Wall To Wall "Elvi"
by Art Nefsky

Canadian actor/producer Tim Progosh, formerly "Firouz" of the TV series, "The Adventures of Sinbad", and producer of the recently aired "Canadian Comedy Awards" called me up to tell me about a film he was producing based on an Elvis Festival held in Orillia, Ontario. The event was sort of like a "Trekkie" Convention… only wall to wall Elvi. They bring in special guests, like Elvis’s former bodyguard /best man at his wedding, or the guy who worked as his stand-in for films. Elvis impersonators (or "tribute artists" as they like to call themselves), of all shapes and sizes fly in from around the world to compete and perform.

Now, Tim and I go way back. We’ve performed together in murder mysteries (improvisational dinner theatre) for years. So when he told me that he wanted to do a film based on the Elvis Festival, in the form of a documentary, from the perspective of an Elvis impersonator, cast himself as the Elvis contestant, and said that I would be perfect playing the "part" of his coach, I didn’t think he was being serious. I mean, I knew he was going ahead with the film. I just thought he wanted to do a comedy or "take-off" on a documentary along the lines of "Spinal Tap". I knew that Tim had never sung in public before and that he didn’t really have a clue on how to do an "Elvis". I wasn’t worried about playing the part though. After all, I was the opening act for an Elvis impersonator back in the seventies, coached many "tribute artists" as well as an "Elvis" who actually won at that same festival a few years back.

But Tim was serious. He wasn’t just asking me to play the "part" of a coach. He wanted me to actually teach him well enough so that he could be a serious contender (and film the process). Of course, I didn’t fully realize that when he joined four of our group evening classes and had his cameraman shoot his portion. I was just having fun improvising without a script.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t actually attend the contest because I was in Vancouver teaching a weekend workshop, but when I got back, I found out that out of eighty-seven contestants, Tim actually made the open finals (the top 16). Not only that, but the documentary was completed and aired on the Comedy Network in Canada. It's called "King For A Day".

Thank you…. Thank you very much.