Tom Edwards
Tom Edwards came to Atlanta, Georgia as a member of the Harlequin Theatre Repertory Company. His work as an actor culminated in the New York City production of his musical revue, "Tan Shoes & Pink Shoelaces." Of his performance, the New York Post wrote: "With his empty blue eyes complimenting the richness of his talent; Tom Edwards is the one with the levels; he is the one who was born to act." Rich praise, indeed, and Mr. Edwards immediately returned to Atlanta and made writing his passion.
He is perhaps best known for his series of musical plays that are currently playing across the country. The "Della's Diner" series, a Southern musical soap opera, has enjoyed unparalleled success in Atlanta and has the distinction of being Atlanta's longest running musical play. In total there are six episodes of the soap opera. Warner Bros. purchased the rights to "Della's Diner" and co-produced Della's Diner #4 at the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York. Warner Bros. moved Tom to Los Angeles to develop his plays for television. Since that time, Mr. Edwards has also written "Mistress of Meadowbrook, a gothic romance with music" and "Scarlett Fever," a musical comedy version of "Gone With the Wind." This musical spoof prompted lawsuits by the Mitchell Family Estate, MGM, MacMillan Publishing Company, and Trust Company Bank of Georgia. Time Magazine said it was "like going after a gnat with napalm."
For film and television Mr. Edwards has written "Right Here in River City: The Making of Meredith Willson's Music Man" for Warner Bros. Also for Warner Bros., Mr. Edwards wrote "Sobbin' Women: The Making of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers." Both documentary films have won the New York Film Festival's Telly Award for excellence in documentary filmmaking. When never-before-seen footage of "Casablanca" was discovered, Warner Bros. turned to Mr. Edwards to rewrite their 1992 documentary, "You Must Remember This: The Making of Casablanca," to include this new footage, as well as write a new open and close for the film featuring Lauren Bacall.
From 1994 through 1998, Mr. Edwards worked for Turner Home Entertainment as a freelance researcher on the Studio Archival Project. This remarkable project involved filming interviews with all the stars, directors, technicians, and behind-the-scenes artisans who worked under the studio contract system at MGM, RKO, and Warner Bros. Mr. Edwards thoroughly researched and conducted interviews with the artists, ensuring the stories of the Golden Age of Hollywood were preserved.
Mr. Edwards has worked extensively in comedy development at Orion Television and Republic Pictures. He co-authored two CBS pilot scripts, "Mason/Dixon" and "Somebody Normal," one ABC pilot script, "Business as Usual," and is also the author of the audio script for Bantam-Doubleday-Dell's best-selling "How to Speak Southern." Mr. Edwards currently makes his home in Atlanta, Georgia. He recently finished his first novel, "Blue Jesus," published by Academy Chicago Publishers. He is also the co-author of "Doodly Do It! True Confession from Summer Camp," and works as a freelance writer in the Atlanta area.
