By Michael Gonzalez
As told in the epic style of Steinbeck and Michener, a California lumber town struggles from the Great Depression to the present to unite an ethnically-diverse community.
Hour-long Series | Drama
Think of Yellowstone
meets 1923.
Synopsis
A Lesson in Small Town Courage
Red Hawk Stories, inspired by true events, is an American saga of characters in search of the American dream. The saga begins when Mitch Kennedy, 15, buries his parents in the Oklahoma Dust Bowl. On Black Sunday, April 14, 1935, with thirty-five cents in his pocket, Mitch embarks on a five-year hobo odyssey before reaching Red Hawk, a small lumber town in the High Sierra Nevada Mountains of California.
Linda, from Kentucky, escapes the bitter poverty of the Appalachia coal miners. Faye escapes her abusive, alcoholic, Kentucky coal miner husband. Sugar, the sheriff, quits his big city F.B.I. job. From rural Tennessee, Dover and his African American family flee the KKK, who murdered their veteran son. Augie crosses the Rio Grande to escape the ravishes of the Mexican Revolution. Yoshi, a Japanese vegetable farmer, and his wife Akari are sent to an induction center for relocation, while their son fights in Europe with the Army 442nd. Conor and his wife Nora, Irish dwarves, settle in Red Hawk after Conor sustains a career-ending wrestling injury. Hank is the lumberman trapped in a woman’s body. Father Nick is the progressive Catholic priest. Alma is the brothel madam with a heart of gold and runs her business with an iron fist. Troy is the closeted, fearless gay deputy sheriff. Doc and Indian Joe, a Paiute medicine man, collaborate to integrate Western and Native American healing practices.
When WWII breaks out Red Hawk transitions to a matriarchal society run by strong women who step into the men’s work boots and become the head of the household. Red Hawk is their slice of heaven on earth, but every bright side has a dark side: coat-hanger abortions, alcoholism, fatal work accidents, murder, and the dreaded killed-in-action War Department telegrams. The town’s sheriff, doctor, and priest work together to maintain a delicate balance, adhering to the principle of “First, do no harm.”
Mitch becomes the local union president and finds himself in a life and death struggle when a ruthless Chicago land developer arrives, whose aim is to force the lumber mill owner into bankruptcy, acquire the mill for pennies on the dollar, demolish it, and construct a high-end resort. Armed with courage, Mitch is determined to protect the town’s livelihood against the land developer, who is armed with deep pockets and political influence.
As the saga continues, two subsequent generations confront new challenges, from the rise of Rock ‘n’ Roll and the Psychedelic Hippie-Peace-Love Generation to the Vietnam War, and Woodstock. Many who once left for the excitement of big cities, return with their own families, recognizing that Red Hawk offers the perfect setting for their children to grow and thrive.
Episode 1 Script
