By RICK HELLMAN <a href="https://news.ku.edu/news/article/kevin-willmotts-new-film-shines-light-on-kc-civil-rights-figure">KU News Service</a>

For Academy Award-winning screenwriter Kevin Willmott, the Hollywood jobs are great and all. But the material closest to his heart inspires the stories he tells of overlooked historical events, and particularly local ones, that cast a revealing light on the problems of today.

The newest film written, produced and directed by the University of Kansas professor of film &amp; media studies is just such a story.

Premiering June 19 as part of the Juneteenth Film Festival at the Screenland Armour theatre in Kansas City, Missouri, “The Heroic True-Life Adventures of Alvin Brooks” is a documentary tribute to a Kansas City civil rights icon.

Brooks, still “sharp as a tack,” according to Willmott, at age 92, was one of Kansas City’s first Black police officers in the early 1950s. He went on to a storied career as the city’s first Black department director and creator of its human relations department, as founder of the&nbsp;<a href="https://adhocgroupkc.org/">Ad Hoc Group Against Crime</a>&nbsp;and its Crimestoppers anonymous tip line, as a City Council member, an educator and an all-around advocate for human and civil rights.

READ MORE: <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/cfc32e4d-411c-4a45-99d3-cd521e203724">Airborne electromagnetic survey of aquifer conditions planned in northwestern Kansas</a>

Willmott said he first got to know Brooks 20 years ago while filming&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZsAxiscVZY">“From Separate to Equal: The Creation of Truman Medical Centers,”</a>&nbsp;about the racial history of Kansas City’s public hospital.

“We interviewed him for that,” Willmott said, “and he had so many great stories I was like, ‘Wow, there should be a documentary just about him!’ And so when I did a blurb for his&nbsp;<a href="https://publishing.andrewsmcmeel.com/book/binding-us-together/">autobiography</a>, it reminded me again of how much I really wanted to make that film. And so we finally did it.”

Willmott said Brooks makes for a great documentary subject.

“I'm not sure if it's because he was a policeman or what, but he can tell you the street addresses of where things happened 65 or 70 years ago,” Willmott said. “He tells a story in the film about an encounter he had with a white cop when he was a little kid, maybe 10 years old, and we go back to that location 82 years later, and he says, ‘This cop put a gun to my head and told me, “Run up this hill, (N-word), before I shoot you!”’

“I know I use the term 'living history' a lot, but he is truly living history.”

Willmott said it’s more important than ever, in light of political efforts to downplay and cover up the history of racism in America, to remind people of it.

“I have tried to tell stories that other people don't want to tell and that Hollywood definitely is not interested in,” Willmott said. “There's this whole thing right now that people don't want to hear the ugly part of the American story. They don’t want Alvin to tell what happened to him on that street corner 82 years ago. But to me, you can't get to the beautiful part of the American story without dealing with the ugly part.”

Willmott said the film offers viewers a ray of hope in dark times.

“We're so divided, and there's so much hate going on right now,” he said, “and who knows where it’s going to end up? But Alvin is a reminder of what we can be. He's a reminder of the best of us. Because I still hold on to Dr. King and what he believed in. That's the America I believe in. And it's hard to hold on to that these days. So the movie, in some ways, is a great reminder of ... who we really are, and who we can be.”

The early show of the June 19 premiere is sold out at press time, but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.screenland.com/movie/binding-us-together-2">tickets</a>&nbsp;remain for the 8:30 p.m. show. The film will also be&nbsp;<a href="https://freestatefestival.org/event/alvin-brooks/">presented</a>&nbsp;at 6 p.m. June 30, at the Lawrence Arts Center as part of the Free State Festival.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1717945458645.jpeg" alt="Alvin Brooks, a Kansas City civil rights icon, is the subject of a new documentary that will air June 19 at the Screenland Armour theatre in Kansas City, Missouri, and June 30 at the Free State Festival. Image courtesy Kevin Willmott / Hodcarrier Films" />
 <figcaption>Alvin Brooks, a Kansas City civil rights icon, is the subject of a new documentary that will air June 19 at the Screenland Armour theatre in Kansas City, Missouri, and June 30 at the Free State Festival. Image courtesy Kevin Willmott / Hodcarrier Films</figcaption>
 </figure>By RICK HELLMAN <a href="https://news.ku.edu/news/article/kevin-willmotts-new-film-shines-light-on-kc-civil-rights-figure">KU News Service</a>For Academy Award-winning screenwriter Kevin Willmott, the Hollywood jobs are great and all. But the material closest to his heart inspires the stories he tells of overlooked historical events, and particularly local ones, that cast a revealing light on the problems of today.The newest film written, produced and directed by the University of Kansas professor of film &amp; media studies is just such a story.Premiering June 19 as part of the Juneteenth Film Festival at the Screenland Armour theatre in Kansas City, Missouri, “The Heroic True-Life Adventures of Alvin Brooks” is a documentary tribute to a Kansas City civil rights icon.Brooks, still “sharp as a tack,” according to Willmott, at age 92, was one of Kansas City’s first Black police officers in the early 1950s. He went on to a storied career as the city’s first Black department director and creator of its human relations department, as founder of the&nbsp;<a href="https://adhocgroupkc.org/">Ad Hoc Group Against Crime</a>&nbsp;and its Crimestoppers anonymous tip line, as a City Council member, an educator and an all-around advocate for human and civil rights.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1717945424412.jpeg" alt="Kevin Willmott, professor of film &amp; media studies, speaking at an event at KU in 2021. Image courtesy KU Marketing" />
 <figcaption>Kevin Willmott, professor of film &amp; media studies, speaking at an event at KU in 2021. Image courtesy KU Marketing</figcaption>
 </figure>READ MORE: <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/cfc32e4d-411c-4a45-99d3-cd521e203724">Airborne electromagnetic survey of aquifer conditions planned in northwestern Kansas</a>Willmott said he first got to know Brooks 20 years ago while filming&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZsAxiscVZY">“From Separate to Equal: The Creation of Truman Medical Centers,”</a>&nbsp;about the racial history of Kansas City’s public hospital.“We interviewed him for that,” Willmott said, “and he had so many great stories I was like, ‘Wow, there should be a documentary just about him!’ And so when I did a blurb for his&nbsp;<a href="https://publishing.andrewsmcmeel.com/book/binding-us-together/">autobiography</a>, it reminded me again of how much I really wanted to make that film. And so we finally did it.”Willmott said Brooks makes for a great documentary subject.“I'm not sure if it's because he was a policeman or what, but he can tell you the street addresses of where things happened 65 or 70 years ago,” Willmott said. “He tells a story in the film about an encounter he had with a white cop when he was a little kid, maybe 10 years old, and we go back to that location 82 years later, and he says, ‘This cop put a gun to my head and told me, “Run up this hill, (N-word), before I shoot you!”’“I know I use the term 'living history' a lot, but he is truly living history.”Willmott said it’s more important than ever, in light of political efforts to downplay and cover up the history of racism in America, to remind people of it.“I have tried to tell stories that other people don't want to tell and that Hollywood definitely is not interested in,” Willmott said. “There's this whole thing right now that people don't want to hear the ugly part of the American story. They don’t want Alvin to tell what happened to him on that street corner 82 years ago. But to me, you can't get to the beautiful part of the American story without dealing with the ugly part.”Willmott said the film offers viewers a ray of hope in dark times.“We're so divided, and there's so much hate going on right now,” he said, “and who knows where it’s going to end up? But Alvin is a reminder of what we can be. He's a reminder of the best of us. Because I still hold on to Dr. King and what he believed in. That's the America I believe in. And it's hard to hold on to that these days. So the movie, in some ways, is a great reminder of ... who we really are, and who we can be.”The early show of the June 19 premiere is sold out at press time, but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.screenland.com/movie/binding-us-together-2">tickets</a>&nbsp;remain for the 8:30 p.m. show. The film will also be&nbsp;<a href="https://freestatefestival.org/event/alvin-brooks/">presented</a>&nbsp;at 6 p.m. June 30, at the Lawrence Arts Center as part of the Free State Festival.

Kevin Willmott's new film shines light on KC civil rights figure

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Steve Harwell, the longtime frontman of the Grammy-nominated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/28dcd9f7453f48388318514f52c6281a" target="_blank">pop rock band Smash Mouth</a>&nbsp;has died. He was 56.

The band’s manager, Robert Hayes, said Harwell “passed peacefully and comfortably” Monday morning surrounded by family and friends at his home in Boise, Idaho. The cause of death was acute liver failure, Hayes said in a statement.

Smash Mouth was known for hits including “All star” and “Then the morning comes.”

"Steve Harwell was a true American Original. A larger than life character who shot up into the sky like a Roman candle,” Hayes said. “Steve should be remembered for his unwavering focus and impassioned determination to reach the heights of pop stardom.”

Born in California in 1967, Harwell performed in a rap group called F.O.S. (Freedom of Speech) before forming Smash Mouth in 1994. The band released&nbsp;<a href="https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&amp;se=smash+mouth#search_section" target="_blank">two platinum albums</a>&nbsp;on Interscope Records, the ska-fueled 1997’s “Fush Yu Mang” and 1999’s “Astro Lounge.” The second album featured some of the band’s biggest hits, including the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grammy.com/artists/smash-mouth/15922" target="_blank">Grammy-nominated</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&amp;se=smash+mouth#search_section" target="_blank">platinum single “All Star,”</a>&nbsp;which appeared in the movie “Shrek” alongside their cover of the Monkees’ “I’m a Believer.”

Humor was a driving force behind Smash Mouth’s success, and at the forefront was Harwell’s playful alt-rock voice and persona. He made a cameo in 2001 comedy film “Rat Race,” and had a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/4/1/18290400/guy-fieri-smash-mouth" target="_blank">well-documented friendship</a>&nbsp;with the Food Network chef and host Guy Fieri.

“His only tools were his irrepressible charm and charisma, his fearlessly reckless ambition, and his king-size cajones,” Hayes said. “Steve lived a 100% full-throttle life. Burning brightly across the universe before burning out.”

“He will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved him,” he said.

Harwell left Smash Mouth in 2021 and the band continued to tour with Zach Goode as the singer. The band&nbsp;<a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/smash-mouth-singer-steve-harwell-retires-health-issues-9644066/" target="_blank">released a statement</a>&nbsp;at the time saying Harwell had been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy eight years earlier and had suffered “nonstop serious medical setbacks including heart failure as well as acute Wernicke Encephalopathy.”

Hayes had released a statement on Sunday saying Harwell was in hospice care.

Harwell will be cremated in Boise and buried in San Jose, California, alongside his mother, Hayes said.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Steve Harwell, the longtime frontman of the Grammy-nominated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/28dcd9f7453f48388318514f52c6281a" target="_blank">pop rock band Smash Mouth</a>&nbsp;has died. He was 56.The band’s manager, Robert Hayes, said Harwell “passed peacefully and comfortably” Monday morning surrounded by family and friends at his home in Boise, Idaho. The cause of death was acute liver failure, Hayes said in a statement.Smash Mouth was known for hits including “All star” and “Then the morning comes.”"Steve Harwell was a true American Original. A larger than life character who shot up into the sky like a Roman candle,” Hayes said. “Steve should be remembered for his unwavering focus and impassioned determination to reach the heights of pop stardom.”Born in California in 1967, Harwell performed in a rap group called F.O.S. (Freedom of Speech) before forming Smash Mouth in 1994. The band released&nbsp;<a href="https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&amp;se=smash+mouth#search_section" target="_blank">two platinum albums</a>&nbsp;on Interscope Records, the ska-fueled 1997’s “Fush Yu Mang” and 1999’s “Astro Lounge.” The second album featured some of the band’s biggest hits, including the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grammy.com/artists/smash-mouth/15922" target="_blank">Grammy-nominated</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&amp;se=smash+mouth#search_section" target="_blank">platinum single “All Star,”</a>&nbsp;which appeared in the movie “Shrek” alongside their cover of the Monkees’ “I’m a Believer.”Humor was a driving force behind Smash Mouth’s success, and at the forefront was Harwell’s playful alt-rock voice and persona. He made a cameo in 2001 comedy film “Rat Race,” and had a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/4/1/18290400/guy-fieri-smash-mouth" target="_blank">well-documented friendship</a>&nbsp;with the Food Network chef and host Guy Fieri.“His only tools were his irrepressible charm and charisma, his fearlessly reckless ambition, and his king-size cajones,” Hayes said. “Steve lived a 100% full-throttle life. Burning brightly across the universe before burning out.”“He will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved him,” he said.Harwell left Smash Mouth in 2021 and the band continued to tour with Zach Goode as the singer. The band&nbsp;<a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/smash-mouth-singer-steve-harwell-retires-health-issues-9644066/" target="_blank">released a statement</a>&nbsp;at the time saying Harwell had been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy eight years earlier and had suffered “nonstop serious medical setbacks including heart failure as well as acute Wernicke Encephalopathy.”Hayes had released a statement on Sunday saying Harwell was in hospice care.Harwell will be cremated in Boise and buried in San Jose, California, alongside his mother, Hayes said.