Posted on 03/17/2003 9:21:09 AM PST by areafiftyone
SALT LAKE CITY - Hollywood loves a gripping saga, especially one with a happy — and astonishing — ending like the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping. So it's no surprise that in the five days since the kidnapped teen returned home, the family's spokesman has fielded more than 3,000 media calls and received nearly 100 film, book or made-for-TV-movie proposals.
The potential audience for a real-life drama is enormous, if hits to the Smart family Web site are any indication. In the first hours after Elizabeth was found alive and returned home Wednesday, more than 3 million people had visited the site.
Her story, outlined by investigators, is a screenwriter's dream: Kidnapped at knifepoint — allegedly by homeless drifter Brian David Mitchell — Elizabeth lived with the self-proclaimed prophet and his wife Wanda Barzee for nine months.
Family members say she was so brainwashed she didn't try to escape, even when she had the chance.
Sharp-eyed witnesses recognized Mitchell and called police Wednesday. The suspects were arrested, Elizabeth was returned home, and people across the country rejoiced.
Mitchell and Barzee remained in jail Sunday awaiting charges, which could come as early as Monday.
Chris Thomas, a spokesman for parents Ed and Lois Smart, said they will begin to review production offers in the next few weeks.
"It's something that they're going to deal with soon. They're trying to figure this all out — it comes down to let someone else tell the story, or tell it themselves," Thomas said.
USA, ABC, NBC, CBS and Lifetime are all reportedly interested in obtaining rights to the story.
"It really covers the broad spectrum. I haven't looked at all of them, and I don't want to disclose specific names and studios or other entities, but we've been contacted by some really big names," said Thomas.
Rumors that John Walsh, host of the television show "America's Most Wanted," has been pushing Ed Smart for a production deal are false, said Thomas. Walsh has interviewed the father for his show and the two became close after Elizabeth's disappearance.
"It came up in a discussion between Ed and John, when Ed was asking John for advice on a number of things. John said, 'I'm not even going to go there. I've read rumors that I've got the inside source on this. I do have a production company and if you're interested you can talk to me, but I'm not pitching you. That would be a really tacky thing to do in my capacity,'" Thomas said.
Thomas said the family has not begun to consider a price, because they haven't decided yet whether to go along with any production, movie or book.
"Right now, their main focus is on Elizabeth and books and movies and exterior things are secondary," he said. "The family is being very calculated in every action, and weighing the pros and cons of everything with the predominant priority being Elizabeth's well-being."
I didn't know she mistook a gun for a knife. Where did you read this? Sources? Elizabeth has said the abductor forced her out of the house with a knife. She never mentioned a gun.
They are fundies and they are just trashing Mormons. That's the only note they know in their song. Fundies = hate.
All over something they have absolutely no control over.
Jim Robinson ought to figure out a way to charge for this kind of entertainment!
Yep - very true. lol
(From a Salt Lake Tribune article dated 6/30/2002) Exactly what happened at the Smarts' home that night remains a mystery. But police say that sometime between 1 and 2 a.m., an intruder entered the seven-bedroom home and left with Elizabeth as her 9-year-old sister watched in horror.
Mary Katherine Smart, who shares a bed with her sister, saw a soft-spoken man in a white shirt, tan pants and tan golf hat. He had a gun and he threatened to hurt Elizabeth if she made any noise. He told her to grab a pair of shoes.
Mary Katherine, who pretended to be asleep until the two left, got out of bed to tell her parents. But she spied the kidnapper and Elizabeth still in the house and, frightened, sneaked back to bed. Approximately two hours later, she woke her parents.
The day after Elizabeth's disappearance, Ed Smart recounted for CNN what happened next.
"When my daughter initially came in, all I heard was, you know, a man took her. And I rushed in there, and I thought, you know, she is just having a bad dream. And she -- we have six children -- and I went from room to room, because occasionally one of the kids will sleep with the other. And you know, and I couldn't find her, and I just -- I heard then at that point that, you know, it was at gunpoint, and it just, you know, it just seemed unreal. I mean, it just . . . I still can't believe that it has happened."
We're talking what Elizabeth has said. Elizabeth has been reported through her father that the perp had a knife. If you're disputing this, please show us the source. If you can't come up with a source where it says Elizabeth first says the perp had a gun and then recants and says he had a knife, please dont' make up lies.
MK has said she saw the perp carrying a black object tought to be a gun.
A very bright and intelligent girl MK is. Thank God for MK. She's a hero! Were it not for her good memory, Elizabeth would never have been found.
He will be the perfect whipping boy for the tabloids.
Somebody posted about the National Enquirer already accusing him of having gay porn on his computer.
I don't read the tabloids, but I'm sure this week's issue will be brutal.
That said, purported book deals; endless news conferences; television apearances; what I understand is Deseret News photog Tom Smart's position on publication/distribution exclusivity concerning the "insider" photos; etc., etc. leads me to observe that the family of this poor girl is beginning to appear as part of a subset of Mormon society that I have come to know and eschew as "Wasatch Weenies."
Sadly, such behavior is not limited to an aberrant subset of the otherwise good and righteous members the Church in Utah alone; nor, for that matter, to the Church in general. One can see this kind of behavior in members of other faiths as well, particularly in such places as New York, Chicago, Boston, and many locales in California as well. And, again, such has very little to do with theology and doctrine.
People: if you (not meaning you, UG) and the rest of your extended family sincerely and rightly seek privacy, peace, healing, and, possibly, justice for Elizabeth and others similarly afflicted, stop with the publicity, already!!
This absurd behavior will make it difficult for your child to heal from the wounds she has received; to lead at least a semblence of a normal life; to undergo the continuing socialization process so vital to all teenagers; and to become without undue interference a goodly wife and mother. And you may well hinder prosecution and the delivery of earthly justice.
In addition, the handling of what is hoped be the start of the end of Elizabeth's tragic nightmare already is bringing unwanted and negative attention to the Church, the LDS community in Utah, and Church members everywhere. One need only to ocassionally drop by the FR to see the hateful anti-Mormon vitriol by usual suspects -- those FReepers who feel justified in spewing lies and falsehood about a Church they either do not understand or for which they inexplicably maintain an active animus.
These same individuals, apparently unrestrained by moderators for the most part, now can be seen to experience great and evil glee at that which has befallen an innocent girl of 15. Many openly express the hope that they will be "proven right" concerning their oh-so-insightful "analyses" and do not even bother to hide the fact that such is directly linked to their religious hatred. My long-standing actvity in and defense of the Church is quite a separate matter from my not being enamoured of such folks in general who provide firewood and ammunition to enemies of the LDS Church and other religious faiths, for that matter.
Such distortions of the opportunities related to membership in the Church will be dealt with by the Judge of us all some day, as will those who so unashamedly take great pleasure in the tragedies that have befallen others. Such is taught in the Scriptures for all to see, and such surely will come to pass.
It is fortunate that few FReepers see fit to attack those who never attacked and, indeed, have defended them in the past, and it is not to them that I speak. To those others, beware of the Judgement of Him whose name they bandy about as if to justify their venom. If the shoe fits........
Question: Lois Smart has received some criticism in the press for hiring Brian David Mitchell to work at her house in the first place. Can you help us understand why she may have done this?
Certainly they didn’t think he was capable of this. They didn’t know that he was a criminal. They likely felt a religious duty to help those that were in need. Also, in the booming economy that we had then finding laborers was difficult and it wasn’t uncommon to hire people for a day or two to work around the house. One investigator criticized her for this, and then went home to find a man painting their home—his wife had done the same thing. But in this case I can safely say that Lois hired this man purely out of a want to help him. She was reaching out to help.
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Ed Smart routinely used people from the Traveller's Aid Society to help on his house. 1- He was trying to help those less fortunate or 2- He was using cheap labor so that he could make more money off the sale of his home or 3- He was really naive about letting unknown people work on his home.
Oh, please. You know exactly what the story has been the entire time.
I'll trash anybody that invites weirdos off the streets into their homes with their children present. I don't care if they are Mormons, Baptists, Catholics, Jews, whatever.
You invite a homeless nut off the street into your home, and then proceed to bask in the media glare when your child is kidnapped, well your child will get my sympathy, but your going to get my scrutiny and doubt.
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