From the true story "Staying Golden" a Jewish prayer book discovered on a boat dock reignites an investigative reporter's 40 year crusade.

​

Story

Millions of victims throughout the U.S. and billions around the world know someone who has been deeply affected by the issue of drunk driving. The importance of this story in setting history straight will hopefully increase demand that Golden's effective solution for change be enacted. There is no purer reason for this story to be made. We thank you for taking the time to consider this project and look forward to working passionately toward this worthy crusade.

 

ABOUT THIS STORY.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

When a little Jewish prayer book is discovered on a boat dock, the search for its rightful owner reignites a crusade that began 40 years earlier. A 

 

This remarkable true story is a small but essential part of a feature film in development which documents the events that occurred during the drunk driving movement beginning in 1980.  It exposes the corruption still surrounding this issue, and how greed altered not just the reform efforts but the written history of what actually happened. It demonstrates the societal impact and mortal implications of pitting public health and safety against profits.

​

Unique to this story’s targeted audience are the millions of victims personally affected by the subject matter, first responders, concerned citizens, numerous organizations as well as the religious community. 

 

ABOUT THE MAIN CHARACTER

​

Prior to 1979, the typical punishment for drunk driving, even if death or injury occurred, was a small fine and little if any jail time. Twenty-five thousand people were being killed every year, families ruined and costing U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars. After reporting the story of an infant girl who became the world’s youngest quadriplegic because of a repeat offender drunk driver, an award winning journalist named Sandy Golden began investigating what little was being done to address the problem by federal, local and state governments. He discovered drunk driving to be the nation’s most frequently committed violent crime and getting worse, and that no one knew what to do about it.

​

When he’s forced by CBS Eyewitness News to drop the drunk driving story, Sandy quits and turns activist, co-founding Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), organizing and instructing the national movement.  But he must then leave the MADD organization when he uncovers the MADD president’s plan to profit off the cause. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

​

Sandy continues leading the outcry for meaningful reform to combat the senseless human destruction caused by drunk driving, even while on trial in a 50 million dollar landmark libel suit brought against him personally. Ben Bradlee, Bob Woodward and the Washington Post were also sued by the president of Mobil Oil for the front page story that went worldwide in November of 1979.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Statistics of drunk driving victims mount like war casualties, while the powerful alcohol industry attempts to block Sandy’s every effort. His campaign to establish a Presidential Commission to address drunk driving is approved by Reagan, but includes alcohol executives and excludes Sandy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Golden later authors a letter that is signed by 99 US Senators, and gets the Surgeon General’s word to declare a National Crisis. But during the 1988 Capitol Hill press conference expecting to announce the National Crisis the Surgeon General, on instructions from the White House, indignantly refuses to act.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Five days later, the worst drunk driving tragedy in history occurs in Kentucky when a church bus is hit head on and bursts into flames, killing 24 children and 3 adults. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few months later Sandy discovers George Bush’s plane is making a campaign stop in Kentucky just before the 1988 Presidential election and warns of a tarmac filled with angry media if a promise isn’t made to declare drunk driving a national crisis and treat it as such.

​

Sandy is promised by candidate Bush real change that will save lives if elected. But the results are not without compromise. Sandy Golden continues his difficult mission and discovers an even greater evil conspiring to ultimately erase him from history, until another miracle occurs.

​

That miracle is the subject of this film project and Kickstarter campaign Golden Moment.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Sandy Golden became America's most effective strategist fighting drunk driving.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watch Journalist turned activist Sandy Golden in the 1983 interview with Maury Povich.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

The story of Laura Lamb, paralyzed by a drunk driver in 1979, sparked national outrage.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

     

 

 

 

 

 

 Watch Sandy Golden organize the first ever cash reward for exposing corrupt judges.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

   

 

 

This image of 12 year old Charlene Boyette helped galvanize the U.S. Senate in 1988.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

Watch Sandy Golden in a 1998 Fox News interview with anchor Bill O'Reilly.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

A mysterious book found on a boat dock leads to a miraculous breakthrough in the long-waged war against drunk driving.  This is the subject of the short film Golden Moment.