Journal of a Living Lady #352

Nancy White Kelly

Breaking news from Bill Couterie, legendary movie producer: Economic hard times have hit Hollywood.

Bill bought the rights to my book, Journal of a Living Lady, a couple of years ago with plans for making a movie or documentary of my roller-coaster life. Cancer had hit his family big time and he wanted to spotlight the battle and the warrior.
Several months ago Bill wrote that he was shopping around for financial backers, but the timing isn’t right. Bankers are holding tight to purse strings. A story about a cancer survivor, whose faith helped her beat tremendous odds, not once, but twice, can be inspiring, but not enough for backers to ante up several million dollars in a struggling economy. The money people Bill had hoped would make the project happen have backed down, at least for now.

“Making a living” has become top priority,” Bill says. “But I haven’t forgotten you.”

It was no big surprise that the documentary is on hold. I have always believed the most appropriate time to name a street or make a movie about a person’s life is post mortem. That way, the facts are all in and nothing embarrassing will happen down the road to cause regrets.

It was fun thinking about it being on the big screen. Yet, being a movie star has never been an ambition of mine. Well, maybe once. While taking tap dance lessons during my elementary school years, I pretended to audition as the new Shirley Temple. Unfortunately my hair was too straight to make the cut.

I have been on television a few times. The receiving of the George Washington Medal of Honor for journalism from the Freedom Foundation in Valley Forge was televised. WSB asked me to do a commentary once. Local affiliates of NBC and ABC did a brief news item about my notorious appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show. The telling of that humorous experience is in my book and on the original blog: www.angelfire.com/bc/nancykelly

I don’t think any of this has gone to my head. I am just a southern lady who happened upon notoriety of sorts. I still speak to everybody and give spontaneous hugs. Buddy and I joke about the paparazzi lurking everywhere.

I may not make the movies, at least not in my lifetime. It will be a fun story to tell the grandchildren when they get older.

“Once upon a time your Granny was known as the Living Lady.”