Basie Center Cinemas to screen rarely seen Meat Loaf movie, ‘Dead Ringer’

The Meat Loaf movie “Dead Ringer” will be shown in Red Bank, May 27.

Made in conjunction with Meat Loaf’s 1981 album of the same name but never officially released, the 1982 movie “Dead Ringer” will receive a rare screening at Basie Center Cinemas in Red Bank, May 27 at 7 p.m. Remember Jones — who will perform Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell album in its entirety at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, June 2, and at Resorts in Atlantic City, June 10 — will host the screening, and the film’s director, Allan Nicholls, will join him for a question-and-answer session.

For tickets and information, visit thebasie.org/events/dead-ringer-1982.

The 101-minute film is a fictional work, not a documentary, and stars Meat Loaf both as a version of himself, dealing with the craziness of the rock-star lifestyle, and as his biggest fan. There are concert scenes in it that feature Meat Loaf and his band of the time, which includes longtime Elton John collaborator Davey Johnstone on guitar.

Proceeds from the screening will go to the Basie’s Forever for Everyone scholarship program.

The Dead Ringer album was the followup to Meat Loaf’s hugely successful 1977 release, Bat Out of Hell, and did not achieve anything close to its success, though it did rise to No. 1 on the United Kingdom album charts, and yielded one minor U.S. hit single, “I’m Gonna Love Her for Both of Us.”

Nicholls’ other credits include acting in movies such as “Nashville,” “Slap Shot” and “Bob Roberts,” and co-writing the Robert Altman-directed movies “A Wedding” and “A Perfect Couple.”