Category: Another Viewpoint || By

First things first: I have received several emails from Jim Hubbard of American Film Renaissance disputing the accuracy of the story that appeared in Saturday's Almanac. He calls the allegations in the story "false, malicious, and despicable":

Any notion that we only plan to examine Unions and Democrats without also examining Corporations and Republicans is also inaccurate. Personally, I believe there is both good and bad in Unions, Corporations, Democrats, and Republicans. I see the McKeesport film as a non-partisan and non-ideological project which seeks to explore the roots causes for the town's economic decline --- a decline we all hope is temporary. This film is not an ideological hatchet job.

Personally, I believe our completed film will serve as the ultimate rebuttal to these allegations.

In a separate email, Hubbard says:

To show how much we want a balanced film, we even wanted to hire you, someone who probably does not share our political viewpoints, at least on some issues. Anyway, Art and I really liked you, and wanted you to be involved with the film.

I am sorry that you prejudged us and our motives for making this film. I would simply ask that you be fair and withhold judgment until we have a final product in place. Why would you attempt to malign us --- or this project --- before you have even had a chance to review the film?

For the record, I have offered Hubbard this space for a rebuttal. My policy has always been to print corrections with equal prominence as the original story.

I have recontacted two of my unnamed sources, and both have confirmed our conversations. Until I receive a correction on some specific point, I will stand by the story.

Also for the record, I don't believe I prejudged anyone. Frankly, I don't have a dog in this fight, except that I wanted to see this movie made. (Actually, last June I wrote that "approaching the Mon-Yough area's problems from a center-right or right-wing perspective is not a bad idea. The only people who have paid any attention to the Mon Valley's steel towns for the past 25 years have been liberal academics, professional protesters, and self-styled socialists and labor activists. They talk nice words, but don't ever deliver.")

While the stories of Braddock and Homestead have been told to national audiences, McKeesport's has never been told. This film was a chance to do it. Maybe it still is.

But I feel I have some responsibility to share what I, and other people, have learned about this project. If that makes me "malicious," so be it; I don't agree.

. . .

I also received email from Jamie Vincent, associate producer of the McKeesport documentary, and now the girlfriend of Mike Wilson, the director fired from the project by Hubbard. Here are a few excerpts from her email:

To say that Mike's footage was terrible is the worst possible thing he could have blamed it on, because first and foremost this is untrue; and second, how unprofessional can someone who has the role of bringing all parties together be?

I drove with Jim, ate with Jim, and heard nothing but positive aspects of Mike and why he had come to him on this project. The decision to take Mike off of this film was unfortunately made long before Jim ever looked at a lick of footage and even prior to the footage being sent back to him to a point where Art would have been able to see it ... It's very unfortunate that he has to take the lowest road possible in your discussion with him.

We are crushed by the fact that the heartbreakingly honest interviews the people of McKeesport gave us would never be seen. I won't speak for Mike Schaubach and Andy Halliwell but ... you would be hard pressed to find a different story from them.

I wish this was different. not only because we have some amazing footage on those tapes that now collect dust but because it is an important story for not only the citizens of McKeesport but for the rest of the country that McKeesport helped to build.

. . .

Meanwhile, a commenter on Saturday's story asked why Wilson can't release the film he shot, and why Hubbard can't make a separate film.

I am not a lawyer. But according to Wilson, the footage he shot was contractually owned by the producers. Presumably, the rights to that footage would have to be purchased.

. . .

Onto happier subjects: I received email from the wife of Terry Lee to report that he is alive and well:

I showed him your article in the Tube City Almanac. You are extremely perceptive and are right on about everything you said about the people and the rumors ... However, he was slightly taken aback by the following quote: "Terry Lee --- or someone who says he's Terry Lee." I guess when you are Terry Lee, you want everyone to believe it!

As I told her in a separate email, a lot of people have been selling "bootleg" CDs around Pittsburgh that they claim are endorsed by Porky Chedwick or the late Mad Mike Metro, and which neither Porky nor Mike had probably ever heard before.

I also caught a DJ at one of the local radio stations impersonating Terry Lee, and called him on it. He stopped --- and it was a pretty bad impersonation --- but that's why I was skeptical.

For what it's worth, I'm not even sure who I am on some mornings, or my name isn't Jason Pallan Togyer.

Terry and his family are building a website with airchecks, photos and stories at www.tlsoundco.com. There's not much there yet, but they're working on it.

. . .

Finally, I want to thank "Stacey," who posted a wonderfully racist comment that encouraged Barack Obama and all of his supporters to "go back to Africa."

They're doing wonderful things with wi-fi access, Stacey, but I didn't realize that it had penetrated the mud underneath your rock.