Earhart's Electra: Eyewitnesses To What Really Happened
A Documentary project in Los Angeles, CA by Rich Martini ·
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Update #11: Thanks again!!! "Dot Dash"
Posted on September 9
to all you Kickstarters for kicking in. 45 hours to go. Hmm. Do I land? Do I turn back? What to do?
In Amelia's case, imagine how frustrating that must have been. Harry Manning had been aboard the ship originally as her radio man - he'd organized the radio transmissions with the Coast Guard to all be in Morse Code. Then she crashed in Hawaii, and he left the mission. Why? No one's sure. Some say he didn't get along with her. Either way, no one notified the Coast Guard that he wasn't on the plane.
Cut to a year later. She's at one of her stops and is talking to some Thai air pilots. They get around to the subject of Morse code. She admits she never learned it. She writes about it to her husband George, and when the book is published it's in "Last Flight." Neither she nor Fred Noonan were conversant in Morse Code. (Elgen Long details this in his book - however Elgen didn't know that she'd mentioned it in her book. I pointed that out for him.)
The Coast Guard sends 90% of the messages in Morse Code - except for one. Through voice they say "Broadcast the letter A." Dot Dash. Everyone knows that. She sends "Dot Dash" instead of saying "I DON"T KNOW MORSE CODE!" once she sends dot dash, the letter A, they go back to transmitting in Morse Code. She can't understand them. They hear her, but can't figure out why she doesn't respond to their calls.
According to the new "Dateline Theory" by Liz Smith, who's actually been to Howland to search for the Electra - she was off course. I revisited her theory yesterday - it looks like it's about 60 miles NW of Howland. According to maps I can find, Mili Atoll, the place that everyone says they saw her plane come down - it's about 400 miles NW of Howland.
Could she have continued on that path, trying to find the nearest atoll? Could she have made it 200 miles on a whiff of gas left in her tanks? There are reports that there was a Pacific Storm that blew in at the time - could the winds have carried her that far? All I know for certain is - there's dozens of eyewitnesses who saw her come down, who saw her plane on board the Koshu Maru, and who either saw her or Fred after 1937. So - simple logic tells us that she came down in a place where she could be picked up. I have at least 6 folks who claim they saw (or heard it from someone else) that she landed on Barre Island in Mili. In a South African journalist's Knagg research, he went there and interviewed on camera islanders who claim they saw her come down there. One even claimed she "buried a metal box" near the plane. I'm still tracking down that footage for the doc.
So let's not give up hope entirely. I admit - it was a risk to suggest the full amount to finish the documentary the way that I wanted to finish it. I've fallen short of that goal. But you see, I'm haunted by this project. These US Marines who told me there story - they're eager for me to get it into the world. They're tired of being laughed at, tired of being told they're delusional, tired of being the only ones on the planet who saw her Electra on Aslito airfield in June of 1944.
They speak to me, even from beyond the grave - and let me know they're still counting on me to tell their story. And come hell or high water (he said, as his plane plows through the surf and winds up on a sandy shore), I will finish the doc. But thanks for the shove (or kick) in the right direction.
Some final thoughts on the next and final update. Thank you!!!
Rich
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This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on September 11.
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Richard Martini documentary DVD Package. Signed editions of Richard's "Tibetan Refugee" about Tibetans who've escapted Tibet to arrive in Dharamsala to finally meet the Dalai Lama, "White City/Windy City" about the Chicago/Casablanca Sister Cities program, and "Journey into Tibet with Robert Thurman" a sacred journey across Tibet from Lhasa to Mt. Kailash. A copy of the CD "Sacred Chants of Tibet." Your name will also appear on the Earhart Movie fan site and you will receive exclusive project updates and the email newsletter.
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A full boat package of signed editions of Richard Martini's films; "You Can't Hurry Love Love" with Bridget Fonda, "Limit Up" with Nancy Allen and Ray Charles, "Point of Betrayal" with Rod Taylor, "Cannes Man" with Seymour Cassel and Johnny Depp, "Camera - Dogme #15" with Rebecca Broussard, "Journey Into Tibet" with Robert Thurman, Your name will also appear on the Earhart Movie fan site and you will receive exclusive project updates and the email newsletter.
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A special THANK YOU credit on the official completed Earhart's Electra, including the US theatrical version. Thank you will also appear on credits for the US Festival premiere, Plus 2012 Commercial DVD of film. Your name will also appear on the Earhart Movie fan site and you will receive exclusive project updates and the email newsletter.
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2 Tickets to the US Premiere. Meet the director in person. THANK YOU credit on the official completed Earhart's Electra, Plus the 2012 Commercial DVD. Transportation not provided
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2 Tickets to the US Premiere. Meet the director in person. ASSOCIATE PRODUCER credit on the official completed Earhart's Electra, Plus the 2012 Commercial DVD. Transportation not provided. Includes the documentary or feature film DVD package, your choice.
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2 Tickets to the US Premiere. Meet the director in person. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER credit on the official completed Earhart's Electra, Plus the 2012 Commercial DVD. Transportation not provided. See your name on the big screen, and be part of any and all the film festivals associated with it, and appear on IMDB as a film producer.
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Richard Martini is an award winning film director, screenwriter and documentarian. His first documentary "Special Olympians" won the 1980 Mexico City Film Fest. Out of USC film school, he worked for writer/director Robert Towne ("Chinatown,") wrote the Charlie Sheen comedy “Three For the Road.” His wrote/directed "You Can’t Hurry Love" (Bridget Fonda), "Limit Up," with Nancy Allen, "Point of Betrayal," with Rod Taylor. He directed and co-wrote "Cannes Man" starring Seymour Cassel, appearances by Johnny Depp and many other Cannes celebrities. He wrote and directed the Dogme 95 film "Camera – Dogme #15," which premiered in Delhi, India in 2001. His documentary "Tibetan Refugee" features recent arrivals in India, "White City/Windy City” about Chicago/Casablanca's Sister Cities program and "Journey Into Tibet" documents Robert Thurman's sacred journey across Tibet. He wrote and produced a Bollywood film “My Bollywood Bride” starring Jason Lewis. Recently he worked on the feature films “Amelia” and “Salt” for Phillip Noyce as a "digital media curator."
He has taught film directing at Loyola Marymount University, the Maine Media Workshops and the John Felice Rome Center. He's married and has two children, lives in Santa Monica, California.
