LA filmmaker here to film ‘Pied Piper’ docu

Of the many stories tied to the World War II battles on Saipan, one of the more notable ones were that of the “Pied Piper of Saipan,” Guy Gabaldon, a member of the 2nd Marine Division known for single-handedly capturing about 1,500 Japanese prisoners during the war.

Currently on island to shoot a feature length documentary on Gabaldon’s feat is Los Angeles filmmaker Steve Rubin, who said in an interview yesterday that the film will be based on Gabaldon’s exploits in the Marines as well as his life before and after WWII.

“It’s a story of Guy…a true story, not a ‘Hollywoodized’ version,” he said. “I’m taking such an ironic angle on this documentary. It’s about a man who came to Saipan to kill, as most Marines were taught, and in the process, ended up saving thousands of people’s lives. It’s about a man who had great humanity at a time when people were killing each other in huge numbers…he managed to convinced some rather fanatical Japanese to surrender. Never in the history of the war did one man capture so many people at once. I think it’s a fascinating story.”

Rubin said the film will be called Pied Piper of Saipan, and is expected to have a running length of 90 minutes.

Rubin, who produced the movie Silent Night starring Linda Hamilton for Hallmark Entertainment in 2002, disclosed that other angles include the era itself and how it may have affected Gabaldon’s heroic acts.

“The other angles I’ll be pursuing are that maybe there was some racism involved in the military at that time that he did not get the Medal of Honor when he deserved it,” he said. “I think there was prejudice in his own outfits…some of the men weren’t comfortable being around a man who was Hispanic.”

An earlier film on the Gabaldon story was released in 1960, Hell to Eternity. Rubin, however, said many interesting aspects were not told and that he intends to reveal them.

“There were a lot of things including Gabaldon being shot, and that’s just one of the interesting facets of the story that I find worth discussing.”

Rubin expressed his passion for historical pieces and has written various books including Combat Films, a story on the making of WWII movies.

It was then that he gained interest on Gabaldon.

“During research of the book, I interviewed a screenwriter of the Hell to Eternity movie and learned about Gabaldon. Then, at a location expo five years ago that featured various communities promoting filming in their area, I came upon the Northern Marianas booth, introduced myself and left my business card. Next thing you know, Guy called me on the phone.”

The project concerning Gabaldon’s story, however, had to wait a couple of years as Gabaldon’s rights were, at the time, controlled by another producer.

At the end of their contract, Gabaldon and Rubin began initiating the start of their new project.

“We’d like to get a movie going, but the documentary is more pressing because I think it will popularize the story not only of Guy, but also of the Saipan campaign to people who don’t know anything about it. So far, the response I’m getting is very positive…people want to know the story.”

During his stay on island, Rubin said he already shot footage of Gabaldon’s sons—Yosh and Tony—at Banzai Cliff, and has also conducted a film interview with former Rep. Herman Palacios, a friend of Gabaldon.

At the end of the interview, Rubin extended his appreciation to the Northern Marianas College film crew with whom he is currently working with.

“These guys are terrific,” he said. “They are as professional as crews I get in L.A., and I would like to work with them again. I saw the footage and they were good, so we’re all pretty happy about that.”

The crew comprises NMC students involved in an extensive summer film program put together by the NMC Film and Television Arts department and the Workforce Investment Agency, in collaboration with Talk Story Studios.

“I would also like to extend my appreciation to the tourism board here for helping me, and to all the people who made it possible for me to come here, especially Jerry Facey and the committee for the 60th… They’ve been so cooperative.”

For his WWII heroics, Gabaldon was recommended for the Medal of Honor by his commanding officer, Capt. John Schwabe, now a retired colonel. The Marine Corps, however, initially downgraded the award to a Silver Star and only upgraded it to the Navy Cross—one medal lower than the Medal of Honor—just as the 1960 movie was released.

Rubin is asking anyone with stories about Gabaldon to contact him or leave a message for him at the Media Center located in the Victoria Hotel across from the American Memorial Park. He is scheduled to leave the island this Thursday, June 17.