Hero Street: A Historical Documentary Film Series

"Infantryman from Hero Street" receives Emmy nomination

 

We are very pleased to announce that our documentary "An Infantryman from Hero Street" has received a Mid-America Emmy nomination!

 

Congratulations to the MANY people and the Hero Street community who made this important film possible. We are deeply grateful to Lora Adams and WQPT-PBS.

 

A note of special recognition and thanks goes out to our 'storytellers': Tanilo Sandoval (and family), Georgia Sandoval Herrera (and Norbert Herrera & Pauline Callen), Henry Sandoval (and family), Irene Mawson (and Bonnie Patton & Thomasa Shadden), Marc Wilson, Capt. Kevin Braafladt, John C. McManus, Carlos Harrison; and to our dedicated and talented cast: Emmanuel Juarez, Eric Juarez and Matt Walsh. Also to Chris Ryder and Lora Adams for their creative assistance and support on this project, and to Hero Street theme composer William Campbell.

 

This documentary film series would not be possible without the generous support of our donors, supporters and our sponsors. Fundraising is the most challenging part of the work we do. These stories we tell would not be preserved if not for the many wonderful people who have contributed to this important project. To say we are grateful is an understatement.

 

This Emmy nomination is for 'the boys'--the Hero Street eight.

 

Below we share WHBF's coverage of the story! 

QC producers earn five Emmy nominations

by: Jonathan Turner, WHBF

Fourth Wall Films, Moline, is looking to add to its growing stable of regional Emmy awards, as its films earned their 12^th and 13^th Emmy nominations Thursday.

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Mid-America chapter, gave the husband-and-wife team of Kelly and Tammy Rundle new nominations in the following categories:

• Documentary, Historical: “An Infantryman From Hero Street”
• Environment/Science – Short Form Content: “Places To Be Wild”

Read the rest of WHBF reporter Jonathan Turner's story on the QC Emmy nominations HERE!

"An Infantryman from Hero Street" Iowa Motion Picture Award Nominee

“An Infantryman from Hero Street” is among the nominees at Iowa Motion Picture Awards. The award ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 6th at the Boman Fine Arts Center in Forest City, Iowa. "Infantryman" is competing in the Documentary Short Form category.

“An Infantryman from Hero Street,” the fourth episode in the "Hero Street" documentary series by Emmy Award-winning filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Moline-based Fourth Wall Films and co-produced with Lora Adams, tells the true story of PFC Joseph Sandoval who was born in a boxcar to Mexican immigrants in the Silvis, Illinois rail yard. In 1944 Joe, married with two young sons, was drafted and shipped to Britain with the 41st Armored Infantry Regiment. His unit helped fight the second stage of the Normandy Invasion in France. In April 1945, the Allied forces reached an agreement regarding post-war Germany, and Joe and his fellow soldiers were told the war was essentially over. Joe was killed just days later during a German counter attack near the Elbe River in Schönebeck, Germany. In the two weeks that followed, U.S. and Russian troops shook hands across the Elbe, and Adolph Hitler committed suicide.

Only a block and a half long, Second Street in Silvis, Illinois lost six young men in World War II and two in the Korean War, more than any other street in America. Hero Street, as it is now known, has provided over 150 service members since Mexican-American immigrants settled there in 1929.

The documentary stars Emmanuel Juarez as PFC Joseph Sandoval, Eric Juarez reprising his role as Joe’s brother PFC Frank Sandoval, and actor Matt Walsh as 1st Lt Frank Houcek. The film features commentary by First Army Support Command Historian 1st Lt Kevin Braafladt, Rock Island Arsenal; authors Marc Wilson “Hero Street, USA”, Carlos Harrison "The Ghosts of Hero Street" and John C. McManus “September Hope”; and members of Joe Sandoval’s family, including Tanilo Sandoval, Henry Sandoval, Georgia Herrera and Irene Mawson.

The “Hero Street” film serie’s opening theme was scored by award-winning and Emmy® nominated composer William Campbell of Davenport.

WQPT-PBS provided its broadcast studio for filming portions of the documentary. WQPT’s Lora Adams assisted with production, and Chris Ryder created special visual and sound effects. WQPT-PBS previously partnered with Fourth Wall Films in 2015 to co-produce the Mid-America Emmy nominated "Letters Home to Hero Street” which tells the story of Frank Sandoval who died while serving in Burma, India during WWII.

“Hero Street,” a multi-part documentary series by Fourth Wall Films, explores the compelling true story of eight Mexican-American heroes from Hero Street, USA in Silvis, Illinois: Tony Pompa, Frank Sandoval, William Sandoval, Claro Solis, Peter Masias, Joseph Sandoval, Joseph Gomez and John S. Muños.

ORDER THE DVD HERE!

Next ‘Hero Street’ film gets Illinois grant

The following story by Jonathan Turner appeared today on WHBF's Our QuadCities.com.

“The Last to Fall from Hero Street: John Muños’ Story — a new film in the “Hero Street” documentary series by Fourth Wall Films — has received a $4,250 grant award from the Illinois Humanities.

The fiscal sponsor for the grant is Truth First Film Alliance, and the grant will partially fund the production phase of the documentary, according to a release from Moline-based Fourth Wall.

“The Last to Fall from Hero Street,” the fifth in the series, will tell the story of Mexican-American John Muños from Silvis, and his Korean War military service. The film profiles his family’s journey from Mexico as they fled the Revolution. John’s father, Isabel, worked in the rail yards in Silvis, and his mother, Victoria, made their home in a boxcar provided by the railroad.

The families of the boxcar village experienced both acceptance and discrimination in their new community, the release said. Around the time of the Great Depression, the families living in the railroad village were moved to 2nd Street in Silvis, a former dumpsite. The Muños family was one of several families that moved their boxcar to 2nd Street and built a home around it — the home is still standing.

READ the rest of the story at: WHBF'S OurQuadCities.com!

Illinois Humanities Awards Grant to “The Last to Fall from Hero Street” Documentary Film

“The Last to Fall from Hero Street: John Muños’ Story”, a new film in the “Hero Street” documentary series produced by Fourth Wall Films, has received a $4,250 grant award from the Illinois Humanities. The fiscal sponsor for the grant is Truth First Film Alliance, Inc. The grant will partially fund the production phase of the documentary. 

“The Last to Fall from Hero Street”, the fifth in the series, will tell the story of Mexican-American John Muños from Silvis, Illinois, and his Korean War military service. The film profiles his family’s journey from Mexico as they fled the Revolution. John’s father, Isabel, worked in the rail yards in Silvis, and his mother, Victoria, made their home in a boxcar provided by the railroad. The families of the boxcar village experienced both acceptance and discrimination in their new community. Around the time of the great depression, the families living in the railroad village were moved to 2nd Street in Silvis, a former dumpsite. The Muños family was one of several families that moved their boxcar to 2^nd Street and built a home around it--the home is still standing.

After high school, John was working on the International Harvester combine assembly line in East Moline, when his draft notice from the U.S. Army arrived September 15, 1950. He quickly married his sweetheart, Mary Louise Bessera, before he was sent to Korea with Company F of the 38^th Regimental Combat Team, 2^nd Infantry Division. Sometimes called “the Forgotten War,” the film will show how John’s wartime experiences fit into the overall Korean War story. On August 27, 1951, John was among 740 Americans killed in the Battle of Bloody Ridge. His body was never recovered.

Only a block and a half long, the street lost six young men during World War II and two in the Korean War, more than any other street in America.  Hero Street, as it is now known, has provided over 150 service members since World War II.

John Muños' sister Mary Muñoz Ramirez, 98, (pictured here with director Kelly Rundle) did an interview for the documentary.

“Hero Street,” a multi-part documentary series by Emmy® award-winning filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, explores the compelling true story of eight Mexican-American heroes from Hero Street, USA in Silvis, Illinois: Tony Pompa, Frank Sandoval, William Sandoval, Claro Solis, Peter Masias, Joseph Sandoval, Joseph Gomez and John S. Muños.

Interviews with family members, friends, veterans, community leaders and historians combined with vintage photos and film, and archival materials tell an unforgettable story of American courage, character and perseverance.

John Muños' sister-in-law Nellie Muños, 99, during her interview for the documentary.

“The Last to Fall from Hero Street” is slated for release in 2024. For more information about the Hero Street documentary series, visit www.HeroStreetMovie.com.

The Illinois Humanities receives support from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Humanities is the Illinois affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and is a statewide nonprofit organization that activates the humanities through free public programs, grants, and educational opportunities that foster reflection, spark conversation, build community, and strengthen civic engagement.

Truth First Film Alliance, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Moline, Illinois, promotes, supports, and encourages the production, and exhibition of documentary films, and narrative films based on true stories, through public presentations and educational programs in the Quad Cities region. Free public programs include film screenings and discussions with visiting filmmakers and classroom visits to talk about film and filmmaking with students.

Fourth Wall Films is an Emmy-winning Northwestern Illinois-based film and video production company specializing in Midwestern historical documentaries for public television broadcast and national DVD and Blu-ray home video release and online streaming.  Fourth Wall also provides limited theatrical, broadcast, and DVD distribution services, primarily for our own titles. In addition, the company provides commercial services to museums, PBS stations, and other film and video producers.

Quad City Arts awards Grant to Hero Street Documentary Film Series Project

Quad City Arts Dollars 2019 grant award-winners, including Tammy & Kelly Rundle (back) of Fourth Wall Films.

We are very pleased to announce that through our fiscal sponsor, the Moline Foundation, Fourth Wall Films has been awarded a grant from Quad City Arts Dollars for work on its Hero Street documentary series.

The Quad City Arts Dollars grant--provided by the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Hubbell-Waterman Foundation, and John Deere--will partially fund work on music, art, visual effects and editing on the Hero Street documentary film series project.

A sneak preview of Riding the Rails to Hero Street will be presented at a FREE  Humanities Iowa public event on Tuesday, April 23 at 6:30 p.m. at St. Ambrose University's Madsen Hall #125 in the Galvin Fine Arts Center, Davnport, Iowa.  The program is sponsored by Multicultural Affairs Community Action. 

A panel discussion with award-winning local filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, scholar Dr. Jose Amaya (Iowa Valley Community College) and writer Marc Wilson (Hero Street, USA: The Story of Little Mexico's Fallen Soldiers), as well as other film participants, will follow the 25-minute film.  Seating is limited (first come, first served). If the 6:30 p.m. program is full, a second program will be presented at 7:30 p.m.

A double premiere of Riding the Rails to Hero Street and A World Away from Hero Street is tentatively planned for November 2019 at the Putnam Museum.

Thank you Quad City Arts, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Hubbell-Waterman Foundation and John Deere for this incredible support!

Fourt Wall Films is an award-winning and Emmy-nominated independent film production company formerly located in Los Angeles, and now based in Moline, Illinois.  To view Fourth Wall Films' award-winning films on DVD, visit http://www.fourthwallfilms.com/dvds.htm.

Fourth Wall Films Receives Grant Awards for “Hero Street” Documentary Series & “Sons & Daughters of Thunder”

Documentary filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Moline-based Fourth Wall Films were awarded grants from the Moline Foundation and the Illinois Humanities Council to fund a portion of the post-production work on A World Away From Hero Street, the third installment in their Hero Street historical documentary film series. Their docudrama Sons & Daughters of Thunder was awarded a grant by the Illinois Arts Council to fund portions of the editing and finishing phase of the project.

"We are very grateful to the Moline Foundation and the Illinois Humanities Council for the grants awarded to A World Away from Hero Street,” said producer Tammy Rundle. “We also extend our gratitude to LULAC Iowa, the City of Silvis, Bob Ontiveros and Marc Wilson, who generously provided a cash match for the Humanities grant.”

A World Away From Hero Street will tell the story of William Sandoval. Born in a boxcar into an impoverished family of twelve, he joined the Army after Pearl Harbor was attacked and became a paratrooper. He survived several battles over the next two years, but was killed at age 21 in October 1944 following his involvement in what is still the largest air assault in history, the British-led Operation Market Garden. This battle was the basis for the Hollywood film “A Bridge Too Far.” The documentary will combine interviews with Sandoval family members, friends, and historians, with archival photos, letters and documents. The film will also feature an on-camera interview with military historian John C. McManus, the author of "September Hope: The American Side of a Bridge Too Far."

"A World Away From Hero Street is not a story of dates that battles were fought, or the number of tons of bombs dropped, it is a human story,” said Director Kelly Rundle. “The national success of Letters Home to Hero Street has proven that the Hero Street story has a universal appeal and interest."

Letters Home to Hero Street was co-produced with WQPT-PBS and received an Emmy® nomination in 2015.  The film is also featured on the national PBS Learning Media website along with associated lesson plans for teachers.

A World Away previously received a grant from the Regional Development Authority.

A special Humanities Iowa sneak preview of Riding the Rails to Hero Street, the first film in the series is slated for May 2019.  A World Away From Hero Street will premiere in November 2019 near Veterans Day.

Director Kelly Rundle was also awarded an Individual Artist Support Grant from the Illinois Arts Council to commission creative visual and sound work for the editing and finishing stage of Fourth Wall Films’ docudrama Sons & Daughters of Thunder. Chris Ryder of Autumn Leaf Productions will perform the work. Ryder contributed similar work for Fourth Wall Films for Letters Home to Hero Street and Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City. Thunder will premiere at the Putnam Museum’s Giant Screen on Saturday, March 9 at 6:30 p.m.

Sons & Daughters of Thunder is based on a play by Earlene Hawley and Curtis Heeter and tells the true story of the 1834 Lane Seminary Debates. Organized by Theodore Weld, one of the architects of the abolitionist movement, the shocking oratory sparked intense controversy and awakened a young Harriet Beecher (Stowe) to the horrors of slavery. Beecher-Stowe went on to pen “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” The novel changed American public opinion in favor of abolition.

Thunder was filmed at historic sites in Rock Island, Sterling and Andover, Illinois, and in Cincinnati Ohio.  The film stars Thomas Alan Taylor (Weld), Jessica Taylor (Beecher), Janos Horvath (Harriet’s father, Lyman Beecher) and Kimberly Kurtenbach (Katharine Beecher).

Thunder previously received a grant from Quad City Arts Dollars for additional dialog recordings with actors.

Fourth Wall Films is an award-winning, Regional-Emmy nominated independent media production company formerly located in Los Angeles, and now based in Moline, Illinois.

"Letters Home to Hero Street" Filmmakers Receive Emmy Nomination for New Film

Letters Home to Hero Street co-producers Kelly and Tammy Rundle, of Fourth Wall Films, have received a Mid-America Emmy® nomination for their new documentary Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City. This is the Rundles' fourth Regional Emmy® nomination. 

The Moline, Illinois-based independent production company successfully competed with 42 proposals by 36 other media production companies nationwide to win a contract to produce "Good Earth" for the visitors center at South Dakota's newest State Park, Good Earth at Blood Run.

Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City tells the fascinating and forgotten story of the Blood Run National Historic Landmark as told by a Native American grandfather to his grandchildren. Produced in 4K, the documentary combines vivid present-day views of the park's scenic vistas and wildlife with dramatic historical reenactments portraying daily life in the year 1650. 

The Good Earth site in Iowa and South Dakota was occupied between 1500 and 1725 by ancestors of the present-day Omaha, Ponca, Ioway and Otoe-Missouria tribes, making it one of the oldest long-term habitation sites in the United States.  At its peak around 1650, the site was home to 6,000-10,000 residents--more than Boston (2,000) and New York (New Amsterdam-1,000) in that same year--making It the largest city in what is now the United States.

Good Earth was an important Native trading center for pipestone, bison hides and culture.  The once-vibrant city featured hundreds of lodges, earthen mounds, and a serpent-shaped effigy mound an eighth of a mile long.

WQPT's Lora Adams, who was a co-producer on Letters Home to Hero Street , was an assistant director on the Good Earth documentary project.

 

Fourth Wall Films is an Emmy® nominated and award-winning independent film and video production company formerly located in Los Angeles, and now based in Moline, Illinois.  The Rundles are the producers of the award-winning The Barn Raisers, Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg (co-produced with McMarr, Ltd.), Lost Nation: The Ioway series, Villisca: Living with a Mystery; the Emmy® nominated Letters Home to Hero Street (co-produced with WQPT-PBS); Country School: One Room - One Nation, River to River: Iowa's Forgotten Highway 6, and the soon-to-be released docudrama Sons & Daughters of Thunder.

Through its fiscal sponsor The Moline Foundation, Fourth Wall Films is producing two new documentaries in the Hero Street series: Riding the Rails to Hero Street, which was awarded a grant by the Moline Foundation for post-production/editing and will be released in May 2019; and A World Away from Hero Street.  Riding the Rails to Hero Street, slated for release near Veteran’s Day in November 2019.  

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.

To purchase Fourth Wall Films'  Letters Home to Hero Street and their other award-winning documentaries on DVD, click HERE!

“Riding the Rails to Hero Street” Awarded Grant by Humanities Iowa for Post-Production Work

Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films have received a media grant from Humanities Iowa through their fiscal sponsor the Moline Foundation to fund a portion of the post-production work on a new "Hero Street" documentary film series. 

Riding the Rails to Hero Street, the first film in the series, will tell the story of the immigrants’ journey from Mexico to Cook's Point in Davenport, Holy City in Bettendorf, Iowa, and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad train yards and boxcar homes in Silvis, Illinois.  The families of Hero Street experienced both acceptance and discrimination in their new community. Around the time of the great depression, the families were removed from the rail yards and some moved box cars or built new homes on 2nd Street in Silvis.  Only a block and a half long, the street lost six young men in World War II and two in the Korean War, more than any other street in America.  Hero Street, as it is now known, has provided over 100 service members since World War II.

Hero Street, a multi-part documentary series by Emmy®-nominated filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle, will explore the personal and family sagas behind each of the eight heroes and tell the compelling true story of an ongoing struggle to memorialize Tony Pompa, Frank Sandoval, William Sandoval, Claro Soliz, Peter Masias, Joseph Sandoval, Joseph Gomez and John S. Muños.

Interviews with family members, friends, veterans, community leaders and historians will be combined with vintage photos and film, and archival materials to tell an unforgettable story of American courage, character and perseverance.

"The success of Letters Home to Hero Street is proof this is more than just a local history story," said Director Kelly Rundle. "As a result, we have converted the feature-length project we've been working on since 2012 into a multi-part series that we can work on as funding becomes available."

Letters Home to Hero Street was co-produced with WQPT-PBS and received an Emmy® nomination in 2015.  The film is also featured on the national PBS Learning Media website along with lesson plans for teachers.

Riding the Rails to Hero Street is slated for completion in 2019. A free Humanities Iowa Sneak Preview of the film is planned as part of the grant activities. For more information about the documentaries, visit www.HeroStreetMovie.com.

Humanities Iowa is the only non-profit organization in Iowa committed to bringing the humanities to life and to the public through interactive programming, publications, and events.  The views and opinions expressed by this program do not necessarily reflect those of Humanities Iowa or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Moline Foundation was established in 1953 to encourage philanthropy and create opportunities to improve the quality of life for present and future generations in Moline, the Quad Cities area and the surrounding region.

Fourth Wall Films is an award-winning independent film production company formerly located in Los Angeles, and now based in Moline, Illinois.

Humanities Iowa Awards Grant to "Hero Street" Documentary Series

Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films have received a media grant from Humanities Iowa through their fiscal sponsor the Moline Foundation to fund a portion of the first short film in a new "Hero Street" documentary film series.

"The success of Letters Home to Hero Street is proof this is more than just a local history story," said Director Kelly Rundle. "As a result, we have converted the feature-length project we've been working on since 2012 into a multi-part series that we can work on as funding becomes available."

Letters Home to Hero Street was co-produced with WQPT-PBS and received an Emmy® nomination in 2015.  The film is also featured on the national PBS Learning Media website along with lesson plans for teachers.

Riding the Rails to Hero Street (working title), the first film in the series, will tell the story of the immigrants’ journey from Mexico to Cook's Point in Davenport, Holy City in Bettendorf, Iowa, and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad train yards and boxcar homes in Silvis, Illinois.  The families of Hero Street experienced both acceptance and discrimination in their new community. Around the time of the great depression, the families were removed from the rail yards and some moved box cars or built new homes on 2nd Street in Silvis.  Only a block and a half long, the street lost six young men in World War II and two in the Korean War, more than any other street in America.  Hero Street, as it is now known, has provided over 100 service members since World War II.

The Eduviges and Angelina Sandoval family. (Courtesy/Copyright Tanilo Sandoval and Georgie Sandoval Herrera.)

Hero Street, a multi-part documentary series by Emmy®-nominated filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle, will explore the personal and family sagas behind each of the eight heroes and tell the compelling true story of an ongoing struggle to memorialize Tony Pompa, Frank Sandoval, William Sandoval, Claro Soliz, Peter Masias, Joseph Sandoval, Joseph Gomez and John S. Muños.

Interviews with family members, friends, veterans, community leaders and historians will be combined with vintage photos and film, and archival materials to tell an unforgettable story of American courage, character and perseverance.

Riding the Rails to Hero Street is slated for completion in 2018.  For more information about the documentaries, visit www.HeroStreetMovie.com.

Humanities Iowa is the only non-profit organization in Iowa committed to bringing the humanities to life and to the public through interactive programming, publications, and events.  The views and opinions expressed by this program do not necessarily reflect those of Humanities Iowa or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Moline Foundation was established in 1953 to encourage philanthropy and create opportunities to improve the quality of life for present and future generations in Moline, the Quad Cities area and the surrounding region.

Fourth Wall Films is an award-winning independent film production company formerly located in Los Angeles, and now based in Moline, Illinois.  

To order Letters Home to Hero Street, or other award-winning films by Fourth Wall Films, click HERE!

Iowa Broadcast News Association Awards "Letters Home to Hero Street"

WQPT and Fourth Wall Films took home Second Place in Public Affairs at the Iowa Broadcast News Association award ceremony on April 23 in Waterloo, Iowa for their documentary Letters Home to Hero Street.

“We are thrilled that the documentary continues to resonate with so many people,” said co-producer Lora Adams of WQPT.

The 25-minute Letters Home to Hero Street highlights the life of Mexican-American World War II soldier Frank Sandoval through the letters he sent home to his family in Silvis, Illinois. Sandoval was one of eight Mexican-American veterans of WWII and the Korean War killed in combat from the same block-and-a-half neighborhood, now called "Hero Street, USA."

The award-winning documentary received a grant from the Illinois Arts Council and stars Eric Juarez, Maya Chavez, Cindy Ramos and Josh Wielenga.  The film was produced by WQPT's Lora Adams and Fourth Wall Films' Kelly and Tammy Rundle.  WQPT's Chris Ryder was the cinematographer on the film, and Melinda Carriker served as production assistant.

The film has won a Silver at the 2015 Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival as well as the People’s Choice Award at the festival. It was also nominated for a Mid-America Emmy, and the Second Place Public Affairs from IBNA. Lesson plans were created for the documentary and are now part of PBS LearningMedia, allowing classrooms across America to learn about the Hero Street 8 at www.pbslearningmedia.org.

WQPT is a media service of Western Illinois University and Fourth Wall Films is an award-winning production company in Moline, IL.

Letters Home to Hero Street is available on DVD at Amazon.com, and in the Quad Cities at The Book Rack, The Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau, and at Porkie’s Restaurant on the corner of Hero Street in Silvis, Illinois.