Clark Biopic, Made by Clinton Pal, Premiers at Fundraisers

Wesley K. Clark’s campaign Thursday unveiled a biopic about the Democratic candidate made by Linda Bloodworth, television and film producer and famous friend of former President Clinton.

The 17-minute film, “American Son,” which features interviews with Clark, his family, friends and colleagues, premiered nationwide at more than 700 fundraising house parties for the presidential hopeful.

“This is not a political film,” said Marion Kahn, director of marketing and branding for the campaign. “This is just something that tells about the life of Wesley Clark.”

Bloodworth, best known for creating, writing and producing the hit television series “Designing Women” with director husband Harry Thomason, was approached by the Clark campaign to make the short film.

Kahn and others admired Bloodworth’s work on the 1992 Clinton biopic, “The Man from Hope,” which was shown at the Democratic National Convention that year. Bloodworth, who has relatives in Arkansas, and Thomason, a native of the state -- like Clark -- are backing the retired general in his bid for the presidency.

“Recently it’s become apparent that if you’re sitting on your hands and you’re a Democrat, then you probably shouldn’t be,” Bloodworth said. “There is no one on the playing field that could stand up to George Bush except [Clark].”

Though she and Thomason support Clark for president, she said she had no plans to raise money for him. “I felt that this was my contribution, and I’ve made it and I was happy to do it.”

Bloodworth, who over a month interviewed about 20 people for the film, is currently working on a film about the Clinton presidency for the opening of the Clinton library in November.

The campaign previewed “American Son” at a New York fundraising gala last week but screened it on a large scale for the first time Thursday night.

The Clark camp plans to air a shortened version of the film in a half-hour loop on television stations in New Hampshire and other key primary states beginning in January, Kahn said. Volunteers will also distribute tapes of the film to voters in New Hampshire and elsewhere.

“We want to make as many copies as possible, show it in living rooms, garden parties,” said Clark volunteer Michael Webber, who coordinates events for 3,500 Los Angeles-area volunteers.

“Our goal is to use [the film]. It’s better than a flier; it’s better than a sound bite.”

Clark house parties are small-donation fundraisers attended by about 10 to 15 people and organized by e-mail, Webber said.

The campaign said it hoped Thursday’s gatherings would raise several hundred thousand dollars.

Clark joined partygoers by conference call. One event in West Los Angeles included remarks by Clark’s son, Wes Clark Jr., and supporter L. J. Martin, who read a poem he wrote, “He is Wesley Clark.”

The younger Clark, a screenwriter who lives in Silver Lake, said he hoped viewers of “American Son” would feel “that they just watched the next president of the United States.”

“When he does something, he does it like 150%,” he said.