Idealist and Realist Form Well-Balanced Marriage

Published July 21,1983. One of the reasons Susan and I have a good marriage, I believe, is because of the balance. I am the perpetual idealist. She is the practical realist. For instance, I have the following statement taped on our bathroom mirror: “What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” I believe it. Susan seriously questions whether or not it is always true.

Sometimes my thinking gets us into some interesting situations, as it did recently. I have wanted to finance and produce a full-length movie for some time now. It all began several years ago when I applied for a research grant at Southern Illinois University where I was teaching. The grant was to study the Mormon pioneer family. (I thought it a bit unusual that the residents of Illinois had driven my great-great grandfather Israel Barlow and his family from Nauvoo. Now residents of the same state were paying me to find out why he left.)

After receiving the grant, I made a few trips to Nauvoo and later to Iowa City, Iowa, where the Mormon handcart companies originated. Something happened during that summer in Iowa City. I became fascinated with the whole handcart movement and later began reading a few of the journals of Mormons who had made the 1,300-mile trek to Utah.

In one group approximately 1,000 Mormons began the trip. It became too difficult, however, for about 200 of the pioneers, who eventually dropped out. And later, in Wyoming, nearly 150 died in blizzards and weather 11 degrees below zero.

While studying the Mormon handcart pioneers, I thought the story would make a great movie. It was nearing the time of the bicentennial in the United Sates, and I took and outline of the story to Dick Blumberg, a professor of film at Southern Illinois University.

Dick, who is Jewish, thought the story about the Mormons had potential. So I audited his class on screenplay writing, and he helped me outline and write a draft of a screenplay titled “The Willie Handcart Company.”

Susan was encouraging, but skeptical. She wondered out loud if enough people would go see a movie about the Mormon handcart pioneers – particularly if I wrote the story. She was both kind, but persistent with her thoughts and comments.

After leaving Southern Illinois we moved to Wisconsin, where I taught another three years. During that time, I sent the script to several film producers. They too, were encouraging, kind and skeptical. Would enough filmgoers see the movie to warrant financing and production? Even after coming to Brigham Young University six years ago, I took the story to several people involved in film. The response was the same. Would it recover costs if produced as a film?

To make a long struggle short, I recently found a film company interested in making “The Willie Handcart Company” into a movie. That is if I raise the money for production. So a few days ago I made an appointment to meet with representatives of the company. We planned to talk more in detail, particularly about the budget and financing.

The morning before I left, I re-read the note on our bathroom mirror. I mentioned it to Susan, who replied it might be true. But then, again, it might not.

When I returned from the meeting she met me at the door. “How much to produce the film?” she asked.

“A lot,” I answered, thinking that would suffice.

It didn’t. “Exactly how much?” she again inquired.

I hesitated and finally replied, “Six million dollars.”

Susan didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to. A few minutes later she just reminded me that we still owed the milkman $32.48.

We have a new statement for our bathroom mirror. It now reads as follows. “What the mind can conceive, and believe, it can achieve with the help of $6 million.”

And I think I know who made the change.