Forgotten Hollywood - Triumph over Disability

Forgotten Hollywood is a series of fascinating stories about character actors from Hollywood's Golden Age. Our first profile is: Lionel Barrymore and his pioneering fight to continue working despite a diagnosis of advanced degenerative arthritis. His efforts (that influenced the work of Helen Keller and Franklin D. Roosevelt) led to a change of perception by Tinsel Town and our nation in the way we approach disease and disability.

A pilot is currently in production based on Lionel Barrymore's pioneering story. Our screenplay is a springboard as a potential television / cable series of Forgotten Hollywood stories.

  • Manny Pacheco
    Director
    orgotten Hollywood Book Series, KNX 1070 NEWS RADIO
  • Michelle Merker
    Director
    Discover Orange County / PBS SoCal; Real Orange, KOCE-TV / PBS
  • Manny Pacheco
    Writer
    Forgotten Hollywood Book Series, KNX 1070 NEWS RADIO
  • Michelle Merker
    Writer
    Discover Orange County / PBS SoCal; Real Orange, KOCE-TV / PBS
  • Gary Lycan
    Writer
    Columnist, Orange County Register (Deceased)
  • Manny Pacheco
    Producer
    Forgotten Hollywood Book Series, KNX 1070 NEWS RADIO
  • Michelle Merker
    Producer
    Discover Orange County / PBS SoCal; KOCE-TV / PBS
  • Margaret O'Brien
    Key Cast
    Meet Me in St. Louis, MGM (Academy Award); Little Women, MGM; Our Vines Have Tender Grapes, MGM
  • Debbie Reynolds
    Key Cast
    Singing in the Rain, MGM; The Unsinkable Molly Brown, MGM (Academy Award-nomination); That's Entertainment, MGM
  • Jeff Bordner (narrator)
    Key Cast
    Hard Copy, Paramount Television Entertainment (Emmy); Puppy Bowl, Animal Planet
  • Scott Essman
    Key Cast
    Publicist, Universal Studios
  • Project Type:
    Screenplay, Television Script
  • Number of Pages:
    20
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • First-time Screenwriter:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • LOS ANGELES PRESS CLUB - 3RD ANNUAL ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALISM AWARDS
    LOS ANGELES, CA
    November 14, 2012
    ENTERTAINMENT BLOG BY AN INDIVIDUAL - 3RD PLACE
Writer Biography - Manny Pacheco, Michelle Merker, Gary Lycan

Author Manny Pacheco has enjoyed a growing acclaim through his Forgotten Hollywood Book Series, now included in the library collections of the Hollywood Heritage Museum, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and American Film Institute. He is currently in production to turn his literary work into a Forgotten Hollywood Documentary.

A Southern California television and radio personality for over three decades, Manny was on NBC's Santa Barbara, co-hosted the Daytime Emmy-nominated In Studio on KCOP-13. He is currently a weekend traffic anchor on KNX 10-70 News Radio in Los Angeles.

Add Writer Biography
Writer Statement

I am proud to present the seldom-shared story of Lionel Barrymore, and his desire to carry on with his career, despite being diagnosed in 1937 with advanced degenerative arthritis. His decision influenced the strategy in our government’s pioneering fight to eradicate polio through the March of Dimes Campaign. Barrymore also inspired President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Helen Keller to continue their personal and professional battles over disability and disease.

Their tangential paths shaped a national agenda of acceptance and positively altered Hollywood’s uniform perception of people with disabilities.