FUNNY WATER AND BOB

Prologue Easter has always been a time for the little kids to find that special egg, the one left by the Easter Bunny, hidden so as to make finding the egg half the reward. Every year the Ebner family hosts a citywide egg hunt for the kids where it is known that blacks, whites, greens, browns and little grays from Mars can hunt for these special eggs and win prizes. Vallivue Falls is a small community of about 90,000, forty miles away from the larger cities and has a reputation for being rather quaint. Most of the residents have lived there, or their families have, all of their lives so everyone knows everyone. People grow up here, work here and leave only to go on vacations or visit other relatives. Why leave when we have all the stores, businesses and food that anyone would ever need or want right here, is a common sentiment. Roberta (Bob) Ebner ventures out of the community after that special Easter egg hunt and finds a prize for everyone to remember, some more than others. Outsiders came to claim the prize that is not theirs. Some resorted to kidnapping members of the family. What they didn’t know is Vallivue Falls is a united idyllic community with love for all that give love. Oh what a price these kidnappers pay. Nom de plume Jack Risin …………………………………………………… THE AUTHOR I’m not sure how to describe myself, I started my first corporation at age 21 when the voting age was 21, it was the first Monday after I got married. My new bride had the courage and stamina to stay with me through the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s until a doctor made a mistake and left me without my partner. This tragedy happened just six months before I had the opportunity to present this story as a treatment at a meeting of Directors, Producers, instructors and editor’s of the movie industry. In 1989 my biography was published by Marquis Publishing and is now found in every library in the World. Marquis expanded my biography in “Who’s Who in the World,” “Who’s Who in America” and “Who’s Who in Finance and Business.” I owe a great deal to this publishing company for choosing me as a candidate for these books. Shortly after my name was published I was honored and asked to join a prestigious origination, “The International Platform Association.” I describe this origination to others who want to know more about the members by simply telling them the list begins in 1831 with one of the founders, Daniel Webster, includes most of the U. S. presidents, Sir Winston Churchill, Bob Hope and then falls all the down to unworthy me. My first annual conference was in 1993 where I met 800 members. It happened there. The first day a nice little elderly lady came up to me and asked what I did for a living. I proceeded to tell her I was a designer and manufacturer of large steel fabricated products. It seems she really wanted to listen to my voice. She than told me I should have my voice in the entertainment industry. Well I had heard that before, going all the ways back to high school, but growing up in rural Ohio that didn’t seem to carry much weight. However, the next day the same happened and the third day again. I was getting a complex, mostly because of not understanding me. Also on the third day the Association introduced these fine ladies, all were retired actresses, producers and directors. I went back to my room and looked in the mirror and felt like slapping myself in an effort to wake-up. I returned home and went to school again and became that actor. After attending the highly renowned ‘Film Industry Workshop Inc’ school of acting (known as FIWI) and doing the normal “extra” parts in some movies I worked hard and was chosen as a ‘Stand-in’, received my three union vouchers, joined SAG and did my craft in some great film productions. The rest is present history. …………………………………………… PREFACE This story was written in 1988/89 and in 1991, after buying a used Bronco, I drove to the gold country area and encountered the valley, the 1955 bridge, and the meadow, hence adding the Bronco and real valley to my story. In 1996 as an actor at age 55, I was ask to present my story to an audience of Movie Producers/Directors, TV Directors, Editors and actors in the form of a “Treatment” for a possible movie. Seven of us presented our stories or “Treatments” as they are called in the movie industry. Not formally understanding what a “Treatment” was I drafted an outline for my presentation and verbally told the story. After all of our stories were presented and discussed the leading Director, President of Columbia College (CA), Emmy and Oscar winner Bri Murphy, ASC, DGA came up to me at point blank range and said, “Do it, just do it.” Not totally comprehending her directness I asked, “What do you mean?” to which she replied, “Do it, it’s a real treatment with all the necessary components for a good movie.” Over the following months and years I learned about the amazing life of the talented Bri Murphy (more on her below) and joined many others in hoping her life story would someday be a movie. i At this point I dedicated my future to making “Funny Water and Bob” a movie. In doing so I learned the easiest way to over come some of the liabilities that face Producers, Directors, Agents and help them and the many others in the acting world is to put my story into a book. “Funny Water and Bob” is designed to be a recurring annual movie classic, such as Christmas classics, for the loving people of the Easter season of any religion or culture. ……………………………………………………………………………… SPECIAL THANKS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have to pass on sincere thanks to some of the people that have encouraged me to write the story, write the treatment and now write the book and help me write and re-write the book. Everyone is blessed with friends that give their verbal encouragements but only a few stand behind their words and sincerely help when needed. I’ve been blessed with a hand full of great ones. My first wife of 32 years who, until her passing stood by me and some of my strange ideas, Gloria Jean Butcher and my children Jack II and Charlotte Jean Giacoma. My second wife who endures me now, Marilyn E. Butcher. Director, President of Columbia College, Emmy & Oscar winner, Director of Photography, first woman in the The American Society of Cinematographers and the IATSE, Bri Murphy, ASC, DGA, Emeritus, who saw a new student of the acting craft well into his 50’s as a actor/producer/writer and showed her belief in me and had me work on productions with her and her sister. Rebecca Scaglione, author and writer of a trilogy that I hope to be able to pass on my support in helping her books to become a TV series, encouraged and helping me with the direction of the re-writing and publishing process. Andrea Spirtos, who selfishly took time out of her life and did the re-writing, the Ghost Writing, the adding/changing of words that made the book flow with style. There must be more that I could say about her but I lack the ability to find the words to describe what it felt like to see and read how she took my words and made them into enhanced sentences that made me want to read the paragraphs over and over. I’m kind of like Big Mamma in the book, I talk in short sentences that mean a lot and hold lots of meanings, she made them flow with dignity. I’m very lucky and thankful for knowing her. ………………………..