Bazooka: (n) a short-range tubular rocket launcher used against tanks.
I wrote a contemplative movie entitled “The Drive.”
Some people would consider it anti-war but since I don’t really think there are “pro-war” options, let’s leave it with my original representation.
I will not get into the total storyline except to tell you there is an anguished father who decides to wreak revenge on the U.S. Government by trying to assassinate the President of the United States in St. Louis.
He chooses a bazooka as his weapon.
I would assume this is because he knows he’s not a very good shot and wanted a twelve-foot margin of error.
So when it came time to film the project, we were in the market to locate a bazooka. The first few people we asked thought we were referring to the comics from the 1960’s. Rather than contradict their perception, we just quietly hung up the phone.
We finally found a collector of WWII memorabilia who had a bazooka, even with its own case. Fortunately, he did not have the shells for it, so we had to figure out how to stuff firecrackers in the muzzle to make it appear that the long tube was threatening.
As I look back, I realize that finding a bazooka and simulating firing it in public was certainly a dispensation of the time. I can’t imagine how many government watch lists we would be placed on nowadays for even inquiring about such an object.
But we not only fired it, we had a street full of extras who ran away in horror and terror at the onslaught.
It was really quite pungent and effective for a low-budget film, but I must tell you–when the actor pulled that bazooka out of the case, which was in the trunk of his car, a chill went down my spine–one which is duplicated as I write this piece.
May we look forward to the day when “bazooka” will only be remembered as a wise-cracking bubblegum comic.
Thank you for enjoying Words from Dic(tionary) — J.R. Practix
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