Leonis Adobe goes into production
By Bob Gibbons Special to The Acorn

HISTORY GOES HIGH DEF- Coming this fall to the Leonis Adobe Museum in Calabasas: a new high definition video. From left, Ray Phillips, Leonis Adobe Museum historian; Don Sweeney of Don Sweeney Productions; Don Adams, Leonis Adobe Museum president; and Randy Witt of Randy Witt Productions will collaborate on the project.

The Leonis Adobe Museum announced that it is creating a new video program to enrich the experience of the many guests who visit the historic site annually.

The program will be a 15minute, highdefinition video production, which will take visitors back into the Adobe's history, introduce the characters who were part of the ranch in the late 1800s and provide a glimpse into their lives and their work. It will be seen by all visitors prior to the start of their tour.

"The Adobe attracts a crosssection of visitors," said Angela Schwanz, the Leonis museum general manager. "They all bring a variety of backgrounds and knowledge to their visit. This significant overview presented by video will give docents a common starting point to conduct tours and make our guests' time at the museum more meaningful."

YESTERDAY- The old barn on the Leonis Adobe property has the flavor of days gone by. It will be featured in the new DVD.

Planning for the video has been underway for more than a year by the museum's board of directors.

"The best known museums in the country have such a program - and this will be a step forward to put the Adobe in that class," said Don Adams, board president.

"By using today's creative technology we can position the Adobe in the context of the historical period it represents and bring to life the characters who helped make Calabasas a colorful part of California at that time. This entertaining video provides the background our guests need to make our docents' comments and stories even more valuable," Adams said.

The video hopes to give visitors a greater understanding and sense of appreciation for what the museum has to offer.

The board decided that, for the program to be successful, it must have a mix of information and entertainment; it would have to present its facts in an interesting and involving way; and it needed to have high-quality production values.

Six production companies from the greater Los Angeles area provided bids with creative proposals. The board selected the team of Randy Witt Productions and Don Sweeney Productions, which submitted a joint proposal. Both have extensive experience in production and in the entertainment field.

Their concept centers on telling the story of the Adobe through the eyes of Juan Menendez, the son of American Indian Espiritu, by her first marriage, before she became the "common law" wife of Miguel Leonis and lived with him at the Adobe. Menendez lived there with his family after Miguel Leonis died.

"Using Juan enables us to tell a full story because he had a perspective on everything that went on back then," said Sweeney, who is writing the script.

"There are so many colorful stories, so many interesting characters, but so many conflicting reports of what actually happened, that our challenge is sorting out the facts from the wild tales and having the right mix of both to keep the program moving, interesting and fun," said Sweeney, former music supervisor for "The Tonight Show."

"There is just so much we could include," said Randy Witt, the program's director. "We need to keep a balance between recreations that feel authentic, old images and other maps of the period, and the dialogue necessary to paint a complete picture of what's going on.

"But people today learn visually- and young people, especially, expect something happening on the screen. Our intention is to create a firstclass production that everyone can enjoy," Witt said.

Casting for the production will begin in the very near future, and scheduled completion will be this summer. The program, which has not yet been titled, is expected to be shown in time for the next school year.

The Leonis Adobe Museum, designated Los Angeles City Historical Cultural Landmark No. 1., is a living history 1800s ranch of the Old West. It is located at 23537 Calabasas Road in Calabasas.

For more information, call (818) 222-6511 or visit leonisadobemuseum.org.