A filmmaker is planning a documentary about the story of Harley & Annabelle Russell, aka the Mediocre Music Makers, of Erick, Okla.
Joe Summars of Fluxfaze Creative Enterprises told the Route 66 yahoogroup yesterday:
Harley and Annabelle Russell […] have given me exclusive rights to create a documentary about their personal experiences providing their brand of tourist attraction for Route 66 visitors from around the world. As many of you may already know, Harley and Annabelle rely on word-of-mouth advertising beyond the boundaries of their own shop and home, have never depended on outside funding to keep their attraction in operation, they charge nothing for stepping into their shop and sell nothing in it, yet they have realized a success completely unimaginable for them when they first arrived in Erick. This documentary will show the world how they do it; from the accidental start-up, the development and continual preparation for each performance, the difficulties and barriers they have encountered and overcome, to the wonderful acceptance and adoration from their fans for all of their “mediocre” efforts.
Their story has already been well-documented in the print media, and there are a number of YouTube videos of performances. But, yeah, a documentary probably is the best way to tell their story.
I’m sure parts of the film would look like this, not that it’s a bad thing:
Alright! Can’t wait to see it!
I have caught the Route 66 bug and will be leaving Ontario Canada this summer to drive along Route 66. I am going to start in the Springfield Illinois area and continue West from there. One of my definite stops along the way will be to Erick to visit with Harley and Annabelle.
Sweet! A lot of positive things happening for Harley and Annabelle lately. Could be an interesting documentary. I’ve wondered what kind of effort is involved for them to do their bit. Always seems like they’ve done a tremendous amount of advance work (on very short notice) to make sure everyone in the group has a great time. And somehow they never miss the mark…having everyone pumped and all smiles when we leave. Looking forward to the dvd release party!
(sorry if this posts twice…wasn’t sure where I was supposed to make the comment)
Harley & Annabelle spend many hours practicing their music, which is anything but mediocre. Harley is a very accomplished guitarist, as well as a terrific entertainer. Annabelle is a delight in every way. Their success is no accident. They work constantly to improve their store and their performances. What a pleasure to see them getting more and more recognition. I’m looking forward to the documentary.
This will be great promo for Erick, OK. and it`s all on Harley and Annabelle.
Looking forward to watching the Documentary with my friends and family!
Bitchin! Seen the Russells just today. They told be about Ron’s Rt 66 website and insisted we pay a visit. Glad they did because they didn’t tell us about the documentary. On pins and needles until its release.