Updates and outlook

Life has been busy here and there is a lot of good news on the Uproar front.
We've got most of our voiceover actors picked for the film, including some great kids, but we hope to have a few more Pawtucket youngsters on board soon.
Unfortunately, the winners of the contest for the best picture haven't given us permission to publish their names so we'll thank them anonymously.
I can't tell how much everyone's generosity has touched us. We're working hard to make sure that the movie repays you many times over!
The money we raised through indiegogo will pay for music, voiceover actors and supplies we need to move the film forward.
Everyone asks- "When will the film be done?" and it's been a hard question to answer, but we now have a solid target date- June 21st!
As soon as we're certain that the final cut looks great, we'll schedule a premiere in Pawtucket for everyone to join.

Please keep us posted on all things Fanny!

Updates, updates

It's been pretty busy around here lately.
I posted a Director's statement on youtube- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK68y5xW3ro which was a lot of fun to make and post.
It didn't occur to me until I began chatting about it how much Pawtucket reminds me of the small city I grew up in in upstate NY. Maybe that's why I connect with it so much. Of course, we didn't have a zoo there, or an elephant. Maybe that was a good thing.
But everyone has been great and the stories just keep flowing in. Although I'm working now on a very rough cut of the film now, there's always room for more info.
The latest great tale comes from Rachel Cresser who knew Fanny when she was a little girl (Rachel, that is- not Fanny!). She's also provided some really haunting pix of Slater Park Zoo as it is today.
We just grew our production team by 100%, too! Eclipse Neilson has joined us as Assistant Producer, and Steph Roberts is the twittermeister. Maybe she's the reason that Sundance Film Festival is now following us there...
We're running a contest for the best picture of Fanny or Slater Park Zoo when she was there.  And
More questions, comments, stories, etc? Let us know at
And, of course, we're trying to raise money to take care of some of our basic needs. Check out www.indiegogo.com/Free-Elephants to support us and get your gifts!
We've only go 24 days left to reach our goal. Please let your friends and neighbors know about us and join our efforts....
We just learned that CBS news wants around $4000 to license one minute of footage that we need, so that's a whole new campaign!
"Like" us at https://www.facebook.com/UproarInPawtucket We're aiming to hit 100 followers by the end of March!
Follow us on Twitter as UproarPawtucket.
Never lose contact with the production!

Meet us, greet us, join the contest!!!

"Uproar in Pawtucket" is going on the road!

We'll be at the Hope Artiste Village Pawtucket Indoor Winter Farmer's Market on Saturday, March 31, from 10AM-1PM for a photo contest and an opportunity to meet the director and producer of the film.

Learn more about the film, share your memories of Fanny, and get some flyers to share with your friends and family. But most importantly, bring your favorite pictures of Fanny for possible inclusion in the film and a chance to win a great prize!

First prize: A credit in the film, a copy of the finished DVD
Second prize: a copy of the DVD and some "Fanny" goodies.
Third prize: a copy of the DVD
Photos will be judged by Director Patti Cassidy and Producer Genevieve Belcher.

You can find us at 1005 Main Street Pawtucket, RI

New discoveries and upcoming stuff

OK Guys- this is the year Fanny's story gets told on film!

I'm doing fill-in research, writing the script, adding more interviews, begging for more pix, video or visuals (including Slater Park Zoo in the mid-50's and circus pictures from 1958). If you have anything you'd like to show me, please contact me at elephantsinri@gmail.com. Thanks!

I found some great information on the results of the "Name the Animals" contest the city ran when they bought Fanny and six other animals from Ringling Brothers. She was given a very appropriate new name (it was the first of two times her name would be changed), but it obviously didn't stick!

On Sunday, 1/8/2012, I'll be interviewing Tom Keegan, who wrote the song to Fanny that opens the trailer (see it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDpym4XGQSg) and his band will perform the popular tune for the camera.
I'm also ordering a copy of the archived TV show "60 Minutes" report on the zoo that was done in 1975. If I can scare up the dough (it costs around $40 just to LOOK at it!) I want to include it in the film. If you'd like to help (and buy a credit in the film along the way), please contact me!

Don't forget to check out our new website at www.rielephants.com and let others know about it!

More as things progress.....

A New Tribute to our friend Fanny

Poet Bea Lazarus was a nurse at Pawtucket hospital when she met Fanny. She'd often stop by Slater Park in Pawtucket to visit her friend after work, when the sun was golden and Fanny was at her best.
When it was time for the elephant to leave home in 1993, Bea was moved to write a delicate and heartfelt poem to her. She's taped it for us. You can see it at
► 3:41► 3:41 www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAnM1mnDnig

She's still the one...

Folks are still in love with Fanny.
Even kids who never met her showed up last night at the library to hear stories, see the trailer, and learn more about Pawtucket's Sweetheart who left town almost 20 years ago.
One of them is going to be an official fundraiser at her school when it opens this fall.
There were 35 people there in all, including some of the original players, like Former Mayor Metivier who brought a priceless bit of tape. It followed Fanny on her last night in Pawtucket.
"We were all in tears that night," he and Aaron Wishnevsky agreed.
Aaron, who visited Fanny in Texas a lot with his wife Pat, brought a stash of pictures of the Black Beauty Ranch, and a full sized footprint.
Add to that Eclipse Neilsen of the "Free Fanny" coalition, the assistant zookeeper who took care of Fanny, and lots of people who knew and loved her.
Even Chris Kane, who made the sculpture of Fanny that stands in the park now, popped in, as did Jen Warmbold, lead elephant keeper Roger Williams Park Zoo. I could go on and on.
The pictures and memories that people shared are going to be invaluable as we go into high gear until this movie is done.
There was just one fly in the ointment- my business cards hadn't come in yet, and I didn't have a handout with our contact information for everyone.
So please- please- contact us through our email address (elephantsinri@gmail.com) or Facebook page (Uproar in Pawtucket)and we promise to keep in touch!
Ultimate conclusion? I'm positive this is the right story to tell and, once again, am gratified by the passion Fanny evokes, even today.

Another Bombshell!

I heard today from David Bottai of the band The Hometown Rockers. They were the ones that wrote and performed Fanny's song that you can hear in the trailer, but there was much more to the song than the clip I had.
I am blown away!
Because we're going to Pawtucket tomorrow to meet everyone and have had some publicity, people are coming out with the greatest stuff.
I can hardly wait!
David also had a picture of himself as a kiddo riding on Fanny, which will definitely be in the film.
I am humbled to be telling her story- really-

Good news and disappointing....

We've been working steadily, Producer Gennie and I, to move Fanny along.
This Tuesday we'll celebrate her life at Pawtucket Library, and have asked people to bring their stories and pictures of her to be included in the film.
I have plenty of tape, and hope to capture as much great stuff as possible.
We'll also be filming former Mayor Robert Metivier who was head honcho during the Uproar. It should be pretty amazing to get his side of the story.
We also hope to get plenty of pix of the event as there will be more than one "star" there.
One of the main reasons we're doing this event is to act as a spur for the main thrust of editing the film and filling in footage to make it more complete.
On the disappointing side, our indiegogo.com fundraising didn't net what we had hoped, though we're entirely grateful for those who did contribute to the cause. We'll use the money we raised for transportation, publicity, and, when we're ready, to compensate a musician and voice over actor.
More as things progress.

Trailer!

At last! The moment everyone has been waiting for!
The trailer for Fanny (Uproar in Pawtucket) is done! You can see it at our indiegogo site (http://igg.me/p/29594?a=3933&i=shlk) or on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDpym4XGQSg
Please let your friends, neighbors, and local librarians and barkeepers know about this. Fanny was so special, and since this is the year of the elephant in media, it would be a shame to let it go by unnoticed.
Thanks!

Updates, updates, updates....

Best news in the world for The Ballad of Baby Roger!

Everything has been finished, the premiere is ready to happen, RI International Film Festival has accepted the application to consider it for their festival, the duplicates are being made, I will get the preview copy of the disc from the video on demand source that will make it possible to buy Roger from the web, the RI Film Collaborative gave it good marks when it was reviewed there, the IMDB (Imdb.com) has granted Roger its own page (and me and all my cast and crew as well) and, as of today, Rhode Island PBS has notified me they're happy to broadcast Roger once I finish jumping through all their hoops!

It is a long and sometimes frustrating process, but it feels good to see Roger in public.

And I have begun serious work on the story of Fanny the elephant! Her film will be called, "Uproar in Pawtucket".