Correcting history: the john montgomery story - a job post by Veronica Craven

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Correcting History: The John Joseph Montgomery Story (Working Title)

By

V. Craven & J. Giddings

Based on the true life story of John Joseph Montgomery

“I care not of fame or prestige but of sharing what I discover

in hopes that others will build upon it.” –John Montgomery

DRAMA – The dawn of aviation in the West started with one man lost to history.

During the Victorian era aviation craze of the American West, John Montgomery discovers controlled flight but this important invention is suppressed by his Father who wants him to settle down and fulfill his duty to his family. Decades later a publicity machine tells America only the Wright brothers’ version of the story. The truth is far more interesting.

JOHN MONTGOMERY is a jovial and conflicted scientist who is consumed with solving the problem of controlled flight. Those who have tried before him all ended in failure or worse, death. His obsession has taken him away from finding a job and providing for his family, soon his FATHER has had enough.

Montgomery meets the current authority on aviation, OCTAVE CHANUTE, at the World’s Fair. After John gives a speech on his discoveries in flight, Chanute befriends him. Montgomery ends up confiding everything with Chanute not knowing he is a believer in open source and tells all of his aviation students what he learns. Chanute’s favorite students are WILBUR and ORVILLE WRIGHT.

Montgomery meets and falls in love with REGINA CLEARY and, with pressure from his Father, quickly tries to make money to marry her. John joins the exhibition circuit with daredevil drops from balloons to crowds of thousands. One tragic drop ends in fatality and John’s reputation is trashed by the Wright brothers. On top of this despair, the San Francisco Earthquake destroys his new laboratory and his Father dies.

Montgomery is fraught with grief and feeling like a failure. He thinks of himself as just another quack who slaps on feathers and jumps from buildings. But Regina can see he still has the fire of curiosity in his eyes and encourages John to accept the business partnership from VICTOR LOUGHEAD (Later changed to Lockheed).

John and Victor work quickly to invent a new style of plane they can mass produce. John is again experimenting and marries his girl. At the same time the Wright brothers get wind of Montgomery working on something new and they start experimenting, the race is on!

Tonally, this dramatic feature will set the stage of early aviation and the misconceptions people have about its rich origin. Audiences will feel the suspense of almost reaching a goal just to be brutally cut down right at the brink of discovery, heartache at losing such a creative mind, triumph in vindication and joy in experiencing discovery.

Overall, this is a feature that will set the record straight in early aviation. It will ruffle feathers and incite criticism, but ultimately will tell the truth about who was first in flight.