Happy
Directed by Mike Dorsey
Description
WWII fighter ace Larry ‘Happy’ Powell flew 68 missions over Europe in his P-51 fighter. After crashing and spending time as a POW in Germany, Larry returned to his home city of Los Angeles for a dual career in the Air National Guard and as an assistant director in Hollywood. After surviving another plane crash that left over 60% of his body badly burned, he went on to work on numerous Hollywood classics that included “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “The Right Stuff.” In “Happy,” Larry shares some gripping stories from WWII and Hollywood sets, and leaves us with his unique outlook on life.
Filmmaker scheduled to attend.
Director's Bio
Mike Dorsey holds a degree in marketing from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. He is an active member of the Producers Guild of America. He grew up in Orange County, California and southwest Colorado.
Plays in
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World War II Remembered – Part 1
WWII, Women, History
This collection of short films honor the stories and sacrifice of the greatest generation.In This Program: All American, The Rifleman’s Violin, We Can Do It: Stories of Rosie the Riveter, Happy
Preceded By
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All American
Michael Ayjian, Stephen Skeel / WWII, History / USA / 2016 / Documentary / 9 mins
72 years later after D-Day, WWII hero Les Cruise flies again on the same plane - this time his family boarded with him. While he is one of the last surviving D-Day paratroopers, Cruise’s story is not only about his historic jump. It’s also about his familial journey from orphan to great-grandfather.Precedes: Happy, The Rifleman’s Violin, We Can Do It: Stories of Rosie the Riveter
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The Rifleman’s Violin
Sam Ball / WWII, History / USA / 2015 / Documentary / 13 mins
With wit and verve, 90-year-old virtuoso violinist Stuart Canin recounts his deployment to the German front as a 19-year-old GI with his rifle and violin on his back during World War II. He was again pressed into service as a musician in the Army’s 6817th Soldiers Show Company. Canin was eventually dispatched to Potsdam to perform privately for the Big Three - Harry Truman, Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin – in an effort to break the ice during the negotiations over the division of Europe and the prosecution of the war against Japan.Preceded by: All American
Precedes: Happy, We Can Do It: Stories of Rosie the Riveter
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We Can Do It: Stories of Rosie the Riveter
Scott Bethel / WWII, Women, History / USA / 2016 / Documentary / 35 mins
During World War II millions of courageous women, most of them teenagers, joined the labor force and coined the term “Rosie the Riveter.” They didn’t realize they were changing the world forever.Preceded by: All American, The Rifleman’s Violin
Precedes: Happy
