I Grow
The short King of infomercials is pitched his personal dream product; a potion that will make him tall.
The short King of infomercials is pitched his personal dream product; a potion that will make him tall.
Short man, Gene Fisher is the spokesman for Amazing Products who sell miracle mops, dream diets and perfect products for any occasion. His likable “regular guy” persona has made him the trusted King of Infomercials. When he comes across a potion that will make him two feet taller, he thinks he has found the solution to the limits of being a short man.
Gene has a great job, big house and a beautiful super tall girlfriend. He is embarrassed by his 5’1 height. He is constantly compensating for his lack of height. He surrounds himself with short actors, wears heeled shoes and sits on tall chairs. He truly believes that if he is taller his girlfriend would respect him and his confidence would soar.
When he sees some men stealing his car stereo, he follows them to a scary street where shady characters sell illegal and stolen products to unsuspecting poor clientele. He walks amongst drug dealers and thieves trying to retrieve his stereo. He comes across Benny, a man selling “old world” remedies that promise outrageous results. One claims to end drug addiction another cures arthritis.
When he is unable to get his stereo back he has Benny arrested. Before Benny is hauled off to jail Gene is recognized as the infomercial King. Benny gives him a potion he claims will make Gene grow. Suspicious of the actual contents of the potion but extremely curious, Gene slips the potion into an unsuspecting actors drink.
When the actor returns a day later, two feet taller he cannot believe it. He decides to drink the rest of the potion. Gene grows. Several days later the actor returns and is short again. Gene realizes the potion’s effect is temporary. He goes back to the street of crime to find Benny. He is told he no longer sells and is currently living with his Grandma, the famous pigeon hater of Jewels Park.
Gene finds the Grandma throwing rocks at geese. She is of unknown ethnicity and speaks a language he has never heard before. One of the geese chases the Grandma and Gene rescues her. She brings him back to her house where he meets Benny again. Gene threatens Benny with more jail if he does not sell him the growth potion. Benny gives him the potion, which is accidentally consumed by the cat and the cat turns into a statue.
Gene is upset but he amd Benny eventually form a reluctant partnership to make money and keep Gene tall. The problem is that it is Benny’s Grandma (called Bushee) who can make the potion. Bushee has taken a liking to Gene for saving her and he reminds her of her dead husband. He and Benny try to hatch a scheme to sell the potion on television.
A crooked and short FDA agent agrees to get the product legalized for sale in exchange for some growth potion of his own and some of the profits. Benny and Gene are unsure of how much they can get Bushee to produce. It’s unclear how they are going to make this work.
Meanwhile, Gene has his new life as a tall person. He finds out it is not all it’s cracked up to be. He eats all the time, people pick fights with him and he has trouble fitting into his car. His confidence as a tall person gets him fired as the spokesperson for Amazing Products. The board believes he no longer represents the “average Joe” and sales for the products he is selling go down.
The Amazing Products board members are also short and despite their recent Gene firing, want to offer him money for the potion. Everyone wants the recipe but only Bushee has it. As word travels, more and more short rich people want the potion especially Mayor Bloomberg who is cutting a deal with the FDA agent and setting up a phony FDA conference to obtain the recipe.
Bushee and Gene become great friends. She even starts to learn English. In addition, Gene becomes surprisingly comfortable with Benny. Bushee is attacked and killed by birds. While she dies she gives Gene the recipe for the grow potion.
As the people around him become more and more crazy and desperate for the formula, Gene decides to burn it and return to his much more happier life as a short man.
Short man, Gene Fisher is the spokesman for Amazing Products who sell miracle mops, dream diets and perfect products for any occasion. His likable “regular guy” persona has made him the trusted King of Infomercials. When he comes across a potion that will make him two feet taller, he thinks he has found the solution to the limits of being a short man.
Gene has a great job, big house and a beautiful super tall girlfriend. He is embarrassed by his 5’1 height. He is constantly compensating for his lack of height. He surrounds himself with short actors, wears heeled shoes and sits on tall chairs. He truly believes that if he is taller his girlfriend would respect him and his confidence would soar.
When he sees some men stealing his car stereo, he follows them to a scary street where shady characters sell illegal and stolen products to unsuspecting poor clientele. He walks amongst drug dealers and thieves trying to retrieve his stereo. He comes across Benny, a man selling “old world” remedies that promise outrageous results. One claims to end drug addiction another cures arthritis.
When he is unable to get his stereo back he has Benny arrested. Before Benny is hauled off to jail Gene is recognized as the infomercial King. Benny gives him a potion he claims will make Gene grow. Suspicious of the actual contents of the potion but extremely curious, Gene slips the potion into an unsuspecting actors drink.
When the actor returns a day later, two feet taller he cannot believe it. He decides to drink the rest of the potion. Gene grows. Several days later the actor returns and is short again. Gene realizes the potion’s effect is temporary. He goes back to the street of crime to find Benny. He is told he no longer sells and is currently living with his Grandma, the famous pigeon hater of Jewels Park.
Gene finds the Grandma throwing rocks at geese. She is of unknown ethnicity and speaks a language he has never heard before. One of the geese chases the Grandma and Gene rescues her. She brings him back to her house where he meets Benny again. Gene threatens Benny with more jail if he does not sell him the growth potion. Benny gives him the potion, which is accidentally consumed by the cat and the cat turns into a statue.
Gene is upset but he amd Benny eventually form a reluctant partnership to make money and keep Gene tall. The problem is that it is Benny’s Grandma (called Bushee) who can make the potion. Bushee has taken a liking to Gene for saving her and he reminds her of her dead husband. He and Benny try to hatch a scheme to sell the potion on television.
A crooked and short FDA agent agrees to get the product legalized for sale in exchange for some growth potion of his own and some of the profits. Benny and Gene are unsure of how much they can get Bushee to produce. It’s unclear how they are going to make this work.
Meanwhile, Gene has his new life as a tall person. He finds out it is not all it’s cracked up to be. He eats all the time, people pick fights with him and he has trouble fitting into his car. His confidence as a tall person gets him fired as the spokesperson for Amazing Products. The board believes he no longer represents the “average Joe” and sales for the products he is selling go down.
The Amazing Products board members are also short and despite their recent Gene firing, want to offer him money for the potion. Everyone wants the recipe but only Bushee has it. As word travels, more and more short rich people want the potion especially Mayor Bloomberg who is cutting a deal with the FDA agent and setting up a phony FDA conference to obtain the recipe.
Bushee and Gene become great friends. She even starts to learn English. In addition, Gene becomes surprisingly comfortable with Benny. Bushee is attacked and killed by birds. While she dies she gives Gene the recipe for the grow potion.
As the people around him become more and more crazy and desperate for the formula, Gene decides to burn it and return to his much more happier life as a short man.
Comments (4)
Elena Steier The marketing of products is a great idea for a backdrop for a story. Many humorous possibilities for digressions, asides and visual gags. A concept such as this can be wall to wall funny.
March 10, 2010Syndi Shumer As a short person myself, I got a kick out of this idea. I like the idea of a protagonist with a tinge of a Napolean complex. And there's a lot of potential for spoofy humor when it comes to the Infomercial world. Good stuff!
March 10, 2010Julia Steier I love how there's instant conflict with the characters work-self and his real-self. You really displayed his insecurities right away, and the receptionist added to his obvious disparities. This makes me hungry for wanting to get to know the real Gene and what lengths he'll take to eventually accept himself for who he is (if he ever does). The topic of height in order for self-discovery isn't one that I've seen too often, and in my opinion really gives it a unique spin and separates it from the rest.
March 10, 2010Scott Bove This story has some serious potential. The scene sample is on ly the tip of the iceberg and it immediately draws me in. I want to know why the stool was under the bed! Great work!
March 9, 2010Elena Steier The marketing of products is a great idea for a backdrop for a story. Many humorous possibilities for digressions, asides and visual gags.
March 10, 2010