Suddenly the giant wooden tower supporting the screen shivered and creaked, then thrashed about in the windstorm, split apart and tumbled to the ground. Moviegoers huddled in their cars were studded. It was as if they had been caught in their own horror movie, an epic maelstrom. As soon as they could exit, people headed for home to tell the dramatic story of the opening night fiasco. 
It was 1952, and it started with a handshake deal. That and $5,000 apiece.
That was the price tag for Russell Brehm and his business partners Herman Gould and Roman Hruska when they started the Douglas Theatre Company. At the time, that amount of money was more than the average annual income of middle-class America.
Their first drive-in opened in 1953, and it would become the first of many successful cinemas to open over the next five decades. The Happiest Place on Earth recounts the story of their successful theatre company, the opening-night fiasco that nearly wrecked their entire venture before it began and the many changes in the film industry during that time.
A peek inside
Words from the client
“Thank you so much for helping us preserve the story of our business, Douglas Theatre Company. This became a priority of mine, especially after we sold the company. I wanted to be sure that Dad’s (Russell’s) recollections of the movie business that he had founded 53 years earlier were preserved. You and your fine writers helped to make that a reality. We now have a beautiful 79-page hardbound book complete with photos, quotations and stories. Thank you again.”
— Debby Brehm, daughter of Russell Brehm
