Bill Sackter
Encyclopedia
Bill Sackter was a mentally disabled man whose fame as the subject of two television movies helped change national attitudes on persons with disabilities.
in 1913, the son of Sam and Mary Sackter, Russian immigrants who ran a grocery store
. When Sackter was 7 years old, his father died from complications of the Spanish Flu. It was 1920, and Bill was having difficulty learning in school, and after taking a mandatory intelligence test, he was classified as "subnormal". The State of Minnesota determined that he would be a "burden on society" so he was placed in the Faribault State School for the Feeble-Minded and Epileptic. Sackter never saw his mother or two sisters again, remaining there for the next 44 years. He was diagnosed as mentally retarded, although diagnoses performed decades later would prove his intelligence was near normal. He was never taught to read or write or even how to use a telephone
.
and worked odd jobs to support himself. He became a handyman
at a country club
, where Barry Morrow
, a filmmaker, and his wife Bev, befriended him. Morrow began slowly to make life a bit more comfortable for Bill, getting him new dentures
and becoming his friend. Morrow became his guardian
, and when he took a post at the University of Iowa
, Sackter followed him to Iowa City
, and became the sole proprietor of Wild Bill's Coffeeshop on the campus, in which he excelled.
President Jimmy Carter
gave him special recognition in 1979. Sackter's story was told in two television movies. Bill was presented in December 1981, with Sackter portrayed by Mickey Rooney
in a role that brought him an Emmy Award
and a Golden Globe. The movie also won an Emmy as outstanding drama special. A sequel
, Bill: On His Own, costarring Helen Hunt
, was released two years later. Sackter's story is also told in the book The Unlikely Celebrity: Bill Sackter's Triumph Over Disability by Thomas Walz. Sackter died in his sleep in 1983.
A new feature-length documentary, A Friend Indeed - The Bill Sackter Story, was completed in June 2008. Created by filmmaker Lane Wyrick, the documentary explores the life of Sackter using historic photograph
s, film
and video
footage, along with interviews with those closest to Bill. Much of the archival footage was taken by Barry Morrow as early as 1972, with Wyrick filming new interviews and recreations and editing the production. A full-orchestral music score was created by composer Peter Bloesch and was recorded by Seattle Music.
The documentary shows how Sackter was allowed to develop as an individual and with the help and attention of many caring individuals, and become an important member of the Iowa City community as proprietor of Wild Bill's Coffee Shop. It also follows his rise in becoming an important national leader that helped forever change society's perception of people with disabilities.
The documentary has been voted the "#1 Audience Favorite" in five film festivals already: The Kansas International Film Festival, Hardacre Film Festival, Omaha Film Festival, Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival, and the New Strand Film Festival. It was also screened at the Arc's National Convention in Albuquerque, NM.
The Deluxe Edition DVD was completed in June 2009, with the addition of 2 hours of extra footage, including new footage of Bill Sackter, behind the scenes at the orchestra recording, scenes from the world rremiere, etc. It has also been made available for public screenings so that organizations can be hosts of screening events. There is more information at the BillSackter.com website.
Early life
Bill Sackter was born in St. Paul, MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
in 1913, the son of Sam and Mary Sackter, Russian immigrants who ran a grocery store
Grocery store
A grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
. When Sackter was 7 years old, his father died from complications of the Spanish Flu. It was 1920, and Bill was having difficulty learning in school, and after taking a mandatory intelligence test, he was classified as "subnormal". The State of Minnesota determined that he would be a "burden on society" so he was placed in the Faribault State School for the Feeble-Minded and Epileptic. Sackter never saw his mother or two sisters again, remaining there for the next 44 years. He was diagnosed as mentally retarded, although diagnoses performed decades later would prove his intelligence was near normal. He was never taught to read or write or even how to use a telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
.
Encounter with Barry Morrow
In 1964, when new light was being shed on the treatment of the mentally ill and disabled, Sackter was moved to a halfway houseHalfway house
The purpose of a halfway house, also called a recovery house or sober house, is generally to allow people to begin the process of reintegration with society, while still providing monitoring and support; this is generally believed to reduce the risk of recidivism or relapse when compared to a...
and worked odd jobs to support himself. He became a handyman
Handyman
A handyman is a person skilled at a wide range of repairs, typically around the home. These tasks include trade skills, repair work, maintenance work, both interior and exterior, and are sometimes described as "odd jobs", "fix-up tasks", and include light plumbing jobs such as fixing a leaky toilet...
at a country club
Country club
A country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...
, where Barry Morrow
Barry Morrow
Barry Morrow is an Academy Award-winning American screenwriter and producer. He wrote the story and co-wrote the screenplay for Rain Man....
, a filmmaker, and his wife Bev, befriended him. Morrow began slowly to make life a bit more comfortable for Bill, getting him new dentures
Dentures
Dentures are prosthetic devices constructed to replace missing teeth, and which are supported by surrounding soft and hard tissues of the oral cavity. Conventional dentures are removable, however there are many different denture designs, some which rely on bonding or clasping onto teeth or dental...
and becoming his friend. Morrow became his guardian
Legal guardian
A legal guardian is a person who has the legal authority to care for the personal and property interests of another person, called a ward. Usually, a person has the status of guardian because the ward is incapable of caring for his or her own interests due to infancy, incapacity, or disability...
, and when he took a post at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
, Sackter followed him to Iowa City
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...
, and became the sole proprietor of Wild Bill's Coffeeshop on the campus, in which he excelled.
Recognition
Sackter was named Handicapped Iowan of the Year in 1976, attending a ceremony in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
gave him special recognition in 1979. Sackter's story was told in two television movies. Bill was presented in December 1981, with Sackter portrayed by Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award...
in a role that brought him an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
and a Golden Globe. The movie also won an Emmy as outstanding drama special. A sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
, Bill: On His Own, costarring Helen Hunt
Helen Hunt
Helen Elizabeth Hunt is an American actress, film director, and screenwriter. She starred in the sitcom Mad About You for seven years, before being cast in the romantic comedy As Good as It Gets...
, was released two years later. Sackter's story is also told in the book The Unlikely Celebrity: Bill Sackter's Triumph Over Disability by Thomas Walz. Sackter died in his sleep in 1983.
A new feature-length documentary, A Friend Indeed - The Bill Sackter Story, was completed in June 2008. Created by filmmaker Lane Wyrick, the documentary explores the life of Sackter using historic photograph
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
s, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
footage, along with interviews with those closest to Bill. Much of the archival footage was taken by Barry Morrow as early as 1972, with Wyrick filming new interviews and recreations and editing the production. A full-orchestral music score was created by composer Peter Bloesch and was recorded by Seattle Music.
The documentary shows how Sackter was allowed to develop as an individual and with the help and attention of many caring individuals, and become an important member of the Iowa City community as proprietor of Wild Bill's Coffee Shop. It also follows his rise in becoming an important national leader that helped forever change society's perception of people with disabilities.
The documentary has been voted the "#1 Audience Favorite" in five film festivals already: The Kansas International Film Festival, Hardacre Film Festival, Omaha Film Festival, Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival, and the New Strand Film Festival. It was also screened at the Arc's National Convention in Albuquerque, NM.
The Deluxe Edition DVD was completed in June 2009, with the addition of 2 hours of extra footage, including new footage of Bill Sackter, behind the scenes at the orchestra recording, scenes from the world rremiere, etc. It has also been made available for public screenings so that organizations can be hosts of screening events. There is more information at the BillSackter.com website.