The movie rights were optioned off twice before making it to the big screen. The first offer was from a local man with no real experience in film making but I think he may have had some small acting roles and knew a little about the business. He didn’t have much money to offer but insisted that he could get financing. I was young and naive and probably would have sold him the rights for a fraction of what I should have. Luckily, I had an entertainment lawyer on my side and he advised me to walk away from the deal because he was certain I could do a lot better.
The guy tried once more to get me to make a deal behind my lawyer’s back, telling me that I might not ever get another interested buyer and that I could make tons of money on merchandising from the movie he would make. I can’t recall the exact amount he was offering but I’m guessing it was around $6,000. That was a lot to me at the time, but I listened to my inner lawyer and turned him down again
It was another couple of years before someone else came along with an offer I didn’t refuse. There was a local Atlanta screenwriter and director who had gotten together and decided to make the movie after discovering the book. It took them awhile to locate me because they assumed for some reason I was a New York writer. At any rate, we met, talked, and came to a very mutual agreement that my lawyer was pleased with.
They got funding from a local businessman, assembled a top notch cast lead by John Cassavetes and Billie Dee Williams. Everything was going well, or at least that’s what I heard. I was originally told I’d be kept in the loop, but that didn’t happen. I was never invited to participate in or even watch the movie being made practically in my own backyard. Nothing was ever said to me directly, but I got the distinct impression that I was not wanted in or around the movie sets. The only thing I knew about the actual filming was when I saw it on the news or someone who happened to witness some filming contacted me and asked why I wasn’t there.
Apparently, the screenwriter who adapted the book didn’t want to share writing credit with me. Still, I did get an invite to the movie premiere being held at the Fox theater but I wasn’t scheduled to go out on stage with the directer and screenwriter. I happened to run into Mayor Andrew Young (whom I’d met at a private screening earlier) and he brought me out and introduced me to the audience, much to the surprise of the screenwriter. Best. Night. Ever.
Unfortunately, the movie didn’t do well theatrically, not because it wasn’t good but because the businessman who put up the money to produce the film balked at paying 20th Century Fox the distribution fee that could have placed the movie in theaters all over the country. Instead, he decided to distribute it himself and could only manage a small number of theaters.
It did make it to VHS tapes and I’ve seen it on TV a few times in the past. I find it hard to watch now because it’s dated and seems so cheesy, although when it first came out, I was quite proud. In these days of remakes, I can only hope someone will revive it for the big screen, or even Netflix.
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