User talk:Faunahodel

I had a story to tell -- a riveting, complex, heart-wrenching, heart-warming story. It was the story of my own life.

Born in 1951 to the Caucasian daughter of a prominent and wealthy California doctor, I was given up at birth under mysterious circumstances to a Black maid and  Black shoeshine man at the Riverside Casino in Reno, Nevada. And that was the beginning of the truly incredible tale that I wanted to share with the world.

I found a writing partner, and together we wrote the manuscript of the story of my life. I found financing in Hawaii, and went to L.A. and hired a producer.

My dream of sharing my life story was being realized. The project was in the early stages of pre-production in L.A.  My producing partner Liliane and I were staying at the Chateau Marmont, and everything was moving along well.

Then word came that they would have to change all the names in the story in order to pass Errors and Omissions. But that was just the beginning – at that time, no one involved could have imagined the powerful reach and negative influence of Dr. George Hodel. That is a story in and of itself.

So the names were changed to protect the guilty, production commenced, and principal photography was all but completed, with just two days of filming to go. And that’s when the project that was a labor of love came to a grinding and painful halt. But what was already on film was too powerful and too impactful to remain unseen:

n Alfre Woodard has cited her portrayal of Hattie in “Pretty Hattie’s Baby” as her best work.

n Ivan Passer, Director, said of the filming of “Pretty Hattie’s Baby”:  “there’s a miracle every 15 seconds”

n Tony Imi, Director of Cinematography: “What happened was pure magic. I tried to make it look as real as possible. It is an exceptional movie, amazing performance. Something magical happened in the entire experience”

n Jim Taylor, Academy Award winning screenwriter for “Sideways”, worked on “Pretty Hattie’s Baby” early in his career  as Asst. to the Director. Fifteen years later he told a friend that he is still haunted by the film, wonders what happened to it, and that there should be a way to get it finished and released.

n Carmi Gallo, Production Designer, says “Pretty Hattie’s Baby is a timeless piece.”

n Bobby Hosea, actor:  “The … wait for release of Pretty Hattie’s Baby has in no way diminished the impact of this powerful, beautifully told story of unconditional love, hope, struggle and triumph… If it were released 100 years from now it would still be very profound.”

n John Foss of Storyboard Productions:  “It’s one of the most powerful films I’ve ever seen.”

n Dr. J. Herman Blake, PhD., from 2002:  “I hope you will give every favorable consideration to the opportunities presented in both the movie ‘Pretty Hattie’s Baby’ and in the profound human described there – Fauna Hodel. In this era of universal conflict and tragedy, America needs them both.”

It feels the perfect time for my story of breaching racial barriers and racial prejudice to be told. With Barack Obama as our nation’s first Black president,   our nation and the world have made incredible progress toward that end in the last few months. My message is that at the end of the day, nothing is more important than kindness and compassion, as well as embracing one another, regardless of differences in race, creed, gender, or sexual preference. The film “Pretty Hattie’s Baby” embodies these beliefs, but is just the beginning of the story. All facets of my story will move and inspire audiences.

Cacti Films, Inc., originally produced the film independently. It stars Emmy Award winner and Oscar nominee Alfre Woodard as Hattie. Miss Woodard’s co-star is Charles S. Dutton, one of the few actors to earn Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for the same role, for his portrayal of Boy Willie in “The Piano Lesson”. Other cast members are Alison Elliott, lauded for her roles in “The Spitfire Grill” and “The Miracle Worker”; two-time Oscar nominee Jill Clayburgh; Bobby Hosea, and Tess Harper.

Jan Hewitt...wrote this for me....