Hollywood Hijinx
Encyclopedia
Hollywood Hijinx is an interactive fiction
computer game written by "Hollywood" Dave Anderson and Liz Cyr-Jones and published by Infocom
in 1986. Implemented using Infocom's Z-Machine
, the game was released over a wide variety of platforms, including the Apple II
, Atari 8-bit and Commodore 64
. It is Infocom's twenty-third game.
actor
, he fought his way to the top, started his own studio and became one of Tinseltown's most acclaimed and prolific directors! Well, at least that's how Uncle Buddy would have told it. Actually, he married wealthy former debutante
Hildegarde Montague, whose trust fund enabled Buddy to open a studio. His movies earned a lot of money but very little critical regard... but he did manage to crank out more than 600 "masterpieces" before dying of a heart attack
several years ago. Who can forget such classics as Attack of the Killer Rutabagas, It Came from the Neighbor's House, or Meltdown on Elm Street? Now dear Aunt Hildy has passed on as well, and the player's character learns the terms of their rather unusual will
.
As the favorite among all of Buddy and Hildy's nephews and nieces, the player's character stands to inherit the entirety of the Burbank estate
, including their palatial home Hildebud. But only if the player can find the ten treasures (props from Buddy's films) that crafty Aunt Hildegarde has hidden on the grounds, that is. Oh, and it all has to be done in the space of one night.
Hildebud is filled with props, posters, and other memorabilia from Buddy's numerous films: a model of Tokyo complete with Atomic Chihuahua, the Maltese Finch, and a statue of "Buck Palace, the Fighting Mailman
" (star of such films as Postage Due and Special Delivery). Adding to the atmosphere are hidden passages, a convoluted hedge maze, and other bizarre features of the estate. Those strange noises that sound like someone else is in the house— are they just gimmicks too?
Interactive fiction
Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives and as video games. In common usage, the term refers to text...
computer game written by "Hollywood" Dave Anderson and Liz Cyr-Jones and published by Infocom
Infocom
Infocom was a software company, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that produced numerous works of interactive fiction. They also produced one notable business application, a relational database called Cornerstone....
in 1986. Implemented using Infocom's Z-Machine
Z-machine
The Z-machine is a virtual machine that was developed by Joel Berez and Marc Blank in 1979 and used by Infocom for its text adventure games. Infocom compiled game code to files containing Z-machine instructions , and could therefore port all its text adventures to a new platform simply by writing a...
, the game was released over a wide variety of platforms, including the Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
, Atari 8-bit and Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
. It is Infocom's twenty-third game.
Plot
Buddy Burbank was a genuine Hollywood success story. Not content to be a B-movieB-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, he fought his way to the top, started his own studio and became one of Tinseltown's most acclaimed and prolific directors! Well, at least that's how Uncle Buddy would have told it. Actually, he married wealthy former debutante
Debutante
A débutante is a young lady from an aristocratic or upper class family who has reached the age of maturity, and as a new adult, is introduced to society at a formal "début" presentation. It should not be confused with a Debs...
Hildegarde Montague, whose trust fund enabled Buddy to open a studio. His movies earned a lot of money but very little critical regard... but he did manage to crank out more than 600 "masterpieces" before dying of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
several years ago. Who can forget such classics as Attack of the Killer Rutabagas, It Came from the Neighbor's House, or Meltdown on Elm Street? Now dear Aunt Hildy has passed on as well, and the player's character learns the terms of their rather unusual will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
.
As the favorite among all of Buddy and Hildy's nephews and nieces, the player's character stands to inherit the entirety of the Burbank estate
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
, including their palatial home Hildebud. But only if the player can find the ten treasures (props from Buddy's films) that crafty Aunt Hildegarde has hidden on the grounds, that is. Oh, and it all has to be done in the space of one night.
Hildebud is filled with props, posters, and other memorabilia from Buddy's numerous films: a model of Tokyo complete with Atomic Chihuahua, the Maltese Finch, and a statue of "Buck Palace, the Fighting Mailman
Mailman
Mailman may refer to:*Mail carrier, a person who delivers mail*Mailman , a 2003 novel by American author J. Robert Lennon.*The Mail Man, a 1993 album by American rapper E-40*GNU Mailman, mailing list software...
" (star of such films as Postage Due and Special Delivery). Adding to the atmosphere are hidden passages, a convoluted hedge maze, and other bizarre features of the estate. Those strange noises that sound like someone else is in the house— are they just gimmicks too?
Feelies
In keeping with the Infocom tradition of feelies, or extra game-related stuff included in the package, Hollywood Hijinx contained the following:- A copy of Tinsel World, a fictional Hollywood tabloid
- A "lucky" swizzle stickSwizzle stickSwizzle sticks are small sticks placed in cocktails to hold fruit or stir the drink. Commonly made of plastic, the swizzle portion of the swizzle stick name originated from the Caribbean cocktail, Rum Swizzle....
in the shape of a palm tree - An autographed picture of Uncle Buddy with a hint-laden inscription on the back
- Aunt Hildegarde's will