Now those crazy Rubes are going to need a limo driver, an agent and a SAG card.
The characters from Leigh Rubin’s syndicated comic debuted on the big screen over the weekend, appearing in a movie screened at the Newport Beach Film Festival.
Rubin’s characters, which he draws daily from his home in Nipomo, kick off the movie “Moola.”
“The animated ‘Rubes’ run for the first 3 minutes of the movie,” Rubin wrote in an e-mail last week. “The entire title-credit sequence.”
“Moola” is directed by Don Most, known to many as Ralph Malph from “Happy Days.” The film stars Daniel Baldwin (“Homicide: Life on the Street”), William Mapother (“Lost”), Efren Ramirez (“Napolean Dynamite”) and Treat Williams (“Once Upon a Time in America.”) According to the Moola web site, the film is based on actual events. It tells the story of Steve and Harry, whose failing company lands the “deal of a lifetime” to bring their business and lives out of the dumps — with the help of dairy cows in heat and greedy moguls.
The partnership between “Rubes” and “Moola” resulted, Rubin said, when a friend overheard a conversation at a café in San Clemente.
Worldwide distribution is being sought for the film. Meanwhile, Rubin continues to draw his comic strip, which appears in more than 400 newspapers daily. His cartoons, often featuring animals (and sometimes cavemen), also grace T-shirts, mugs, calendars and books.
Rubin said audience members responded well to the film’s debut. Better yet, his youngest son scored autographs from Most and the cast.
– Pat P.
She Likes to Watch 