Brad Melby needed a little of each to get through college and turn his life around.
Now, 20 years later, he's producing a movie about his personal renaissance that will be directed by an Oscar nominee and shot partially in Bismarck. Melby and fellow producer John Carroll Lynch - who was in the Coen brothers' "Fargo" - were in town Thursday afternoon to scout possible shooting locations.
The film, "Remember Minnesota," is scheduled to begin production next spring. It could be in theaters by 2009.
Lynch co-wrote the screenplay for the film, which is based on Melby's transformation from slacker (begging for free food at a diner, borrowing money for school) to hero in the oddest of places for a Midwesterner: on the water.
The movie will tell the true story of Melby's freshman year at the University of Minnesota, when - largely because he was chasing a girl - he gave up smoking pot and sold his Camaro to join the school's rowing team. Yes - rowing, on the chilly Mississippi.
In 1987, the club team at Minnesota was several boat-lengths apart from the monied, traditional crew powerhouses in the Ivy League. The Gophers had to pay to take part, and stored their equipment in a rusty, corrugated tin maintenance shed on the bank of the river.
But there was something in the water that year. Through determination, luck and a lot of not knowing any better, Melby's 1987 crew team swamped the competition at the country's biggest intercollegiate rowing event. From out of nowhere, Minnesota became a rowing power.
And Melby went from shiftless to shifting to a higher gear.
"I think crew helped him a lot," his father, Bismarck's Rod Melby, said Thursday. "It gave him direction, motivation, something to work toward. He became a team player. He's got a lot of direction now, there's no doubt."
After college, Melby became a financial planner for American Express. One of his clients, who was dating Lynch, noticed an oar blade mounted on the wall of his office. She asked him about it, then relayed the story to her beau.
"Brad told me the story, and the minute I heard it I knew it would be a great movie," Lynch said Thursday.
Several years passed before Lynch would team up with Los Angeles writer Tess Clark to complete the screenplay. They finished it about a year and a half ago. Mikael Salomon has signed on to direct "Remember Minnesota." Salomon won an Emmy for directing HBO's "A Band of Brothers," and is a two-time Academy Award nominee for cinematography ("The Abyss," "Backdraft").
Melby said the producers hoped to secure the remainder of the financing soon, and the goal is to begin casting in December or January. Lynch will play Melby's dad.
Melby worked with Lynch and Clark on the screenplay, to make it as accurate a portrayal of events as possible. The biggest change, he said, was that his freshman and sophomore seasons were condensed into one year to tell the story. But a teammate on that unlikely championship team has read the script and nodded his approval.
"He said (the writers) captured the soul of all that happened, and that was the most important thing to me," Melby said.
Melby and Lynch spent part of Thursday scouting possible shooting locations in Melby's old neighborhood, at Century High School and at Bismarck landmarks.
Lynch said they hoped to shoot the movie in as many of the actual locations in the screenplay as possible. That authenticity, he said, is what gives good sports movies their appeal. The combination of sport and the uplifting story will make "Remember Minnesota" very marketable, Lynch said.
"And it won't hurt that rowers are some of the most beautiful people on the planet," he said. "In rowing there's a tradition that the losing team gives their jerseys to the winners, so we'll have all these people in peak physical condition ripping their shirts off."
Hollywood is on its way to Bismarck. A champion rower from the University of Minnesota grew up here. Today, he and one of the writers of a film inspired by his winning team took a tour around the city to scout out possible shooting locations.
In just a few months Century High School may look more like a film set on the Hollywood backlot. That's because the inspiration for the new film "Remember Minnesota", Brad Melby, went to school there.
"That's where we did silly things like getting in trouble and doing things we shouldn't have," says Melby.
The film is about Melby's 1987 against-all-odds winning crew team from the University of Minnesota. One of the writers for the film is no stranger to North Dakota. You may have seen him in a little movie called "Fargo."
"The movie is kind of about him coming of age as a rower at the university and it's just an amazing story. We've had such a great time writing it and I think it's going to be a fantastic movie," says actor/writer/producer John Carroll Lynch.
Melby told Lynch his story when he became Lynch's financial planner. Right away, Lynch knew the story was a winner.
"Really just stumbled on it. It's just fascinated me ever since. I think it's really about commitment and actually we were talking to the mayor of Bismarck about one of the things Bismarck prides itself on is a kind of work ethic that certainly served Brad in good stead. Both in his life and his life as a rower," says Lynch.
Melby hopes his story will not only shine a great light on Bismarck, but also serve as a source of inspiration for those who live here.
"For me I want people to see this film and say that there's a part of them that could achieve something amazing and it's really in all of us," says Melby.
Perhaps when people see "Remember Minnesota" what they'll really remember is what a great place Bismarck, North Dakota is. Filming in Bismarck is set to start in May, with the movie scheduled for release in 2009.
Written by Tracy McCormick for The Morning After in Mpls/St. Paul Magazine.
May 15, 2007
I take it as a sign of good things to come that Minneapolis native and Guthrie Theater alum John Carroll Lynch, a character actor who started his prolific film career with small roles in many of those decade-old productions (he played Marge Gunderson’s duck-stamp-painting husband in Fargo), was back in town last night, directing a staged reading of his first screenplay, Remember Minnesota, at the Ritz Theater.
The screenplay, which Lynch co-wrote with his writer/producer friend Tess Clark, already has a director attached (Mikael Salomon, who helmed the Band of Brothers miniseries) and an executive producer (Twin Cities lawyer John Stout) who is meeting with potential investors for (we can hope) a Minnesota-filmed production sometime in our near future. Last night’s reading, part of the Screenwriters' Workshop’s excellent ScriptNight series, was a first public look at what that film may one day be and a chance to offer the filmmakers some anonymous feedback. Set against a stripped-down Ritz stage (just a couple of oars on the floor and an oversized screen projecting nostalgic rowing images), the intimate scene positioned twelve local actors (including Sally Wingert, Steve Yoakam, Jonas Goslow, Maren Bush, and Sara Marsh) on stools for a surprisingly animated reading that would have been well worth the $10 ticket price even if Lynch wasn’t attached to the project.
The script condenses into one year the two-year saga of the University of Minnesota men’s crew team's improbable journey to the 1987 Intercollegiate Rowing Association’s Championship Regatta. Remember Minnesota works in the reassuringly familiar tradition of Hoosiers, Rudy, Miracle, and a host of other feel-good sports melodramas. Lynch and Clark, to their credit, keep the narrative moving forward at a brisk pace, with lots of laughs and a host of characters that are, frankly, impossible to dislike.
Minnesota actor John Carroll Lynch will direct a workshop reading of his 2008 film, "Remember
Minnesota," at the NE Minneapolis Ritz Theater 7 p.m. May 14.
Lynch began his career at the Guthrie Theater and has appeared in "Fargo," "Looking for Comedy in the
Muslim World," "The Drew Carey Show" and "Zodiac." He co-wrote the screenplay for "Remember
Minnesota," which follows the against-all-odds, victorious season of the 1987 University of Minnesota
Crew team. The sport had scant support here, compared to the well-funded East Coast college teams
that traditionally dominated the competitions. Still, the hometown crew, housed in a decrepit
corrugated tin hut on the Mississippi riverbank, went all the way to the coveted rowing regatta
championships to challenge the toughest teams the Ivy League had to offer.
The university dedicated its new $4.6 million boathouse for the rowing teams on Friday, May 4. The
old facility, which had been scheduled for demolition, will remain standing as a location for the
film until shooting here is completed, according to Susan Austin, the project's publicist.
The Ritz Theater is located at 345 13th Avenue NE, Minneapolis. Tickets for the event are $10. For
more information call (612) 659-8292, email scriptnight@mac.com or visit the Screenwriters' Workshop.
MINNESOTA ACTOR JOHN CARROLL LYNCH TO DIRECT "REMEMBER MINNESOTA" SCRIPT AT THE RITZ THEATER
May 1, 2007
MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- Minnesota actor John Carroll Lynch ("Fargo," "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim
World," "The Drew Carey Show" and "Zodiac"), will direct a workshop reading of his next film,
"Remember Minnesota," at the NE Minneapolis Ritz Theater May 14. The reading is open to the public.
"Remember Minnesota" follows the against-all-odds, victorious season of the 1987 University of
Minnesota Crew team who came from their rusted corrugated tin hut on the Mississippi banks and, for
the first time in their history, went all the way to the coveted rowing regatta championships to
compete against the most powerful teams the Ivy League had to offer.
Lynch collaborated on the script with screenwriter Tess Clark ("The Fast Lane," "For the Record,"
"Young Americans," and "Refuge"). As a producer, Clark was at the helm of the ESPN series "Celebrity
Golf" and won many festival awards for her short film "The Middle Passage." In-demand film and
television director Mikael Salomon ("Hard Rain", "Rome") has agreed to direct the feature film of
"Remember Minnesota." Salomon is a two-time Oscar nominee for cinematography ("Backdraft" and "The
Abyss") and has won numerous awards for his camerawork and directing, including an Emmy in 2002 for
directing the miniseries "A Band of Brothers."
Lynch was told the story of "Remember Minnesota" in 1991 by his financial advisor, Brad Melby, who is
the inspiration for the script's protagonist, Brad. "After sharing the story and seeing people's
reaction," Melby says. "I knew my experiences needed to be more than just a memory. This was
confirmed by John and Tess, true professionals who literally worked for years to bring this story to
life."
The Minneapolis-based arts organization Screenwriters' Workshop will present the reading under their
ScriptNight banner at their regular host theater venue, the newly renovated Ritz Theater in NE
Minneapolis. Several notable actors will read at the event. Lynn Blumenthal Casting is bringing in
all the actors to the Ritz stage.
"This project has been a real labor of love," Lynch says. "And to finally have it gathering momentum
and nearing production is exciting. I got my start in the film industry here in Minneapolis, and to
be able to come back here and launch a project that's as positive and inspirational as this one, is a
tribute to the experiences and the people here that helped shape me."
The event's sponsors include the law firm of Fredrikson & Byron, LLC, Ameriprise Financial, Ltd.,
Lynn Blumenthal Casting and the Minnesota Film and Television Board. MNFTB executive director Lucinda
Winter said that ScriptNight "provides film lovers with a unique opportunity to experience firsthand
the foundation of all great cinema—a well-written script interpreted by A-list actors."
The Minnesota Film and TV Board, deftly steered through the turbulent and competitive sea of state
film commissions by Lucinda Winter and her two person crew of Chris Grap and Mary Moga, hosted a
networking event on April 13th at Rusty's Surf Ranch on the Santa Monica pier. Tess and John were
invited to speak about the latest developments for Remember Minnesota.
According to Tess's eye witness account, the room was abuzz with downright stereotypical accents.
Chris darted through the room with tireless enthusiasm, made sure to keep one eye on the soccer game
playing on the overhead screens, announced to his cohort Lucinda that their rental car had gotten a
flat tire, marveled that springtime in LA feels a lot like springtime in Minneapolis, and professed
his love for horror films.
David Anderson, Minnesota transplant and the LA-based columnist for Mpls/St. Paul Magazine, had a
much more professional account in his blog. He writes:
****
Guthrie alum John Carrol Lynch—who plays the suspected killer in the new film Zodiac and
played Frances McDormand's husband in Fargo—was the star power of the Ice Pack night. An
affable presence, he's heading up the production of Remember Minnesota, the inspiring true story of the
1987 University of Minnesota crew team.
"It shows the beauty of sport as well as its grotesque brutality," Lynch told me. With great detail
he then went on to describe the corrugated tin hut behind the power plant on the Mississippi River
where the University of Minnesota crew boats are kept—hopefully a future location for the film. He's
truly passionate about this project—so passionate, in fact, that when he co-wrote the project with
Tess Clark, he didn't think to write a clear part for himself. A reading of the script is set for
Monday, May 14, at 7 p.m. at the Ritz Theater in Minneapolis as
part of the Screenwriters' Workshop series, ScriptNight.
****
It was a fun evening by all accounts. And the biggest take-away was that the Minnesota Film and TV
Board will not only go the extra mile to lure filmmakers to their state, but they "worked their butts
off for four months" according to Chris to develop a really cool website. So check it out!
St. Paul, Minn. - Lucinda Winter, executive director of the Minnesota Film and TV Board, came to work
on Monday buzzing from a meeting she had over the weekend. It was with Guthrie Theater alum John C.
Lynch, a sought-after character actor who's probably best known as Marge's husband in the movie
"Fargo." It turns out Lynch wants to make a film in Minneapolis about an aimless student's improbable
rise to glory on the University of Minnesota rowing team.
"It's just a great story about a young man finding himself," Winter says. "It's a great story about
the university. We're really excited about the movie here, and it is definitely here because of
Snowbate."
With morning co-host Jason Hulm, October 25, 2007.
With reporter Brad Feldman, October 25, 2007.
Story by Amanda Tetlak for KFYR-TV, Bismarck, ND
With Tom
Butler on Fox 9 Morning News, May 14, 2007.
With Rob Hudson on KARE 11, May 14, 2007.
With Bill Hudson on the Morning Show, May 14, 2007.
The screenplay, which Lynch co-wrote with his writer/producer friend Tess Clark, already has a director attached (Mikael Salomon, who helmed the Band of Brothers miniseries) and an executive producer (Twin Cities lawyer John Stout) who is meeting with potential investors for (we can hope) a Minnesota-filmed production sometime in our near future. Last night’s reading, part of the Screenwriters' Workshop’s excellent ScriptNight series, was a first public look at what that film may one day be and a chance to offer the filmmakers some anonymous feedback. Set against a stripped-down Ritz stage (just a couple of oars on the floor and an oversized screen projecting nostalgic rowing images), the intimate scene positioned twelve local actors (including Sally Wingert, Steve Yoakam, Jonas Goslow, Maren Bush, and Sara Marsh) on stools for a surprisingly animated reading that would have been well worth the $10 ticket price even if Lynch wasn’t attached to the project.
The script condenses into one year the two-year saga of the University of Minnesota men’s crew team's improbable journey to the 1987 Intercollegiate Rowing Association’s Championship Regatta. Remember Minnesota works in the reassuringly familiar tradition of Hoosiers, Rudy, Miracle, and a host of other feel-good sports melodramas. Lynch and Clark, to their credit, keep the narrative moving forward at a brisk pace, with lots of laughs and a host of characters that are, frankly, impossible to dislike.
The university dedicated its new $4.6 million boathouse for the rowing teams on Friday, May 4. The
old facility, which had been scheduled for demolition, will remain standing as a location for the
film until shooting here is completed, according to Susan Austin, the project's publicist.
