HOLLYWOOD HAS CHAGED!

GARY MARSHALL TALKS ABOUT CHANGING VIEWS IN HOLLYWOOD CONCERNING RELIGION
An interview with David Bruce

RAISING HELEN
-Why did director Gary Marshall do a romantic film about a Christian minister and orphaned children?

—Review
—Trailers, Photos
—About this Film
—Spiritual Connections
—Forum

GARY MARSHALL was the executive director of Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, The Odd Couple and Mork and Mindy. He has directed such films as The Princess Diaries, Runaway Bride, The Other Sister, Frankie & Johnny, Beaches, Overboard, Nothing in Common, The Flamingo Kid, Exit to Eden, and Dear God.

It was my privilege to talk with Director Gary Marshall about changing attitudes in Hollywood concerning religion, families and children. Here is what he said:

Why did Raising Helen interest you?
"Actually this is what drew me to the picture. Usually you just don’t do pictures about ministers in a love story. But that's what made it interesting to me.

About about your Christian faith?
"I’m Italian, but I didn’t grow up Catholic, I was Lutheran and I was baptized a Presbyterian. I like to think that I covered most of my bases."

What motivated you to do Raising Helen?
"With all the negative stuff that was going on in the news about the (Catholic) church, I thought some where there needed to be a positive statement. I mean, religion has a good place. And it has good people."

Was it difficult to do a film about faith?
"Putting together a film like this isn’t easy. Initially, John Corbett didn’t want to do it. He didn’t want to be a nice guy again; he had too many movies in a row where he was a nice fellow. But, slowly this project intrigued him."

How did the Disney Studios feel about backing a religious film?
"It also surprised me that Disney would take a shot it (a romantic film about a Lutheran pastor). We didn’t get any flack about doing it –except for one day when they thought that we should not show the minister touching the kids –you know, because of all the news at the time, they said. But, I told them that I didn’t think people thought about it that way. It was a minor thing. That was the only flack we got."

Have things changed in Hollywood?
You know, in the old days of television they would not let you do a show about a religious person, unless they flew –like the flying nun. They always felt that nothing bad could happen to a minister (therefore, no interesting stories could be developed). So you could not do stories about ministers or religious people because they wouldn’t believe them. In the sixties and the seventies you just didn’t do religious stories. But now that has changed. We can do films like this now.

Did you use actual Churches?
"The Presbyterian Church that we used in the film was where my oldest daughter was baptized.

"By the way, the choir that we used in the film is an actual kid’s choir in a Los Angeles church."

Families are important to you
"Yes, I did this film as a salute to parents and how hard it is to raise kids these days. I have three children. I have two sisters who have children. I watched them go through all this. It’s a hard job. Hollywood knows this too. That’s why Warner Bros and Disney, they all have child care centers for working parents."

It is a new era in Hollywood indeed.
Helen help us.