Shorty

For over 30 years, Walter "Shorty" Simms has been a fixture on the campus of Hampden-Sydney College, a small, all-male school in Virginia. Afflicted with Down syndrome, Shorty does odd jobs, hosts a local rock radio program, and acts as official cheerleader for the college's football program (Hampden-Sydney is the kind of place where a local minister and his church choir wear football helmets the Sunday before a big game). In Michael Furno and Daniel F. Doyle's Shorty, we see Shorty interacting with his brother's family with whom he resides, the coaching staff, team members, and the college community in general. As someone says, "Walter belongs to everybody, and everybody belongs to Walter." The point is subtly made that despite Shorty's disability he has the capacity to live a full life while enriching the lives of those who know him. In fact, compassionate friends are there to offer Shorty help in time of need, such as when he loses a beloved nephew in a hunting accident, or struggles to compose a brief thank you speech before being inducted into the college's football Hall of Fame. The video finds a lot of heart and humor in its subject, and mounts a little suspense as it counts down to the end-of-season match-up against rival school Randolph-Macon, known simply as “The Game.” Produced by actor Danny Aiello, this documentary--which is sure to strike a chord with viewers who enjoyed the similarly-themed feature film Radio, with Cuba Gooding, Jr.--has some wise things to say about the "differently abled" among us. Highly recommended. [Note: the DVD version is also being sold directly to individuals for $33.90 at Revolution Earth's website, www.revearth.net.] Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)