Sons & Daughters of Thunder

"Sons & Daughters of Thunder" Presentation at Andover's "More Fun on 81" June 4th

Filming a debate scene at Jenny Lind Chapel in Andover, Illinois for Sons & Daughters of Thunder included a number of Andover locals as extras, including Tim Fullbright (on left).

Andover, Illinois is very special to the Sons & Daughters of Thunder production cast and crew.  The film called for an 1800s chapel to stand in for the 1834 Lane Seminary Chapel in Cincinnati, Ohio and Andover delivered.  The beautiful 1854 Jenny Lind Chapel--named for world-renowned Swedish singer Jenny Lind--was the perfect location in which scenes of the historic Lane debates would be filmed.

 

Cast and crew prepare for the cameras to roll on the historic debate scene for Sons & Daughters of Thunder.

Andover rolled out the red carpet for the Thunder production team during filming in February 2014 ensuring that the chapel was set for the time period by removing all contemporary items, the lot and streets were cleared of snow to accommodate 50-60 cast and crew vehicles, and the community generously volunteered and prepared a delicious lunch for the group on the final day of filming.  A number of Andover citizens participated as extras during filming.

 

So when Andover's Ron Peterson contacted Thunder producers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films to attend the community's annual "More Fun on 81" June celebration to update everyone on the film project and give away two tickets for the Davenport, Iowa Putnam Giant Screen premiere (date TBD), the answer was "Absolutely!"

 

Costume designer Emily Busha dresses Jess Denney for her scenes as "Harriet Beecher" in Sons & Daughters of Thunder.

"The Thunder production was so fortunate to film at a number of beautiful Illinois locations, including the Jenny Lind Chapel in Andover," said producer Tammy Rundle.  "It was like stepping back in time when the cast was in place, in their costumes, seated in the pews, delivering their lines about a significant historic event in our nation's history.  Andover became like a second home the weekend we filmed there and the town and the Jenny Lind Chapel will always be remembered fondly by all of us."

 

This year, Cambridge, Kewanee and Lynn Center will be joining Andover for the "More Fun on 81" Festival which takes place on June 4th and 5th, 2016.  The name of the festival denotes IL Route 81 which runs through all four towns.

 

The popular small-town festival draws hundreds of eager-for-summer patrons anticipating two days of celebrating, food, competitions, crafts, history and entertainment.

 

Fourth Wall Films' Tammy and Kelly Rundle will give a brief update on Sons & Daughters of Thunder on Saturday, June 4th at 5:00 PM at the Lakeside Shelter in Andover, Illinois.  Andover is 25 miles south of the Quad Cities on I-74.

 

"We are grateful to Ron Peterson and the community of Andover for all they did to make us and the Thunder cast and crew feel so welcome," said director Kelly Rundle.  "We are looking forward to the festival on June 4th and seeing the special people we met through the film project."

 

Sons & Daughters of Thunder tells the true story of the 1834 Cincinnati, Ohio Lane Theological Seminary anti-slavery debates.  The controversial meetings, led by abolitionist and firebrand Theodore Weld (played by actor Thomas Alan Taylor), were the first to publicly discuss the end of slavery in America.  The meetings angered Cincinnati residents and Lane Seminary officials, who promptly slapped a gag order on the entire student body.  This action was followed by a freedom of speech protest and mass exodus of Lane students to Oberlin College. 

A young Harriet Beecher’s (played by actress Jess Denney) exposure to the debates and Weld's continuing work to free the slaves sparked a flame that led her to write her international best-seller Uncle Tom's Cabin.

For more information about the new docudrama Sons & Daughters of Thunder (based on the play by Earlene Hawley and Curtis Heeter), visit LaneRebelsMovie.com.

 

"More Fun on 81" Schedule:

 

ANDOVER EVENTS:

SATURDAY, JUNE 4

BARN QUILT TOUR – DAWN-DUSK – Flyers available at American Woman’s League Bldg. &    Post Office

COFFEE & BAKE SALE -8AM-11AM - American Legion Bldg.-lower level

ANTIQUE LAWN & FARM TRACTOR SHOW – 8AM-4PM - West of park

ARTS & CRAFTS - 9AM-3PM - W side

FISHING DERBY for ages 4-15 – 9AM-11AM – Lakeside shelter

SCAVENGER HUNT – 10AM-2PM – Start at American Woman’s League Bldg; Completed forms entered in drawing

ARTIST IN ACTION/INFORMATION CENTER – 10AM-3PM - Woman’s League Bldg.

MODEL RAILROAD DISPLAY – 10AM-3PM - American Legion Bldg.-upper level

PICKLE BALL TOURNAMENT – 10AM – W side tennis court

ANDOVER HISTORICAL MUSEUM OPEN HOUSE – 10AM-3PM

JENNY LIND CHAPEL OPEN HOUSE – 10AM-3PM

HORSESHOEING DEMONSTRATIONS - 10:30AM -1PM - W side

HOMEMADE PIE/SANDWICH STAND - 11AM – W shelter

PROFESSOR DUM DUM, THE CLOWN - 11AM-1PM

BALLOON BOUNCE HOUSE  - 11AM-4PM – W side

TALENT SHOW - 4PM – Lakeside shelter

PORK CHOP SUPPER - 4PM-7PM – E shelter

ICE CREAM SOCIAL - 4PM-7PM – E side

“SONS & DAUGHTERS OF THUNDER” PRESENTATION – 5PM - Lakeside shelter

ORION COMMUNITY BAND CONCERT - 6PM –Lakeside shelter

DRAWING - 7PM - Lakeside shelter 

 SUNDAY, JUNE 5 

WELCOME ALL VETS

BARN QUILT TOUR – DAWN-DUSK – Flyers available at E shelter

BREAKFAST - 7AM-12PM – E shelter

ANTIQUE LAWN & FARM TRACTOR SHOW 8AM-4PM – West of park

COMMUNITY WORSHIP SERVICE - 9AM – E side (Augustana Church if rain)

SALUTE TO VETERANS - 10:30AM – E side

 

CAMBRIDGE EVENTS:

 

SATURDAY, JUNE 4

 

BREAKFAST - 7AM-9AM - College Square Park by the Community & Youth Center

 

SALES IN THE PARK - 8AM-3PM - Direct sales, crafts, yard sales, etc.

 

COURTHOUSE TOURS - 10AM-2PM

 

HISTORICAL BUILDINGS OPEN FOR DISPLAY - 10AM-4PM

 

TOY MUSEUM OPEN FOR TOURING - 10AM-4PM

 

PICNIC LUNCH WITH MEALS TO PURCHASE - 11AM-2PM - College Square

 

MUSIC IN THE PARK - 11AM-2PM - College Square

 

SCAVENGER HUNT ABOUT CAMBRIDGE 10AM-2PM- Forms pickup up & returned at College Square Pavilion

Completed forms entered in drawing

 

"CHAIR"ITY SILENT AUCTION - CHAIRS DISPLAYED - 10AM-4PM - College Square; Money going to charity that submitted the chair

 

OLD PHOTO DISPLAY  - 11AM-1PM - Village Office

 

INFLATABLES  - 1PM-4PM - College Square

 

KID OLYMPICS - 2PM - Free activities for the kids - just come & play

 

MOVIE IN THE PARK - DUSK - The Peanuts Movie

 

SUNDAY, JUNE 5

 

CAMBRIDGE UNITED METHODIST PRAISE BAND - 10:30AM - College Square

 

**Look for the Information Station under the College Square Pavilion with a map, information about local businesses, menus, etc.**

 

KEWANEE EVENTS:

 

SATURDAY, JUNE 4  

 

GEOCASCH

 

HISTORY IN THE PAINT (public art tour)                    

 

 

LYNN CENTER EVENTS

 

SATURDAY, JUNE 4 

 

FLEA MARKET & CRAFTS -  8AM-3PM

Director of Photography Kevin Railsback Captures "Thunder"

Director of Photography Kevin Railsback captures the vision of Sons & Daughter of Thunder.

Post-production, the final hurdle. After years of nurturing Earlene Hawley's spirited play to life for the big screen, we are finally at the editing phase and bringing all of the elements together.

We have come a long way. The film project began in 2011 with a preliminary meeting with Kent and Earlene Hawley and a discussion of transforming Earlene's award-winning stage play into a screenplay.  After months of writing and revising, and a read-through of the script with actors, the film project was ready for development and fundraising.  

Thanks to the support of a number of generous contributors, pre-production and production became a reality with auditions, locations set, costumes created and located, an excellent cast selected and a stellar crew hired--among them award-winning filmmaker Kevin Railsback who would serve as Thunder's Director of Photography.  

Sons & Daughters of Thunder Director of Photography Kevin Railsback and Director Kelly Rundle.

Sons & Daughters of Thunder is Kevin's first feature-length narrative film--his main interest and personal focus has been nature documentary filmmaking. His extraordinary nature footage has been featured on National Geographic, Animal Planet, The Discovery Channel,  in theatrical films, and in commercials for companies like AT&T. He is also the author of the popular blog Filmmaking Naturally.

"From an early age I wanted to capture the incredible sights I encountered. One of the first images I recall taking was of a walrus at Brookfield Zoo outside of Chicago when I was eight. But it was living in Iwakuni, Japan that really taught me the importance of lines and form," Kevin notes on the blog.

"Japan is a land of indescribable beauty and I spent my time there trying to capture on film as much of it as I could.  I am driven to tell the story that Mother Nature and all her creatures share with me."

Railsback's cinematography captures the mood of the final scene of Sons & Daughters of Thunder featuring Harriet Beecher (Jess Denney) and Theodore Weld (Thomas Alan Taylor).

Cameras began rolling late 2013 through 2015.  Kevin's superb eye and exceptional talent has served Thunder well, with months of stunning footage of dramatic scenes captured during filming at the Dillon Home Museum in Sterling, Illinois; Augustana College's House on the Hill and the Karpeles Manuscript Library in Rock Island, Illinois; the Jenny Lind Chapel in Andover, Illinois.  

Lyman Beecher (Janos Horvath), James Thome (Anthony Stratton) and Theodore Weld (Thomas Alan Taylor) watch for a storm.

Additional footage was gathered at the historic Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati, Ohio where the actual Lane Seminary debates took place in 1834.

We are honored and so very grateful to have Kevin Railsback behind the camera, capturing the beauty and drama of this important and timely story.

Sons & Daughters of Thunder is produced by Fourth Wall Films, owned by Emmy® nominated filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle, a film and video production company specializing in historical documentaries for public television broadcast and DVD home video.  The film is slated for release in 2018.