Dumb Laws: Played Out — Treatment

Here’s another write-up I found on my hard drive. A long time ago, I thought I came up with the best TV show idea in the world. (Written 8/2/2011) — I happened to visit L.A. around this time, and someone there told me that I would have to make a “treatment” to pitch to studios if I was serious. And boy was I serious…and here is that “treatment”. I have no clue if it’s in a correct format that studio Execs would expect. I think I hunted down 1 TruTV producer and mailed it them. I’m still waiting to hear back on this genius idea.

Treatment by: Chris Scamuffa — <my email> — <my phone number>

Did you know that it’s illegal in Baltimore, MD to bring a lion into a movie theater? We all understand why that’s a good law, but isn’t it hard to imagine having the need to make that law?

In New York City it’s illegal for a woman to wear “body hugging clothing”. Have you been to New York in the spring or summer months lately? Half the women walking around that city would be thrown in jail if that was a law we held to today, like they do in Iran.

I’m surprised we haven’t even seen this one in a movies, or on TV or YouTube yet! In Hollywood, CA it’s illegal to herd more than 2000 sheep on Hollywood Blvd at one time. Why haven’t we seen that done yet! ?

I’m interested in sharing a show idea with a capable source that would be willing to finance and co-produce this project. I want to be a part of something that gives the public what they thrive for on TV today. Absurdity!

We need to point out and ridicule how hysterical and stupid these “MOST OUTRAGEOUS” dumb laws really are. A show compiled of these “preformed stunts” would show everyone just how obscure and almost insane these laws really are. Imagine taking any number of these laws, intentionally breaking them to finally show off the effects of how ridiculous they sound. It’s time we see them played out, rather than just hearing about them all the time.

Plenty of people don’t know this, but there are a lot of documented “Blue Laws”, “Dumb Laws”, or “Sunday Laws” that we only hear about. Basically, these laws are so ridiculous that you can’t fathom why they would even make them into laws in the first place. At some time in history, someone had to do a thing so strange for society to say that they could never do it again without penalty of law. That’s where you can throw in a background-check element to the show. Kind of a brief history on how or when one of these blue laws were made.

The longevity of this kind of show could rank among shows like “COPS®” and “AFV®”. Being that there are laws like this in all 50 states, there would be a plethora of episodes produced from a multitude of material to mine for comedic purposes. These laws are not just on the state level but on the local level as well, which is where you sometimes find the most bizarre and hysterical laws of them all. And The United States is not the only country that is this insane. We could always branch out internationally and show the stupidity of laws in other nations as well.

A prankster approach to this kind of show could be as simple as a “Jackass®” format. Just go out and perform these absurd laws in the specified locations and see what happens. Though risky, this is what people love to see. And just to note, life-threatening laws would obviously have to be played out in cartoon or CGI form, if any of them are covered at all.

An educational format for this kind of show could be to actually approach law-enforcement officials or historians to help us understand the validity of these laws. Even better would be to perform said laws, then have a third party affiliate alert the authorities that a law is being broken, then present said law to someone such as an officer to see how they actually act on the “crime” in progress. Just their reactions alone would prove how stupid and archaic these laws have become.

Possible formats: The “evening news” spoof, the hosted video clips approach or just plain reality-based style?.

Suggested Show Titles: 1. Dumb Laws: Played Out! 2. Fixing the Law 3. “Most Outrageous Laws”

Suggested punny intro theme: i.e. — Judas Priest: Breaking the Law, The Clash: I Fought the Law.

Target audience: Men 18–35+

Examples: Unconfirmed and unaffiliated resource: www.dumblaws.com

• In California, no vehicle without a driver may exceed 60 miles per hour.

-We can start with Adam and Jamie of “Myth Busters®”, or a Hollywood movie stunt team.

• In Boulder, CO, it’s illegal to permit ones llama to graze on city property.

-Self explanatory. Who handles this, meter maids?

• In Massachusetts, no gorilla is allowed in the back seat of a car

-This really isn’t all about animals. There are plenty of others.

• In Reno, Nevada, it is illegal to lie down on the sidewalk.

-This would make more sense in New York City.

• In New Jersey, it is against the law for a man to knit during fishing season.

-Just imagine what the guys will say when they realize you didn’t bring a rod like everyone else.

• In Pennsylvania, any motorist driving along a country road at night must stop every mile and send up a rocket signal, wait 10 minutes for the road to be cleared of livestock, and continue.

-It’s like the 4th of July, every night!

• In Texas, the entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned because it contains a formula for making beer at home.

-I’m sure someone will let us use their kitchen. Or better yet, how about a routine traffic stop turning up a set of Encyclopedia Britannica. Tell that one to your cell mates.

So do you see where I’m going with this? I not only want to share this idea, I need to be a part of it. I’m interested in one or some of the following titles for this project: Creator, co-creator, producer, co-producer, and/or writer. I’ll even perform on screen if I have to, but only after the proper motivational agreements have been established.

Feel free to contact me at any time to discuss this opportunity.

Sincerely,

Chris Scamuffa

The douche-chills this produced while re-reading this one were worthy enough for me to post it here. Be honest though…you’d watch this show, right?