Tinsel Town, Less the Tinsel
They don't look like much, but these four scripts represent years of work. They got me managers and made the rounds and got considerable praise. What they did not get was optioned.
Nor produced. Such is the way of L.A.
(And I thought advertising was tough.)
I present them here only because I still have a fond attachment to them. And on the off chance that a producer with infinite wisdom might stumble upon them and sniff potential.
I will now start holding my breath.
​
"Finder's Keepers"
Kevin Turner's life is going downhill fast after his divorce. He lives aboard a relic, 32' boat bought on DEA auction. Everything changes when his 9-year old daughter discovers two and a half million dollars hidden in the boat's hull.
Things get worse.
"Looking For Trouble"
An L.A. gangbanger and an abused Texas dog become an unlikely team in Vietnam, where they teach each other how to survive and how to love--only to become separated in the fog of war.
Somehow, Darryon must find his MIA pooch, Trouble, then find a way to smuggle him back to the States. Why? Because the military is classifying all war dogs as
“surplus equipment" and leaving them behind.
"Whip Until Firm"
Eddie Hollister has it made: A world renowned chef, a love-of-his-life wife, a Bel-Air home, and a taste for fine scotch. But when he loses his wife in a booze-infused car accident, his business partner also helps him lose everything else.
One year later Rudy finds himself the reluctant heir to his mother’s grungy Mojave tavern, complete with quirky staff, failing business and ruthless competitor. Eventually, a comely British hydrologist convinces him to fight for the dump--regaining his self-respect, avenging his ex-partner and reconnecting with his estranged son in the process.
"Mud & Guts"
A fictionalized version of my non-fiction picture book, "Stallions of Steel." Based on the true story of James Moss's and Mingo Sanders’ challenge to show the US Army that bicycles could replace horses.
It chronicles their miserable, 2,000-mile trek with 20 Buffalo Soldiers peddling (and walking) from Fort Missoula, Montana to St. Louis Missouri. They deal with record rain, hellish heat, rampant racism, poison ponds, and a band of deadly deserters. But still manage to make it in 40 days, as James promised.
A bittersweet aside: "Mud & Guts" placed among the top 30 scripts out of 6,044 submitted in the Academy Awards Screenwriting Competition. Why bitter? Because
the top 20 are virtually guaranteed a lot of buzz, meetings, and possible deals. Sigh.