A Matter Of The Heart

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copyright Linda Bergman

As a Hollywood writer with twenty-one scripts to my credit, I am no stranger to stories from the heart. How did I know, that I, myself, would become the center of one so dramatic?

A number of years back, CBS hired me to write and produce a movie for television about Michael Landon. It was directed by his oldest son, Michael Landon Jr. who faced the world’s wrath as he bravely told the story of what it was to be “Little Joe’s” real-life son and how it hurt to be replaced by Michael Landon’s new family. As sad as the story was, it was an honor for me to get to know the family and be able to work on this project.

During the many days I spent writing Michael Landon’s death scene from a liver cancer (adenocarcinoma), I checked in with his family and the doctors multiple times to make sure I got it right. Out of respect and caring for Michael’s ex-wife, Lynn and son, Michael Jr., I worked hard to get not only the emotion right but the technical side as well. There was a delicate balance of fear, pain and sadness that permeated not only the whole house, but the masses of fans who gathered outside his home standing vigil and the thousands of fans around the world who wrote letters and sent telegrams. I needed the technical jargon to be accurate. Having researched the disease thoroughly before I started writing, the medical lingo was becoming more and more familiar. At the time, it was only lingo to me. Now I cringe as I write the word.

How could I know that upon completion of that research, and that scene, I too would be diagnosed with cancer, diagnosed with a strain that had no cure. Was it some sick cosmic coincidence? Had I literally created the illness by focusing so hard on the subject? Had I taken my own good health and good fortune for granted?

I had finished the first draft of the script. CBS had signed off and we were about to go into production when I got word that I had CML, chronic mylogenous leukemia. I needed to start treatment immediately. Besides being the writer, I was a producer on the project. My duties didn’t end when I wrote Fade Out. Rather, a whole new set of puzzles were to be solved by our team. There was casting to be done. Who could possibly play the iconic Michael Landon? Locations had to be found. We had to find a home as grand as his was, but it had to be affordable and accessible to our trucks. We had to assemble a crew to cover lighting, camera, wardrobe and hair — experts on the period.

We ended up shooting in San Diego and I had to live out of a hotel room. I stayed on the job and completed it, but very soon the side affects of the cancer drugs made it very difficult for me to stay on my feet all day, to stay conscious. My wonderful husband, Chuck, moved in with me to help me keep steady. My partners, Allen Epstein, Jim Green and Marc Bacino were gracious enough to assign their staff writer, Val McIlroy, to get me through the rewrites. It was touch and go for me, but the team brought the project in on time and it turned out to be a very successful and highly rated movie for the network

There was a happy ending to this production story. It was a blessing, yes. But I will never forget the terror or the irony that filled my days as I went for treatment, nor the love and spiritual support I got from the Landons, my own family and beloved medical team at City of Hope in Duarte, California. Through them, I found courage where there was little.

Michael Landon prayed for another chance at life. He was not granted one. For some reason, I was. As a result, I take nothing for granted anymore and live every day in gratitude.

Now that’s lingo I can live with.
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Linda Bergman BIO:
A screenwriter by trade, Linda has been paid to write over twenty-four films and produced five of them. She’s best known for her expertise in writing family drama and strong women’s stories. i.e. ” The Jessica Savitch Story” (Lifetime); “The Pearl Buck Story (ABC); “The Barbara Mandrell Story” (CBS). “Matters of The Heart”(USA network). Her films have been nominated for an Emmy, an Access Award, The Alpha Award for Excellence in children’s programming, and the prestigious Writer’s Guild Award.

Her book, “So You Think Your Life’s A Movie – Ten Steps To A Script That Sells” is available on Amazon and at bookstores near you. SARAH FOREVER, a screenplay about love on both sides of life, has gone to producers and her screenplay, TOOT TOOT TOOTSIE, GOODBYE, is in-play at Sid Ganis’ Out Of The Blue . Linda teaches “So You Think Your Life’s A Movie?” and “This Is No Ordinary Creative Writing Class” in Los Angeles, New York City and wherever the IWWG invites her. In February, she is taking her screenwriting class out of the country to San Miguel Allende, the artist’s colony often referred to as the Santa Fe of Mexico.

Visit her website http://www.bergmanentertainment.com

History: Born and raised in Southern California, Ms. Bergman started working as an intern for Fouad Said’s revolutionary CINEMOBILE SYSTEMS while a film student at UCLA. She was hired away from Cinemobile by producer William Farella to Twentieth Century Fox to train in script, casting, film production and post production. Her first feature credit at Fox was Executive In Charge of Production for the mega hit, “Billy Jack”.

After three years at Fox, Ms. Bergman joined ABC’s Movies for Television development team, and — some 100 movies later – was promoted to Assistant to the President of MGM Television. and Director of Program Development/ series and movies. When her first child was born, she chose to work from home and began writing her screenplays. A leukemia survivor, she is a contributing writer to Writing For Wellness by Julia Davey. In 2007 she was the keynote speaker to an audience of 4000 attendees at City Of Hope’s annual ‘Survivor Day”.

She is a professional photographer and writing consultant, enjoys scuba diving, yoga, golf, gardening and dancing. She is married to financial wizard, Charles Bergman, and they have two adult children, Sarah and Adam.
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Photo Hollywood By creativetalentguy
Photo Michael Landon By negra1967
Photo Puzzle Piece By railbalancing
Photo Smoky Heart By Hawee Ta3kees