Gershwin's Trunk story
Jo-Jo Gillespie, a Broadway lyricist/composer desperate to deliver a hit musical, seeks inspiration from the spirit of George Gershwin, summoned from the dead by psychic Sister Teresa. Rumors begin speculating that the phenomenal music Jo-Jo produces isn't his, prompting Jo-Jo to do anything to protect his secret. Directed by: Paul Bartel. Story by: Paul Bartel & John Meyer.
12 total · 10 major · 2 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| benefiting from someone else's work | major | Jo-Jo passed off compositions created by the spirit of George Gershwin as his own work. |
| blackmail | major | Detective Watts blackmailed Jo-Jo by offering to keep quiet about the murder in exchange for a cut of the box office profits from Jo-Jo's upcoming musical. |
| corruption in society | major | A corrupt NYPD detective made a brazen attempt to profit financially by blackmailing a murderer. |
| law enforcement | major | Detective Watts blackmailed Jo-Jo by offering to keep quiet about the murder in exchange for a cut of the box office profits from Jo-Jo's upcoming musical. |
| murder | major | The plot turns on Jo-Jo bludgeoning a man with a candelabra to avoid being outed as a plagiarist. |
| music | major | The story follows a Broadway lyricist/composer, Jo-Jo Gillespie, who turns to the occult to overcome his apparent writer's block. |
| rivalry | major | Two former partners, Jo-Jo and Jerry, competed over whose upcoming Broadway musical would be the more successful. |
| séance | major | The psychic Sister Teresa summoned the spirit of George Gershwin. |
| the desire for fame | major | Jo-Jo was driven by his desire to deliver a Broadway hit. |
| writer's block | major | It seemed as if Jo-Jo was suffering from writer's block, although it later became apparent that he was merely talentless. |