Red Betsy (2003)

Director:

Chris Boebel

Writers:

Charles E. Boebel (story)
Chris Boebel (writer)

Genre:

Drama | Family | Romance

Tagline:

In the heart of a nation ... hope takes flight.

Plot:

A close-knit Midwestern farm family deals with loss, change, and social progress during the 1940's. |

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Alison Elliott	...	Winifred Rounds
Leo Burmester	...	Emmet Rounds
Lois Smith	...	Helen Rounds
Chad Lowe	...	Orin Sanders
William Wise	...	Grandpa Charles
Isa Thomas	...	Grandma K
Brent Crawford	...	Dale Rounds
Courtney Jines	...	Jane Rounds
Kyle Gallner	...	Charlie
Simon Jacobs	...	Richard
Carrie Van Deest	...	Edna
Nathan Connor	...	Charles Jr.
Jaide Gunther	...	Tiny Tim and Student (credit only)
John Filmanowicz	...	Charlie (age 3)
Mary Kababik	...	Florence
Heather Ullsvik	...	Katie
Chad Grote	...	Gravedigger #2
Ed Amor	...	Justice of the Peace
Peder Melhuse	...	Horace the Mailman
Krystyl Gunther	...	Student (credit only)
Paul Kennedy	...	Western Union Man
Patricia Whitely	...	Mrs. Breckler
Michelle Towey	...	Theatre Ticket Taker
JoAnna Beckson	...	School Administrator
Amanda Arnold	...	Dorothy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Cook	...	British Radio Announcer (voice)
John J. Fleming	...	Newsreel Announcer (voice)
Ralph Gunderman	...	Radio Announcer (voice)
Paul Kennedy	...	Western Union Man
Eddie Kunz	...	Townsperson
Brian Sheridan	...	Grave Digger #1
Debbie Kunz	...	Parent at Christmas play (uncredited)
Molly Kunz	...	Townsperson (uncredited)

Directed by
Chris Boebel

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Charles E. Boebel		story
Chris Boebel		writer

Produced by
James Calabrese	....	producer
Andy Clark	....	line producer
Andrew Lang	....	executive producer
Lemore Syvan	....	co-executive producer

Original Music by
Michael Bacon
Sheldon Mirowitz

Cinematography by
David Tumblety

Film Editing by
David Leonard

Casting by
Adrienne Stern

Production Design by
Mark White

Art Direction by
Lisa Scoppa		(as Lisa Crivelli)

Set Decoration by
Bryan Hodge

Costume Design by
Patricia Sarnataro

Makeup Department
Renee Didio	....	hair stylist
Roxanne Johnson	....	assistant makeup artist
Julia Lallas	....	hair stylist
Andrea Rowe-Dicke	....	key hair stylist
Alessandra Sanitate	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Melissa Marr	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Roger M. Bobb	....	first assistant director
John Kaufmann	....	second assistant director
Jess Prosser	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Neil Driscoll Jr.	....	assistant property master (as Neil Driscoll)
Jo-L Hocutt	....	art production assistant
Jim Nelson	....	wood carver
Sara Parks	....	set dresser
Duke Scoppa	....	property master (as Edward 'Duke' Scoppa)
Kevin Sturmer	....	set dresser
Jeffrey Thompson	....	assistant property master (as Jeff Thompson)
Greg Yolen	....	swing

Sound Department
Shelley Batista	....	assistant sound editor
Shelley Batista	....	foley editor
Patty Boom Boom	....	boom operator
Nancy Cabrera	....	foley artist
Chris Cameron	....	assistant sound editor
Tammy Douglas	....	sound mixer
Ken Hunold	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Jason Kaplan	....	adr engineer
Jason Kaplan	....	foley engineer
Barry London	....	sound mixer: second unit
Jeff Marcello	....	technical support
Jack Martin	....	boom operator: second unit
Esther Regelson	....	co-supervising sound editor
Dominick Tavella	....	sound re-recording mixer
Damian Volpe	....	supervising sound editor
Juan Carlos Zaldívar	....	sound effects editor

Visual Effects by
Jennifer Basnyat	....	visual effects
Jennifer Cossetto	....	digital artist: Film East Inc.
Janos Pilenyi	....	optical supervisor: Cineric Inc.
Jim Rider	....	visual effects supervisor: Film East Inc.

Stunts
Denise Moreno	....	stunts
Ken Moreno	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Arsenio Assin	....	key grip
Larry 'Hoi-Fan' Chan	....	third electrician
Radium Cheung	....	gaffer
Ryan Cosgrove	....	additional grip
Jeffrey Dutemple	....	first assistant camera
Gretchen Eastman	....	additional grip
Paul Fountain	....	additional grip
Matt Gingrich	....	additional grip
Rick Griggs	....	dolly grip
Jean-Baptiste LeConte	....	additional grip
Tim McNulty	....	camera loader
Simeon Moore	....	best boy electric
John Alex Perry	....	additional grip
Scott Quimby	....	electrician
Jo Scheder	....	still photographer
David Stern	....	key grip
Nathan Swingle	....	second assistant camera
Christy Taddeo	....	additional grip
Aaron Voskuil	....	best boy grip

Casting Department
Theresa Boyeson	....	extras casting
Eric Scott	....	casting associate: New York

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Rachel Greene	....	wardrobe supervisor (as Rachel Leah Greene)
Karen Pauli	....	assistant wardrobe supervisor
Tobey White	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Seth Anderson	....	assistant editor (as Seth E. Anderson)
Inna Braude	....	assistant editor
Don Ciana	....	color timer
Mike Fay	....	assistant editor (as Michael Fay)
Sabine Hoffmann	....	additional editor
Patricia Sztaba	....	negative cutter
Stan Sztaba	....	negative cutter
Joe Violante	....	color coordinator: Technicolor

Music Department
Matthew Abbott	....	music supervisor
Jim Black	....	music supervisor
Jamie Lamm	....	score mixer
Nicholas Prout	....	score engineer
John Smoltz	....	score engineer

Other crew
Donna L. Bascom	....	legal affairs
Brian Bell	....	line producer: second unit
Dawn Bobo	....	tutor
Melissa Browne	....	production coordinator
Daniel Burmester	....	production assistant: New York
Mary Cabaero	....	intern
Dale Cameron	....	script supervisor
Benilda 'Bunny' Capule	....	assistant post-production accountant
Michelle Crunkleton	....	assistant production coordinator
Ted Davis	....	pilot
Tim Gnadt	....	craft service
John 'Gordie' Gourdox	....	production assistant
Hillary C. Haas	....	production assistant
Jean Hacklander	....	location manager
Mitch Haycock	....	production assistant
Jef Spenser Hira	....	post-production accountant
Brad Huddleston	....	location manager
Craig Krueger	....	office production assistant
Michael Loscalzo	....	production assistant: New York
Eric A. Mattson	....	production assistant
Robert Milanese	....	production assistant: New York
Jan Mittelstaedt	....	assistant to producer
'Johnny Brooklyn' Monforte	....	production assistant
Sarah Morton	....	production assistant: New York
Cassandre Novembre	....	production coordinator
Ariel Enriquez Saulog	....	title designer: Cineric Inc.
Tony Schermetzler	....	production assistant
Suzanne Schroeder	....	assistant to producer
Philip Shipman	....	production assistant
Laura A. Stewart	....	production assistant
Laura Stewart	....	production assistant
J.P. Summerskill	....	production accountant

Production Companies

• Lang Films
• Red Betsy Productions LLC

Distributors

• Lang Films

Special Effects

• Film East

Other Companies

• All Payments Services  payroll
• Camera Service Center  Arriflex cameras and lenses provided by
• Cineric  opticals
• Cineric  title design
• Dylan Scott Casting  extras casting
• Fearless Music  score mixed at
• MAC Cosmetics  make-up provided by
• Midwest Express Airlines  cast/crew travel
• Sound One Corporation  sound post-production
• Spin Ciclo Post Inc.  picture and audio post-production services
• The Studio, Philadelphia  score recording

MPAA:

Rated PG for language and thematic elements.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Delafield, Wisconsin, USA

Company:

Lang Films

Quotes:

Charlie: I was being subtle.
Winifred Rounds: Don't be subtle. Dickens isn't subtle. Your audience isn't subtle. And you aren't subtle.

Soundtrack:

I YUST GO NUTS AT CHRISTMAS

A better than average drama about relationships

Red Betsy is a period drama that tells the tale of the Rounds, a farm family in Wisconsin during the 1940's and into the early 1950's.

The main characters are Winifred Rounds, played by Alison Elliott, who is an outsider who joins the Rounds family by marrying the only son of Emmet Rounds, played by Leo Burmester. We follow the thread of their stories as they deal with war, life changes, and change in their neck of the country when electricity arrives.

Winifred is uptight and snobbish having been born and raised in a city and having some college. She reluctantly agrees to live on the Rounds' farm while her husband, Dale, joins the Army Air Corps and heads off to fight in World War II.

Emmet Rounds is the area eccentric and mechanical wizard. He loves his son Dale and can't for the life of him figure out how he found and fell in love with Winifred. He doesn't care for her much but makes the best of it for Dale's sake.

After tragedy takes away their connection to each other, Winifred and Emmet have to learn how to live together while each try to maintain their individuality. Another connection arrives soon after and they each struggle to put their own stamp on it.

I thought Red Betsy was a good film. The main leads were excellent. I always enjoy Leo Burmester's work so I wasn't disappointed. Alison Elliott was a treat as the snobbish Winifred. You almost feel sorry for her as she is stuck in a community she feels is not her station. You sense the disappointment as she sees where she is at and longing for where she could have been. Her relationship with Dale at the beginning of the film seems real and loving but you ask yourself how did Dale end up with her.

The music was excellent and captured the sparse living in the hinterlands of Wisconsin.

I thought the one thing against the film was it tried to cram so much into such a small time frame of 98 minutes. When you have little film time and so much to cover it can end up looking like a mush. I thought the director did a good job by focusing on the main story of Winifred and Emmet. He was less successful when his lens focused on other issues like the subplot with Orin Sanders, played by Chad Lowe, and Winifred when Orin brought electricity to the school house she taught at.

The director also weakened the narrative when including a mini-sub plot involving young Charlie, who happens to be the narrator of the short story this film is based on. The film can work without having to include everything from the source.

My guess is that the writer had a problem ending the film because the Christmas ending was too cliché'. I was looking for a bittersweet ending to match the bittersweet story.

This was a better than average independent film that everyone who lives in the Midwest or wants to know about the Midwest during the time period should see.

A tip of the hat goes to our local mega-plex who actually had this film with normal viewing times. It was good to see them support regional film-making.