What Kansas City stories would make for an interesting doc?

[KCMax]

What are some untold stories about KC that would make for an interesting documentary? Try to avoid topics that have already been covered like our jazz history.

On the historic doc side I think a good doc about Teddy Pendergast and the KC political machine would be interesting. I would guess KCPT has already done this? I'm not aware of anything though.

The Union Station massacre might make for a decent doc, although I'm not sure there's enough there to stretch an hour long doc.

The KCMO deseg case.

On the quirky documentary side, I was thinking a doc about Clay Chastain set against our overall push for transit in this town would be a pretty interesting doc, maybe even set against larger arguments for an against public transit.

Any other ideas? What would you like to see a movie about relating to Kansas City?

[heatherkay]

The Shawnee Prophet, Tenskwatawa, one of the main figures in Tecumsah's War in the early 19th century, is buried in the Argentine, near where 635 crosses the Kansas River. I've read a lot about him, but not much about what happened after the War, or how he ended up in Kansas City.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenskwatawa

[taxi]

I agree with the Clay Chastain/KC transit idea. There are a lot of entertaining characters there and the effort has been going on for something like 30 years, and probably longer. The destruction of the streetcar system and then the urban core, to construct the highways, sets a scene familiar to many US cities.

I'm working on a doc about the West Edge, though at a snail's pace. Perhaps it will help me get in tune with the project. It is a story stranger than fiction, outrageous in so many ways, and there are some very interesting characters involved. Stay tuned. I'll try to finish it before we are all old and decrepit. Or at least before there's a new technology that replaces HD.

[KCMax]

I agree with the Clay Chastain/KC transit idea. There are a lot of entertaining characters there and the effort has been going on for something like 30 years, and probably longer. The destruction of the streetcar system and then the urban core, to construct the highways, sets a scene familiar to many US cities.

I'm working on a doc about the West Edge, though at a snail's pace. Perhaps it will help me get in tune with the project. It is a story stranger than fiction, outrageous in so many ways, and there are some very interesting characters involved. Stay tuned. I'll try to finish it before we are all old and decrepit. Or at least before there's a new technology that replaces HD.

Please keep us posted. I've heard from a few people that the story is crazier than the general public knows.

[taxi]

Indeed. It's a fun story of backroom deals, crooked lawyers, blackmail, prostitutes, espionage, boatloads of money, broken friendships, incest and murders.

[AJoD]

Max, are you familiar with Blackhand Strawman? I haven't seen it yet but imagine there is some Pendergast and Union Station stuff in there.

[KCMax]

Max, are you familiar with Blackhand Strawman? I haven't seen it yet but imagine there is some Pendergast and Union Station stuff in there.

I am not! Thanks for the reference.

[shinatoo]

I think the whole City Beautiful movement and how KC was on track to be THE city of the west in the 1920s and the subsequent decline due to things like improvements in transportation. Maybe as a larger metaphor for the decline of small town America in general.

[FangKC]

I just saw Blackhand Strawman and it's an excellent documentary, and I recommend that everyone on this forum see it. The KC Public Library has DVDs of it for check-out.

I learned so much about the Kansas City Mafia that I didn't know--especially the pre-Civella era.

There is a little about the Pendergast Machine in that documentary, but I've never seen a documentary that was exclusively about the Pendergast Machine, and how they came to power. There are several books about Pendergast.

Pendergast! by Lawrence H. Larsen and Nancy J. Hulston.

The Pendergast machine by Lyle W. Dorsett.

Truman and Pendergast by Robert H. Ferrell.

The Kansas City investigation: Pendergast's downfall, 1938-1939 by Rudolph H. Hartmann.

Tom's town: Kansas City and the Pendergast legend by William M. Reddig.

The inside story of the Pendergast machine by the man who smashed it by Maurice M. Milligan.

[jupiterkansas]

Not that I think we should air our dirty laundry, but the story of the Kansas City School District would probably get national attention, esp. if contrasted with the Shawnee Mission School District right next door. Of course, the story isn't over yet, and may never be.

I recommend watching (if you can find it) the "Pruitt Igoe Myth" about the history of urban housing development in St. Louis. It was a fantastic doc that I saw at the KC FilmFest last year.

[AllThingsKC]

This isn't the best idea, but I think the story of how KC got the Sprint Center would make an interesting doc. Everything from public opinion, Enterprise, etc. Then, a look at how the Sprint Center is doing today, despite not having an anchor tenant.

That would probably be very boring, so maybe we could add some explosions and deaths to spice up the story.

[brewcrew1000]

Id like to see a Doc on all the old Luxury Hotels/Apartments on Armour Blvd, what the area was like, its downfall, who played, who stayed, etc.

[FangKC]

Johnny Lazia was gunned down outside of Park Central on Armour Boulevard.

[bbqboy]

I just have to admire the mention of teddy pendergast
maybe his whellchair is encased in concrete somewhere.

[aknowledgeableperson]

Two stories come to mind.
The first would be how a frontier city got the Democratic Party convention, lost it's convention building, and in order to save the convention raised the funds and was able to build a new building to host the convention.
The second story would be how a community raised the funds and was able to bring together many of the people involved in WW I to open a memorial to keep the history of that event in our minds.

[KCMax]

I just have to admire the mention of teddy pendergast
maybe his whellchair is encased in concrete somewhere.

I had disco on the mind.

[mean]

I think the story of the Rhumba Box would make a really interesting documentary.

[midtown]

Robert Berdella

[KCMax]

Robert Berdella

There was a movie made about him.

http://www.bobberdella.com/

[bbqboy]

good old Bob. We had no idea when we were selling with him at the Westport Flea Market that those skulls he had on display were his victims.