Two of the best-known documentarians who trained their cameras on the area in recent times were the late Julia Reichert and her husband Steven Bognar. Their 2010 film — “The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant” — and then a decade later, “American Factory,” were both compelling and critically acclaimed. “American Factory” won an Academy Award.
But Grigsby noted how they didn’t especially paint the city of Dayton and its environs in the best light.
She said she had every indication Farst’s film would be just the opposite.
And she was right.
Farst, a Centerville-based filmmaker with a growing and celebrated resume, took three years to make this documentary based on that October 2, 1920, contest between the Dayton Triangles and Columbus Panhandles at Dayton’s Triangle Park
The film introduces people to the Triangles, one of the 14 original NFL teams, while also briefly touching on some of the other societal issues of the time, including Dayton’s recovery from the devastating 1913 Flood and women gaining the right to vote in 1920.
He does this with interviews of descendants of Triangles players, reenactments and he relies heavily on interviews with prominent football figures, many of them standout former NFL players like Eric Dickerson, Troy Aikman, Joe Theismann and Ben Roethlisberger.
While some make take issue that he spends too much time with the NFL guys — a few of whom have Dayton ties — Farst said they were needed to make a story that people not just from Dayton, but around the country want to see:
“We had to make a film where there wasn’t a lot there. We weren’t going to be able to do a long-winded deep dive on players. So then, how do you tell it?”
“We needed the celebrities to validate the story and we needed the sizzle they brought.
“And they understood what we were trying to do. They talked about their love of the game, which is the reason the guys in 1920 played.”
After Wednesday’s premiere Kevin O’Donnel, the great nephew of Triangles star tailback Norb Sacksteder — dubbed Hell on Cleats for the way he juked and spun and darted the way Barry Sanders did 75 years later — said he understood Farst’s approach:
“If that’s what it takes to get us known around the NFL, I’m all in.”
O’Donnel and his cousin Doug Spatz were featured in the film, not only talking about Sacksteder — who they have been campaigning to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a place he belongs — but they also were extras in the reenactments, as were other many other descendants.
When various NFL players talked about Sacksteder and Dickerson noted he was worthy of the Hall of Fame, O’Donnel was overwhelmed:
“That brought tears to my eyes.”
Doug Sorrell, the president of The Plaza Theatre Association, was accompanied by his wife Wednesday night. “I was worried about her reaction, but she very much enjoyed it and I think that bodes well for the general public (appeal),” he said.
Previews like that make Farst smile:
“The circus can move on to the next theater, the next town. Hopefully we’ll keep the ball rolling and just keep getting the Triangles’ story out to NFL fans around the country.”
The movie plays a few more dates at The Plaza and has three shows at The Neon (Nov 7-9) in Dayton and November 14 is at The Little Art Theatre in Yellow Springs. During that time, it also plays at select theaters around the state and Farst hopes to finalize a deal with a national theater chain within a couple of weeks.
The Plaza was the perfect place for the premier. The theater opened on Christmas Day 1919, just 9 1/2 months before the Triangles blanked the Panhandles 14-0 in that historic game.
Two of the game’s stars – Lou Partlow, who scored the first ever NFL touchdown and Kinderdine, who kicked the first-ever NFL extra point – were born in Miamisburg.
Kinderdine played at Miamisburg High. Partlow is more associated with West Carrollton, where he worked at the paper factory and became known as The Battering Ram of West Carrollton.
For a decade now, the winner of the annual West Carrollton-Miamisburg high school football game is awarded the Partlow-Kinderdine Cup. A couple of years ago Sorrell lobbied Farst to debut his movie at The Plaza.
Farst not only did that, but he brought along Chuck Leavell, the longtime, much-acclaimed keyboardist of the Rolling Stones, who also was a fixture with the Allman Brothers and toured with many other greats, including Eric Clapton.
Farst did an award-winning documentary on him three years ago — “Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man” — and the two have developed a friendship.
Leavell did the soundtrack for Triangle Park and Tuesday night played a private show at The Plaza for of Farst’s investors.
Wednesday night he agreed to end the night with a song and initially it was going to be the Allman Brothers 1973 hit “Jessica.”
“But when we were walking over to the theater from the VIP party beforehand, he said “I’ve been thinking about it and I’m going to change the song,’” Farst said. “He said, ‘since it’s the very first showing, I think I need to play Start Me Up.’ “And I said, ‘Dude, that’s awesome!’”
And it was.
Leavell sat at the theater’s old baby grand and belted out the Rolling Stones hit from 1981, his deft finger work and gravelly voice mesmerizing the crowd.
“I told him later he called the perfect audible,’ Farst said. “It was just what we needed.”
When it comes to remembering Dayton’s historic football team, the same can be said about “Triangle Park.”
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