Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 2, 1994 TAG: 9404020184
SECTION: SPECTATOR PAGE: S-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By LYNN ELBER Associated Press
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES (AP) LENGTH: Medium
For nearly two decades, producer Ken Wales tried on and off to make a film out of Marshall's dramatized account of her mother's life. It took the return of family drama to television to bring the project to life.
"Christy," with Kellie Martin in the title role and co-starring Tyne Daly, debuts as a two-hour movie tonight on CBS, followed by six one-hour episodes beginning Thursday.
It joins a small, sudden wave of family oriented TV series, including "The Road Home," "Byrds of Paradise" and the sophomore, "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman."
The frustrating effort to bring "Christy" to the screen took 18 years - which happens to be about the age of its teen-age star, Wales notes.
"A lot of people along the way have made fun of me, saying `Oh, Ken's still at it. Why don't you tell us about "Christy," ho, ho,' " he recounts.
"But there were some wonderful friends who said, `Don't give up.' "
The critically acclaimed "Christy," published in 1967, tells the story of a 19-year-old who leaves her city home in 1912 to teach at a mission school in the desperately poor Tennessee hamlet of Cutter Gap.
The story closely parallels that of Leonora Wood, Marshall's mother, who came of age as a young teacher in Del Rio, Tenn. The novel, which has sold 8 million copies internationally, is in its 84th printing.
"I think this is exactly what television needs right now, with all the controversy over violence," says Martin, who appeared for four seasons as Becca on the ABC series, "Life Goes On."
The character of Christy Huddleston is determined, energetic and "always looks for the good in people," the actress says.
Wales' first brush with "Christy" was in 1969, when he was working on a film at MGM and another producer was readying Marshall's book for the screen. But when the studio was sold, "Christy" and other projects stalled.
"They just banished them to the basement of the studio," Wales says.
It was in 1975, after he saw a poster advertising a speech by Marshall, that he first picked up the novel and found his interest sparked.
"I read it two days straight and said this is really good material," Wales recalls. "Good storytelling, rich characters - I just fell in love with it."
He contacted Marshall at her Virginia home and discovered her frustration over the dormant project.
Her other Hollywood experience had been more positive: "A Man Called Peter," Marshall's book about her late husband, the chaplain of the U.S. Senate during World War II, had been turned into a successful film.
Wales tried to prevail on MGM, but the studio refused to sell the rights to the novel or go into partnership and make the film, he says. In 1983, Marshall died, her goal unrealized.
Two years later, the sale of MGM opened up a window of opportunity that allowed Wales to strike a deal for the rights.
"I gulped and said, `How much?' Gulped twice and three times and went out and made the arrangements; went out and mortgaged the house," he says. He struggled to arrange financing for the film. Then CBS called in 1991 to propose a series.
"I said, `It's really very kind of you, but I really want to do this as a feature film."' he recalls. "I had the music lined up, I'd been to Tennessee and scouted locations. I knew exactly what I wanted to do on the big screen."
When CBS called a second time, in 1993, Wales saw the light - and decided it was, indeed, in the shape of a TV screen. But he held tough on some requirements.
"I said it has to be authentic," Wales says. "It really has to be shot where it happened. You can't shoot this in Malibu or somewhere else."
The location selected for filming turned out to be one he had picked years ago: Townsend, Tenn., not far from Del Rio, with sweeping views of the magnificent Great Smoky Mountains that dominate the land.
He and co-producer Barney Rosenzweig have lured impressive guest stars to the remote location, including singer Judy Collins. She performs "Amazing Grace" in one episode.
Wales regrets that Marshall and Wood, who was in her 90s when she died six years after her daughter, didn't get to see the series. But he believes their inspiration lives on in "Christy."
"This is the role model of a girl who makes a commitment," he says. "I have a 14-year-old stepdaughter, and I yearn for her so much to have a focus and a role model - and not MTV."
by CNB