The Sam Barber Films Library scripts and books includes current books written by Jerri Blair, Jeff Phister, Bob Grenier, and Mary Ida Bass Barber which highlight Sam Barber’s family role in American History, now available on Amazon. Co-authored scripts available at Sam Barber Films.
Flying Fish – Jeff Phister
In 1917 German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmerman sent a telegram to the President of Mexico inviting Mexico to join Germany and Japan in a war against the U.S. The assumption was that if U.S. troops were busy protecting their southern border there would be fewer troops to send to Europe to fight. In return Mexico would recover the land she’d lost in the Mexican-American War of 1848, which included California. The telegram was intercepted so the union never materialized, but the concept is still festering in 1941 when seaplane pilot Sam Forrester discovers a similar plot in Ensenada, Mexico on the eve of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Historical fiction.
Justice for the Black Knight
Like all children, Ruby and Annabelle were born free of racial prejudice. One dark-skinned and one light, the two met in 1935 and quickly became best friends. Hatred and intolerance directed at them only worked to increase their bond of friendship.
Many decades later, Annabelle is shocked when called to testify in the murder trial of Ruby’s brother Freddie. Not only had Freddie put himself at risk to save her life, he had always been her model of an ideal citizen. Inspired by the classic story of Ivanhoe, Freddie had created a childhood alter ego called the “Black Knight,” who vowed to fight injustice in the world. But now, to Annabelle’s dismay, Freddie finds himself facing the death penalty, represented by an incompetent attorney and unlikely to receive the justice he deserves.
Justice for the Black Knight is the dramatic story of a 1981 trial, where Annabelle and Ruby reach back into the past to prove that Freddie is a hero instead of a villain. It is an inspirational tale of friendship extending beyond the borders of race, which also takes an exciting and realistic look at the process of obtaining justice through the judicial system.
The Way It Wuz
As a Mizell family descendant who married and had children with a Barber, author Mary Ida Bass Barber Shearhart has a personal interest in the infamous Barber-Mizell Family Feud. Florida s Frontier: The Way Hit Wuz is written as a compelling, action-filled novel set between 1841 and 1870, but is firmly based in historical fact. In addition to offering descriptions of pioneer life in Florida from running cattle, to making soap, to cane grinding, the author provides insight about the Spanish colonization of Florida, the Seminole Indian Wars, the Civil War, and other topics. The characters in this novel are real people portrayed with amazing detail and depth. This book joins Patrick Smith s A Land Remembered as a popular and informative must read Florida novel.
The Gallant Captain Melton Haynes
The life of Captain Melton Haynes who served Florida in both the State Senate and the House of Representatives. He was a Civil War Cavalry officer commanding the 5th Battalion, Company H attached to Florida’s famous “Swamp Fox” Captain JJ Dickison.
The Woodlea; Life On The Lake of the Dancing Sunbeams
This book takes you on an extraordinary journey back to the early days of Florida’s small hamlets, cracker houses, lush backwoods, puffing steamboats, and it’s endless rows of citrus trees. This memory-filled journey culminates with a Florida community’s pride in preserving and restoring the last remaining structure on the Woodlea property – the cozy cottage built by Captain Melton Haynes in 1871 – a historic jewel that bridges the present with Woodlea’s glorious past and it’s contributions to Florida’s rich history.
Leesburg Images of America
