Kristi Jacobson Movies
Between 1939 and 1959, Toots Shor ran what was debatably the most famous saloon in America. The son of a poor family in South Philadelphia, Shor was a blustery, larger-than-life character who came to New York City in 1930 and soon landed a job as a bouncer in a mob-run speakeasy. Shor had smarts, charm, and nerve, and he soon made plenty of contacts in the liquor trade as well as befriending habitués of Manhattan nightlife. In 1939, Shor opened a bar and restaurant, simply named "Toots Shor's," and it didn't take it long for it to become the Big Apple's most celebrated watering hole, where Broadway stars, sports legends, political bigwigs, and social climbers were frequent customers but anyone with the price of a drink was welcome to belly up to the bar (among the regulars: Frank Sinatra, Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Gleason, Frank Gifford, Earl Warren, and Frank Costello). While "Toots Shor's" was one of New York's most legendary nightspots, Shor sold the business in 1959, and while he opened a new bar two years later (after running through the million dollars he made from the deal), his style of saloon was falling out of fashion with the arrival of the 1960s, and the free-spending Toots died broke in 1977, six years after his last bar went under. Shor's granddaughter, documentary filmmaker Kristi Jacobson, pays tribute to the man and the era personified by his saloon in Toots, which features interviews with family and friends (including Lauren Bacall, Walter Cronkite, Yogi Berra, Pete Hamill, Mike Wallace, and Whitey Ford) as well as rare recordings of Toots telling his own remarkable story. Also known as Toots Shor: Bigger Than Life, Toots received its world premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival -- appropriately enough, in downtown New York. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Gifford, Walter Cronkite, (more)
- 2003
One of several similarly-themed specials broadcast by the Lifetime cable network in the early 21st century, Together: Stop Violence Against Women was hosted by actress Angie Harmon and her professional-athlete husband Jason Sehorn. Using the first-person stories of four women (identified only by their first names) who have suffered domestic abuse, the special demonstrated how it was possible to survive and persevere under such adverse conditions. Lest anyone accuse the producers of male-bashing, the special was careful to include testimony from several men who have helped, supported, and provided encouragement to abused women, among them campus lecturer Jason Katz and Brooklyn district attorney Charles Hynes. Taking into consideration the mature nature of the special's content, Lifetime originally scheduled Together: Stop Violence Against Women in a late-night time slot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angie Harmon, Jason Sehorn, (more)
- 2002
Kristi Jacobson's American Standoff gives the viewer a behind-the-scenes look at a modern labor strike. The tale of three Teamsters and how their lives are affected by the union's strike against Overnite Transportation make up the dramatic heart of this film, which was produced by acclaimed documentarian Barbara Kopple who has always shown a sharp eye for recording the day-to-day existence of working people (Harlan County, USA, American Dream). A comparison of former Teamster president Jimmy Hoffa and his son, the current Teamster leader, James P. Hoffa round out this film that was screened at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James P. Hoffa, John Murphy, (more)
