Local Man Living His Dream

by Diane Lowrey
R-T Editor
While it probably won’t win any Academy Awards, “A Night to Remember on 21st Street” is a movie Trenton resident Jeremy Hudson hopes will help him launch a successful acting career.
Hudson, a 1994 graduate of Trenton High School, is one of the leads in the movie, filmed in the Kansas City area over the course of four months in late 2016 and early 2017. He plays a police detective who, along with his partner, is responsible for finding a missing body that witnesses claim was the victim of a shooting at a party the night before.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Hudson said about his first feature length movie, which will make its debut next month on April 5 in Kansas City before showing on April 7 at Chumbley’s in Trenton. “I’ve done some videos and school plays, but this is my first feature movie.”
The movie was produced and directed by brothers from Kansas City – Alan Michael and Aaron Dougherty – both of whom also have roles in the 90-minute production. Hudson said the movie was filmed in various locations in and around Kansas City and that his character, Officer Clark, is prominently featured throughout.
“Because we have to interview seven witnesses to this supposed shooting, you see us a lot,” Hudson said. “The movie goes back and forth from us interviewing the witnesses to scenes that show what each of the witnesses said they saw that night.”
Hudson describes his character as a cross between Bruce Willis in the “Die Hard” movies and Kevin James in the “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” movie.
“While it’s a serious subject, the movie is really a comedy,” Hudson said. “My character is one of these long-time detectives who doesn’t necessarily do things the correct way, but he has the admiration of the police officers who want to become detectives and be like him. And he gets the job done.”
Hudson, who has always had an interest in acting (he has a theater and video degree from Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph), got the part by answering an ad on Craig’s List, looking for a specific type of individual to play the law enforcement role.
“I saw this ad saying that someone was looking for an older heavy-set male who was funny to appear in a comedy movie in Kansas City,” he said. “I sent my resume and head shots and within five minutes I got called for the interview.”
The interview was a success and soon afterward, Hudson found himself in front of the camera.
“Once I was hired, they started talking with me about what they wanted me to do, I got the script and away we went,” he said.
With his first movie complete, Hudson already has four more lined up, including two with this same company (Random Quality Films) as well as another company, which already has a named project ready to go.
“I get to play a bad guy in that one,” Hudson said of “Gutter Flushers,” the next movie he has on his list. “It takes place in July of 1970 and is about two rival gutter cleaning companies. I’m called ‘The Gutter King’ in this one and I’m trying to run the new company out of town.”
Shooting on “Gutter Flushers” is anticipated to start early next month. The movies with Random Quality Films have yet to be titled, but will involve him playing a boss at the post office in one and the second being a spoof of “The Blair Witch Project” and paranormal activity in general.
Meanwhile, Hudson is preparing for the debut of his current movie in both Kansas City and Trenton. The first showing will take place at the Tivoli Cinema at 5050 Pennsylvania Ave. in Kansas City on Thursday, April 5. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. and the movie to begin around 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 prior to the debut or $15 if purchased at the door. Tickets can be purchased at the website, thenighttorememberon21stmovie.com. There is also a trailer to the movie at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKtuPrefi50.
Chumbley’s, which is also where Hudson works as a bartender and bouncer when not making movies, will host the Trenton debut of the movie on Saturday, April 7. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased the night of the show. Doors open at 6 p.m., with the movie to start at 7:30 p.m.