Cocoanut Grove
Screenplay by
Kenneth Lawrence & Deborah Whitaker
Inspired by a True Story
"Smart & sophisticated. Titanic-like. Cleverly stitched."
Casablanca-like love story."
- Craig Kellum, Script Consultant and former
Universal Studios Development Executive
Logline:
A Rita Hayworth look-alike sings her way into a swanky Boston nightclub
and into the life of a future psychiatrist caged behind the bar.
As coincidence sparks all about them, their forbidden relationship sizzles,
ignites, and explodes when the nightclub erupts in flames.
Phoenix Out of the Ashes
Produced by Emerald Drive Productions
Produced by Emerald Drive Productions
“COCOANUT GROVE" is a film that deserves to be made – about nearly 500 lost souls who deserve to be remembered.
It has everything: An uplifting love story, heroes and villains, quirky supporting characters you root for, comic relief, a hero's journey, a romantic time period (early World War II), a dramatic build-up to a horrific tragedy, great period music, a twist ending, and a powerful coda – life-saving advances in medicine and fire safety that give meaning to a senseless tragedy. And here's the best part: IT IS ALL TRUE AND NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT IT.” - Boston-based Author and Script Consultant Saul Wisnia
It has everything: An uplifting love story, heroes and villains, quirky supporting characters you root for, comic relief, a hero's journey, a romantic time period (early World War II), a dramatic build-up to a horrific tragedy, great period music, a twist ending, and a powerful coda – life-saving advances in medicine and fire safety that give meaning to a senseless tragedy. And here's the best part: IT IS ALL TRUE AND NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT IT.” - Boston-based Author and Script Consultant Saul Wisnia
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“I became so engrossed with the love story, I forgot there was a fire.” - Craig Kellum, Script Consultant and former Universal Studios Development Executive |
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In a triangle between love, coincidence & corruption,
only two make it out alive. "Cocoanut Grove" is a coming-of-age story with 40's-era uniformed heroes, ruby slippers, and mink-draped mobsters. It is a tale of unexplained, meaningful coincidences surrounding the day of the fire that defies common sense.
Yet it's also a simple story, with timeless messages that bear repeating: Follow your heart. We'll meet again. Please remember me. |
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Synopsis
Daniel Cohen, 24, is a well-read bartender caged in the basement bar of Cocoanut Grove, a swanky Boston nightclub covertly run by the Jewish mafia in 1940's Boston. Daniel's family plans for him to take over the club someday, marry the Mob boss' daughter, and live happily ever after. It's the perfect fairy tale for them, but not for Daniel, who aspires to become a psychiatrist - and doesn't believe in fairy tales.
Singer Dorothy James, 20, is a young Rita Hayworth look-alike who can hold her own against salacious sailors and belt out a song like Billie Holiday. With coincidence sparking all about them, Dorothy sashays into the nightclub and Daniel's life, inflaming Daniel's search for the meaning behind the coincidences, and a way out of his own version of hell - and into medical school. Despite the risks, Daniel falls in love, and follows his heart.
Singer Dorothy James, 20, is a young Rita Hayworth look-alike who can hold her own against salacious sailors and belt out a song like Billie Holiday. With coincidence sparking all about them, Dorothy sashays into the nightclub and Daniel's life, inflaming Daniel's search for the meaning behind the coincidences, and a way out of his own version of hell - and into medical school. Despite the risks, Daniel falls in love, and follows his heart.
Daniel and Dorothy's forbidden relationship sizzles, ignites, and explodes on Saturday, November 28, 1942, when the nightclub erupts in flames. Daniel and Dorothy fight for their lives among hordes of screaming patrons, jammed and padlocked doors, blocked windows, and secret passageways. Like the Cocoanut Grove itself, Daniel and Dorothy's lives are forever seared by fire and fate.