Fayette native focus of film
Hollywood has certainly had its brushes with Fayette County. There was the 1984 film “Maria’s Lovers,’ set in Brownsville, by Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky that starred Robert Mitchum and Nastassja Kinski.
There was the, oh so, brief mention of Uniontown over the closing credits of the 2001 movie “Scotland, Pa.’ They botched the pronunciation of Scottdale, by calling it Scottsdale, by the way, and there was “Diabolique,’ which starred Oscar winner Kathy Bates and Oscar nominee and Meadville native Sharon Stone – which was filmed in and around Uniontown.
But never has Hollywood based a theatrical release on a Uniontown native. That’s about to change. “The Express,” a film about New Salem native Ernie Davis is currently being shot in the city of Chicago.
There’s no real question about why they’re making the film. Davis was the first black Heisman Trophy winner in 1961. But, according to the film’s publicist, Dave Fulton, it’s not just a football movie it’s, “a fascinating story that many people aren’t aware of. A story about the times, about racism and how Ernie had to deal with the times.”
It’s certainly not the first time Davis’ story has been put on film. In 2001, ESPN Classic aired a documentary about him as part of its series hailing the 50 greatest athletes of the 20th century.
But this is Hollywood. “The Express” will provide dramatic content that will contain a human story about a gifted athlete who would earn the highest honor a college football player could gain.
“I don’t know where they’ll get the drama from,” says Davis’ uncle and fellow All-American Chuck Davis, “Because everybody spoke so highly of him.”
But there will be drama, according to publicist Fulton. “We’re not making a documentary about his life.” It will be a human story. “It won’t just focus on athletics.”
Part of the focus, no doubt, will be the untimely way in which Davis died. Only a few months after his 23rd birthday, he lost his battle with leukemia. His dream of playing in the same backfield as his Syracuse University alumni member, Jim Brown, would never be realized.
All of that will shape a story that will finally be put on film, after years of speculation.
“They’ve been trying to make a movie about him for 20 years,” Chuck Davis says. “I think it’ll be a good story.”
Davis’ aunt, Angie McLee, who still lives in Uniontown, concurs. “I think it’s wonderful that they would want to make a movie about him, and we’re all looking forward to seeing it.”
Many Fayette County residents will be heartened to know that Uniontown gets its share of mentions in scenes about Davis’ early life. (He moved to Elmira, N.Y., when he was 12. According to Angie McLee, he’d return every summer after)
The title of the movie, “The Express,” does however, put Elmira at the center of the story. It was in Elmira that Davis earned the nickname “The Elmira Express,” because he’d led his high school team to 52 straight basketball victories and he was a three-sport standout.
He later helped lead his Syracuse Orangemen to a national football championship as a sophomore, and he’d later become a two-time All-American before winning his Heisman Trophy.
Universal Studios has enlisted a couple of heavyweights to star in the movie. Dennis Quaid (“The Big Easy,’ “The Right Stuff’) will star as Davis’ college coach, Ben Schwartzwalder, and Charles S. Dutton (“Rudy,’ television’s “Roc’) will play Davis’ grandfather – Willie Davis.
Davis himself will be portrayed by Rob Brown, who starred in “Coach Carter” and in “Finding Forrester. ‘
Filming of “The Express” started in early April and will continue through late June.
A release date still hasn’t been set.