"Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe"

Welcome!

Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe is a new documentary by award-winning and Emmy-nominated filmmakers Kelly & Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, that tells the story of the writer’s life in Cincinnati, Ohio and how these life-changing experiences contributed to her best-selling novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Beecher-Stowe lived in Cincinnati between 1832 and 1850, and just after her move to Maine, she adapted her Ohio experiences and anti-slavery sentiment into America’s most influential novel.

This website will provide regular updates on the film project, historic tid-bits, a glimpse behind-the-scenes, premiere and release information, and how you can be a part of this fascinating journey. 

We are pleased to announce that Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe is partially funded by a grant from the Ohio Humanities, a State affiliate of The National Endowment for the Humanities.  The fiscal sponsor for this documentary film project is Friends of the Harriet Beecher House.  Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed by the film do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the Ohio Humanities.

Visit often and do spread the word about Becoming Harriet Beacher Stowe!

Emmy-nominated “Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe” and Q&A presented April 5 at Eldridge Library

Award-winning actress Jessica Taylor portrayed Harriet Beecher Stowe in the Fourth Wall Films documentary's companion docudrama "Sons & Daughters of Thunder".

The Mid-America Emmy® nominated documentary “Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe” produced by Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films will be presented by the Scott County Library System: Eldridge Branch on Wednesday, April 5 at 6:00 p.m. A Q&A with the film producers will follow the 30-minute film. The event is sponsored by Friends of Eldridge Library. 

“Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe” tells the story of the famous writer’s life in Cincinnati, Ohio and how those life-changing experiences contributed to her best-selling novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. Beecher-Stowe lived in Cincinnati between 1832 and 1850, and after her move to Maine, she adapted her observations and anti-slavery sentiment into America’s most influential novel.

Historians, writers and scholars providing insight into Harriet’s life include Pulitzer Prize winning author of “Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life”, Joan Hedrick.

“The Cincinnati years, I think, profoundly affected her,” said Hedrick. “Her early marriage, her early motherhood – I think it was hard for her to leave that sacred ground. When she moved there, she was a New Englander. When she went back East 18 years later, she was an American.”

Clips from Fourth Wall Films’ award-winning docudrama “Sons & Daughters of Thunder” are included in the documentary and feature acclaimed actors from the Quad Cities area including award-winning actress Jessica Taylor who portrays a young Harriet Beecher. The voice of Harriet Beecher Stowe was presented throughout the documentary by actress Dee Canfield of Moline.  A number of historic sites in appear in the film, including the Jenny Lind Chapel in Andover, Illinois, the Dillon Home Museum in Sterling, Illinois and the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati, Ohio.

“Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe” was partially funded by a grant from the Ohio Humanities, a State affiliate of The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Producers Kelly and Tammy Rundle are the owners of Fourth Wall Films, an Emmy® award-winning independent film production company formerly located in Los Angeles, and now based in Moline, Illinois.

The Rundles have won four Emmy® Awards, and received twelve Emmy® nominations for their documentary film work.

"Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe" airs on WQPT-PBS October 27

 

The Emmy® nominated documentary Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe,  produced by filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, will air on WQPT-PBS on Thursday, October 27 at 10:00 p.m. following the documentary Becoming Frederick Douglass.

Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe explores the writer’s life in Cincinnati, Ohio and how those life-changing experiences contributed to her best-selling novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin.  Beecher-Stowe lived in Cincinnati between 1832 and 1850, and just after her move to Maine, she adapted her Ohio experiences and anti-slavery sentiment into America’s most influential novel.

The documentary features interviews with Joan Hedrick, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life”; Philip McFarland, author of “The Loves of Harriet Beecher Stowe”; historians Chris DeSimio, Christine Anderson, Ph.D., John E. Douglass, Ph.D.; John Getz, Ph.D., and Michelle Watts, Ph.D.

Production took place in Cincinnati, Piqua and Ripley, Ohio; Maysville, Kentucky; Litchfield and Hartford, Connecticut; Brunswick, Maine and Andover, Massachusetts.

The documentary project received a major grant from Ohio Humanities, a State affiliate of The National Endowment for the Humanities.  Friends of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House served as the fiscal sponsor for the grant.

Fourth Wall Films is an Emmy® award-winning independent film and video production company formerly located in Los Angeles, and now based in Moline, Illinois.  Fourth Wall Films focuses on telling Midwestern stories through historical documentary films that reach viewers via PBS broadcasts, theaters, film festivals, national DVD release and online streaming.

Other award-winning Fourth Wall Films titles include Country School: One Room - One Nation, Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City, The Barn Raisers, Letters Home to Hero Street (with WQPT-PBS), River to River: Iowa’s Forgotten Highway 6, Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg (with McMarr, LTD.), Villisca: Living with a Mystery, Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City, The Amish Incident, and the Lost Nation: The Ioway film series. All are available on DVD HERE!

The Emmy® nominated documentary Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe,  produced by filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, will air on WQPT-PBS on Thursday, October 27 at 10:00 p.m. following the documentary Becoming Frederick Douglass.

Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe explores the writer’s life in Cincinnati, Ohio and how those life-changing experiences contributed to her best-selling novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin.  Beecher-Stowe lived in Cincinnati between 1832 and 1850, and just after her move to Maine, she adapted her Ohio experiences and anti-slavery sentiment into America’s most influential novel.

The documentary features interviews with Joan Hedrick, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life”; Philip McFarland, author of “The Loves of Harriet Beecher Stowe”; historians Chris DeSimio, Christine Anderson, Ph.D., John E. Douglass, Ph.D.; John Getz, Ph.D., and Michelle Watts, Ph.D.

Production took place in Cincinnati, Piqua and Ripley, Ohio; Maysville, Kentucky; Litchfield and Hartford, Connecticut; Brunswick, Maine and Andover, Massachusetts.

The documentary project received a major grant from Ohio Humanities, a State affiliate of The National Endowment for the Humanities.  Friends of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House served as the fiscal sponsor for the grant.

Fourth Wall Films is an Emmy® award-winning independent film and video production company formerly located in Los Angeles, and now based in Moline, Illinois.  Fourth Wall Films focuses on telling Midwestern stories through historical documentary films that reach viewers via PBS broadcasts, theaters, film festivals, national DVD release and online streaming.

Other award-winning Fourth Wall Films titles include Country School: One Room - One Nation, Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City, The Barn Raisers, Letters Home to Hero Street (with WQPT-PBS), River to River: Iowa’s Forgotten Highway 6, Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg (with McMarr, LTD.), Villisca: Living with a Mystery, Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City, The Amish Incident, and the Lost Nation: The Ioway film series. All are available on DVD HERE!

"Sons & Daughters of Thunder" Opens Over the Rhine Film Festival at Harriet Beecher Stowe House July 8

The award-winning and 2020 Mid-America Emmy nominated Sons & Daughters of Thunder will screen at the Over the Rhine Film Festival in Cincinnati at 5PM (ET) on July 8th, opening night of the three-day film showcase.

The festival committee arranged for the film to screen in the historic Harriet Beecher Stowe House, 2950 Gilbert Avenue and filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films will participate in Q&A after the presentation.

Seating is limited. Visit https://thirdrow.live/otrff/ for ticket information. 

Based on the play by Earlene Hawley and Curtis Heeter, the film tells the unforgettable true story of the first-in-the-nation 1834 emancipation debates led by firebrand abolitionist Theodore Weld (Thomas Alan Taylor) in Cincinnati, Ohio, and their effect on a young Harriet Beecher Stowe’s (Jessica Taylor) views of slavery.

The film was co-produced by Kelly & Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films and Kent Hawley, and Executive Producer Kimberly Kurtenbach. Award-winning cinematographer Kevin Railsback served as the Director of Photography. The original score was created by award-winning composer William Cambell and it received a 2020 Mid-America Emmy. nommination.

Sons & Daughters of Thunder was partially funded by a grant from the Quad City Arts, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, with support from Friends of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation, and the Bix Biederbecke Inn. The Moline Foundation and the Shell Rock Community Historical Society served as the fiscal sponsors on the film project.  The film is co-produced by Kelly & Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films and Kent Hawley. Kimberly Kurtenbach is the Executive Producer of the film.

Kelly & Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films are the producers of multiple award-winning historical documentaries and the Mid-America Emmy® nominated documentaries Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City, Country School: One Room – One Nation, River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6 and Letters Home to Hero Street (co-produced with WQPT). 

To order any of Fourth Wall Films documentaries or film projects on DVD or view them via streaming, visit SHOP FOURTH WALL FILMS.

Emmy-nominated Documentary Now Available to Purchase on DVD!

The Mid-America Emmy® nominated documentary Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe, produced by filmmakers Kelly & Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, is now available on DVD!

The Story

Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe tells the story of the writer’s life in Cincinnati, Ohio and how a series of life-changing experiences contributed to her best-selling novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Beecher-Stowe lived in Cincinnati between 1832 and 1850, and just after her move back east to Maine, she adapted her Ohio observations into America's most influential novel.

Historic sites depicted in the film include the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati, the John Rankin House in Ripley, Ohio, the Marshall Key House in Old Washington, Kentucky, the Harriet Beecher Stowe House at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, and the General Harrison Canal Boat at the Johnston Farm and Indian Agency in Piqua, Ohio.

As Joan Hedrick says in the film, "When Harriet came to Cincinnati she was a New Englander. When she left, she was an American."

Special Features

♦ Extended Interview Comments

♦ Filmmakers' Commentary

♦ Film Series Teasers & Trailers

♦ English Subtitles for Hearing Impaired

$25 with FREE U.S. MEDIA SHIPPING (Additional shipping fees will apply for International orders.)

To order the DVD CLICK HERE!

New Emmy-nominated Harriet Beecher Stowe Documentary to Screen on Feb. 18

By Jonathan Turner
Entertainment Reporter, QuadCities.com

Harriet Beecher Stowe was a small, quiet woman who wielded a towering, thunderous literary voice that helped change the conscience and course of a nation.

Barely five feet tall, Stowe (1811-1896) is just 23 in the award-winning docudrama “Sons & Daughters of Thunder (2019) by Moline-based filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films.

A half-hour companion documentary, “Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe,” premiered last February on WQPT-PBS, and will be presented online by the Bettendorf Public Library on Thursday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m., in honor of Black History Month.

A Q&A with the film producers and Christina Hartlieb (executive director of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati, Ohio) will follow the film via Fourth Wall Films’ Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Fourth-Wall-Films-173844695995934

Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe tells the little-known story of the famous writer’s life in Cincinnati, and how those life-changing experiences contributed to her best-selling novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” (1852). Stowe lived in Cincinnati between 1832 and 1850, and just after her move to Maine, she adapted her moving observations and anti-slavery sentiment into America’s most influential novel.

The documentary features writers, historians and storytellers — including Joan Hedrick, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life.”

“The Cincinnati years, I think, profoundly affected her,” Hedrick says in the new film. “Her early marriage, her early motherhood – I think it was hard for her to leave that sacred ground. When she moved there, she was a New Englander, but when she went back East 18 years later, she was an American.”

Read the rest of Jonathan Turner's in-depth QuadCities.com story HERE!

“Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe” Screening & Discussion presented online Feb 18

Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin.

The new Mid-America Emmy® nominated documentary Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe produced by Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films,will be presented online by the Bettendorf Public Library on Thursday, February 18 at 2:00 p.m. during Black History Month. 

A Q&A with the film producers will follow the 30-minute film via Fourth Wall Films' Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Fourth-Wall-Films-173844695995934.  (See the event instructions at the end of this post.)

Registration is required at http://events.bettendorflibrary.com/event/4780047 

Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe tells the story of the famous writer’s life in Cincinnati, Ohio and how those life-changing experiences contributed to her best-selling novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Beecher-Stowe lived in Cincinnati between 1832 and 1850, and just after her move to Maine, she adapted her life-changing experiences and anti-slavery sentiment into America’s most influential novel.

The documentary features writers, historians and storytellers including Joan Hedrick, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life”.

Clips from Fourth Wall Films’ award-winning and Emmy-nominated docudrama Sons & Daughters of Thunder are included in the documentary and feature acclaimed actors, including Jessica Taylor as a young Harriet Beecher. Dee Canfield is the voice of elder Harriet Beecher Stowe in the documentary.  A number of historical sites appear in the film, including the Harriet Beecher Stowe House and Rankin House in Cincinnati, Ohio among others.

Jessica Taylor as young Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe was partially funded by a grant from the Ohio Humanities, a State affiliate of The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Producers Kelly and Tammy Rundle are the owners of Fourth Wall Films, an award-winning and Regional Emmy-nominated independent film production company formerly located in Los Angeles, and now based in Moline, Illinois.

The Rundles have received eight Mid-America Emmy® nominations for their documentaries Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City, River to River: Iowa’s Forgotten Highway 6, Country School: One Room - One Nation, River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6, and Letters Home to Hero and their docudrama Sons & Daughters of Thunder. Visit FourthWallFilms.com for more information.

EVENT SCREENING INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Register to attend the event at http://events.bettendorflibrary.com/event/4780047 

2.  On Thursday, Feb. 18th at 2 p.m., go to the Fourth Wall Films Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Fourth-Wall-Films-173844695995934

3.  At 2 p.m. CLICK ON the Facebook LIVE Premiere to view the 30-minute film.

4.  When the film is finished (all the way to the end of the credits), return to the Fourth Wall Films Facebook page.

5.  CLICK ON on the Facebook LIVE video to tune into the Q&A with the film producers. You will be able to type in your questions in the comments.

Note:  If the presentation freezes up for any reason (it is rare, but sometimes such things can happen), simply REFRESH the Fourth Wall Films' Facebook page. 

WGTE-Toledo PBS airs "Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe" Dec. 13th

Great news! The new Emmy-nominated documentary Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe, produced by Fourth Wall Films, will air on Ohio's WGTE-PBS Toledo, Sunday, December 13th at 11:30 a.m. Do spread the word!

Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe tells the story of the writer’s life in Cincinnati, Ohio and how these life-changing experiences contributed to her best-selling novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Beecher-Stowe lived in Cincinnati between 1832 and 1850, and just after her move to Maine, she adapted her Ohio experiences and anti-slavery sentiment into America’s most influential novel. Kelly Rundle will direct the documentary film.

Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe is partially funded by a grant from the Ohio Humanities, a State affiliate of The National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed by the film do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the Ohio Humanities.

Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe is slated for release on DVD in January 2021. Pre-order the DVD at HarrietBeecherStoweMovie.com. 

Four Regional Emmy Nominations for "Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe" and "Sons & Daughters of Thunder"

Fourth Wall Films' documentary Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe and docudrama Sons & Daughters of Thunder have received four Mid-America Emmy® nominations. The films had their broadcast premiere on WQPT- PBS.

Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe received a nomination in the Documentary-Cultural category. The film tells the story of the iconic writer’s time in Cincinnati, Ohio and how several life-altertering experiences contributed material for her best-selling novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Beecher-Stowe lived in Cincinnati between 1832 and 1850, and after her move to Maine, she adapted her Ohio experiences and new anti-slavery sentiment into America’s most influential novel.

The documentary features historians, writers and storytellers including Dr. Joan Hedrick (Pulitzer Prize winning author of “Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life”), Dr. Christine Anderson (Xavier University), Chris DeSimio (former president of Friends of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House), Dr. John E. Douglass (University of Cincinnati-Blue Ash), Dr. John Getz (Xavier University), Philip McFarland (author of “Loves of Harriet Beecher Stowe”), Dr. Michelle Watts (University of Cincinnati), and Betty Campbell (site manager of the John Rankin House). Dee Canfield of Moline, Illinois read excerpts from Beecher Stowe’s letters in the film.

Filming took place in Ohio at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati, John Rankin House in Ripley, on a canal boat courtesy the Johnston Farm and Indian Agency in Piqua; and at locations in Kentucky, Connecticut and Maine.

The Fourth Wall Films docudrama Sons & Daughters of Thunder received three nominations including Best Arts/Entertainment: Program/Special, Best Original Music Score by William Campbell, and a nomination for Writing (Screenplay). The screenplay was adapted by the Rundles from the play “Sons & Daughters of Thunder” written by Earlene Hawley and Curtis Heeter. Kent Hawley co-produced the film with the Rundles.

Sons & Daughters of Thunder tells the unforgettable true story of the first-in-the-nation 1834 anti-slavery debates in Cincinnati, Ohio, led by firebrand abolitionist Theodore Weld as portrayed by Thomas Alan Taylor. The debates had a profound impact on a young Harriet Beecher Stowe’s views on slavery. Stowe is played by actress Jessica Taylor.

Kimberly Kurtenbach served as the Executive Producer and casting director on the project and played Harriet’s sister Catharine Beecher in the film. Janos Horvath starred as Lyman Beecher.

Sons & Daughters of Thunder starred many acclaimed actors from the Midwest and Los Angeles (MEET THE CAST HERE), and a small but mighty crew (MEET THE CREW HERE).

Filming took place at the Dillon Home Museum in Sterling, Illinois, the Jenny Lind Chapel in Andover, Illinois, the Karpeles Manuscript Museum and Augustana's House on the Hill in Rock Island, Illinois, the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford, Connecticut.

Sons & Daughters of Thunder was partially funded by a grant from the Quad City Arts (Illinois Arts Council Agency, Hubbell-Waterman Foundation and Deere and Company); and a grant from the Illinois Arts Council. The Moline Foundation and the Shell Rock Community Historical Society served as the fiscal sponsors for the project. Thunder is available on DVD at LaneRebelsMovie.com or Amazon.com, and it can be streamed via Vimeo On Demand.

Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe was partially funded by a grant from the Ohio Humanities, a State affiliate of The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Kelly and Tammy Rundle received Mid-America Emmy® nominations for their documentaries Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City, River to River: Iowa’s Forgotten Highway 6, Country School: One Room - One Nation, River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6, and Letters Home to Hero Street (co-produced with Lora Adams and WQPT).

Order Sons & Daughters of Thunder at https://www.fourthwallfilms.com/dvds.htm

"Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe" Filmmakers' New Docudrama Wins 7 Awards

The Iowa Motion Picture Association (IMPA) gave Kelly and Tammy Rundle's new docudrama Sons & Daughters of Thunder  seven awards during the 29th Annual gala ceremony held Saturday, August 8th at 7:00 p.m. Due to COVID-19, the event was held online this year. The Rundles are producers of the new documentary Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe.

The IMPA recognized outstanding creative and technical achievement in Iowa’s moving image production industry, in all its forms.

Sons & Daughters of Thunder received eight IMPA nominations, and won five top Awards of Excellence:

Best Live Action Entertainment-Long Form - Fourth Wall Films
Best Direction Long Form - Kelly Rundle
Best Original Music Score by William Campbell
Best Actor Thomas Alan Taylor
Best Supporting Actress Kimberly Kurtenbach

And, two Awards of Achievement went to Kelly Rundle for Editing-Long Form, and to Jessica Taylor for Best Actress.  Kevin Railsback received a nomination for Best Director of Photography for his outstanding cinematography on the project. Visit https://www.impa.tv/ for more details.

"We are honored that Sons & Daughters of Thunder and several of the talented creative artists involved in the film project were recognized for their outstanding work by the IMPA," said director Kelly Rundle. “The award for Best Live Action Entertainment is shared with the entire cast and crew, including playwright Earlene Hawley, co-producer Kent Hawley, and our supporters who stuck with us during this challenging project. Thunder was very much a collaboration of gifted and dedicated professional artists.”

The Rundles' new documentary Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe features clips from Thunder enacting the 1834 Lane Seminary debate scenes which took place in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Several scenes for Sons & Daughters of Thunder were filmed at the historic Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati, Ohio.  

Based on the play by Earlene Hawley and Curtis Heeter, Sons & Daughters of Thunder tells the unforgettable true story of the first-in-the-nation 1834 emancipation debates led by firebrand abolitionist Theodore Weld (Thomas Alan Taylor) in Cincinnati, Ohio, and their effect on a young Harriet Beecher Stowe’s (Jessica Taylor) views of slavery.

Principal photography for Sons & Daughters of Thunder took place in Sterling, Illinois at the Dillon Home Museum, the Jenny Lind Chapel in Andover, Illinois, the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum and Augustana's House on the Hill in Rock Island, Illinois, the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford, Connecticut.

Sons & Daughters of Thunder was partially funded by a grant from the Quad City Arts (Illinois Arts Council Agency, Hubbell-Waterman Foundation and Deere and Company); and a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. The Moline Foundation and the Shell Rock Community Historical Society served as the fiscal sponsors for the project. Thunder is available on DVD at LaneRebelsMovie.com or Amazon.com, and it can be streamed via Vimeo On Demand.

Producers Kelly and Tammy Rundle are the owners of Fourth Wall Films, an award-winning and Regional Emmy-nominated independent film production company formerly located in Los Angeles, and now based in Moline, Illinois.

Sons & Daughters of Thunder was partially funded by a grant from the Quad City Arts, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, with support from Friends of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation, and the Bix Biederbecke Inn. The Moline Foundation and the Shell Rock Community Historical Society served as the fiscal sponsors on the film project.  The film is co-produced by Kelly & Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films and Kent Hawley. Kimberly Kurtenbach is the Executive Producer of the film.

Kelly & Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films are the producers of multiple award-winning historical documentaries and the Mid-America Emmy® nominated documentaries Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City, Country School: One Room – One Nation and Letters Home to Hero Street.

"Thunder" Celebrates Juneteenth

On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers led by Major Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas with the announcement that tens of thousands of African-Americans had been emancipated and were now free.  The announcement came two-and-a-half years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation that freed slaves in Confederate states. But because that proclamation was made during the Civil War, it was ignored by Confederate states and it wasn’t until the end of the war that the Executive Order was enforced in the South.

Newly freed slaves celebrated emancipation with “prayer, feasting, song, and dance”. The following year, the first official Juneteenth celebration was born.

Sons & Daughters of Thunder tells the story of the beginning of the end of slavery in America in 1834--thirty-one years prior to the final act of emancipation of slaves in the U.S. 

This Juneteenth the Sons & Daughters of Thunder DVD is just $19, including FREE shipping for 48-hours only!

Order June 19-21, 2020 via the link below:

Thank you for supporting our ongoing American history filmwork.

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