New Films on JFK

[John Simkin]

Dallas Morning News

By ROBERT WILONSKY

Updated: 28 May 2013 02:27 AM

On Memorial Day came word that yet another Kennedy assassin "investigation"

commenced filming here: ReelzChannel's JFK: The Smoking Gun, a self-proclaimed Canada-Australia co-production focusing on the research done by Australian police officer-turned-crime novelist Colin McLaren. He's just the latest in a long line of folks to proclaim he has "managed to solve a crime that is every bit as shocking and incredible today as it was when it happened 50 years ago," per today's heads-up.

Says the release, "This two-hour special with dramatic recreations takes audiences back to that tragic day in Dallas at Dealey Plaza where the shooting took place, to Parkland Hospital where the president was pronounced dead, to the Bethesda Naval Hospital where the autopsy was conducted and to the witness testimonies and proceedings at the Warren Commission that have remained controversial to this day. Ballistic experiments, CGI and 3D animation are also used to enhance the viewers' experience."

Janis Burklund, director of the Dallas Film Commission, says today that JFK: The Smoking Gun is hardly the sole Kennedy-assassination doc being shot here. But it's hard to keep count of them all: "Some are movies, some are docs," she says, "and some don't need permits." And some have wrapped - like, say, that British production tentatively titled JFK: The Lost Air Force One Tapes, which had the chopper hanging around Dealey Plaza last summer.

Then, of course, there are the features being made outside of Dallas, among them the Tom Hanks-produced Parkland (which was filmed in Austin and prepped for a November release) and National Geographic's Killing Kennedy, based on the book by Bill O'Reilly, who apparently began his research during his tenure at WFAA-Channel 8. The latter is being filmed in Virginia.

Another conspiracy-theory feature film, Dallas in Wonderland, is said to be in pre-production. And the filmmakers did talk to Burklund about filming here, but she says nothing ever came of it.

"I don't know if they're afraid of Dallas," says Burklund of those productions' decision to stay away from Dallas. "That was part of the conversation we had with Dallas in Wonderland. They were asking how we could assist, and I told them we need to read a script and get an idea of how much they planned to spend, and we never heard back. My guess is, in their case at least, they weren't funded. A lot will announce in the hopes of generating interest."

Says Burklund, yes, her office at Dallas City Hall has "had a flood of inquiries" in recent months, and that "it's fair to say there's been an increase in interest" in filming something Kennedy-related. "But we always have Kennedy stuff looking here," she says. "I don't think it's ever going to go away. I think what will happen, though, is what happened with the 40th anniversary - the influx of live newscasts from Dealey Plaza as the anniversary approaches. That will be huge."

http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2013/05/yet-another-film-claiming-to-solve-kennedy-assassination-jfk-the-smoking-gun-starts-filming-in-dallas-today.html/

[Pat Speer]

I must admit the Colin McLaren doc worries me a little.

It's either 1) a lone nut doc pretending to offer something new that will waste everyone's time; 2) a lone nut doc with a new twist, which will muddy the waters, or 3) a conspiracy doc, most probably based upon someone else's research. I read up on McLaren a little, and he seems like a fairly busy person--busy being a celebrity. As a consequence, I find it hard to believe he took the time to study the case and come up with anything new...that will stand up to scrutiny. If this program is based upon "his" research, then, it seems quite possible "his" research was found on this or one of the other forums.

Any updates on the direction of his program will be appreciated.

Edited May 29, 2013 by Pat Speer

[J. Raymond Carroll]

History Channel in need of locals to play Lee Harvey Oswald, Jack Ruby, Ruth Paine and others for upcoming documentary

http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2013/05/history-channel-in-need-of-folks-to-play-lee-harvey-oswald-jack-ruby-ruth-paine-and-others-for-upcoming-doc.html/

[J. Raymond Carroll]

Michelle Trachtenberg Talks About Her Upcoming Role as Lee Harvey Oswald's Wife in Killing Kennedy

Read more: http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/michelle-trachtenberg-upcoming-role-as-lee-harvey-oswalds-wife-2013285#ixzz2UgO22X39

[Pat Speer]

The thing that worries me about the McLaren thing is that its on Reelz Channel. I think that is the network that did that godawful mini series about the Kennedys from that RW nut who produces 24.

So its not likely that they are out to expose a conspriacy about JFK.

What did you find out about this guy Pat?

I didn't do any digging beyond a quick google search and asking the Aussies on this forum what they knew about the guy. As I recall, he's a former cop turned author turned celebrity investigator...kind of like Mark Fuhrman without the O.J. baggage. What concerned me most was his high profile: he's constantly in the spotlight. This led me to doubt he'd had the time to do a thorough investigation. As stated, if he found anything "new," he probably "borrowed" it from someone else, or was handed it by the producers of the program who knew they couldn't get widespread distribution without his credibility.

The Kennedys mini-series, as I remember was not overseen by Reelz, but shown on Reelz after the History Channel realized it was too controversial. The Kennedys was not as bad as I feared, over-all--the characters were sympathetic, and not just cartoon characters--but the ten minutes or so on the assassination were dreadful and misleading.

Edited May 29, 2013 by Pat Speer