Wichita State University Hosts Screening of, "From the Bottom"

The gentleman described in my documentary, Senator U. L. Gooch, built a successful aviation business in Wichita, Ks. "Rip" was also on the city council, a member of the airport authority and for over a decade represented these fine citizens in the Kansas Senate. He's an admired and sought-after fellow there.

Wichita State University graciously hosted a screening of the documentary. Dr. John, and Patsy, his administrative assistant, went all the way with this one. I must also thank Bonita, who was invaluable in making this event come to pass.

The day before the screening, a press conference was scheduled; Rip and I eagerly attended. Early the next morning, The Wichita Eagle newspaper arrived with a lengthy, well-written article about us and the movie.

The day of the program, a two-hour reception was held where I soon discovered the numbers and diversity of people who know Rip, and how much they appreciate him. Donald L. Beggs, President of the University, kindly welcomed everyone. Peter Jasso, who heads the Kansas Film Commission in Topeka, was there supporting us. Soon, it was off to the colossal Lowe Auditorium for the show where we had a great crowd and an equally great question-and-answer period.

Photographs of the event may be viewed on my Flickr page.

newspaper article courtesy of, The Wichita Eagle

"From the Bottom" Screening - Ripley, Tennessee

The richness of one's life is measured by memories. This week my life became richer thanks to exceptional people who live and work in a very special community.

Ripley, Tennessee is north of Memphis, and is the county seat for Lauderdale County. The courthouse sits on the town square with locally-owned businesses surrounding it; quite fitting for the bucolic setting.

The subject of my documentary, Senator "Rip" Gooch, spent his boyhood years in and around Ripley. Within a very small radius, other children grew up, like B.B. King, Chicken George, Tina Turner and Alex Haley. It was here I shot the "B"-roll for my documentary, and where the movie was screened Friday night.

There is no hospitality like small-town hospitality, and they welcomed me warmly. A large number of townspeople turned out, as well as city and county dignitaries, for an enchanting evening in a small, close-knit southern town.

This is a photograph of a live interview Senator Gooch and I did with the CBS affiliate in Memphis. You may watch the interview by going here, WREG-TV, then clicking on Thursday, February 14. Fast-forward to 00:37:00 for our segment. Still-photographs of the event may be viewed by visiting my Flickr page.

Photograph © 2008 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Documentary, "From the Bottom", Completed

My documentary, From the Bottom, is now complete, and the glass-mastered DVD's are being produced as I write. If you scroll down a couple of posts on this blog, you can read a synopsis of the story.

During a recent visit to Kansas City, my subject, Senator Gooch, had his first look at the 88-minute rendering. After a bit, we took a break and he turned to me smiling and said, "This is interesting!" "I know", I replied. "It's about you."

Photograph and written content © 2008 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.