Long Island Stories at Cinema Arts Centre

A benefit for the Huntington scholarship fund at East Woods School 

Wednesday, January 11 at 7:00pm

I Could Wrtie A Book: The Beverly Fite Story 

An amazing portrait of the life of Beverly Fite (known to Huntington residents as B Hanson) that explores her career on Broadway in the 40s and 50s, her years living on Long Island, and uncovers the truth about her father in pre-Civil Rights Alabama, I Could Write A Book will be screened as a benefit for the Huntington scholarship fund at East Woods School. Film, Discussion and Reception with Emmy Award-winning LI filmmaker Ron Rudaitis of Greenlawn, B Hanson, and other guests on Wednesday, January 11 at 7pm at Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave, Huntington 631-423-7611.

$9 Members / $13 Public / Includes reception. Tickets can be purchased online, www.CinemaArtsCentre.org at the box office during theatre hours or by calling Brown Paper Tickets toll free at 1-800-838-3006 

From pre-Civil Rights Alabama to Rodgers and Hammerstein-era Broadway to present-day suburban Long Island, this whimsical and heartwarming documentary tells the story of the life, career and indomitable spirit of a truly inspiring American voice. Beverly Fite (known to Huntington residents as B Hanson) began her Broadway career as a dancer in the original Broadway production of Oklahoma! and performed the role of Linda English in the original 1950 Columbia album Pal Joey, singing the Rodgers and Hart classic “I Could Write A Book.” B’s father was a country lawyer from a small town in Alabama and her mother was a member of Birmingham society. Hard times came early in her life when her father was disbarred. Join B on an emotional and revelatory journey back to Alabama in search of the real story of her father’s disbarment and ultimately the meaning of her own life’s journey. Directed by Emmy Award-winning Long Island filmmaker Ron Rudaitis, who comments “B’s life is such a rich tapestry. It’s a story that touches on Civil Rights and social justice, as well as women’s rights and it’s one that will leave audiences moved and ultimately cheering for B, who is truly a remarkable person and an exceptional artist. The beauty of her voice is eclipsed perhaps only by the beauty of her spirit.”    USA, 2011, 90 mins

 About Huntington/Greenlawn Filmmaker Ron Rudaitis

RON RUDAITIS
Rudaitis Media, Inc. http://www.rudaitismedia.com
Producer/Director/Writer

A three-time Emmy® Award-winner, six-time Emmy® nominee, and international film and video festival winner, Mr. Rudaitis has produced and directed numerous national television documentaries. Some of his recent documentaries include Suburban America: Problems & Promise, a national documentary that explores the dramatic political, social and structural changes in American suburbs; I Could Write A Book: The Beverly Fite Story, a feature-length biography of the life, career and indomitable spirit of an inspiring American voice; Farming the Future: Farm Life on Long Island, a national Public Television documentary narrated by William Baldwin and featuring Willie Nelson that explores the challenges of farming in the oldest suburban area in the United States;Meet Mr. Miracle-Gro, an award-winning biographical documentary about Horace Hagedorn, the mastermind behind the internationally known lawn and garden product; and A Bridge Between Silence & Sound, a documentary narrated by Mario Cuomo that focuses on hearing loss and the Cochlear Implant, a cutting-edge, but controversial technology that gives the deaf and hard of hearing the ability to hear sounds.

Mr. Rudaitis has served as Producer/Director on numerous programs that have aired on over 250 television stations across the country, including The Puerto Ricans: Our American Story, shot on location in Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland and featuring interviews with Jimmy Smits, Rita Moreno, Tito Puente and other well-known artists; The Italian Passion for Life, narrated by Stanley Tucci and featuring Luciano Pavarotti, Frankie Valli and Regis Philbin; A Laugh, A Tear, A Mitzvah (Producer only), a documentary celebration of Jewish life in America; The Cuban Americans (also Writer), featuring Andy Garcia, Maria Conchita Alonso and Willy Chirino; Alzheimer’s: Is There Hope? (also Writer), and episodes in the New York The Way It Was nostalgia series and ESPN Classic’s SportsCentury series. In 2000 he worked on Showtime’s The 12 Greatest Rounds of Boxing: The Untold Stories, and in 2003, he served as Producer/Editor on a series of High Definition aerial videos, Eye Over France, Eye Over England and Eye Over Italy airing on Cablevision’s VOOM HD Channel. In 1998, he produced Fountain of Youth, a 13-episode television lifestyle series featuring Deepak Chopra, Dean Ornish, Kathy Smith, and Leigh-Taylor Young.

In 2007, his documentary Farming the Future: Farm Life on Long Island was nominated for a New York Emmy® for Outstanding Achievement in Documentary and earlier that same year the film won the Silver World Medal in the New York Festivals International Film & Video Competition.In 2006, hisMeet Mr. Miracle-Gro documentary was nominated for a New York Emmy® in the category of Outstanding Historical/Cultural Programming: Single Program or Special, and in 2005, the documentary won Best Short Film — Video at the Long Island International Film Expo. In 2006, his Farming the Future: Farm Life on Long Island was awarded Best Short Documentary in the Long Island Film Festival and in 2005, he won a Telly Award as a producer for the WLIW21 program Smart Growth: Long Island’s Future. He won two National Sports Emmys® for his work as a producer for ESPN Classic’s SportsCentury series in 2001 and 2000. In 1998, Mr. Rudaitis won a New York Emmy® Award as a producer for The Italian Americans II: A Beautiful Song. In that same year, he won both a New York Festivals Finalist Award and an American Heart Association Media Award for directing and producing Before It’s Too Late: Heart Attack Prevention. He was also a finalist in the American Medical Association’s International Health and Medical film competition for directing and producing The Other Drug Problem in 1997. In 1995, he received a New York Emmy® nomination for his work on New York the Way It Was: Wish You Were Here.

Mr. Rudaitis is President of Rudaitis Media, Inc., a production company dedicated to creating high quality television and video projects that educate, entertain, and enlighten. A storyteller at heart, he brings his experience and enthusiasm to whatever subject he chooses to explore: culture, history, health, science & technology, sports, current affairs, the environment, entertainment, music or lifestyle.

Story by: Susan Finkelstein