Writing last week about watching “My Name is Earl” reminded me of how Jason Lee ruined moving day for us. Some of you already know this story but for those who don’t…(insert wavy fingers and woogly voice to indicate a flashback here. You know, like in “Wayne’s World.”)
September 2006
Our heroes, Chris and Laura Falin, are at home in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood, while being middle class, apparently is an excellent stand-in for a white-trash town because the sitcom “My Name is Earl,” is constantly filming there. The trailer park from the show is at the end of the block (okay, I have to say that it’s not a real trailer park — it’s the back of a church parking lot, thank you very much). Laura hears a knock on the front door and finds a crew member from the show making rounds and informing residents that the show will be filming there on a Tues and Thurs in Oct. Residents will be unable to park vehicles in front of their homes on that day, as the street will be needed for crew parking. Everything is consented to and everyone is happy.
Sunday evening, October 2006 (maybe Oct 4? I don’t know)
Our dashing couple and their two adorable children are getting ready to move from Southern CA to Colorado. Things are packed, utilities are forwarded, good-byes are said. In all the bustle of moving, our organized and intelligent couple has not forgotten, however, that “My Name is Earl” will be filmed in front of their home on Tues, preventing a moving truck from parking in front. They have arranged for the truck to come Wed, in between the two filming days, thus preventing any problems. Or so they think. (cue ominous music)
The phone rings. It is the moving company, calling to confirm that their truck will be ready and on-site early Tues morning. Someone has scheduled the wrong date. Chris warns the man that the truck cannot park in front of the house and is told it will be no problem — the truck will park in the alley behind and move things out the back door.
Tuesday, Oct 6-ish 2006
6a The Earl crew arrives and begins to set up on the street in front of the house.
7:30a The construction crew arrives and begins to work on Chris and Laura’s house, which is being renovated even as they are planning to move out.
8a The moving crew arrives and discovers the cross-country moving truck will not be able to turn down the narrow alley. They begin a series of maneuvers involving much backing up, pulling forward, trimming trees and possibly attempting to bribe the Earl crew. Nothing works.
9a The 1-800-JUNK crew arrives to remove items from the Falin household. They park in the alley…somewhere. The backyard is crammed with trucks and men and is beginning to look like a Marx Brothers movie.
10a The moving company finally decides to rent a U-Haul and shuttle the Falin furniture from their back door, down the alley to an adjoining street where the cross-country moving truck is parked. A job that should be done by noon is just beginning. With no parking in their own backyard and nowhere for the children to play, Laura Falin drives her car down the street to a friend’s and lets the kids play in her front yard, even though she’s not home.
6p The moving company is finished. The exhausted couple and their cranky children sit in the middle of their bare floor in the living room and stare. It’s dinnertime. They have no food. They have nowhere to sleep. They have nothing to do. A kind and generous friend (yeay, Sarah Fuller!) brings over dinner and sees the pathetic family attempting to eat her food with no silverware, while sitting on the floor, and takes pity on them, inviting them over to spend the night. The couple almost cries with relief and gladly runs away from home.
And so ends our story…though after all that, the 1100 mile drive with two small children was a cakewalk.
