Big Al's Place: HBO Renews 'Boardwalk' After One Episode

In A Nutshell

Years after his release from Alcatraz, bedeviled by hallucinations fueled by untreated, late-stage syphilis, Al Capone wanders the overgrown grounds of his Miami Beach estate, ruminating with ghosts. Tomorrow will bring his forty-eighth birthday and one week later he will be dead. Between then and now sprawls an epic life, from the wild streets of turn-of-the-century Brooklyn, to a bloody Saint Valentine’s Day that shocked the world; here is the glamorous ascent and shocking decline of America's true king of crime.

Some History

Jim VanBebber's 2004 feature, The Manson Family, was hailed as, "Crucial," by Peter Travers in Rolling Stone's four-star review. It inspired Roger Ebert to proclaim, "...it has an undeniable power and effect...it exists in a category of one film - this film." The film's successful theatrical release brought further critical acclaim and Manson then went on to thrive on home video, including as the centerpiece of Visions of Hell: The Films of Jim VanBebber, a mid-career retrospective DVD box set released in 2008.

Capone first met VanBebber at Wright State University when both men were enrolled in the Motion Pictures Production program headed up by Academy Award nominated documentary filmmakers Jim Klein and Julia Reichert. When, in junior year, the class was divided into small groups with the purpose of producing a short film, VanBebber, with partners Marcello Games and cinematographer Mike King, decided to shoot a full length feature. That film, 1988's Deadbeat at Dawn went on to earn true cult status, playing to crowds on 42nd Street and on many waning drive-in screens before landing on cable's The Movie Channel where it debuted on Joe Bob's Drive-In Theater, hosted by Joe Bob Briggs, who had singled out Deadbeat in his nationally syndicated four-star review.

With funds derived from the sale of Deadbeat, King, Games and VanBebber began their follow up production, The Manson Family, which brings us full circle

9/21/10

HBO Renews 'Boardwalk' After One Episode

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | September 21, 2010 Deadline Hollywood

"The ratings for the Sunday premiere of HBO's prohibition era extravaganza Boardwalk Empire were barely in this morning when the pay cable network announced a second-season pickup for the drama from Martin Scorsese and Terence Winter. HBO made the decision "following resounding critical approval and high viewer numbers", it said. The series starring Steve Buscemi debuted with 4.8 million viewers to become HBO’s most watched series premiere since the 2004 opener of Deadwood behind The Sopranos. (I feel that is only appropriate because there are similarities in the tone between Boardwalk andDeadwood.) Because of HBO's big investment in building elaborate sets forBoardwalk, including an actual boardwalk, a second season renewal was always considered a given as networks look to amortize upfront costs. Still, the overwhelmingly positive reviews and solid premiere ratings probably sealed the deal."