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s Film Producer Left Hollywood for Coweta; Chenowith's 'Beautiful Dreamer' creates buzz Published 11/21/06 in The Times-Herald By ALEX McRAE
His children, Cole, 10, and Ally, 7, were born in Beverly Hills , but Chenowith and his wife, Robyn, both grew up in small towns and wanted that experience for their kids. With several successful productions under his belt and more in the pipeline, Chenowith was confident he could work most of his L.A. connections by phone and when necessary, make the 2,000 mile commute to Hollywood . On a visit with Robyn's parents in north Atlanta the couple happened across Coweta County and decided to put down roots. "All my friends said I was crazy," Chenowith says. "But it's turned out great." The decision to go bi-coastal has caused some aggravation, but delivered benefits Chenowith says he couldn't have found in Tinseltown. Because of the time difference, Chenowith often pitches projects to L.A. moguls long after dark. But his schedule also allows plenty of time to play tennis, coach Cole's baseball team and get involved with Ally's activities at White Oak Elementary and Newnan School of Gymnastics. "I could never do that if I'd stayed in L.A. ," he says. "Out there you have to be on call all the time. Right now I'm getting to watch my kids grow up. All the money in the world can't buy that." All the money in the world can't buy a Hollywood hit, either, as countless big budget flops will attest. But Chenowith feels he is on the verge of scoring a smash with his latest film. "Beautiful Dreamer" is a love story set against the backdrop of World War II. The plot centers on young lovers Claire and Joe, who are married just before Joe goes off to war to pilot a B-24 "Liberator" bomber. Claire is devastated when she is told Joe died when his plane was shot down. Two years later Claire's world is turned upside down again when she receives word that Joe wasn't killed in the crash, but survived and returned to America . Claire finds Joe only to learn he has no recollection of his last flight... or of her. Claire enlists the aid of a doctor who specializes in combat-related stress trauma but is finally told that pushing Joe to remember his past might do him more harm than good. Claire chooses Joe's health over her happiness and walks away. But the film ends with a twist so dramatic and emotional Chenowith says it left both men and women in tears at a recent screening. The film stars Brooke Langton and Colin Egglesfield and features "Desperate Housewives" star James Denton, who has been voted one of America 's Sexiest Men by "People" magazine. Chenowith and production partner Jack Robinson have already sold the film's foreign distribution rights to ImageWorks Entertainment and feel they are close to getting a U.S. distributor. Selling the film became much easier after "Beautiful Dreamer" was entered in four U.S. film festivals earlier this year and took "Best Picture" honors at each. "That kind of impact makes distributors take notice," Chenowith says. "Beautiful Dreamer" has no sex, no nudity and only one curse word. Chenowith says while clean films go against the current Hollywood stereotype, more and more distributors are looking for films like his. "I had a guy who said he'd be interested if I added a rape scene," Chenowith says. "I told him no. We're clean, wholesome and good for anyone. That's what people are really hungry for right now." In early November Chenowith showcased "Beautiful Dreamer" at the American Film Market, an annual gathering of film studio and distribution executives. "Dreamer" generated enough buzz to earn a front page story in show biz paper "Variety." Twentieth Century Fox and New Line Cinema also requested private screenings and indicated serious interest in a national distribution deal. Chenowith started writing the "Beautiful Dreamer" screenplay in 1990. Six years later, he had found success writing and producing several other films, but "Dreamer" remained unsold and unwanted. Chenowith finally bought a map to the star's houses and walked up to the Beverly Hills home of screen legend Jimmy Stewart, star of such classics as "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington." Chenowith knew Stewart had piloted a B-24 Liberator bomber in World War II and believed if he could get Stewart's attention for just a second the star might agree to look at his script and pass along a good word. Chenowith knocked at the door. Moments later he was face to face with Stewart. Chenowith swallowed hard then blurted out, "Mr. Stewart, I'll till your garden if you'll read my script." Stewart said the garden was fine but asked about the script. When he heard it involved a B-24 pilot, Stewart said, "I used to fly a B-24" and agreed to take a look. Two weeks later, Stewart's agent called and said Stewart wanted to meet. At the meeting, Stewart declined a cameo role in any future film but passed along a personal story about his war time experience. Stewart said as he prepared to go to war, he told his father he sometimes feared the worst. Stewart's father read him the 91st Psalm and told him to remember that Biblical verse when he needed an extra ounce of courage. The passage became so important to Stewart he started reading it to his crew before every mission. Chenowith liked the story so much he added it to "Beautiful Dreamer." While he waits for "Beautiful Dreamer" to be released, Chenowith is busy with several other projects. He recently signed an agreement with Angelo Pizzo, writer of "Rudy" and "Hoosiers," to create a script about the first In Indianapolis 500 auto race. It is the story of an underdog team and driver Chenowith describes as "Seabiscuit on Wheels." He is also pursuing a project about the Wright brothers and how close they came to losing the race to become first in flight. Other projects include a comedy about a failed NASCAR driver who winds up teaching Driver's Ed. at a high school and "Magic Shoes," the story of a crippled boy who wants to a be a ballplayer but fails until an old man intervenes with what he claims are magic shoes. Chenowith has also teamed with local developer Phillip Betts to form AFP, a production company which will develop projects which could be shot in Coweta County . One proposed film is "Unforeseen," which Chenowith describes as "a thriller about a man whose wedding day turns into worst day of his life when he finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time." Another possible Coweta production is "Dog and Pony," a romantic comedy about how the meaning of love varies vastly between men and women. Chenowith feels he's found the best of both worlds and believes his California dreams haven't suffered a bit from Southern exposure. "We feel like we're blessed to be here," he says, "Right now I don't see anything but happy endings in the future." |
