DEMON OF THE DERBY: THE ANN CALVELLO STORY
DEMON OF THE DERBY is a one-hour documentary film about the baddest bad girl of Roller Derby, Ann Calvello. Despite the fact that both she and her sport are largely forgotten, Ann is still putting on her skates and throwing out her elbows at age 70. And she’s still acting as if she were the Grande Damest Diva alive, even as she bags groceries at her part-time job at the Millbrae Safeway.

Before there was the World Wrestling Federation, before there were Extreme Sports, before there was Pay-Per-View, there was Roller Derby. It was watched by over 20 million weekly viewers in the 1950's and 60's, sold out Madison Square Garden regularly, and even beat Bonanza in TV ratings for awhile. The sport had it all -- a National League, a Hall of Fame, expansion teams, championship tournaments, and, of course, many stars of incomparable color and athletic talent. And the two greatest rivals for Queen of this raunchy and rarefied universe were “The Blonde Bombshell” Joan Weston, and “The Meanest Mama on Skates” Ann Calvello.

Our film focuses on Ann because she is much more than an athletic phenomenon -- she is the consummate American rebel. She has struggled against invisibility her entire life -- the invisibility of class, of gender, and now, of age. She left home as a teenager in the 1940’s to pursue the Derby because she saw men and women competing on the same basis. She bucked every conventional norm of femininity of her day and she became a star because of it. She fiercely pursued her lust for booing, jeering crowds and became the skater all fans loved to hate. She was known for being a ferocious daredevil with wild hair colors and outrageous antics both on and off the track. And she’s doing the same thing now -- she completely rejects the idea of “aging gracefully.” She refuses to stop being athletic, theatrical, energetic, sexy, and loud. Imagine Dennis Rodman as a grandmother. That’s Ann Calvello. (Though she’s be the first to tell you, she was doing that hair thing long long before he was even a seed in heaven….)

We’ve been shooting since May 1998; if we can raise the money, we’ll be ready for release in October 2000. The documentary has been shot on digital video, but we’re mixing up a lot of formats. We’ve got 140 hours in the can, some amazing interviews with trainers, fellow skaters, rabid fans, ex-lovers, her daughter, a 92-year-old nun from her Catholic high school, archival footage, magazine covers, and – believe it or not – the answer to the ultimate Roller Derby question “Is it real or is it fake?” (You’ll have to see the film to find out). We are being fiscally sponsored by Film Arts Foundation, a non-profit corporation, and have raised all of our funds to date through donations, foundations, and special events (and by selling off some of Ann’s battered Derby briefs). If you want to help, please contact us, all donations are tax-deductible. We are also looking for archival footage (audio too!), photos, and any memorabilia from the heyday of the sport to record for the film. And if you want to see the finished movie, email us your address, we’ll be sure to send you an invite!