Palmer graduates produce award-winning documentary

July 24, 2011 — “One Amazing Night … The Story of the Red Shoes Band” is a documentary film about a group of college students who form a band and the one night they “brought the house down.”

Directed and produced by Dr. Jim Brockhohn (Brockhohn Productions and My Town Pictures), the film reunites 1988 Palmer College of Chiropractic graduates and fraternity brothers Brockton and Dr. Robert Kauffman in Davenport, Iowa, at the Delta Delta Pi fraternity house to tell the tale and see if they still have what it takes.  

The film was nominated and received achievement awards at the 20th Annual Iowa Motion Picture Association Awards on April 23 in two categories: Documentary and Voiceover Narration. From there, the film was accepted into the 2011 Iowa Independent Film Festival, July 15-17, in Clear Lake, Iowa, where Jim also won the Best Performance award for a full length film “The Star,” where Brockton portrays a mentally challenged man.

The project began with a Facebook reunion of Bob and “Rockin’ Jim” and a visit to the fraternity house in 2010. After reminiscing, the former bandmates agreed that it was “one amazing night,” and Brockton took the idea and ran with it. He pitched the idea to a filmmaker friend of his, and filming took place in August 2010 at the Delta Delta Pi Fraternity house at 124 W 12th street in Davenport. Brockton’s son, Jimmy, provided narration, and his grandson, Dylan Putz of Ely, Iowa, makes a special appearance in the film, along with fellow original Red Shoe member, Dr. Doug Berry of Hiawatha, Iowa.

As associate producer, Kauffman brought some of the ideas and documentary materials that rounded out the film to the table, including a long lost tape of the infamous gig at the old Palmer College of Chiropractic Student Union (located on Perry and 10th streets in Davenport, Iowa. Kauffman’s background is in photography and he was able to bring to life a barely visible roll of black and white 35mm images shot during the “amazing night” (March 7, 1987), with the help of some modern digital editing technology.

“It was great to work on this project with Jim,” said Kauffman, “It combined history, music and great storytelling–which, to me, are the elements of a good movie.”

Brockhohn is an award-winning actor who, along with running a chiropractic practice in Forest City, Iowa, has appeared in more than 50 films, including the Coen Brothers’ “A Serious Man.”

“One Amazing Night” will make its exclusive Davenport debut during Palmer’s Homecoming at the Delta Delta Pi fraternity house at sundown on Friday, Aug. 12, and also on the evening of Saturday, Aug. 13. Contact any Delta Delta Pi members for ticket information and exact show times.

Source: Palmer College of Chiropractic, www.palmer.edu