There were various surreal elements in the Coen Brothers' 1994 homage to screwball comedies. None more so than lead character Norville (Tim Robbins)'s frequent brandishing of a piece of paper with a circle doodled upon it. His explanation: "Y'know... for kids!" This harmless boob had earned the right to bother the big shots at Hudsucker Industries with such an apparently trivial matter. Skyrocketing from the mail room to the top job in the firm thanks to the machinations of corporate schemer Paul Newman, he had a big idea. Trouble was, no-one knew what it meant. As it turned out the cryptic drawing was a design for none other then the Hula Hoop, a staple of childrens' playtime for decades to come. Despite being a fictional version of the toy's invention, it lent the box office bomb a peculiar weight, leading to its reappraisal in later years.
I am a journalist and comedian who enjoys American movies of the 70s, Amicus horror compendiums, Doctor Who, Twin Peaks, Naomi Watts and sitting down. My short fiction has been published as part of the Iris Wildthyme range from Obverse Books.
