John Harvey McElwee
| John Harvey McElwee | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1834-10-07. York County, South Carolina |
| Died | 1926-02-04 Statesville, North Carolina |
| Occupation | Tobacco executive |
John Harvey McElwee was a prominent figure in the Tobacco industry in the late 19th century and early 20th century.[1]
McElwee's service with the Confederate Army, during the American Civil War, took him to the region of Durham (city), where, according to Time magazine, he "created the Bull Durham brand", only to have recipe stolen by John (Buck) Buchanan Duke.[1]
A tradition grew among some of McElwee's descendants that the events in the 1948 novel "Bright Leaf", and film "Bright Leaf", were a fictionalization of an actual conflict between McElwee and members of the Duke family. The Duke family's wealth, at the time the book and movie were set, was primarily based in Tobacco. His great-grandson, Ross McElwee, a film director known as America's foremost director of Cinema Verite films, released "Bright Leaves", in 2003, a personal documentary of his exploration of this family story and the devastating impact Tobacco use has had on his family and friends.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 [http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,548824-3,00.html That Old Feeling: The Great American Smoke By Richard Corliss Saturday, Nov. 22,], Time magazine, 2003-11-22. Retrieved on 2022-08-31. “According to family legend, Ross' great-grandfather John Harvey McElwee had worked on such a process, created the Bull Durham brand and made a bundle, then lost it when his rival John Buchanan (Buck) Duke stole the Bull Durham recipe. Duke's fortune eventually rose into the billions; his daughter Doris was for a time the world's richest woman. The McElwees became convinced that the story of their ancestor's rise, and betrayal by Duke, was encapsulated in 'Bright Leaf' — that the film was, as Ross put it, 'a home movie reenacted by Hollywood stars.'” mirror