I discovered just yesterday that Richard Griffith, aka “Groovin’ Gary” from The Beaver Trilogies passed away at age 50. If you don’t know the film, or what a wonderful character he was – try to check it out.

A resident of Beaver, Utah, ‘Gary’ was caught outside a cable station by videographer Trent Harris where, in an informal interview, he performed for some impersonations of more than dubious quality. His barking laugh, custom car, and joie de vivre were contagious. If we are to believe the film – Groovin’ Gary Griffiths, excited by his brush with fame (Am I on TV? Gollee – this must be my lucky day! Ha!”) later wrote to mention to Harris about a talent show in which he would be appearing as Olivia Newton John. It is one of the worst impressions on film. But his enthusiasm, along with the wonderful awfulness of some of the other acts, is infectious.

Trent Harris went onto to duplicate the entire 20 minute episode in a re-enactment by a very young Sean Penn who had simply auditioned for the short role. The sequence borrows some of the talent show acts from the first section, recreates exact shots and lines, and becomes a little more cinematic, but not by much. It does however have a tragic/comic ending of foiled suicide. The new “ending” raises all kinds of questions about Gary’s initial response to the first video sequence. Why the new ending? Why re-do it at all? Is this psychology motivated by anything other than to tell a story? What would Gary think of this license taken with his own life. Sean Penn is brilliant, his performance a Olivia even more terrifically horrendous.

If that weren’t enough, it’s recreated a third time as a kind of mini movie. Now we have reaction shots, character motivations, sub-plots, and an incredible performance by Crispin Glover in all his eccentric weirdness. The psychological profile of Gary in the new segment, now titled “The Orkly Kid” (changed from “The Beaver Kid”) is deeper, the actors are more professional, sequences more staged, and sub-plots more developed. The filmmakers continue to play themselves as they were, or as they imagine themselves shooting the piece, but they are becoming really complicate in Gary’s “exploitation”. Still, basic scenes and lines remain the same. Gary still puts on ‘Olivia’s’ make-up and wig at the local funeral parlor. The interview (Am I on TV?) still starts the piece, this time time after a dramatic impressionistic opening of Gary on a cliff in sillouette, the wind in his hair. Aha! A theme of strength and empowerment. The same Newton-John song is sung. Many of the same lines that Gary spontaneous are reinterpreted, but Glover throws it over the top, demonstrating what a brilliant intuitive actor he is. The new ending, still addressing the suicide idea, has Gary deper in remorse at his embarrassing drag performance becomes about courage and individualism. It’s surprisingly moving.
Filmmaker wrote an article about Griffiths appearance at Sundance.

The question of Gary’s exploitation and identity now hovers over the film. Time Out London wrote an analysis of the film, which asks about his homosexuality. It would be the Brits who ask. For my money it’s just a film blessed by circumstance and serendipity that ends posing some interesting ideas on up reality vs. art, narrative vs. documentary and allows us to meet a sweet and ingenuous guy along the way.

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