The last time I saw Jim Carlson, we were standing on the late-night sidewalk outside the Old Town Ale House and he was telling me he was headed west.
“It’s time,” he said. “I’m moving to LA.”
That was 14 years ago. I had gotten to know Carlson when we were both part of “Chicago Live,” a series of Tribune stage productions that combined interviews with staff members and newsmakers, historical stories, music and comedy. That latter element was presented by the folks at The Second City, under the direction of and often featuring Carlson.
I hosted this concoction and got to observe Carlson, who was talented, smart and funny but also all-business in directing his cast of young comic actors.
For more than half a century, Second City folks have headed west or east toward stardom. Some did this on their own. Others were plucked from the stage by such people as “Saturday Night Live” producer Lorne Michaels. The successes make a long list peppered with familiar performers such as Alan Arkin, Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Steve Carell, Mike Myers, Tim Meadows, Shelley Long, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Stephen Colbert, Jordan Peele, Jason Sudeikis and more.
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Fame was deadly for some, think John Belushi and Chris Farley. And many simply faded into the sunny Hollywood landscape of broken dreams and run of the mill professions, stardom deferred forever.
Carlson went to Los Angeles with his then girlfriend, now wife, Kate Duffy. They had met when both performed and directed for nearly a decade with iO, the venerable improv operation, before coming to The Second City. Their skills and ambitions served them well in LA and each was able to find a few film and TV roles and some writing jobs. There was also much frustration, because that is the nature of Hollywood, filled with deals that evaporate and promises never fulfilled.
In the summer of 2021, they both traveled to Oklahoma City to film a pilot for a potential series called “Faculty Lounging,” which Duffy had written and co-produced about two teachers secretly living inside their school. Carlson was cast in a small part, but the couple’s experience was so positive as to be life-altering.
“We were driving back to LA and we began talking seriously about moving,” says Carlson. “By the time we got home that decision was made and in a short time, we were gone.”
And so did Oklahoma City become their home that October. In addition to enjoying the lower cost of living than LA, there were all manner of attractive career inducements, such as financial benefits like state cash rebates and a burgeoning film industry thanks to such Oklahoma-based productions as the movie “Twister” and the Sylvester Stallone cable vehicle “Tulsa King.”
“And there was a surprisingly deep talent pool of technical folks and actors,” says Carlson. “And visually there is a really wide variety. There are prairies, hills, sand dunes and a choice between small towns and cities. And none of it is overexposed, lush forests, historic small-town and cityscapes.”
He and Duffy live just north of the city — “We are surrounded by lots of trees,” says Carlson — and they formed “The Swamp,” a long-form improv group with fellow Second City alum Ryan Archibald, who had also moved back to the area to be closer to his family. They perform regularly at OKC Improv in Oklahoma City and at the Cody Mayo Studios in Tulsa.
Now some big news: Carlson has made a movie, a film titled “Drive Through Fire,” in which he stars as an opioid-addicted former soldier who’s now a rideshare driver. He rises quickly to the heroic level after he picks up a young woman and discovers that she is a victim of a sex trafficking operation. There is a murder, and Carson and his passenger must elude a gang of nasty bad guys.
In addition to his starring role, Carlson also co-directed the film with Lauren Bond, who also collaborated with him on the script. Her sister, Jennifer Bond, very ably plays the role of the terrified trafficked woman. You will likely not recognize any of the other cast members but for Michael Jai White as a homicide detective. He has been in dozens of films, beginning with playing the title character in 1995’s “Mike Tyson.”
“Getting Michael to sign on was very important for us,” says Carson. “Having a certified star gave us credibility.”
It is a fast-paced and violent 87 minutes. The film was made for under $1 million, a very modest budget, and accomplished it in 20 shooting days, a very rapid schedule.
“This was, by far, the toughest thing I have ever done,” he says. “But it has also been empowering.”
It has for a few weeks been available on streaming services and has received mixed reviews, with one critic writing online, “(With) ‘Drive Through Fire’… you know what you’re getting, and it doesn’t disappoint. It’s not going to knock your socks off, but at the same time, it’s reliable, solid entertainment. It’s shot well, there’s a good cast, and it has a surprisingly humble energy, which is a great change of pace… if you’re a fan of action-thriller cinema, give this one a shot.”
This is the sort of project that should be an effective calling card. Carlson and Duffy have a number of other film projects in the works, including a couple with the Bond sisters, who now live in Tennessee.
“This movie has given us real confidence,” he says. “It also showed us that moving here was the right choice.”