Experiencing Interruptions?

Seventy-Four

Gary, Greg and Kelly Jo Sage, patriotic brothers from a patriotic family, live a simple life in Niobrara Nebraska. They spend their childhoods working on their farm, going to movies and fairs, and playing sports for the local high school. When the Vietnam war breaks out half a world away, Gary, the eldest makes a dinnertime announcement that he will join the Marines. Conflict ensues between Gary and his father Ernest, ending in a compromise that Gary will join the Navy.
One by one the other two brothers follow Gary’s lead joining him in the fight in Vietnam until finally all three young men are assigned onboard the Navy Destroyer, Frank E. Evans. All goes well at first, the brothers fighting from the relative safety of the ship. They enjoy shore leave in various ports, sticking together, watching each other’s backs.
In the early morning of June 3, 1969, during a complicated set of maneuvers involving vessels from multiple nations, the USS Frank E. Evans is sliced in two by the Australian aircraft carrier the HMAS Melbourne. Within a few minutes the bow of the Evans flooded with sea water and sank out of sight, taking the three brothers and seventy-one other sailors to their deaths.
Immediately following the accident, a cover-up is initiated to limit the liability of the US government, this includes the omission of the names of the seventy-four sailors from the Vietnam Memorial Wall. Along with other Navy families that lost loved ones in the accident and other public and political figures Ernest and Eunice Sage, the parents of the three brothers, take their battle to Washington.
To date, the names of the seventy-four are still missing from the memorial.

  • Bill Thibeault
    Director
    I Bet, I'm Phil, Gramps and Toby
  • Chris Goodenough
    Writer
  • Bill Thibeault
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 28, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    6,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Bill Thibeault

Bill Thibeault is a life long singer/songwriter/musician, and film maker, from Norwich, CT. He’s also a Vietnam Veteran and survivor of one of the worst naval disasters of the Vietnam War. He lost 74 of his shipmates on June 3, 1969 when his ship USS Frank E. Evans collided with the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne . Even though they were in the Vietnam War, the 74 names are not on the Vietnam Wall because the collision happened outside the combat zone. In 2018 Congress passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to get the names on the wall but it did not pass in the Senate.
Hearing this news frustrated Bill and being a singer/songwriter, he wrote a song in July 2018 called “Recognition” about the Evans and the lost 74. It was released it on an album of the same name in January, 2019.
In January of 2021 at the age of 71, Bill decided to do something new and bought a camera. He started learning about film making and produced his first short film called "I'm Phil". and has spent the last 4 years producing, directing, and acting in several short and feature films.

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Director Statement

This short proof of concept film is a condensed version of the full length screenplay which has already been written. Hopefully this film will attract investors or a major studio to produce a blockbuster theatrical release.