By Sarrah Peters/News Editor
The Pitman Theater in downtown Gadsden will host a red carpet event on Nov. 15 for a movie called The Borrowed Christmas.
The red carpet event starts at 6:30 p.m. and the show will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12. Tickets can be purchased at the Senior Activity Center, Downtown Gadsden office, New Destiny Church, Meadowbrook Church and Family Christian Bookstore.
The Borrowed Christmas is a family friendly, heartwarming movie. The main character, John Dale, has tons of money and a huge house. What he really wants is a good, old fashioned, Norman Rockwell inspired Christmas complete with decorations, a wife and five children. So Dale goes to a Rent-All store and makes this order. The struggling shopkeeper decides to attempt the task, and eventually goes to an orphanage for the kids. With help from the orphanage director and Dale’s housekeeper, they may be able to fill John Dale’s order.
Two locals were featured in this film. Doris Collier and Kathy Johnson are longtime friends and members of the same church. Collier plays Dale’s housekeeper and Johnson plays the orphanage director.
Collier and Johnson auditioned separately, although they had taken acting classes together in Atlanta. Collier had encouraged Johnson to audition. Both had previous experience being extras and modeling, but neither had done a speaking role.
“This was both of our first speaking roles,” said Johnson.
The friends traveled to Evansville, Indiana, to film together. The fun experience of working on a movie set was only improved with the addition of a friend, although neither was nervous.
“I loved every second of it,” said Collier. “Not once was I scared or nervous.”
Collier, however, has always had dreams of acting.
“When I was little my mom would do my hair in Shirley Temple curls, and people told me that I was going to be a movie star one day,” said Collier. “And I believed them.”
When she got older, she was told that it wasn’t a wise career to pursue. So she married, had a family and created her own business, Magic Feet, which sells insoles for shoes. She still felt acting was worth pursuing and took classes.
Johnson has been modeling since she was 27 and now shares her passion with her daughter, Kaylee. Johnson is also an independent consultant for Rodan + Fields Dermatologists, the makers of Proactiv. She also works part-time as an account executive with Collier’s business Magic Feet.