Rickey Bird, Jr. On His New Film Booze, Broads, and Blackjack, Potential Sequel

The 411 Interview: Rickey Bird, Jr.

Rickey Bird, Jr. is a writer, producer, actor, and director who has been making and appearing in movies, according to his imdb page, since 2005. Bird has acted in such movies as Trespass Into Terror, Super Hustle, and The Lackey, and he has directed such short films as Naked Zombie Girl, As the Man Drives, and Machine Gun Baby and the feature film Border Brothers. His latest feature film as a director is the crime movie Booze, Broads, and Blackjack, featuring Vincent Pastore, Felissa Rose, and Vincent Ward and is now available to rent or own on Amazon Prime Video. In this interview, Bird talks with this writer about making Booze, Broads, and Blackjack, his moviemaking heroes, and more.

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Bryan Kristopowitz: Why did you want Booze, Broads, and Blackjack to be your next movie as a director?

Rickey Bird: I loved the title of the film.

BK: How did you cast Booze, Broads, and Blackjack? What was it like working with Vincent Pastore, Felissa Rose, and Vincent Ward?

RB: It was great! Felissa Rose did the casting and she did an amazing job. I was a little intimidated by Vincent Pastore. I am a fan of his work so I didn’t want to screw anything up, lol. Vincent Ward and I have worked on a few projects so it was awesome to bring him on board for this one.

BK: Where was Booze, Broads, and Blackjack made? Did you ever consider actually shooting any of the movie in Syracuse, New York?

RB: We did, but because of the budget restraints, we had to film most of the movie in Bakersfield, Ca. We also shot some things in Las Vegas.

BK: Was that an actual hotel that you used in the hotel/Las Vegas scenes?

RB: Well because we had to fake most of it because of the budget, the Starburst Hotel (fictional hotel in the film) is actually made up of about 5 different locations.

BK: Describe your relationship with writer Carl Nicita.

RB: I met Carl at a First Friday event in downtown Bakersfield. Long story short he approached me to shoot the film. We since have become friends in all the mess.

BK: How long did it take to make Booze, Broads, and Blackjack, from finishing the script to completing post-production?

RB: A few months shy of 2 years.

BK: What was the hardest part of making Booze, Broads, and Blackjack for you, as a director?

RB: The hardest part was the number of locations and cheats we had to pull off. We had close to 60 locations in total so that meant we usually had company moves 2 to 3 times a day. That makes it tough, especially with only a few people on the crew.

BK: Is it right to call Booze, Broads, and Blackjack a crime comedy or is it meant to be more of a straight-up crime movie?

RB: I would say a “light-hearted” crime film.

BK: What do you think people find so fascinating about mob movies/crime movies? What’s your favorite crime movie?

RB: I think people like to live vicariously through the characters, doing things that they would not do in real life. I would say Goodfellas is one of my favorites.

BK: Any moviemaking heroes?

RB: Oh, I have plenty! I’ll sum it up like this. Robert Rodriguez showed me I could make movies, Alfred Hitchcock taught me to respect the process, Stanley Kubrick taught me the importance of framing, and Steven Spielberg helped me to keep things engaging and entertaining. All through their films.

BK: Any upcoming projects you can reveal to the world?

RB: Yes! Our film Border Brothers is finally on Vimeo on Demand. We have our film A Well Respected Man currently hitting a successful festival run. And our latest film, The Video Store, is a 1990’s throwback starring James Duval and Kelli Maroney. It’s a fun film about a video store that overcomes an alien invasion. Here is the site for that film: Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.>.

BK: What do you hope audiences get out of Booze, Broads, and Blackjack?

RB: I hope they are entertained and have a fun ride with the cast. It’s a really fun flick.

BK: Would you be interested in doing a sequel?

RB: Yeah, I am always game to make movies! 🙂

BK: What are the odds of Crash Banner, your character in the movie, getting his own spin-off?

RB: Haha, it’s possible!

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A very special thanks to Rickey Bird for agreeing to appear in this interview and to david j. moore for setting it up.

Watch Booze, Broads, and Blackjack here

Check out my review of Booze, Broads, and Blackjack here.

Check out the official Booze, Broads, and Blackjack Facebook page here.

Check out the official Film Regions International, Inc. Facebook page here.

Check out Rickey Bird’s Twitter page here.

Check out the Hectic Films official website here and Twitter page here.

Rickey Bird, Jr. image courtesy of Rickey Bird, Jr. Poster image courtesy of Film Regions International, Inc. All other images from Booze, Broads, and Blackjack Facebook page.