Loula Long looking
“very pert”
(For an
Enlargement,
CLICK on Picture) |
From its inception, R. A. Long
Historical Society has been committed to the idea of making a Ken
Burns-style documentary film about the Long family and their legacy.
This project would be the most meaningful educational outreach ever for
our group – and you can help!
Under the direction of a noted
producer of PBS documentaries, we intend to make this film available to
public broadcasting outlets nationwide. We will also distribute the
documentary to schools and libraries all over the metro area and beyond.
Film is today’s best medium to
reach a wide number of people. This project is a wonderful opportunity
to tell the story of the Long family, and it can give people in the
community a reason to care.
It’s an ambitious project, but
we’ve already made a big start. I’ve had an opportunity to work with a
top-notch producer of PBS documentaries. His name is Rich Luckin, and I
first met him two years ago at a meeting of the Lexington Group, an
international society of scholars and historians. He took a personal
interest in the new rail museum at Kansas City Union Station back then,
and later submitted the winning bid for the orientation film there.
I was impressed with his
competence and his enthusiasm on the Rail Experience production. I got
to see him at work, and I saw that Rich is an accomplished, no-nonsense
person who knows how to get the job done.
The results speak for themselves.
A national publication came to Kansas City to review the new
attraction, and wrote that “the film by noted producer Richard Luckin is
one of the highlights of the new museum.” The film also won the 2005
Aurora Award for Platinum-Best of Show in the Public Relations/Museum
category.
Michael
Gross, best known as Steven Keaton from the TV sitcom
“Family Ties,” has agreed to be the narrator of the proposed
PBS film about R. A. Long, his family and his legacy. |
It’s clear that there’s a lot of
support for the project in Kansas City and beyond. Dr. Travis Cavens,
past president of the Cowlitz County (WA) Historical Society has
given a strong indication of great interest in this project. We learned recently that
Hollywood actor Michael Gross (the father in the sitcom “Family Ties”)
has agreed to narrate the film. Richard Luckin expects our documentary
to be picked up by as many as 100 or more stations coast to coast! The
legacy of the R. A. Long family will be shared, not only with Kansas
City, but the nation!
Bonnie
Hansen – Film Project Chairperson
|