UCA staff member consults on film production; premiere Thursday

The Arkansas premiere of “A Cheerful Heart: The Dave Madden Story” will be 7 p.m. Thursday, October 17 at the Conway Public Library at 1900 Tyler Street.

The film depicts the life of Madden, the nephew of baseball legend Dr. Archibald Wright (Moonlight) Graham. The man spent 16 years of his life at the Mayo Clinic stricken with polio. The 30-minute film showcases the fame Madden earned because of his cheerful disposition.

The film was produced by the Mayo Clinic. It premiered earlier this month in Rochester, Minn.

bob-reisingDr. Robert Reising, UCA academic success center supervisor, served as a consultant on the film. On Thursday, he will introduce the film then provide comments about the background and production of the film.

Reising describes the film as a “a moving and powerful true story of a man of uncommon courage and optimism, this despite his final 16 years in an Iron Lung. There was hardly a dry eye in Rochester at the initial showing of the 30-minute film.”

The event is free and open to the public.