Episode 8: That's Thrice, No Dice

Willie Topaz is riding high with a promising new romance, a growing Hollywood career, and dreams bigger than ever. But just when everything seems to be falling into place, unexpected visitors, questionable decisions, and a series of increasingly chaotic interruptions threaten to throw his plans completely off course.

Meanwhile, tensions rise elsewhere in Hollywood as old grudges resurface, dangerous alliances are tested, and a looming threat begins moving through the shadows.

In a town built on ambition, everyone has a plan. The question is whether they'll survive long enough to see it through.

This episode centers heavily on Willie evaluating his future, Salem challenging him to think bigger, the comedy of his parents' arrival, and the ominous setup involving Silvio Provenzano.

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Created and Written by Jason Beard

In Episode 7: Piccola Pistola, Kiff pulls back the curtain on the bizarre, blood-soaked history of a tiny family heirloom said to be cursed: a miniature pistol tied to generations of accidental tragedy, whispered secrets, and suspiciously bad timing. But when Kiff returns to an old connection in search of answers, he discovers the mysterious artifact may hold more than family history… and the curse may not be finished with him just yet.

Some family secrets should stay buried.

Starring:

Mike Pelletier as... Kiff Maxon, Federico Pisello, Sargento & Giovanni Pisello.

Stitch Mainville as Lorenzo Bonetti

Matt Chalik as Francesco Pisello, Fascist 1 & Fascist 2

Damon Alums as Rhythm Mercy

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Created and Written by Jason Beard

Step into the neon-soaked excess of 1980s Hollywood, where the shoulder pads are oversized and the contracts are deadlier than a box-office bomb. In this episode, Willie Topaz and his relentless manager Maury Stillman find themselves in the crosshairs of Gale Lanzing, a ruthless studio empress known as "The Duchess". With the future of the Brock Gatling franchise hanging by a thread, the boys must navigate a "Lion’s Den" filled with high-stakes power plays, secret trap doors, and Dutch-accented ultimatums.

While Chet Laskey, Esq. prepares to drop a legal hammer on the Duchess’s Dutch empire, Rosie Stillman is busy pitching a "conceptual asset bundle" to a group of investors who have no idea what they’re buying—and she might not either. Meanwhile, as Rhythm Mercy finally tastes freedom from the County Jail, a mysterious figure from the past emerges to suggest that in Hollywood, the real trouble doesn't start until after the win.

It’s a world of "Vengeance Protocols," sperm whale fish tanks, and pastrami-slider negotiations where trust is a luxury no one can afford.

Concept by Jim Fronk & Terry Briscoe

Mixed & Edited by Bill Celler

Directed by Jim Fronk

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Created and Written by Jason Beard

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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Created and Written 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

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Created and Written by Jason Beard

Episode 3: The Cutting Room, Part 2

The Scoop

A midnight drop. An earthquake on Mulholland. A mystery package, studio trickery, and a surprise visit from Willie’s parents. With Lady Lazarus lurking and the Milano's closing in, Willie gambles everything on a daring plan to save Maury—what could possibly go wrong?

The Players

• Terry Briscoe as Willie Topaz (Brock Gatling)
• Jim Fronk as Maury Stillman
• Rebecca Lee as Lady Lazarus
• Damon Alums as Rhythm Mercy (Narrator)
• Lisa Stewart LeBon as Cleo Ames
• Shaun Scott as Dallas Ames & Tiny Tippy
• Leslie Grant as Abellonia Suni
• Eric Carlino as Clifford Moss & Stuey Longbottom
• Brendan Wreay as Trenton Drake
• Mitch Leschinski as Audio Engineer & Bear Wrangler
• Mike Pelletier as Kiff Maxon
• Michael Cunningham as Milano Courier & Announcer
• Logan Beard as Huey Longbottom

Also Starring:

• Melrose Johnson as Production Assistant
• Samantha DeSuze as Concierge
• Larry Oblander as Gaffer

The House

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

The Anthem

"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 Biz

• https://www.patreon.com/c/ShoestringTV
• https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shoestringtv/topaz-and-stillman-an-80s-adventure-podcast
• https://youtube.com/@shoestringtv7048?si=js5A-O

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Created and Written by Jason Beard

Episode 2 — “The Cutting Room, Part 1”

The Straight Dope

Willie Topaz and Maury Stillman plunge from pulp fantasy to real danger: A midnight summons to the Louis B. Mayer estate introduces the ice-cold power broker Lady Lazarus. Her message is simple—and terrifying: deliver a mysterious package and make room for a “family” favorite in the Brock Gatling film… or else.

What follows is a chaos sprint through Hollywood’s underbelly: a flaming toupee, a covert late-night raid on the studio for an emergency makeover (hello, mullet), a drunk director who sobers up the second he hears “Lazarus,” and Willie’s beloved Trans Am getting towed at the worst possible moment. As the clock barrels toward a midnight deadline, the stakes sharpen, loyalties wobble, and the cutting room isn’t just for film anymore.

The Bill

Starring:

• Terry Briscoe as Willie Topaz (Brock Gatling)
• Jim Fronk as Maury Stillman
• Rebecca Lee as Lady Lazarus
• Damon Alums as Rhythm Mercy (Narrator)
• Diamandi Devereaux as Lyric Dorsey
• Leslie Grant as Abellonia Suni
• Brendan Wreay as Trenton Drake
• Mitch Leschinski as Audio Engineer
• Mike Pelletier as Kiff Maxon

Also Starring:

• Mike Cunningham as Announcer/Lickety Split Employee
• Shaun Scott as Bulky Guard
• Katie Jostock as Club Ellipses Employee
• Larry Oblander as Gerard

The Company

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

The Theme

"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 Hub

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• https://youtube.com/@shoestringtv7048?si=js5A-O

Concept by Jim Fronk & Terry Briscoe

Created, written, directed & mixed by Jason Beard