thedrifter
02-05-09, 07:46 AM
HBO premiere benefits Marine veterans in Poconos
By Michael Sadowski
Pocono Record Writer
February 05, 2009 6:00 AM
"World premiere movie" and "Poconos" aren't normally seen in the same sentence.
But they came together Wednesday night at Mount Airy Casino Resort for the premiere of the HBO film "Taking Chance," which won't premiere on the pay-TV channel until Feb. 21.
The screening was all part of a veterans appreciation event at the resort. Though admission was free, donations were collected for The Wounded Warrior Regiment, an organization that provides assistance to wounded and injured Marines and their families.
"Something like this has never happened here before," said Don Buzney, the Mount Airy executive director of administration who put the night together. "It's something special for the Poconos."
And for veterans.
Buzney, a former Marine who served in Vietnam, said he had heard about the movie and wanted to hold some kind of veterans appreciation night, showing a preview for the movie as part of the event.
When he contacted HBO to get a copy of the trailer, the company did him one better.
They sent the movie.
"We're always trying to get our programming out there," said Susan Linton, part of the special event production team at HBO. "When a group finds something we produce this meaningful, we want to help them out."
"Taking Chance" is the true story of Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, who in 2004 volunteered to escort home the body of a 19-year-old Marine killed in Iraq. Strobl kept a journal of the trip, which HBO worked with to turn into a movie.
Strobl is played in the movie by Kevin Bacon.
The movie did have a screening at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, last month, but the Wednesday screening was considered its world premiere.
Wednesday's event also included a performance from the jazz ensemble of the Quantico Marine Band and a Marine color guard presentation.
It was enough to get veterans from around the region out to Wednesday's show at the resort's special events center.
Dick Brown, commandant of the Department of Pennsylvania Marine Corps League, said the event was a good way to get the word out about veterans affairs.
"I've never been to anything like this," the Mountaintop resident said before watching the movie on a projection screen at the resort. "With the country being at war, we try to hold as many fundraisers for Marines as we can."
'Taking chance'
PLOT: A Marine volunteers to escort the body of another Marine killed in Iraq back to the United States.
STARRING: Kevin Bacon, who also played a Marine in "A Few Good Men." Tom Wopat, who played Luke Duke in the original "Dukes of Hazzard" TV show, has a small role.
PREMIERES: After the premiere party at Mount Airy, it will appear as an original film Feb. 21 on HBO.
Ellie
By Michael Sadowski
Pocono Record Writer
February 05, 2009 6:00 AM
"World premiere movie" and "Poconos" aren't normally seen in the same sentence.
But they came together Wednesday night at Mount Airy Casino Resort for the premiere of the HBO film "Taking Chance," which won't premiere on the pay-TV channel until Feb. 21.
The screening was all part of a veterans appreciation event at the resort. Though admission was free, donations were collected for The Wounded Warrior Regiment, an organization that provides assistance to wounded and injured Marines and their families.
"Something like this has never happened here before," said Don Buzney, the Mount Airy executive director of administration who put the night together. "It's something special for the Poconos."
And for veterans.
Buzney, a former Marine who served in Vietnam, said he had heard about the movie and wanted to hold some kind of veterans appreciation night, showing a preview for the movie as part of the event.
When he contacted HBO to get a copy of the trailer, the company did him one better.
They sent the movie.
"We're always trying to get our programming out there," said Susan Linton, part of the special event production team at HBO. "When a group finds something we produce this meaningful, we want to help them out."
"Taking Chance" is the true story of Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, who in 2004 volunteered to escort home the body of a 19-year-old Marine killed in Iraq. Strobl kept a journal of the trip, which HBO worked with to turn into a movie.
Strobl is played in the movie by Kevin Bacon.
The movie did have a screening at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, last month, but the Wednesday screening was considered its world premiere.
Wednesday's event also included a performance from the jazz ensemble of the Quantico Marine Band and a Marine color guard presentation.
It was enough to get veterans from around the region out to Wednesday's show at the resort's special events center.
Dick Brown, commandant of the Department of Pennsylvania Marine Corps League, said the event was a good way to get the word out about veterans affairs.
"I've never been to anything like this," the Mountaintop resident said before watching the movie on a projection screen at the resort. "With the country being at war, we try to hold as many fundraisers for Marines as we can."
'Taking chance'
PLOT: A Marine volunteers to escort the body of another Marine killed in Iraq back to the United States.
STARRING: Kevin Bacon, who also played a Marine in "A Few Good Men." Tom Wopat, who played Luke Duke in the original "Dukes of Hazzard" TV show, has a small role.
PREMIERES: After the premiere party at Mount Airy, it will appear as an original film Feb. 21 on HBO.
Ellie