THEATRE OF DEATH
In 1903 Chicago, a crusading reporter exposes of the “Absolutely Fireproof” Iroquois Theatre, as a fire trap. He is proven right. Based on the true incident. No one was ever punished. Professional Coverage: "Recommend” - Dave Trottier (Author “The Screenwriter's Bible") Multiple contest wins and placements.
Multiple contest wins and placments.
Theatrical producers decide to build a magnificent theater in 1903 Chicago for the epic production, "Mr. Bluebeard," being imported from London. The show will star Eddie Foy, the most popular entertainer of his day, with a cast of 200 performers, including a death-defying aerial act.
The Iroquois Theatre is to be the largest, most modern theater in the country. They retain the best theater architect of that era and the most renowned construction company. The theatre is promoted as being "absolutely fireproof."
Jack Conway, a theatrical reporter, is assigned to do a feature story, with unspoken instructions for a favorable review to generate lucrative newspaper advertising. He is given complete access to the theatre site and is, at first, impressed with its scope. Gradually, however, he becomes aware of serious safety hazards: no sprinkler systems, flammable construction materials, no direct connections to the fire department, hidden exit doors, a flammable asbestos curtain, etc.
In his investigations Jack - a married man with two children -- meets Lilly Rider, the flirtatious aerial performer with whom he has a brief but significant affair.
Jack's editor refuses to print an expose. The theatre manager gives Jack four tickets to the December 30 Children's matinee as an enticement. The theatre owners now impede Jack's investigation and even have him mugged. Undaunted, Jack brings his information to the Mayor who refuses to believe the accusations.
Jack is suddenly fired by his editor. Coming home slightly drunk he discovers his wife has taken his two children to the Children's matinee, using the bribery tickets. He rushes to the theatre and discovers that a fire has broken out with his family is inside.
The backstage fire is calamitous. A fireball caused by a back draft virtually annihilates the orchestra audience and speeds to the upper balconies. Eddie Foy heroically tries to calm the audience. Jack rescues his family and others using his knowledge of cellar exits uncovered in his investigation.
Jack's wife, Mary, a trained and determined social worker, aids Jack in getting families out of the theatre and later assists in the recovery hospital and morgue.
Many casual passersby, including a Church Bishop and a locksmith are pulled into the panic and struggle to save lives. The owner of the restaurant adjacent of the theatre offers his restaurant as a refuge and hospital. The fire scenes are quite graphic.
Characters introduced during the story -- young performers who are lovers, stage hands, cast and crew, etc. -- most in their twenties -- meet various fates during the fire, with some heroics and tragedy.
The Fire Department arrives too late but attempts to rescue people trapped on incomplete fire escapes and forced to jump. The fire is eventually brought under control.
Chicago closes own for the New Year's Holiday as funerals dominate the city. The Iroquois Theatre fire is the largest building fire in US history. The loss of life is tremendous - 603 deaths, mostly woman and children.
The official investigation is a whitewash. During the courtroom scene all the principals feign innocence. No one is ever punished.
Eddie Foy becomes a national hero. Jack becomes an investigative reporter exposing government corruption. Jack's wife, who is now pregnant, comments on promoting a theater as "absolutely fireproof." "It's like building a ship and saying it's unsinkable." "An unsinkable ship?" jests Jack, "No, they'd never say that!"
Screenplays
Jim specializes in screenplays based on historical true events (including musicals), bio/pics and/or disasters. In alphabetical order:
“BOJANGLES, EUBIE AND BERT!” Three Black musical legends of the past – Bert Williams, Eubie Blake and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson – relive their show business success in spite of racism and theatrical bigotry.
ScriptLinks
Post Your Script Here!A Bullet For God's Bounty
In a small Arizona town in the 1880s, a righteous French bounty hunter agrees to track down a violent fugitive, only to discover he has been hunting the wrong man.
Pretty Baby: The Tragic Death Of Marion Parker
Based on a shocking 1927 crime, a grieving woman exposes the decades-old truth about her twin sister's murder to prevent the killer's lawyer from publishing his own skewed account of the tragedy.
Greenman
A rising rock star strikes out for Iceland in search of inspiration, only to discover a centuries-old horror that threatens to use her gifts to take over the world.
Tar Pits
Forced to take sides in a centuries-old intergalactic war, a veteran soldier and her scientist ex-wife bond with giant alien warriors in a final battle that will decide the fate of humanity.
Morbidly
A young physical therapist slowly loses his grip on reality as he succumbs to the seductiveness of his only patient, a morbidly obese woman with a grisly secret.
Restoration
As an introverted art restorer succumbs to the evil temptations of an ancient painting, otherworldly forces attempt to stop her from unleashing the painting's unholy power.
Euthanized
A grieving animal control officer becomes an unlikely social media hero when she embarks on a vigilante crusade against animal abusers, but her violent actions trap her between friends on the police force and the leader of a citywide dogfighting ring.
Misfortune Cookies
Accidentally killing an elderly Chinese chef during a botched robbery, an oafish redneck teenager and her misfit friends begin dying one by one when the chef's ghost returns from the grave, killing them in gruesome fortune cookie-themed ways.
Splashdown
A mysterious space capsule adrift in the Pacific Ocean pulls a disillusioned Air Force pilot into battle against a shadowy paramilitary force hell bent on utilizing the astronauts' otherworldly cargo to enslave humanity.
Consumed
Trapped in a basement after an apocalyptic earthquake, a grieving wife fights off a horde of parasitic monsters, unaware that her God-fearing husband has already decided her fate.
