New Movie Portrays VP's Late Husband
The much-anticipated new film from Columbia Pictures, “Gridiron Gang,” is based on a true story involving former Santa Barbara resident Paul Higa, who died in April. Higa was the chief probation officer for Los Angles County. His widow, Jane Higa, is vice president for student life and dean of students at Westmont.
The movie stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and opens in theaters nationwide Friday, Sept. 15. Popular veteran actor Leon Rippy plays Paul Higa in the film. Jane Higa will attend the premier at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
“Gridiron Gang” is the emotional story of two juvenile detention camp probation officers who turn a group of hardcore teenage felons into a high school football team. The officers worked for Paul, who supported their activities.
Filmmaker Lee Stanley had long been involved in the lives of violent juvenile offenders when he approached Paul Higa about making the television documentary also titled “Gridiron Gang.” It won an Emmy Award in 1993.
“Paul and I respected each other from the get-go,” says Stanley. “I had success on five or six other shows inside juvenile facilities and probation had been using my projects to help promote their causes. I told him what I wanted to do. I told him I’d honor him and what he does. And he said ‘Great, let’s go make a movie.’”
Producer Neal H. Moritz saw the documentary and says he was so emotionally moved that he knew he had to make it into a feature film. He enlisted screenwriter Jeff McGuire, who had also seen the documentary and was so moved he’d begun volunteering at a prison camp. Stanley wanted to film the movie at the camp, which required taking over the facility for six weeks.
“(Paul’s) only concern was about the kids and how they would benefit,” says Stanley. The film crew decided to conduct a film production class on the camp grounds for the wards.
“We made our movie and sadly, Paul never saw it,” says Stanley.
On April 8, Paul Higa died a week after suffering a massive stroke. He was 53.
Maggie Brandow, head of the mental health advocacy group, said in Paul’s obituary that he gave his life for the youth in the Los Angeles juvenile justice system.
“Rarely have I known someone who worked so tirelessly, passionately and consumedly for a cause in which he sincerely believed,” says Brandow. “Paul believed in kids who have gone astray, kids who come from poverty, inadequate parenting, domestic violence, child abuse, drug addiction, mental illness, or gang life. He believed that we have a responsibility to care for them, guide them, protect them, and ensure their growth.”
Stanley says he hopes audiences will be moved to invest in these young people with their time.
“These kids that I have been dealing with and kids that Paul dealt with don’t care what you think unless they think you care,” he says. “That’s really the message that comes through loud and clear in this.
“We can never give up hope. Everyone deserves a second chance and as we say, some of these kids never had a first chance.”