Film:  A Friend Indeed:  The Bill Sackter Story (www.billsackter.com)

Studio:  XAP Interactive, Inc. 

Written and Directed by:  Lane Wyrick

Narrated by:  Sally Wingert

Original Music by:  Peter Bloesch

Screening Date:  September 23, 2008 Kansas International Film Festival

Film length:  90 minutes

Rating:  unrated

Reviewed By:  Deborah Ground Buckner (Kansas City Correspondent – USA)

Bill Sackter was a man of exceptional abilities.  “He was a little man, and he made coffee, and he played the harmonica.  And that was enough.”  He could also light up a room with his incredible spirit, he could bring joy, and he could find the good in everyone.  By living his life, he became a “symbol of somebody who made it.”  It would not have been possible without the gift of friendship, a gift that Bill repaid over and over again.

Lane Wyrick's beautiful documentary, A Friend Indeed: The Bill Sackter Story, tells of Bill's life in the best way possible—by showing an audience the man himself.  Bill was seven years old in 1920 when his father died.  Bill's mother was left alone with two older children and Bill, her youngest child, who was classified by the state as “sub-normal” and deemed to be “a burden on society.”  He was forcibly removed from his family and sent to a mental institution where he never heard from his family again.

Bill's confinement lasted for forty-four years, until he was moved to a halfway house and given work as a pot scrubber in a club in Minneapolis.  There, his fortune changed, and he changed the fortunes of others, when he met Barry and Beverly Morrow.  Beverly worked at the club as a cocktail waitress.  Barry had just finished school and had hopes of being a filmmaker (his writing credits include Rain Man, for which he won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in 1988).  At that time, Bill wore a stiffly sprayed Beatle wig, usually placed cock-eyed on his head, and his teeth reflected the years he endured without dental care.  “He looked like a bum—the kind of person you'd run into and run away from,” Barry said.  But Barry was struck by Bill's fascination with the world.  He and Beverly assisted Bill in obtaining dentures, obtained a new wig for him and helped him buy clothes.  Barry became his guardian, and when the family moved to Iowa City where Barry began work with the university, Bill moved with them.

Bill's life began to flourish with work at his own coffee shop each day within the university.  He obtained a room of his own in a boarding house, learned to ride the city buses, had opportunities to play Santa Claus at Christmas and be a loving grandfather year-'round to every child he met.  At each opportunity, he demonstrated his skill as a “world class harmonica player.”

Fortunately, Barry, as a budding filmmaker, played constantly with film and videotapes, and created a wealth of footage of Bill in his daily activities.  He wrote a story of Bill's amazing life that became national news.  He had hopes of making a documentary about Bill, but when he pitched the project, it became instead a television movie, entitled Bill, with Mickey Rooney in the leading role.  When the real Bill heard of the plans for the film, he happily announced, “I'm going to be Mickey Rooney!” The film won Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing (Corey Blechman, screenplay; Barry Morrow, story) and Outstanding Lead Actor (Rooney) in a Limited Series or a Special.  It also received Golden Globe Awards for Best Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for TV and Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for TV. Rooney was appearing on Broadway and had to miss the Golden Globe ceremony, but sent Bill in his place. To accept the award, Bill stood alongside Barry and Beverly and actor Dennis Quaid (who played Barry in the film), played his harmonica and reveled in the applause.

The presentation of the movie and its sequel, Bill on His Own, created a new national awareness of the special gifts of people with developmental disabilities.  Bill received honors as “Handicapped Iowan of the Year” and was named one of five finalists for Handicapped American of the Year, garnering a visit to the White House.  Upon being greeted by First Lady Rosalynn Carter, Bill told her she was pretty and played the harmonica for her. 

The day came when Barry and his family had to make a move to California to allow him to pursue his career.  He explained this to Bill and invited him to travel with the family, but Bill said, “I'll miss you, but I got a lot of friends here and a job and a good home.”  Barry left, knowing Bill would be all right, and he was, until the morning he failed to appear for work—for the first time—and friends discovered he had passed away peacefully in his sleep.

Still wanting a documentary to show the real Bill to the world, Barry approached Lane Wyrick, entrusting him with boxes and boxes of audio and video materials and photographs.  The result is breathtaking, giving the world a chance to meet and love the extraordinary man Bill Sackter was.  The music by Peter Bloesch is a beautiful accompaniment.  There were few dry eyes in the house at the conclusion of the screening. 

This is a film, that like Bill's life, continues to sound a message of hope and welcome to those who may be developmentally challenged.  Everyone has a gift and should have an opportunity to develop it and share it with the world.  Lane Wyrick has demonstrated a special gift in revealing Bill's life so completely, and the world needs this film.