Chris Calhoun
Encyclopedia
Chris Calhoun, a Korean War
veteran, was born in Opa-locka, Florida
in 1934.
Calhoun was committed to a Florida State Hospital
, Chattahoochee
, located in Gadsden County in 1956 following a failed suicide attempt
. He suffered from what now is known as post-traumatic stress syndrome. He was later released in 1962 after he spurred an investigation leading to state mental health care reforms.
While at Chattahoochee, Calhoun described the conditions inside the hospital as a hellish prison atmosphere through letters he wrote that were passed outside the hospital walls via visitors and friendly staff. He wrote of events along the lines of how he had been raped by other patients, how staffers encouraged patients to fight with one another and then had subdued them by choking, and how at least seven patients had died while he was there. Some of the patients died from the choking sessions.
The abuse eventually was exposed by The Tampa Tribune
. Governor Farris Bryant ordered an investigation that led to reforms in the early 1960s.
Calhoun moved to Los Angeles
after his release. He was then inspired to tell the world his experiences. He did maintenance work for a theater chain in hopes that he would be able to meet members of the film industry who could assist him in his movie and book goals.
He came to meet screenwriter James Hicks, who agreed to write a script. It was turned down by several major studios before being accepted by Hemdale Film Corporation
, a small British-owned, Los Angeles
-based company that also produced Platoon
, Hoosiers
, The Last Emperor
, and Salvador
.
The movie based on Chris Calhoun, entitled Chattahoochee
, stars Dennis Hopper
and Gary Oldman
, who plays Emmitt Foley, a fictional character based on Calhoun. It appeared in theaters nationwide May 11, 1990. (Theatrical Release Date: April 20, 1990)
Chris Calhoun continues to provide a voice for mental patients through various channels. He voices the need for the hospital to better itself concerning caring for the mentally ill.
A book may have also been published in effect of Calhoun's efforts.
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
veteran, was born in Opa-locka, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in 1934.
Calhoun was committed to a Florida State Hospital
Florida State Hospital
Florida State Hospital is a hospital and mental institution in Chattahoochee, Florida. Established in 1876, it was until 1947 Florida's only state mental institution. It currently has a capacity of 1,042 patients...
, Chattahoochee
Chattahoochee, Florida
Chattahoochee is a city in Gadsden County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,287 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 3,720. It is part of the Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Chattahoochee is...
, located in Gadsden County in 1956 following a failed suicide attempt
Failed suicide attempt
Failed suicide attempts comprise a large portion of suicide attempts. Some are regarded as not true attempts at all, but rather parasuicide. The usual attempt may be a wish to affect another person by the behaviour. Consequently, it occurs in a social context and may represent a request for help....
. He suffered from what now is known as post-traumatic stress syndrome. He was later released in 1962 after he spurred an investigation leading to state mental health care reforms.
While at Chattahoochee, Calhoun described the conditions inside the hospital as a hellish prison atmosphere through letters he wrote that were passed outside the hospital walls via visitors and friendly staff. He wrote of events along the lines of how he had been raped by other patients, how staffers encouraged patients to fight with one another and then had subdued them by choking, and how at least seven patients had died while he was there. Some of the patients died from the choking sessions.
The abuse eventually was exposed by The Tampa Tribune
The Tampa Tribune
The Tampa Tribune, published in Tampa, Florida, is one of two major newspapers published in the Tampa Bay area, second in circulation and readership to the St. Petersburg Times. The paper's tagline is "Life...
. Governor Farris Bryant ordered an investigation that led to reforms in the early 1960s.
Calhoun moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
after his release. He was then inspired to tell the world his experiences. He did maintenance work for a theater chain in hopes that he would be able to meet members of the film industry who could assist him in his movie and book goals.
He came to meet screenwriter James Hicks, who agreed to write a script. It was turned down by several major studios before being accepted by Hemdale Film Corporation
Hemdale Film Corporation
Hemdale Film Corporation, known as Hemdale Communications after 1993, was an independent film production company and distributor founded in London in 1967 as the Hemdale Company by actor David Hemmings and his manager, John Daly. Hemdale was initially founded as a talent agency that helped launch...
, a small British-owned, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-based company that also produced Platoon
Platoon (film)
Platoon is a 1986 American war film written and directed by Oliver Stone and stars Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe and Charlie Sheen. It is the first of Stone's Vietnam War trilogy, followed by 1989's Born on the Fourth of July and 1993's Heaven & Earth....
, Hoosiers
Hoosiers
Hoosiers is a 1986 sports film about a small-town Indiana high school basketball team that wins the state championship. It is loosely based on the Milan High School team that won the 1954 state championship....
, The Last Emperor
The Last Emperor
The Last Emperor is a 1987 biopic about the life of Puyi, the last Emperor of China, whose autobiography was the basis for the screenplay written by Mark Peploe and Bernardo Bertolucci. Independently produced by Jeremy Thomas, it was directed by Bertolucci and released in 1987 by Columbia Pictures...
, and Salvador
Salvador (film)
Salvador is a 1986 war drama film which tells the story of an American journalist in El Salvador covering the Salvadoran civil war. While trying to get footage, he becomes entangled with both leftist guerrillas and the right wing military...
.
The movie based on Chris Calhoun, entitled Chattahoochee
Chattahoochee (film)
Chattahoochee is a 1989 film directed by Mick Jackson. The film stars Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, Pamela Reed, and Ned Beatty and is based on the experiences of Chris Calhoun.-Plot:...
, stars Dennis Hopper
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
and Gary Oldman
Gary Oldman
Gary Leonard Oldman is an English actor, voice actor, filmmaker and musician.A member of the 1980s Brit Pack, Oldman came to prominence via starring roles in British films Meantime , Sid and Nancy and Prick Up Your Ears , with his performance in the latter bringing him his first BAFTA Award...
, who plays Emmitt Foley, a fictional character based on Calhoun. It appeared in theaters nationwide May 11, 1990. (Theatrical Release Date: April 20, 1990)
Chris Calhoun continues to provide a voice for mental patients through various channels. He voices the need for the hospital to better itself concerning caring for the mentally ill.
A book may have also been published in effect of Calhoun's efforts.