WELCOME TO DOUBLE DUTCH PRODUCTIONS, LLC
WELCOME TO DOUBLE DUTCH PRODUCTIONS, LLC
Screenplay by James V. Evering
Based on the book, Got To Tell It-Mahalia Jackson, Queen of Gospel by Jules Schwerin
MAHALIA! Got To Tell It tells the inspiring story of the legendary and internationally acclaimed gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson, from her dirt-poor beginnings in Depression-era New Orleans to her spectacular rise as an international superstar. She uses her fame to inspire and support the civil rights movement, but when confronted with failure and loss in her personal life, she has a crisis of faith and questions the value of her convictions.
Mahalia Jackson’s life has all the power and passion that comes through in her music. And in the film the viewer will hear Mahalia’s own story in her own voice. As her life unfolds on the screen, the remastered recordings of Mahalia’s magnificent singing will enhance the audience’s emotional connections to the joyous and heart-breaking moments that unfold before them. It is an uplifting, inspiring and touching film transcending color and/or race whose story can be appreciated and understood by all audiences.
Currently, gospel music is the best selling music genre as certified by NARAS and is a more consistent seller than rap, pop, or R&B music.
The film is based on the book by Jules Schwerin, Got To Tell It-Mahalia Jackson, Queen of Gospel. Mr. Schwerin was also a personal friend of Ms. Jackson, and has offered us the use of many hours of original footage he used in his award-winning CBS documentary of her for authenticity and accuracy. He was awarded the 1973 Grammy Award as the producer of a posthumous album of her music, entitled Got To Tell It. The documentary of the same title was awarded a Smithsonian Institute Award and is now in its permanent collection.
A live television concert special celebrating the Queen of Gospel.
She had the voice of an angel. She is the exemplar of fidelity and faith. Her deep, soaring contralto held each note, her breath and startling range illuminated the joy and inspiration that only gospel music can convey. The depth of her artistry revealed how the sorrows of life on earth can make way for the promise of a better world tomorrow.
Mahalia Jackson's impact on the world has not lessened in the decades since her death. She lives in the music of multiple generations of multicultural backgrounds. This two hour special concert will celebrate the career path of the little child born in abject poverty who grew up to become an international star and altered the direction of American music. She empowered the Civil Rights Movement and brought joy to millions of listeners in every corner of the globe. Those dimensions will be celebrated in the forefront in this event.
In this one time musical tribute, we will demonstrate her global reach across racial and genre lines. With Mahalia always present in archival footage, film clips and historical stills, she will share the stage with twelve to fifteen musical artists across all genres of music, including Pop, R&B, Gospel, Country and even Hip Hop/Rap. The artists will perform in their distinctive styles to songs Mahalia made famous.
This show will bring memories of her glorious past to the forefront, reinforce the power of her music and persona and inspire others to reach as high as Mahalia Jackson in her beliefs and in her transcendent musical talent. The actress who stars as MAHALIA in the film will be the major host of the night, supplemented throughout the evening by noted personalities.
This trailblazing artist of the 70’s and 80’s Sylvester was the first cross-dressing recording artist who not only was unapologetic about his sexuality but stayed true to his commitment to his artistry as a gender bending star. Sylvester was not trying to hide his sexuality like stars such as Little Richard and Michael Jackson. He was defiant with his record label and representatives saying that he was not going to play the game in order to have a career. His defining mantra was “I am who I am!”
Sylvester was one of the few solo male disco artists who is considered equal to such successful female artist as Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor, Irene Cara, Diana Ross, Thelma Houston, etc. He had three consecutive gold records as well as a number of #1 chart topping records including Mighty Real, Do You Wanna Funk With Me, Dance Disco Heat, You Are My Friend, Living For The City, among others. He was also the first African-American artist who had video rotation play on MTV, well before Michael Jackson. Sylvester also performed on such shows as American Bandstand. Soul Train and of all ironies, The Merv Griffin Show. He was also the first male to grace the cover of Vogue Magazine.
As the film opens, WE HEAR the overture of a live concert with the audience cheering and clapping waiting for the entrance of the one and only SYLVESTER. The music swells with the irresistible disco beat. Large gold fans on each side of the stage slowly open to reveal two backup singers who stride to the microphones at the front of the stage. The light hits the large fan in the center of the stage which begins to fold down as the crowds screams and cheers, and we see SYLVESTERstanding and then he begins to walk down to the center stage microphone and sing his hit song, Dance Disco Heat.
Suddenly he stops the music! He tells the audience that he was told to start his story with a big number but he doesn’t want to. He wants to do it his way. And who knows about his life better than him? He’ll tell them how he got to be so Faa-bu-lous. It started in Watts, California.
We SEE the child Sylvester follow his own path, being defiantly himself, despite his religious mother’s concern. He expresses himself with his music, his flamboyant personality and his outrageous style. In his teens he loves singing in the church. But when the Pastor catches him with the organist in a compromising position, he is immediately barred from the congregation.
He rebels, leaves his family and takes up with the young black drag queens in Los Angeles. He does hair and makeup for all of them, “I made those queens LOOK GOOD baby! And believe me, child, that was no easy job!”
He moves to SAN FRANCISCO during the Haight-Ashbury free-love era and performs with the counterculture group, The Cockettes. His piano playing and extraordinary vocal abilities soon make him the star of the group. He falls in love and, long before such things were possible, marries the young man in a new-age ceremony in Golden Gate Park.
He gets a record contract and ultimately makes it big with disco hits, featuring the female duo, Two Tons O’Fun. He lives the high life, touring constantly, but he knows that the disco craze can only last so long. His lover leaves him as do the Two Tons. The record company decides he must man up, stop singing falsetto and become the new Teddy Pendergrass. He makes a record using his baritone voice but realizes it’s not him. He marches into the chief executive’s office, dressed up in his most outrageous costume. “This is me, take it or leave it!” He discovers that the executives use creative bookkeeping skills to steal from his record sales and publishing, so he sues.
Despite disappointments, Sylvester always comes back. He makes another hit record, “Do You Want To Funk” at a new label and finds the love of his life, Rick.
The AIDS crisis hits and in San Francisco it is utter devastation. Sylvester helps those who are afflicted but denies it can happen to him. His heart breaks as Rick succumbs. When he contracts the disease, he still won’t go public. Then he realizes that he’s never been in the closet before, so it’s time to come out. Wheelchair-bound, he marches in the Gay Pride Parade under the banner “People With AIDS”.
Back at the concert hall where his story began, he tells the audience now is the time go on with the show. He yells, “Let’s Par-tay!!! And his Fabulous music ends the film.
This movie celebrates the life of a one-of-a-kind MUSIC STAR who blazed bright and hot for only a short while. Sylvester, the One and Only, faded out at the age of 42. In 2005, Sylvester was inducted posthumously into the Dance Music Hall of Fame as well as the Library of Congress selecting, in 2019, You Make Me Feel (Righty Real) for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being culturally, historically or aesthetically significant!
SYLVESTER-BOTH SIDES (based on the book Mighty Real by Sharon Davis) tells the story of the wildest, most outrageous, most glittery star of the Disco Era. He dressed more spectacularly than Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor or Irene Cara and could sing in a register higher than any of them!
He was the original gender bending star who did not try to hide his sexuality. He was not going to play the game in order to have a career. His defining mantra was, “I am who I am!”
In the film, the late Sylvester tells his story from a Disco Heaven on high. He tells how he broke the rules all his life. Thanks to a mother who gave him unconditional love, he was free to express himself as only he could. Whenever anyone (teachers, uncles, managers or record executives) tried to suppress his flamboyant, joyous personality, he would become more flagrantly himself.
His fabulous voice and spectacular stage presence brought him all the perks of a rock star. He partied hard, but always looking for the perfect mate. He never found him but that didn’t stop him from trying.
Though far from perfect, Sylvester had the juice of life, loving the madness and sweetness of living, always seeing the funny side. Even when he was diagnosed with AIDS, a death sentence in that era, he spent his last days with the one true love of his life, his mother, who always accepted him just the way he was.
This movie celebrates the life of a one of a kind star that blazes so brightly but has only a short time to shine. Sylvester’s light was dimmed at the age of 42.
Why does the sound of Karen Carpenter’s voice touch us so deeply? Somehow the raw need, the quiet desperation and the vulnerable yearning that Karen’s singing embodies reaches everyone who has ever felt unsure or unworthy of love. Where does the purity, simplicity and heart-to-heart communication that her artistry engenders in us come from? That’s what Rainy Days and Mondays (based on the book Some Kind of Lonely Clown by Joel Samberg) explores.
The film centers on the dysfunction of the Carpenter family --- the dominating, controlling mother, Agnes, her well-meaning but ineffectual husband, Harold, and her children, the musical prodigy and golden child of the family, Richard, who overshadows his younger sister, the quiet, shy and unassuming Karen. Her mother dismisses Karen’s talent and finds fault with her looks and personality, always comparing her unfavorably to her extraordinary brother.
The Carpenter’s enormous success never brings Karen the stable life she longs for. The adulation and love from her fans are not enough to fill the hole in her heart. With her brother and mother still making all the decisions about her life and career, she needs to find a way to take some control. Unfortunately she chooses a disastrous way --- the eating disorder anorexia nervosa which eventually takes her life.
Rainy Days and Mondays will recreate exciting concert and television appearances by the Carpenters and will utilize their impressive music catalogue including "Goodbye to Love", "Yesterday Once More", "Close to You", "We’ve Only Just Begun", and "Rainy Days and Mondays" among others. They notched up ten gold singles, nine gold albums, one multi-platinum album and three Grammy awards. Karen's velvety sound and Richard's meticulously crafted arrangements stood in direct contrast to the louder, wilder rock dominating the rest of the charts at the time, yet they became immensely popular, selling more than 100 million records. Their songs remain relevant today and Karen’s peerless voice and artistry will always be with us.
Mr. Simien graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Applied Music and English Literature from the University of Texas, Austin.
As Vice President in charge of Development with Double Dutch, Mr. Simien's projects have included creating and developing the two hour variety special, Urban Ice, for USA Network, and producing the tel
Mr. Simien graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Applied Music and English Literature from the University of Texas, Austin.
As Vice President in charge of Development with Double Dutch, Mr. Simien's projects have included creating and developing the two hour variety special, Urban Ice, for USA Network, and producing the television pilot for ABC Television, Here Comes Trouble.
David developed and produced the Los Angeles World premiere of the stage play, Are You Somebody?, starring Kathleen Freeman, as well as producing the weekly syndicated music television show, Live from Branson, featuring musical performances by stars in Branson, Missouri.
He has developed, researched, and negotiated the music and dramatic rights for the films on the life of the legendary gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, the 2 hour music tribute, Come Feel the Joy: A Musical Tribute to Mahalia Jackson, Rainy Days and Mondays: Karen Carpenter based on the life and music of the late singer and Sylvester Both Sides, based on the life of the gender bending music star, all of which he will produce. He is also overseeing the re-mastering of original recordings of Mahalia Jackson that will be included in that film and soundtrack.
Jim Evering started as an actor appearing in Off-Broadway plays and in over 100 television and radio commercials. In an act with his wife, Dorothy Vann, Jim played comedy clubs and performed in all the major TV variety shows. Jim and Dorothy wrote and starred in a two person show, Smaller Than Life, at Lincoln Center in New York and also
Jim Evering started as an actor appearing in Off-Broadway plays and in over 100 television and radio commercials. In an act with his wife, Dorothy Vann, Jim played comedy clubs and performed in all the major TV variety shows. Jim and Dorothy wrote and starred in a two person show, Smaller Than Life, at Lincoln Center in New York and also recorded a hit comedy album, What Your Horoscope Never Told You, for Mercury Records.
As a television writer and producer, Jim's credits include "The Carol Burnett Special", starring Robin Williams and Whoopi Goldberg, and sitcom "Mama's Family" (he became that show's Executive Producer in 1983). In addition to his other numerous television credits, he was an Executive Producer on the CBS series, "Major Dad" and WB's "The Wayans Bros". He developed, wrote and executive produced a situation comedy series for CBS and Sanddollar Productions for Dolly Parton. Jim also directed several episodes of his series, Major Dad, as well as many theatrical and improvisational productions.
Mr. Evering wrote and directed the play "Are You Somebody?" which starred the late actress Kathleen Freeman and premiered in Los Angeles to great acclaim.
Most recently, Jim's company, Double Dutch Productions. LLC is preparing to begin production on several feature films.
One of the brightest new voices in film and television, Bobby Yan first emerged onto the scene working in music videos, directing some of the biggest artists in the world from Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Three Six Mafia to Hezekiah Walker and Marvin Sapp. Working with such companies as Warner Bros., Sony, MTV, BET and Universal Music Group, h
One of the brightest new voices in film and television, Bobby Yan first emerged onto the scene working in music videos, directing some of the biggest artists in the world from Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Three Six Mafia to Hezekiah Walker and Marvin Sapp. Working with such companies as Warner Bros., Sony, MTV, BET and Universal Music Group, he directed over one hundred music videos & commercials before shifting into narratives.
Born in Washington Heights, NYC, Bobby was surrounded by the rich tapestry and deep myriad of cultures around him, which serves as a heavy influence in his work today, meshing elements of pop and Hip hop culture and fashion into a cinematic style that’s both edgy, ahead of the curve and a little nostalgic.
Boasting a gorgeous visual aesthetic that uses color, movement and precise attention to cinematic beauty & detail, Bobby’s ability to capture emotion and empathy within the frame underscores his innate connection and love of humanity and storytelling. His work often explores topics and stories from a world view perspective, exploring topics of ethnicity & heritage, gender, sexual orientation and systematic racism.
His 2017 debut film, a narrative proof of concept short entitled “Marz” that explores sexuality in Hip Hop, released to much critical acclaim, garnering a premiere screening for the Frameline Film Festival at the Castro Theater in San Francisco as well as admitting him into the prestigious Disney Directing Program with the previous likes of notable alumni such as Ryan Coogler, Regina King & Jude Weng.
Bobby’s most recent work includes feature TV movies for Lifetime Network, BET+ and TV One. He also directed nine episodes of a TV show in the Philippines entitled “K-Love”.
He is a graduate of Tulane University in New Orleans, where the University recently bestowed upon him a yearly media event in his name entitled “The Bobby Yan Lectureship Series in Social Media and Change”, due to his efforts during his time there in galvanizing students in community activism and diversity. He also holds a Masters of Science from NYU in Digital Design and Animation
Peter Quartaroli is an actor / producer who divides his time between San Francisco and Los Angeles and works consistently in film, television and commercials.
Peter has been the lead actor in 3 recent independent films (The Confessional, Broken Arrows, Isolated.) In recent projects he has worked with David Fincher, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony
Peter Quartaroli is an actor / producer who divides his time between San Francisco and Los Angeles and works consistently in film, television and commercials.
Peter has been the lead actor in 3 recent independent films (The Confessional, Broken Arrows, Isolated.) In recent projects he has worked with David Fincher, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Pete Postlethwaite, Selma Blair and Lori Petty. Earlier work has included the studio films Scorpion King with The Rock, and Bandits with Billy Bob Thornton, and Cate Blanchett.
With his production company, Table 21 Films, he co-produced the feature film The Poker House that was directed by Lori Petty, distributed by Phase 4 Films.
Peter has worked as a producer on the feature films Broken Arrows, Confined, and Isolated, as well as multiple short films. Currently Table 21 Films is developing Tony's Money, an independent feature film based on an original story by Peter; and Deep Blues / Flamenco Jondo a documentary about blues and flamenco, in collaboration with proJazz from Málaga, Spain. Deep Blues / Flamenco Jondo is to be directed by the award winning director Oz Scott, and written by award winning writer Ruth Robinson.
A man with many hats, William Anderson has wrote, produced, directed, photographed and edited in film television and video for over three decades. He was the associate producer and production manager on several independent features including Rod Whitaker's Stasis. He has worked for a diverse set of clients from editing John Hannah's
A man with many hats, William Anderson has wrote, produced, directed, photographed and edited in film television and video for over three decades. He was the associate producer and production manager on several independent features including Rod Whitaker's Stasis. He has worked for a diverse set of clients from editing John Hannah's demo reel; shooting stock car races for ABC Wide World of Sports; location scouting for films like Logan's Run; editing PSA's for the Revlon Run/Walk; filming the 1976 Democratic National Convention; to directing industrial films, documentaries and commercials. As a video producer for a national corporation, he has produced numerous training videos with budgets ranging from $5,000 to $350,000.
A graduate of the University of Texas in Film Production, Anderson has continued his education with courses such as the UCLA Division of Extension's Production Management and seminars in the use of Movie Magic programs like Budgeting and Scheduling. His work has been honored in diverse festivals such as The New York Film and Television Festivals, Ohio State Award, American Legion Freedom Council, and the USA Film Festival (where he was selected as a Best Texas Director.)
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