From the Big Apple to Little Rock

Here’s to everyone in Arkansas this weekend.
I hope you can see our film at the Easy Street Piano Bar and the Arkansas LGBTQ Film Festival. Looks like they are making a nice intimate setting. That always makes it more fun.

I love the Q in LGBTQ. I for one was never questioning but Jack had a lot of questions about himself.
I know that a lot of young people probably think that we older gay men want to label you, gay, straight and so on. But after being labeled queer, faggot and homo all our lives, I think we are happy that you can say no to all that.
But back to matters at hand, director Stu Maddux (gay and not questioning) will be at the screening. The festival organizers came up with such a nice flier.


We are so thrilled to be the opening night film for your festival. We only wish that we could be there in person. Stu will do a good job for us though. Be sure to let him know what you think at the DVD signing the next day at A Twisted Gift Shop. The details for both events are on the website










Have a great festival, ARKANSAS. We are honored to be a part. No "question" about it!

Director locates Bob and Jack's life long friend

Hi Bob.
After...the after party. Once the screenings at NewFest, the New York LGBT Film Festival were over, I had one last mission. I needed to track down your friend, Robert Adams. I better tell everyone else the story.
He is the good looking blond on the far right of this picture. We use this photo in the documentary; and after a screening, people want to know more about him. (BTW- our Bob is three over from the right).


This picture was taken in 1952 when everyone was in their mid-twenties. Everyone has stayed in contact until last Christmas when no greeting card arrived from Robert Adams.
Unfortunately in our gay community, that is often how an older person learns of a friends death. There is no support group to call with important news because many older people are estranged from their extended family. Friends often pass away without word. And so the best way to know if a long-distance friend is still well is simply receiving a Christmas card from them. So why not resolve this nagging question in a more humane way.

Bob, you had told me how you both met while he was biking across Europe and you loaned him 20 dollars; how later he gave you and Jack a place to stay NY while Jack worked out the separation with his wife.

I knew that he became a well known classical radio announcer here in New York

I had his address and phone number. But I didn't know what to expect when I called the number.

Well he's alive but I didn't know if his quality of life had deteriorated and all this was going to be a depressing end to my trip.

He invited me up to his apartment in the West Eighties for lunch.


Not only is he in great shape mentally and physically, he is just as articulate and curious as he always has been. And, the smile is still as radiant as it was then.


If I look this good with I'm in my eighties then I will fill blessed.

He has someone helping him around his home who served us soup and sandwiches. And so we sat at a small table discussing everything from Buddhism, to some of the famous composers he had met, to the Stonewall riots.






And the one thing he kept saying was, that the most important thing in life is love.


There is the small problem of the DVD that I gave him.
He has no idea how to play it.
But he says he DOES have plenty of people in his life who can show him.
As always check the website for the latest: www.bobandjack.org

Hi Bob its Stu at the NY Screening

Hi Bob and Jack! The screening went just great. The film that we were paired with was "Emile Norman: By His Own Design" and it's produced by two people who I think you'll recognize next to me: Michael Tucker and Jill Eickenberry (LA Law, Arthur). During our "joint" Q@A we were all amazed at what a perfect fit the two films were.
Emile Norman documents the life story of the artist by the same name. Do you guys know him? He lives on the central California coast and is a contemporary of yours. Their film was beautifully done. I'm honored that we were together.
I'm leaving tomorrow late in the day but before I do I'm still planning on visiting your friend Bob Adams on my way out of the city. More on him later.
Now that I've seen the calibre of films here at this festival (clearly a collection of the best gay cinema in the world this year), we should all be very proud of all our work. -Stu

ps- more pictures are on the website

Director Stu Maddux Sheds Baggage

Hi Bob!

I just wanted to let you and Jack know that I’m on my way to New York for our screening at NewFest. We play with another documentary called Emil Norman: By His Own Design. I hear that it’s very good and I’m expecting a good crowd.
I’m flying into Newark but I’ve just discovered that my bag is going to LaGuardia. I’ll have to sort that out when I get on the ground. As always, I wish you guys could be here. I’m sure you would be a hit. I’ll call after the screening with a report.

Stu

3 Big Screenings This Weekend. Why Not OutFest?

Boy have we come a long way since that post last year when I was wondering if we would get into any festivals.
This weekend we have screenings in New Zealand, Connecticut and Wales (I'm moving West to East here). Three in one weekend? And all the people we have met. It has been such an experience!
This month marks a year since we debuted the film here in our community center as you can see to the left. It was a great crowd and the champagne flowed. Since then we've been in about 2 dozen festivals around the world (Toronto, Chicago, Sydney, Seattle, Boston...next week we will screen at NewFest in New York.
So why then won't they screen us here in our hometown? OutFest, the Los Angeles LGBT film festival rejected us AGAIN. Last year I figured the film must not be good enough. This year after all the prestigious festivals that excepted us I just try to realize that it has nothing to do with the film. After all, it is quite flaky here in tinseltown! And honestly, I do believe these festivals try hard with the hundreds of entries they receive. Hell, maybe the DVD didn't play.
AND WHO THE HELL CARES! How can you beat being seen simultaneously in Hartford, New Zealand and Wales. To anyone who sees the film out there: Jack and I would love to hear your thoughts. Please write us here.