On Oct. 7, 1991, the NBC civil rights drama “I’ll Fly Away” premiered on television. The series starred Sam Waterston of “Law and Order” as Forrest Bedford, a southern district attorney, and Regina Taylor as his quiet but strong-minded housekeeper Lily Harper as both experience the social and political changes of the 1950s South due to the uprising of the Civil Rights Movement.
With continuing storylines and an authentic portrayal of historical events, the series not only changed the face of network broadcast television but also the television and film community of Georgia, allowing local actors and crew members to take full flight with their talents.
Georgia on my mind
When production began on the series in spring of 1991, only one other television series, NBC’s “In the Heat of the Night,” had taken up production full-time in Atlanta, starting in 1988. Most of the projects that came into the state, however, would spend a handful of months filming and then depart.
“Right now, you walk out the door and you see our film signs on every corner, but at that time, we had a film here and there, but otherwise it was pretty quiet,” said set decorator Amy McGary, would who later receive an Emmy for her work on a separate Atlanta filmed project in 1994. “We were a pretty rare breed for the time.”
The shining of southern stars
While a majority of the regular cast was comprised of New York and L.A. natives, local child actor John Aaron Bennett of Flowery Branch broke the mold after being cast in the role of John Morgan, the youngest of the Bedford children and Waterson’s onscreen child.
Both the casting director Shay Griffin and Bennett immediately knew during their first meeting that he was the right boy for the part.
“I remember how nervous I was telling the producers that I was bringing in only one boy to read for them,” said Griffin.
During the production cycle, Griffin, who gained three Emmy nominations throughout her career for her work on Georgia-based projects, would scout throughout all parts of Georgia and the southeast region interviewing actors for the series.
The result was the casting of prominent Georgia stage and film actors in recurring roles, including civil rights advocate and Hosea Helps CEO Elizabeth Omilami as Joelyn, Lily’s friend and confidant, and veteran Georgia actor Sonny Shroyer of “Dukes of Hazzard” fame as Bobby Slocum, an alcoholic and abusive father to a friend of the Bedford family, as well as early television appearances of actress Rae’Ven Larrymore Kelly, stage and television actor/director Kenny Leon and comedian Wayne Brady.
“It was a very interesting time because Atlanta talent was appreciated and was utilized to provide support in television in a way that it hadn’t been before,” said Omilami, also co-founder of People’s Survival Theatre, one of Atlanta’s earliest theatre companies. “There was a very rich talent pool for these producers and directors to pull from.”
The man who inspired ‘Away’
With the pilot shot and the production of the first season intact, Ian Sander, a Los Angeles-based producer, relocated to Atlanta to oversee the day-to-day operations of the series.
The three-time Emmy-nominated producer, who passed away in 2016, saw the role as an opportunity to become not just an employer but a mentor to his colleagues.
“You work a lot of hours when you’re doing these television shows, and it can be pretty tough,” said Joe Clayton, “Ian did such a good job at keeping everybody happy throughout the whole time.”
“He made everyone on the crew feel important. He made me feel as if I were a part of the creative process of that show … that the show would be different if I weren’t there, and that’s rare,” said Joe Thomas, first assistant camera for the series. “He was much more than a producer to me; he was a beloved friend.”
Our town
While the interior scenes were shot in an industrial warehouse outside of Stone Mountain, producers used all of metro Atlanta and its surrounding areas to recreate 1950s Georgia in exterior shots.
The towns of Newnan and Covington primarily stood in for the fictional town of Bryland, Georgia. For local residents, the idea of Hollywood coming down south to Georgia was a major thrill.
“That hadn’t happened before, so residents were very curious as to all aspects of how a production is made,” said Gary Leftwich, a former Newnan Times Herald reporter during the duration of the series. “It was a big pride point for the city of Newnan for residents to be able to see parts of their town on television.”
“It’s so rare to be apart of something that you were so proud of…”
Kathryn Harrold, Actress (“Christine LeKatzis“)
Still ‘Flying’ high
Nearly 30 years since being off the air, “I’ll Fly Away” helped to launch the blueprint for various productions and studios taking over the state, from Tyler Perry Studios holding down production quarters in Atlanta to films such as “Baywatch” and “SpongeBob 2: Sponge Out of Water” being filmed on the Savannah/Tybee Island shore.
“I’m just so proud of Georgia and our film community, and how much it’s grown and so many people have been successful,” said Phillip “Mr. P” Ivey, hair department head for the first season. “I just knew that it was going to happen; I felt it in my bones. That’s why we all made sure that we worked so hard.”
The series broke ground for the professional landscape of future television and film opportunities to be produced in Georgia. It also left a long-lasting impact on the personal lives of those who worked on it.
“I learned how to read on the show,” said actress Rae’Ven Larrymore Kelly, who portrayed Lily Harper’s daughter Adeline on the series. “We really were like a family. Everybody on the crew were like my aunts and uncles. I have such great memories with John Aaron and our stand-ins on set in ‘Camp Krystal’, our playroom on the set.”
“I was 21 and 22 when I did this show, and it has stayed with me all my life,” said Celine Ciaccio, a camera assistant for the series. “A lot of the life lessons that I learned from the people I worked with impacted me on so many levels. Joe Thomas, my mentor on the set, is ‘Grandpa Joe’ to my kids.”
Three decades later, most cast and crew members still question how a show that they viewed as so well-written, well-produced and well-constructed could be rewarded for its efforts with only two seasons on the air.
“It’s so rare to be a part of something that you were so proud of, (the show) was deep, it was significant,” said actress Kathryn Harrold, who portrayed Christina LeKatzis, Sam Waterson’s love interest on the show. “It was sad when it went off the air and sort of just disappeared.”
“I still have a crew shirt that was given to us,” said Griffin. “It says ‘I’ll Fly Away’ on the front, and ‘television had its chance’ on the back.”
