1970, the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, peace, love, rock ‘n’ roll. And a 21-year-old Michael Brody, heir to a fortune made by oleomargarine, pledges to give his $25 million inheritance away.
(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, “DEAR MR. BRODY”)
MICHAEL BRODY: Well, I personally think that maybe I’ll be setting a new trend. Like, I think if people like Onassis or the Kennedys or some of these people use some of their money and give to the poor, and if everybody just gave $1 million, if every millionaire gave $1 million to one foundation and said, look; let’s really go into this…
SIMON: Michael Brody wrote a few checks, scattered hundred dollar bills into crowds. He went on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” opened for the Grateful Dead, offered to finance an end to the war in Vietnam, and invited people to send him letters from all over the world, into which they poured their fondest dreams and most desperate needs. But his fame soon curdled, and then he died within three years after being hospitalized for mental health issues. The story of his brief celebrity and the appeal sent to him are told in Keith Maitland’s new documentary, “Dear Mr. Brody.” And Keith Maitland joins us from Austin. Thanks so much for being with us.
KEITH MAITLAND: Thank you, Scott.
SIMON: As we learn in this film, most of the letters sent to Michael, he never read, never even opened.
MAITLAND: That’s right. The story has been more than 50 years in the making in a lot of ways, but for the letters at the heart of our storytelling, most of these stories are just seeing the light of day now as we’re opening them.
SIMON: Yeah. And give us some idea the range of stories. And they’re all postmarked, I guess, January 1970.
