I've not been there, but that's a very interesting video. How did this particular film become known? I was wondering whether or not some of the people shown were posters either on here or on OWH.
I'd still like to hear what Buzzy has stored away. I've heard all sorts of rumors over the years regarding tracks, parts, and cars. With the property taxes he says he now pays, it's a wonder Buzzy is still open.
Bill,
I had a chance meeting with Buzzy, in Chicago, in late '81, or early '82, when he visited Mark Mattei's bike shop, when Mark still had an American Red Imperial in the basement, and was open as a raceway in the winter.
He was in town for a pinball machine/video game, trade show. He looked real sharp, dressed in a three-piece suit and overcoat.
I remembered him mentioning that he had had the USRA Nat's, a few years earlier.
When the question of his real age came up, recently, I started poking around the 'net, as just for my own piece of mind, I was trying to figure out if he would have been 46, or 56, at the time I met him.
While Googling "Buzzarama," I was shocked to see an IMDb listing for a movie of that name.
And there was the following plot summary;
Buzz-a-Rama, by Brooklyn, NY filmmakers Johnny Freeman, Will Hall and Robert J. King, is a beautifully crafted telling of Frank 'Buzz' Perri's dream created in 1965 and still active today. Slot car parlors were all the rage in the 1960's. Families would gather as friendly competition took place on the slots. Over the years, the activities that engage young people have changed and people seem to forget about Buzz-a-Rama; a once famous Brooklyn haunt. There are the loyalist and occasional visits from people now bringing in their kids, but age and the cost to keep the shop open has put a strain on Frank and his family. We are sad when the favorite and fantastical haunts of our youth close, but will that be Buzz-a-Rama's fate?
I thought the slot car world would have known of such a thing, and I questioned to myself if it was for "real." I was intrigued, and poked around a bit more, and found the rough cut of the movie.
As far as your comment "With the property taxes he says he now pays, it's a wonder Buzzy is still open."
The $24K, he mentions he pays in taxes, is way, way less, than I pay yearly, in rent.
What's amazing, is that he's only open approx. 350 hours, yearly, probably no more than 80 days, total.
I finally got a chance to see all the footage, earlier today.
I'm surprised no one has commented of the picture that is shown of "The American Emperor."
While a super-cool layout, it's obviously not the same configuration as the track featured in the "Buzz-A-Rama Bunnies" footage.
From the illustration I've seen of an American Emperor, I believe the Bunny track is indeed, an Emperor, and the other track is "who knows what"?
I was really touched at the ending, with the opera music playing, as Buzz pulled down the metal shutters.
It's a shame the filmmakers didn't have the common sense to publicize their undertaking here on Slotblog and the other slot car blog sites. They would have surely gotten more than $331 in contributions.
A great vintage photo from the Facebook page (looking a little bit like a young Ray Romano).
