Fly Like A Bumblebee

FLY LIKE A BUMBLEBEE

Based on the award winning book and play Fly Like a Bumblebee by R. W. Klamm

A nearly blind magician endures years of bullying at the hands of his father as he tries to follow his dreams in a world full of challenges. Along the way, he discovers that magic is much more than sleight-of-hand and the heart sees far more than the eyes can comprehend. This live action full feature film is currently in pre-production.

The Book

A Blind Magician Shares His Most Powerful Secrets

The Play

Be amazed and fasinated by the skill and ingenuity of the magic while each moment of fantasy builds sense of wonder.

The Movie

The movie is currently in production.

Synopsis

Doing seemingly impossible things

Science tells us that bumblebees cannot fly, but they don't know it, so they just go ahead and fly anyway, or bumble along. Robert Klamm was like the bumblebee. He didn't know that he was severely visually impaired. No one knew. Until he was eight years old, he just kept bumbling along.

Adapted from the Award-Winning autobiography and play by R.W. Klamm, the film “Fly Like a Bumblebee” shows the struggle that a young boy, Bobby Bill Klamm, endures at the hands of his mentally, verbally and physically abusive father. Coming to the realization that he is different than other children, young Bobby Bill knows that life for him will be a continuous struggle between light, shadow and overwhelming darkness.

His life seems to be spelled out for him until he happens upon a famous Vaudevillian Performer who shows him that the shadows can, indeed, be light and magic and that the special tricks of the trade Bobby Bill learns can and will most definitely be used to his advantage. The mastery of these skills, gives him the courage to stand up to his father and earn his respect as well as win the love of his life.
Life of a nearly blind child

In 1938 Kansas, eight-year-old Bobby Bill Klamm was constantly bullied by his friends. He was a bumbling klutz, easy to play tricks on. His father, Clarence not knowing what his son’s problem was, belittled and battered Bobby Bill out of embarrassment and frustration. Clarence, suffering from a mysterious, chronic illness would suddenly fly off the handle for no apparent reason, but that excuse does not help a young boy struggling as he tries to fit into a world of shadows and obstacles.

Finally fitted with glasses that only focus the shadows into blurs, Bobby Bill gains a bit of confidence. Optical illusion and visual deception at every turn, he sets out one day to bravely explore Kansas City, miles from his home in the country. On this adventure he comes across the doorway of a little magic shop. Entering the door to a new and mysterious life, he finds the World Famous Magician, Harry Otto waiting inside. Objects of mystery and curiosity surround him and Bobby Bill’s world is suddenly changed. He discovers that his unique relationship with illusion, deception and trickery now has a purpose. He has an uncommon insight into magic, even beyond his own imagination. A life long friendship begins, as Harry Otto becomes mentor to Bobby Bill in the ways of the magician.
A turbulent childhood

In 1938 Kansas, eight-year-old Bobby Bill Klamm was constantly bullied by his friends. He was a bumbling klutz, easy to play tricks on. His father, Clarence not knowing what his son’s problem was, belittled and battered Bobby Bill out of embarrassment and frustration. Clarence, suffering from a mysterious, chronic illness would suddenly fly off the handle for no apparent reason, but that excuse does not help a young boy struggling as he tries to fit into a world of shadows and obstacles.
Discovery and a sense of purpose

Finally fitted with glasses that only focus the shadows into blurs, Bobby Bill gains a bit of confidence. Optical illusion and visual deception at every turn, he sets out one day to bravely explore Kansas City, miles from his home in the country. On this adventure he comes across the doorway of a little magic shop. Entering the door to a new and mysterious life, he finds the World Famous Magician, Harry Otto waiting inside. Objects of mystery and curiosity surround him and Bobby Bill’s world is suddenly changed. He discovers that his unique relationship with illusion, deception and trickery now has a purpose. He has an uncommon insight into magic, even beyond his own imagination. A life long friendship begins, as Harry Otto becomes mentor to Bobby Bill in the ways of the magician.
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Executive bios

We produce, write, and develop from concept through finished content and beyond:

Philip Klein

Director/Producer and Co-Writer

Growing up in the family carnival business, Philip Klein was thrust into the world of entertainment as a young boy. A graduate of the Ringling Brothers/Barnum & Bailey Clown College, Klein was raised on a steady diet of magic, clowning and entertainment.

His first film, a black and white comedy short called Easy Business, is a tribute to Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. That won acclaim with the Kansas Film Festival's Ozzie Award and the MoKan Film Festival's top honors. The inspiration for Easy Business came while Klein was performing a comedy and magic act for the Ringling Brothers/Barnum & Bailey Clown College's 20th Anniversary Special on NBC (hosted by Dick Van Dyke). He bumped into Stan Laurel's widow backstage, and the idea for "Easy Business" came to him. When Klein decided to tackle the weighty issue of eminent domain abuse in his second film - a hard hitting, feature length documentary titled "Begging for Billionaires" - it was a dramatic departure from his earlier work.

Currently, Philip runs his magic shop while developing film projects through his company Limelight Cinema Group.

Daniel Polsfuss

Producer and Co-Writer

Daniel is the Writer/Director/Editor of two short films and two documentaries. Daniel and Philip first worked together on a re-edit of "Easy Business" and later worked together on "Begging for Billionaires" where he edited this project as well as did some camera work. Daniel's early career was as an editor and post-producer of TV commercials for Minneapolis Ad Agencies.

Later he moved on to directing and editing music videos for FlyteTyme music producers Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and Monte Moir. Daniel has recently collaborated with live music and performing artists such as the Margolis/Brown Adaptors, composer - Mary Ellen Childs and Russ King - Miss Richfield 1981.

Lew R. Hunter

Production Coordinator

Lewis R. Hunter is an American screenwriter, author and educator and is chairman Emeritus and Professor of Screenwriting at the UCLA Department of Film and Television. Over half of the Oscar winning scripts over the past twenty years have been written by students of Hunter. He is commonly referred to as the best screenwriting teacher in the United States.

His former students and advocates include such people as Adrienne Parks, Allison Anders, David Koepp, Mike Werb, Sacha Gervasi, Dan Pyne, David Titcher, Diane Saltzberg, Michael Colleary, Don Mancini, Kathy Stumpe, Darren Star, Alexander Payne and Tom Shadyac. Other students include Chuck Loch, Paige Macdonald, Robert Wolfe, Joel Schumacher, Megan Steinbeck, Robert Roy Poole, Lon Diamond, Laurie Hutlzer, Pamela Gray, William Missouri Downs, Robin Russin, Brad Silberling, Greg Widen, and many others. Steven Spielberg has called Hunter "the best screenwriting teacher going".

Hunter lives in the small town of Superior, Nebraska where he teaches seminars for aspiring screenwriters. Every winter, Hunter returns to UCLA to teach his Screenwriting 434 course to graduate students in the screenwriting MFA program, the modern form of which he helped create. In 1998, nine of the ten top-grossing films were written by graduates of UCLA's screenwriting MFA program. His bestselling book on screenwriting is entitled Screenwriting 434. A native of Nebraska, Hunter has a bachelor's degree and honorary doctorate from Nebraska Wesleyan University (where he was a member of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity) and has master's degrees from Northwestern University and UCLA. Hunter helped to found the American Screenwriters Association and has been inducted into its Hall of Fame.

Cast

Signed Talent

Kadan Bart Rockett

Actor, Magician/Illusionous

Making his first stage appearance when he was one day old, Kadan has done over 1,000 live appearances on theatre & cruise ship stages around the world. He has appeared in film, commercials & television projects including Guest Starring on NBC during 2 live primetime episodes where he played Mini Howie Mandel, appearing with Blake Shelton on his NBC Special, the new CBS Show RUSH HOUR and Heidi Klum's SERIOUSLY FUNNY KIDS on Lifetime Network. He has appeared in 6 films including his leading role in the world wide theatrical release of DARK SKIES with Keri Russell. To date, he has appeared in 14 national commercials.

In addition to Film, TV & Commercial work, Kadan also had a starring role in the live stage production, CIRQUE: ILLUSIONS OF GRANDEUR which played in 2,000-3,000 seat venues when touring. Kadan's younger sister (Brooklyn Nicole Rockett) serves as his assistant.

Todd Robbins

Actor

Todd Robbins is an award winning performer and creative artist that has worked in many areas of popular entertainment and the performing arts during a thirty year career.

Todd is currently seen on a new TV series for the Investigation Discovery Channel. This documentary series is called True Nightmares and features Todd telling the stories of some very twisted people and the dark wrongdoings they have perpetrated.

Other recent appearances include The Discovery Channel’s Oddities and Lost Magic for the History Channel. In addition to being a featured performer, Todd has often been called upon to speak as an authority on all things unusual. Todd can be seen talking about sword swallowing and swallowing disorders on Spike TV’s 1000 Ways to Die. And he was a reoccurring expert on the History Channel’s Wild West Tech, where he expounded upon Dime Museums, traveling sideshows, Spiritualism, narcotics and prostitution in the Old West. He also provided commentary and insight on the DVD of the classic sideshow/horror movie FREAKS. Todd has also been a consultant on numerous TV shows and movies, including several episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Criss Angel’s Mind Freak on A & E and the upcoming Road Trick on the Travel Channel.

Classically trained as an actor at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, he has put his performing abilities to good use in the two Drama Desk nominated theater pieces that he created for off-Broadway. The first one, Carnival Knowledge, was a behind the scenes look at the world of the American sideshow and chronicled his experiences working in places like Coney Island. The second show, Play Dead, was co-created by Teller (of Penn & Teller) and was a spooky evening of ghost stories and startling phenomenon. Teller also directed this acclaimed production. A film of this stage show is now playing the film festival circuit around the county. Plans are being made to open a permanent production of Play Dead in Las Vegas in the fall of 2017. It is very likely that Todd will reprise his role in the show for this production.

Todd is also one of the producers of NY’s longest running magic show, Monday Night Magic, and is a partner in the parent company, Magical Night Inc., NY’s preeminent source of magical entertainment for corporate and private events.

You can see Todd on the Modern Con Man series of instructional DVDs: How to Scam Your Way to a Free Beer, Poker Night Scams and Cons and Work Place Pranks. And Bloomsbury Books has released his book The Modern Con Man: How to Get Something for Nothing.

He has been the host of the Ripley’s Live! show that has been presented in numerous venues. He has also performed in every place imaginable, from the stage of Sideshows by the Seashore in Coney Island to the stage of Carnegie Hall. He was a regular performer at Feinstein’s: The Nightclub of New York at the Loews Regency Hotel and this gig earned him the title, “The Park Avenue Sword Swallower.”

He has purveyed amazement at events, tradeshows and presentations for major corporations like Fujifilm, Amtrak, Salomon Smith Barney, Viva Optical, GE and others. He worked for a decade with the Big Apple Circus and is also a favorite on the college and university circuit, having performed on countless campuses from coast to coast.

For more information about Todd, view the documentary on him, American Carny:Tales of the American Sideshow, and go to his website: www.toddrobbins.com.