Fenway Park, the Cocoanut Grove Fire, and your UNH Graduation Speech
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Fenway Park, Saturday November 28, 1942. Boston College vs. Holy Cross; the winner heads to the Sugar Bowl. A poster printed two weeks prior to the game portrayed BC's two All American players on it. One's jersey read 55, the other 12. BC's football team was so favored to win that Mayor Tobin and his entourage reserved tables for a victory celebration at Boston's famed Cocoanut Grove nightclub. They cancelled that afternoon. A wind kicked up mid game and Holy Cross ended up upsetting BC. Only hours later, almost 500 people died when the Cocoanut Grove nightclub went up in flames. The final score of the game was 55-12. |
July 27, 2015
Dear Mike,
I am co-author of Cocoanut Grove, a screenplay about the Cocoanut Grove fire ("Smart and sophisticated. Titanic-like. Cleverly stitched." - Craig Kellum, Script consultant and former Universal Development Executive). Spending the last 14 years working to get this movie made, I have been down the Hollywood yellow brick road, survived the poppy fields, faced the wizard, and returned home.
Here in New Hampshire I have some amazing and talented friends who are committed to see this movie made in Boston, where it belongs, and where its integrity and historical significance will be upheld. We recently met at the Harvard Club with Dr. Ken Marshall, founder of the Cocoanut Grove Memorial Committee. With the encouragement of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, and former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn, Dr. Marshall and his team are now working on erecting a Memorial at the former Cocoanut Grove site. Dr. Marshall has expressed his support for the film project and is on board to do what needs to be done to make it happen. At our meeting, we discussed what our next step would be for the movie, decided it would be to write you, only to come home to learn about the fire in Las Vegas where fake palm trees turned into torches. The fire at Cocoanut Grove began when sparks lit a fake palm tree in a basement bar.
The Cocoanut Grove fire is the 5th largest disaster in American history (after Pearl Harbor and 9/11 (3000 dead in each), the Titanic (1500 dead) and the Chicago Iriquois Theatre fire (600 dead).
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The fire at Cocoanut Grove led to truly monumental changes in building code requirements (exit signs, crash bars, emergency lighting, sprinklers, occupancy limits and nonflammable materials, etc.) and five historic changes in medical care (advances in burn therapies, the first widespread use of penicillin, the first enunciation of PTSD, and the establishment of the first blood bank).
Yet today, 72 years after the fire, the only memorial that exists to this significant moment in history is a street sign at the site of the former nightclub; "Cocoanut Grove Lane." The sign's existence is mainly due to my friend Dr. Ken Marshall's phenomenal dedication and persistence. It was no small feat to get the city of Boston to rename a street. (It hasn't been done in 50 years.) |
Mike, we could use your help. We've connected some major dots (see Development page) but we want a Producer who can pull all those dots together and do right by this significant Boston story. We believe you are someone who can help, and give it the care it deserves. (On the page is also a short video where the romance of the 40's era comes alive.)
On a personal note, the reason I especially wanted to contact you is because of the keynote speech you delivered at my daughter Rachel's UNH graduation in 2006. Honestly, at the time I didn't know who you were, but I was moved to tears by your speech. I was initially delighted that the commencement speech would be given by an actor and a comedian (didn't want to sit through something boring!) yet what I found so moving was your story about your failures and how much they impacted your life. What you said really hit home, and I couldn't imagine something more important for my daughter to hear. (Rachel went on to go through some of her own failures, and then received a Ph.D from Brown University in Molecular Biology, and now works in Silicon Valley at Theranos, Inc. - I'm so proud of her!)
On a personal note, the reason I especially wanted to contact you is because of the keynote speech you delivered at my daughter Rachel's UNH graduation in 2006. Honestly, at the time I didn't know who you were, but I was moved to tears by your speech. I was initially delighted that the commencement speech would be given by an actor and a comedian (didn't want to sit through something boring!) yet what I found so moving was your story about your failures and how much they impacted your life. What you said really hit home, and I couldn't imagine something more important for my daughter to hear. (Rachel went on to go through some of her own failures, and then received a Ph.D from Brown University in Molecular Biology, and now works in Silicon Valley at Theranos, Inc. - I'm so proud of her!)
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I'll end with a short video with Dr. Marshall and a few of the survivors talking about the night of the fire. The song, Anchors for Angels, was written by Ron Noyes, another dear and talented friend from New Hampshire. I hope this video brings the full message home for you. Thanks for listening. Deb Whitaker Emerald Drive Productions |
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