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.
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Manny PachecoDirectororgotten Hollywood Book Series, KNX 1070 NEWS RADIO
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Michelle MerkerDirectorDiscover Orange County / PBS SoCal; Real Orange, KOCE-TV / PBS
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Manny PachecoWriterForgotten Hollywood Book Series, KNX 1070 NEWS RADIO
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Michelle MerkerWriterDiscover Orange County / PBS SoCal; Real Orange, KOCE-TV / PBS
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Gary LycanWriterColumnist, Orange County Register (Deceased)
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Manny PachecoProducerForgotten Hollywood Book Series, KNX 1070 NEWS RADIO
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Michelle MerkerProducerDiscover Orange County / PBS SoCal; KOCE-TV / PBS
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Margaret O'BrienKey CastMeet Me in St. Louis, MGM (Academy Award); Little Women, MGM; Our Vines Have Tender Grapes, MGM
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Debbie ReynoldsKey CastSinging in the Rain, MGM; The Unsinkable Molly Brown, MGM (Academy Award-nomination); That's Entertainment, MGM
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Jeff Bordner (narrator)Key CastHard Copy, Paramount Television Entertainment (Emmy); Puppy Bowl, Animal Planet
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Scott EssmanKey CastPublicist, Universal Studios
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Project Type:Screenplay, Television Script
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Number of Pages:20
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Country of Origin:United States
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Language:English
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First-time Screenwriter:Yes
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Student Project:No
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LOS ANGELES PRESS CLUB - 3RD ANNUAL ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALISM AWARDSLOS ANGELES, CA
November 14, 2012
ENTERTAINMENT BLOG BY AN INDIVIDUAL - 3RD PLACE
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.
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.