Paducah's 'Big House' the focus of documentary
By JOSHUA ROBERTS
Two documentary filmmakers will visit Paducah for next month's Eighth of
August Emancipation Celebration as part of their project chronicling the
life and influence of a celebrated city son: the late Clarence "Big
House" Gaines.
"One of the motivating things for this film is to make sure for future
generations that his role and place in history is fully understood,"
said David Solomon of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
"We think it has theatrical merit and probably would do very well at
some of the upper level festivals," added co-producer Dan Lowenthal of
New York City.
Production on "Man to Man," a feature-length documentary, began in
February and examines Gaines' 46-year basketball coaching career at
Winston-Salem State University and his relationships with players and
the community. Born in Paducah in 1923, Gaines led Winston-Salem to the
1967 Division II national championship, the first historically black
school to win an NCAA title.
This year's Eighth of August celebration will go far in honoring Gaines,
the first black coach inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball
Hall of Fame. He died in 2005.
On Aug. 7, the Paducah/McCracken County branch of the NAACP will unveil
a Gaines monument at Robert Coleman Park, South Ninth and Husbands
streets. Immediately after will be an unveiling of the Clarence Gaines
Street sign at Burks Chapel A.M.E. Church.
There will be a banquet later the same night at the Cherry Civic Center
in honor of Gaines. Several of his former players, including Earl "The
Pearl" Monroe and ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith, as well as family
members have been invited, the NAACP reported.
Solomon and Lowenthal said they plan to conduct interviews and shoot
film during the local celebration. They're also seeking additional
material from residents.
"We want to tell the story of Paducah and this young man Clarence Gaines
and his family," said Solomon, who knew the legendary coach for years.
"To do that, we need to locate as many rich archival photographs, family
pictures, films and home movies that we can that depict Paducah from Big
House's beginnings in the '20s until he graduated high school in the
'40s. "We want to be able to tell that story as visually and graphically
as we can. If anyone in the Paducah area can help us, that would be
terrific."
Gaines guards dish on old coach
Another visitor coming to Paducah for the Gaines events will be his
former point guard and assistant coach Tim Grant. He played for Gaines
from 1976 to 1980, was his assistant from 1981 to 1993, and will be
interviewed by Solomon and Lowenthal for the film.
"I heard so many stories over the years about Paducah," Grant said
Friday from Winston-Salem. "I told my wife, 'You know what? I've got to
go. I can't miss this.'"
Grant said Paducah "produced a giant of a man" in Gaines, a reference to
his physical stature, personality and accomplishments.
"A lot of people would probably believe he just dealt with basketball.
No, huh uh," he said. "He used basketball to teach you a whole lot about
life. His philosophy was, when he recruited you and you came to play for
him, you were a boy. By the time he finished with you, you should have
become a man. He stressed things like honesty, good character and
integrity."
Ted Blunt, of Wilmington, Delaware, played for Gaines from 1961 to 1965.
He played in the same backcourt with Monroe and was an All-American in
1964 and 1965.
Blunt went on to a successful career in education and politics. He
served the Wilmington City Council for 16 years, including eight as
president.
His daughter, Lisa Blunt Rochester, is the first woman and
African-American to represent Delaware in Congress. "I think of him
every day," Blunt said of his former coach. "All of the things I've been
able to accomplish and achieve would not have been possible without his
guidance and understanding, the conversations we constantly had, and the
value he placed in me."
Blunt, who has been interviewed for "Man to Man," echoed Grant's
sentiments that Gaines cared more about his players than simply what
they produced on the hardwood.
"He used the words 'life after basketball,'" Blunt said. "He wanted to
make sure we were prepared to do other things than just be an athlete â
¦ that we went to class and understood the rules, whether we were on a
job, running for office, or serving our community. He also talked about
the importance of being a father and a father figure."
Blunt said Gaines "went beyond the traditional borders of the South,"
and reached out to people of all races while trying to make
Winston-Salem a "better place for everybody."
"He engaged with people and not just those in basketball circles -- it
was politics, civics and social clubs," Blunt said. "His philosophy was
if you're in a room and you know everybody, you're in the wrong room,
which meant you had to go beyond your natural borders."
Finding home for finished film
Lowenthal, the New York co-producer, said he's been a fan of the Gaines
film project for years, going back to when he originally read Solomon's
script. He anticipates finishing the project in January or February and
then shopping it to distributors.
"We're going to go to HBO, Showtime, ESPN, even PBS because it has a
great historical significance," he said.
"There are many potential outlets for this film."
The filmmakers emphasize that "Man to Man" will be more than a sports
movie.
"Over the course of six decades, (Gaines) changed the lives of countless
people," Solomon said. "There are dozens and dozens of players who point
to him as turning their life around, that he gave their life focus and
direction that transcended sports, transcended basketball." |