Carlino as Dean (Producer)
• Marisa Conway as Margie
• Melrose Johnson as Administrative Assistant
• Emily Fry as Adrian

The Dream Team

• Executive Producers: Terry Briscoe & Jim Fronk
• Associate Producer: Andy Parkin

The Banger

"The Willie Strut" performed by Possum Bobby

• Producers: Robert Lloyd, John Pennington, Bob Harvey
• Composer/All Guitars, Bass Guitar: Robert Lloyd
• Drums: Marcus Graham
• Post Production, Keyboards: John Pennington
• Recorded and Mixed at Fahrenheit Studio by Bob Harvey and John J.P. Pennington

The Game

• https://www.patreon.com/c/ShoestringTV
• https://youtube.com/@shoestringtv7048?si=js5A-O
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• https://x.com/ShoestringTv
• https://www.tiktok.com/@shoestringtv?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Send us a text

Concept by Jim Fronk & Terry Briscoe

Created, written, directed & mixed by Jason Beard