"HELL'S ACRES" -adapted from the novel, "Hell's Acres- A Historical Novel Of The Wild East In The 50s" by Clay Perry and John L.E. Pell
LOG LINE: In 1853, a reclusive horse farmer acts as a spy to help capture a gang of murderous horse thieves, during the frenzy of the world's first heavyweight boxing championship match. Based on true events.
SYNOPSIS: James Grayson lives on his Saratoga horse farm with the slave family he freed, and the stallions he raises. Once an adventurer, he is now a bitter man, numbed by disillusionment and tragedy. He has no interest in the world beyond his own estate, choosing to isolate himself from the older land barons and horse breeders of his affluent city. But his insular life is about to end. A gang of horse thieves has been stealing thoroughbreds from the private stables of Saratoga. Resisters are killed, and the police have done nothing. The barons form a vigilante group, and choose James as the right man to infiltrate the gang and enable their capture. But he accepts only after a friend is brutally murdered. Where James must go is to "Hell's Acres", or so the farm town of Boston Corner, Massachusetts, is nicknamed. Separated from the rest of the state by uncrossable mountains, Boston Corner is a forgotten, lawless haven for criminals- and home to the Black Grocery Gang. When James arrives in town under the guise of an itinerant blacksmith, he manages to get hired by "Black" Brant, proprietor of the Black Grocery, and brutish leader of the gang. James now has the means to secretly learn how the rustlers steal horses, dye them a different color, and run them through the treacherous "blow hole", a hidden crevice in the mountains. Events are set in motion when Brant's sociopathic son, Spike, returns from New York City. Spike brings his father a deal he can't refuse: in three weeks, Boston Corner is to be the site of the world's first championship boxing match, between the champ "Yankee" Sullivan, and contender John Morrissey. Boxing is illegal but extremely popular, and unpoliced Boston Corner is the perfect site. Father and son will control the stakes. James devises his plan. He sets Brant up by offering him an easy score- a way to snatch more than a dozen thoroughbreds all at once, then bring them through Boston Corner unnoticed, during the melee of the fight. What Brant doesn't know is that the vigilante group and authorities will be laying in wait. As thousands of spectators descend on Boston Corner, James positions himself to conduct the scheme from ringside by acting as a cornerman for the champ, Sullivan. The gang gathers the stolen horses, the vigilantes enter town, and the fight begins. Round after round of the bare-knuckled, bloody spectacle, James gives signals to pinpoint the gang and location of the horses. But when someone in the crowd happens to recognize James, Brant smells a double-cross, and attempts an escape on horseback. James rides in pursuit, and throws Brant from his horse. In a struggle, Brant is able to get a fatal shot off. Tragically, James dies- just as the authorities arrive. Brant is the last to be captured, putting an end to the Black Grocery Gang. And paying the ultimate price, James manages to bring law back to Boston Corner.
"MILTON AND JANIS"
LOG LINE: A comic tale of the unlikely friendship between an aging Jewish masseur, and his newest client, Janis Joplin- and the bus ride that changes both their lives as he joins the psychedelic tour of the decade.
SYNOPSIS: Moishie Fein is an aging professional masseur, holding fast to his little, predictable world amid the cultural revolution of the 1960s. When he's not rubbing down the sweaty, cigar-chomping schlubs who make up his usual clients, he visits his wife in the hospital. He's disowned his only daughter, who lives with another woman. When Moishie gets a call for a freelance massage at the Chelsea Hotel, the client turns out to be some singing sensation named Janis Joplin. After an embarrassing first encounter with a badly hungover Janis, she later apologizes, and Moishie grudgingly returns to give her the massage. Strangely, they find a connection; a blissed-out Janis is taken by this respectful, patient old man, and he is surprised by this wild-child who is unexpectedly sweet and vulnerable. But his personal life crumbles- his wife dies, and he's deep in debt. While sitting shivah, he gets a strangely karmic phone call: will he join Janis on tour as her personal masseur? It's an insane idea- how could this aging Jew handle sex, drugs,and ear-splitting music? Then again, it's a lucrative job. And maybe he could be useful giving relief to a very needy singer, and besides, getting away might be good. Moishie packs his bags, and joins Janis and the Kozmic Blues Band on their psychedelic tour of the east coast. Tooling down to Philly, Baltimore, and D.C., Moishie encounters bikers, groupies, and reconnects with an old army buddy. And despite the strange world, he continues to feel useful to Janis. But he's thrown by a visit from Janis' manager, who privately corners Moishie. Janis is a valuable "commodity", and he needs to know if she's back using heroin. He insists Moishie be his snitch. Torn, Moishie doesn't want to betray her trust, but also worries about her health. For a moment, he manages to enjoy himself; the band coerces him into joining the wild partying at the back of the bus. They smoke, they drink, and Moishie even joins Janis in an impromptu "Summertime". But in their next session, he begins to pry about her needle marks, and Janis is furious. She locks herself in the bathroom, returns high, and proceeds to OD on the massage table. He is frantic, but is able to get help in time. When the rest of the tour is cancelled, he is sent home, feeling he failed both Janis and the people around her. Months later, back in his old life, he learns Janis will be in town to do the Dick Cavett show. Curious to see her once more, and in a better place, Moishie meets her after the show, and Janis is thrilled. She thanks him for saving her life, and encourages him to reconnect with his estranged daughter. When she invites him back on tour, he demurs, wishes her luck, and they part ways. More time passes, and Moishie learns of Janis' death. As he mourns yet again, he is finally motivated to make amends, and makes a long-overdue phone call, reaching out to the only daughter he has.
"THE BEAST OF BALUCHISTAN"
LOG LINE: An oafish, dysfunctional kleptomaniac struggles miserably with his job as a propman on tour with the "Wizard Of Oz". Though too emotionally stunted to pursue his real dream in paleontology, his life begins to change when he befriends the actor who plays the Mayor Of Munchkinland.
SYNOPSIS: Hank Lumberton works as a propman on the National Tour of "The Wizard Of Oz". At 28, it's his first job, and he stinks at it. He's there only because his Uncle Freddy pulled strings with the Stagehands' Union, deciding it was time for Hank to stop living at home, become an adult, and stay out of trouble. In another life, Hank might have been an eminent paleontologist, being a self-taught expert in one subject: prehistoric mammals. Problem is, in this life, Hank is an oafishly-tall, withdrawn loser. And also, a kleptomaniac. Twice in jail for shoplifting, he keeps his compulsion a shameful secret, while dreading getting busted for that "third strike and you're out" visit to prison. As the tour settles in Boston, Hank nightly fumbles his way through performances. A misplaced medal for the Cowardly Lion, or a flameless Witch's broom has Hank teetering on the verge of getting fired. As an escape, his off-hours are spent visiting the Natural History Museum, where an exhibit will soon feature the complete fossil remains of the beast he obsesses over, the enormous "baluchitherium". It is backstage where Hank attracts the attention of Gerry, the dwarf who plays the Mayor of Munchkinland. Comfortable in his own body, Gerry first finds the gawky, towering Hank a curiosity. As their friendship evolves, Hank enjoys the rare attention from the minuscule actor, and Gerry is intrigued by Hank's buried potential. They visit the museum together, where Gerry learns of Hank's dream- to join a university-sponsored fossil expedition to the Gobi Desert. Tensions mount at work, and Hank receives a high-pressure visit from his Uncle Freddy, whose hovering threatens to send Hank over the edge. And to avoid him during the day, Hank focuses on his museum visit, and the momentary joy of being face-to-face with the remains of a baluchitherium. Those hopes are dashed when he arrives and finds the display has been postponed due to unfinished reconstruction. Distraught, he sneaks into the baluchitherium room, discovering on his own that several wrong bones have been mistakenly attached to the enormous fossil. He argues with a museum staffer, and is promptly kicked out- but not before being confronted by the professor who is leading the future Gobi expedition. Hank insists he's merely "a crappy crew guy on the road", but the professor is left wondering where this mysterious expert really comes from. In the evening before the show, the inevitable happens- Hank is caught shoplifting, and thrown in jail. He calls in to work, and makes up an excuse to buy time as he awaits his public defender. But there's really no way to keep his secret much longer- soon everyone will know, including his uncle. Strike three. All will be lost. Luckily, Gerry is on to Hank's kleptomania, and after the show, he assembles his munchkin/actor buddies. They pay a visit to the police precinct, and after a hilarious impromptu performance, they find a way to get Hank off the hook. But Hank can't catch a break. Back at work, the understudy for Dorothy is on, and the witch's broom is on the fritz. Though he adjusts the broom's "pilot light", live theater is still live, and unpredictable. When the big moment arrives for Dorothy to present the Wizard with the prized broom, flames unexpectedly shoot out, and it's little Toto who becomes the charred victim of, well, live theater. The searing horror of it all sends Hank promptly out the stage door, and directly to the one refuge he can think of- the museum. Desperate to prove his worth as a human being, Hank finds a way to hold the museum-- and the baluchitherium fossil itself-- hostage. He ties himself to the huge precarious frame of bones, and won't budge until he alone properly completes the skeleton. Gerry, Uncle Freddy, the professor, and museum guards all arrive only to be helplessly frozen in horror-- until Gerry steps in, as hostage negotiator. Then, as he manages to talk Hank down, a misstep causes the entire, priceless, 30-million year-old fossil to come crashing down. And it is only because Hank throws himself on top of Gerry that the 5-foot skull doesn't pulverize the tiny thespian. A life is saved. A fossil destroyed. And paleontologist/kleptomaniac exposed! And somehow, the authorities, museum, and professor find the proper punishment-- as Hank winds up on a short leash of probation, on kitchen detail, in a tent, on the Gobi Desert Expedition of his dreams.
Copyright Rich Rosenzweig 2018 All Rights Reserved