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."
And lets not forget Patsy Ramsey either. Those pigtails on Elizabeth definitely look like her handi-work.
Oh I don't necessarily disagree with you. I agree that it would be unseemly. My problem is with people who are using this possibility to further their unfounded accusations against the victim of this crime. My position is that whether the Smart family signs a book or movie deal doesn't affect the facts of the case as they've already happened.
Even Elizabeth's aunt remember seeing Mitchel near a Kinko's begging for money, and this sighting occurred not long after Elizabeth's disappearance.
Do you know if Mitchel was clean-shaven when spotted in town a few days after Elizabeth's disappearance?
That's not what he wrote. I'm posting the original post below for you to re-read it again very carefully this time.
So, a young girl who mistook a gun for a knife, miraculously remembers several months later a very good description of the man?
That "young girl who mistook a gun for a knife" could only have been one person: Elizabeth. MK has never mentioned a knife, therefore she could NOT have mistaken a gun for a knife.
Then the two Smart girls who were eyewitnesses to the incident have conflicting stories, do they not? Mary Katherine reportedly told police said she saw a gun. Elizabeth reportedly told police Mitchell had a knife. One or the other - or neither - is correct.
Do you think that MK was right?
Or do you think that MK mistook a knive for a gun?
I don't understand your point.
Disgusting comments, to say the least.
I can't believe the hatred. I guess some people will go straight to their death bed carrying grudges and harboring hatred toward this wonderful family. Shame!
Don't bother trying to explain it to RC. He made a dumb statement based upon an obvious misreading of my clear post. Now, his creative spin is in action....
No. Only bizarre to those intent on trashing, disparaging, denigrading, demeaning, belittling and bismirching this wonderful family's name. Rest assured, though, that being bizarre to you doesn't not necessarily make you a bad person, only a naive one.
I'm slightly confused. When my wife and I were raising our daughters, their safety and well being was of utmost importance to us. We never invited any psychos off the street into our home and around our daughters. Does this mean we didn't have a wonderful family?
No, I don't. But, I'm sure many people saw him immediately after the kidnap, including Angela Smart while at the Kinko store to pick up some posters. Whatever other photos I have of Mitchell are undated.
Elizabeth Smart, Salt Lake City (Utah), Abducted June 5, 2002 ... Around 2am on the morning of June 5, 2002, Salt Lake City (Utah) 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was abducted, at gunpoint, from her bedroom. ... crime.about.com/library/blfiles/blelizabethsmart-n.htm - 35k - Cached - Similar pages Elizabeth Smart Found: March 12, 2003
... 13, Smart told the media he believes Elizabeth stayed with Mitchell and Barzee because she'd been brainwashed). Elizabeth was apparently abducted at gunpoint ... crime.about.com/library/blfiles/ blelizabethsmart-search.htm - 28k - Mar 16, 2003 - Cached - Similar pages [ More results from crime.about.com ]
TheIowaChannel.com - Weather - Elizabeth Smart's Family Offers ... ... Ed and Lois Smart announced a new reward of $10,000 for anyone with information that Richard Ricci was ... Elizabeth was reportedly abducted at gunpoint ... www.theiowachannel.com/weather/1954911/detail.html - 59k - Cached - Similar pages ELIZABETH SMART
... ELIZABETH SMART (14) - abducted at gunpoint from her home early Wednesday 06/05/02. Web page link This is a case that has involved ... www.blackwidowsweb.info/elizabeth_smart.htm - 27k - Cached - Similar pages Disaster News Room
... Elizabeth Smart was abducted at gunpoint from her home in an upscale Salt Lake City neighborhood about 1 am Wednesday, police said. ... www.disasternewsroom.com/Crime_and_Violence/ Kidnappings--Hostages/Elizabeth_Smart/ - 26k - Cached - Similar pages
CNN.com - Elizabeth Smart found alive - Mar. 13, 2003 ... Elizabeth was abducted at gunpoint from her family's 6,600 ... the kidnapper had threatened to hurt Elizabeth if she ... a February 3 statement, the Smart family said ... www.cnn.com/2003/US/West/03/12/smart.kidnapping/ - 46k - Mar 16, 2003 - Cached - Similar pages
CNN.com - Man arrested in alleged Smart extortion plot - Nov. 6, ... ... family -- what one official called a "horribly unscrupulous attempt to profit from Elizabeth Smart's disappearance ... Elizabeth, 14, was abducted at gunpoint ... www.cnn.com/2002/US/West/11/06/smart.extortion/ - 30k - Cached - Similar pages [ More results from www.cnn.com ] BYU NewsNet
... Kidnapping tests new "Rachael Alert" system The abduction of Elizabeth Smart marked the ... to find a Salt Lake City girl who was abducted at gunpoint from her ... newsnet.byu.edu/section.cfm/elizsmart - 29k - Mar 16, 2003 - Cached - Similar pages
CBS News | Reward For Missing Girl Boosted | June 7, 2002 08:14: ... ... (CBS) The reward for the safe return of 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart, who was reportedly abducted at gunpoint from her home, was increased to $250,000 on ... www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/06/ 07/national/main511436.shtml - 32k - Mar 16, 2003 -
WANT MORE!! sw
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