A small but enthusiastic crowd attended the sneak preview at The South Charleston Museum’s La Belle Theater  of a new feature film,”Brothers in the Line,” about WV’s leading labor family, the Reuther Brothers of Wheeling. George Daugherty, one of the sponsors, introduced the film, reading poems and statements about the Reuthers including their great influence on Eleanor Roosevelt and organizing the forces that helped the US win WWII, bringing both corporations and unions together. He also led the audience in “Solidarity Forever” after the film.

WV AFL-CIO vice president Larry Methany and his wife Virginia. WV AFL-CIO were co-sponsors of the event.

President of the board Lura Watkins began the night’s events and a statement from Sasha Reuther, the director of the film was read – see below. Everyone who saw the film loved it, and as George said, all WV school children should see it. Almost $1,000 was donated by the WV AFL-CIO, WV Labor History Assoc, and George Daugherty plus 50 % of the gate will be sent to Mr. Reuther to finish the film sometime this summer hopefull. Larry Matheny, vice president of the WV AFL-CIO, attended with his wife Virginia and told me stories about how inspirational the Reuthers had been to him personally.

Statement from Sasha Reuther -

Statement by Producer/Director Sasha Reuther:

(for Charleston screening, May 8^th, 2010)

Welcome to this First Look screening of our soon-to-be-completed documentary, Brothers On The Line.  As the grandson of Victor Reuther, it means a great deal to me and the family to present this work in the Reuthers’ home state of West Virginia.  The values instilled by their father, Valentine, around the dinner table at their home in Wheeling, most certainly shaped the greater vision behind the brothers’ incredible journey.  I am only sorry that I could not be here with you today to share this in person.  Our editing facility is in New York and I am close at hand these days, striving to reach completion by the summer.  I am very grateful to The Wheeling National Heritage Society, South Charleston Museum, West Virginia AFL-CIO, West Virginia Labor History Association, Steve Fesenmaier, George Daugherty, and The La Belle Theater for their tremendous support.

There are a couple of quick notes that I should mention regarding the current rough cut which you are about to see:

• The archival film has not been mastered, so some footage may look grainy and will have time-code numbers running on the screen.
• The titles and credits have yet to be created but, there are some name identification markers under the interview subjects.
• There is no sound design or audio mix.
• Regarding story, the opening sequence and epilogue are only outlines at the moment. We plan to touch upon the influence of the Reuther history on the current state of the UAW and auto industry but, the daily headlines were changing so fast during the editing of the film that it was difficult to summarize at that time.  We are addressing these issues as we speak. 

 

Despite these rough elements, the narrative and creative vision of the film is in place and I believe that it captures a unique perspective on a poignant history. Thank you very much for attending our screening today and for making a contribution toward our finishing fund. It’s been an honor to take this film journey and I’m excited to share our progress with you.

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