I am motivated by the healthy debates and differences in opinion, and I believe the interest this project is generating is wonderful. The intensity of these beliefs and disagreements underline the fact that the Luke saga is just as attractive and captivating as it ever was.
As I have previously stated, my background involves years of researching every type of story under the sun. Military history is my personal love, but the majority of subjects I have worked with were other types of factual pursuits. To me, factual storytelling is only a distant cousin to fictional work. I'm of the "I report, you decide" mentality. I hope this doesn't let anyone down. I just can't anticipate levels of boredom, in presenting a story like Luke's.
Regardless of conflicting opinions, we can all conclude that FL had little fear and hesitation in serving his country. His reckless nature propelled him, brought him success, and naturally led to his death. Honestly, I would feel shameful if I changed or distorted anything about
Frank Luke, JR.'s legacy. I make that statement with no reference to John Kosek's work, as he clearly states that his new book is in part, fictional. Of course it is not that simple, but I have great respect for any story as long as the author or producer offers a fair disclosure.
While all the facts are not known and some never will be, it remains the truth that this officer's days in September, 1918 were scarcely in need of amplification. The other side of Luke, the one that his peers knew prior to September, stands in fascinating contrast to his later success. There really is a lot to work with.
It may seem contrary to the belief of some, but I am concerned as to how I am going to tell this story within the constraints of an hour. I am not dreading or anticipating a content deficit. I guess the challenge is in being a great storyteller. It is true in TV news that the best photography can be killed by a bad editor, and that an editor can sometimes take a bunch of crappy b-roll and a couple of good soundbites and create a masterpiece.
Many people who endeavor to create this type of project have strong film backgrounds, and perhaps have movies on their resume or other types of programming. Their careers may be solely based in large-scale commercial projects that by and large, have not even a connection to truth or fact. They are not at fault or wrong for following the trends in their industry. There are no rules for movie producers, there are no rules for commercial producers, but there are rules for those who work in broadcast news and journalism. If you spend enough time at it, then the truth becomes your guide and you, your own judge. Sure, there are plenty of bad apples, but there are also those who sincerely care about presenting facts in a sensible and logical manner.
I have explored over the past two years, other aspects of Luke's life, via his family and other resources. A great example that many may not be familiar with is the fact that another young man named Frank Luke (FL's nephew) was an aviator. His life fell short when he perished in a plane crash close to the site of a Luke family get -together and picnic in 1947. Luke was very popular in Phoenix and his sister-in-law told me during an interview that not one, but two of Luke's brother's wives dated FL in High School. By the way, I haven't come across the sexual orientation reference in my reading. I would think that would head the list of innuendo BS that people love to create. That really does top the list.
On another subject, my associates and I have elected to reduce the complexity of the original treatment, i.e. aerial reenactments, etc. and we have decided to move forward with a more straightforward project. This means accomplishing our goal much sooner and at less expense. It is extremely important to complete the Luke documentary so that other similar projects can also move forward. I do intend to bring the 'sides' together and the differing opinions regarding Luke's final moments.
In the future, I will invite the key players to join me in Murvaux and we will discuss these matters at length. Ideally, I would like to conduct the majority of the interviews there. I know that everyone involved cares deeply about this story, and the only way to present Luke's final moments is through a fair description of what we know. The project will never be a medium for conveying any one opinion. There is much to take into account.