Emmy-Award Winning Film Producer To Show 'Follow The North Star' At Jackson Center
(article is from the news section of the Jamestown Post
Journal)
6/15/2004 - By JOHN WHITTAKER
Emmy-award winning producer Aaron Beckwith will show his most famous film to
school children and the general public at the Robert H. Jackson Center.
Beckwith, a Syracuse University graduate, will appear at the Jackson Center
at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 22, to show his film, Follow the North Star. The
movie takes place during the Civil War era and focuses on a white boy's journey
south to free an enslaved boy and reunite him with his mother, who had previously
fled north.
The title was chosen because slaves on the run to escape slavery often fled
north, hiding in the woods during the day and following the North Star at night.
Since his retirement 20 years ago, the 90-year-old Beckwith has traveled throughout
Florida, his winter home, showing the film to schoolchildren at no charge. A
summer Chautauqua resident, Beckwith is bringing his film to the Jackson Center
as a contribution.
''I present the movie to school children because it makes me feel good to share
with others and it's something the children need to see,'' Beckwith said. ''All
the teachers who have seen it asked me to come back next year because it makes
such an impression with their children.''
Beckwith began his career in film production in New York City, where he became
vice president of the Music Corporation of America, a media giant that owned
Universal Studios. His next move was to ABC, where he became director of program
sales. As vice president of a large New York advertising company, Beckwith represented
advertisers to the popular shows of Lucille Ball, Red Skelton and Groucho Marx.
His career turned to films when he became head of Radio Keith Orpheum Pictures.
When RKO stopped producing films, Beckwith established his own production company,
Beckwith Presentations. ABC then eventually hired Beckwith to produce Follow
the North Star as an after-school special.
The film was so successful it was shown in Japan, Germany and throughout the
United States, culminating in an Emmy Award for Beckwith while the Catholic
Church honored Beckwith as Television Humanitarian of the Year with its Christopher
Award.
''The Robert H. Jackson Center is indeed grateful to Aaron Beckwith for his
offer to show his film in the Carl Cappa Theater,'' said Gregory L. Peterson,
Jackson Center president. ''The film ties in with the spectacular Brown v. Board
commemoration which took place at the Jackson Center and Chautauqua this winter
and at the end of April. Adding Follow The North Star to our schedule certainly
caps off our Brown v. Board events.''
Area teachers interested in bringing their students to the film can contact
the Jackson Center at 483-6646. The general public is invited at no charge.