A story about fame, addiction and a custody battle over a man's leg.A story about fame, addiction and a custody battle over a man's leg.A story about fame, addiction and a custody battle over a man's leg. After taking it home, he opened the grill to find a macabre surprise in the form of a crudely mummified human foot. R.At Landmark's Bethesda Row Cinema. Wood told The Charlotte Observer that he got into charity work because he felt Finders Keepers might have convinced some viewers hewas pushing a bizarre Southern stereotype, and he wanted to prove he is more than just someguy who got into a fight over his amputated leg. Mr. Wood was the son of a wealthy furniture executive; Mr. Whisnant had a more hardscrabble life. Hes very smart. Their fortunes still seem to cross, somehow. The software that cloned Drake and the Weeknds voices is easy to useand impossible to shut down. These guys are over-the-top characters and their story is absurd. A seventeen-member Board of Directors, elected by the membership, governs the NCPH with the active assistance of numerous committees which address administrative or policy issues, investigate and advise the organization on recent developments in the field, and support initiatives that enhance the practice of public history. It demonstrably is true Wood and Whisnant even appeared on episodes of Jerry Springer, Worlds Dumbest Hillbillies, and Judge Mathis, as well as featuring in numerous news reports. One thing that really stuck out to me was the synchronicity at the end: John and his family realize that, without Shannon Whisnant, John would possibly be dead, or not where hes at now. Tweel: I think our job was then to continually to dig deeper and get to the heart of what makes these people tick and they were unbelievably trusting of us and more honest than a lot of people are on camera. Doctors had to amputate Woods leg and his father did not survive. [3] Shannon died in Boston in 1988 of lymphoma, at age 61. September 25, 2015. "It's. But this shockingly funny, weirdly touching custody battle between John Wood, the aggrieved amputee, and Shannon Whisnant, the fast-talking entrepreneur who unwittingly bought the appendage in a storage-unit auction, is as authentic as the North Carolina vernacular in which it unfolds. As we spent a lot of time around these characters, we were able to go back between comedy and tragedy., As for the fate of the leg itself, Tweel confesses to a little uncertainty over who should be its rightful owner. View the profiles of professionals named "Shannon Whisnant" on LinkedIn. I think Bryan and I shared an interest in exploring that, watching them over the course of this story, experiencing fame, and in the aftermath continuing to be intertwined somehow. The documentary unfolds in wild ways which we wouldnt want to spoil, though it almost plays like a softer, sadder but no less bizarre sister piece to Tiger King, with two lives linked for better or worse. Both have tragic backstories (one is addicted to drugs the other addicted to fame) and their parallel paths lead to redemption, disillusionment and a plan to run for President in the 2016 US. Aftermath Whisnant continued to promote himself as "The Foot Man" for the next ten years, selling merchandise, appearing on podcasts, and attempting to sell a book of essays. Its a glimpse at the strange goings on in a Southern state that would sound unbelievable were it not true. The discovery naturally raised a lot of questions: Whose foot was it? Send us a tip using our anonymous form. He wanted to preserve the leg as a memorial to his dad. Done grossed me out.. Somebody came up to me at Sun Valley and was like: Wait, this is a fictional feature, right? Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. An uplifting ending helps bring closure where it is much needed. I thought it was so interesting how they all recognized the crazy cosmic workings, all from this stupid tabloid story. I'm sure y'all figured that out by now. Mr. Whisnant claimed to be over the whole affair, but on Twitter he is still known as @FootmanNC. TV Shows. By signing up you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. The bigger challenge was actually their family members: Johns sister, Marian, with her watching at a safe distance, having some perspective on it, and, in the movie, just being tired of having the tragedy brought up. BC: After getting to know them so well as people, you start to really not question their motives. I wont spoil the final verdict, but as a happy side effect, Mathis took note of Woods strung-out appearance and helped him get into a well-regarded rehab program on the West Coast. CT: Ed and I are both originally from Virginia, so for me it was always weighing on my mind. Carberry: [John] tried a few things. Eight years ago, a man named Shannon Whisnant found an amputated human foot in a barbecue smoker he'd purchased from a storage locker in Maiden, North Carolina. Shannon Whisnant always craved the limelight. Same with Marian. He spends a lot of time with his mom and his sister again. Whisnant, however, wanted to keep it. John successfully recovers, gets a Job, a house, and a fiance. Tweel: Shannon is a kind of self-made man, an entrepreneur of sorts. Eventually, Wood left his leg in his storage unit, but he was so grief-stricken over the loss of his father and the trauma of the accident that he fell deeper into a substance dependency and couldn't keep up with his finances. If a fictional movie were to be made of Shannon Whisnants life, I imagine that hed be played by O Brother, Where Art Thou?era John Goodman. If you didnt have your birthday party at John Woods house, then you were nobody, Whisnant recalls. John did the only natural thing. Presumably John was still struggling with drug addiction when you guys started filming?BC: Ed caught up with John in early 2008, so he was in the halfway house from his rehab. In 2004, a North Carolina man named John Wood was copiloting a small plane with his father when the engine cut out. The leg seemed heaven-sent, he said. Like, actually nauseous. Shannon Whisnant, 42, of Stacy, originally of Hickory, died Friday, Nov. 11, 2016, at Carteret Health Care in Morehead City. Inside the smoker, a mummified human foot. 5-Down, Eight Letters: Show that gave us New New York. Inside the unit was a smoker. I didnt really get squeamish, but I felt bad as somebody who washes his hands a lot, I was like, I cant believe shes just holding that leg like its nothing!. Which 'Tiger King' Character Would You Want To Be In Quarantine With? The main dispute between Wood and Whisnant, which is highlighted in Finders Keepers, isthat Wood didn't want to use his leg for publicity,while Whisnant wantedto make money off of the situation. Wood came from money he was the son of a furniture mogul and according to Whisnant had a roller rink in his basement (just one of many bizarre details which are never mentioned again). I really appreciate it! The buyer, Shannon Whisnant, told Mathis that he wanted the leg for a tourist attraction. Join Facebook to connect with Shannon Whisnant and others you may know. [3] Boston University established the William V. Shannon Memorial Fellowships in his memory, to benefit Irish citizens pursuing graduate study at the university.[5]. Case Details Parties Documents Dockets Case Details Case Number: Welcome to your next obsession, Finders Keepers, a bizarre story of a legal battle over a severed human leg Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness has taken the locked down world by storm, inspiring a whirlwind of memes, at least one lawsuit, and even prompting Netflix to release a hastily put together Aftershow catching up with some of the main players after the series became a humungous hit. Clay Tweel: Its almost this cosmic yin-and-yang force that draws these two guys together. But this shockingly funny, weirdly touching custody battle between John Wood, the aggrieved amputee, and Shannon Whisnant, the fast-talking entrepreneur who unwittingly bought the appendage in a . It was the buy of two lifetimes.. The latest fashion news, beauty coverage, celebrity style, fashion week updates, culture reviews, and videos on Vogue.com. Anyone can read what you share. Finders Keepers is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). Sundance audiences loved it. Shannon even more so, trying to make his dad laugh so he would stop getting whipped. After Whisnant invoked the time-honored finders keepers rule and reminded folks that possession is nine-tenths of the law, a bizarre whos-foot-is-it-anyway custody battle ensued. "Yes there's this moment of hilarity of two guys fighting over a leg," says Tweel, "but then how does the rest of it play out? And thats the safest place to put it., Finders Keepers, the Story of a Gnarled Leg and the Lives It Altered, https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/20/movies/finders-keepers-the-story-of-a-gnarled-leg-and-the-lives-it-altered.html. Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions, "William V. Shannon, 61, Envoy Under Carter and a Times Writer", "William V. Shannon Dies at 61; Author and Former Ambassador", "United States Ambassador to Ireland - Nomination of William V. Shannon", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_V._Shannon&oldid=1131812187, 20th-century American non-fiction writers, Ambassadors of the United States to Ireland, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 5 January 2023, at 21:53. Published by The News and Observer on Nov. 13, 2016. Tommy Dorfmans View on the Ground at New York Citys Trans Day of Visibility Rally, The 19 Best Spring Candles to Scent Your Home This Season, The Best Beauty Instagrams: Dua Lipa, Storm Reid, and More, Shes A Woman After My Own Heart: Why Donatella Versace Chose Anne Hathaway to Front a Very Personal Collection, Anya Taylor-Joy Showed Up In Character to the. And then Shannons wife, Lisa, really liked it. After confirmation by the Senate, he presented his credentials to Irish leaders on July 20, 1977, and had the official title of Ambassador Extraordinary and . No spoilers here: Those events are just the first 10 minutes of the movie. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Have you followed up with them since filming ended? In 1977, Shannon was appointed ambassador to Ireland by President Carter. In 2007, a North Carolina man named Shannon Whisnant bought the contents of an abandoned storage unit at auction. And he actually broke his left leg, the leg that has the leg curse on it, a couple months ago, and then he tried to walk on it too soon and re-broke it. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time Services will be announced later by the family. Everybody wants to make a leg pun, Mr. Tweel explained. And so I think all of that kind of got tied up in his wanting to hold onto this leg. John Wood had to have his leg amputated after a plane crash in 2004, during which his father died. Courtesy of The Orchard Jessica is related to Lauren Whisnant and . Finders Keepers: Directed by Bryan Carberry, Clay Tweel. BC: Johns aware of that fact. *Sorry, there was a problem signing you up. Concertgoer Allegedly Orgasms While L.A. Philharmonic Plays Tchaikovskys 5th, Melanie Lynskey, Seth Meyers, and More Support WGA Amid Negotiations. Whisnant bought Wood's barbecue smoker, took it home, opened it up, and discovered inside the mummified limb. As Finders Keepers gets weirder, it also gets better and deeper. Shannon tries to negotiate a reality TV show starring himself which falls apart almost immediately, he throws the barbecue into the ocean having decided that it was cursed, and announced that he was going to run for president in 2016. Its a tale of class privilege gone wrong, the relentless hunger for fame, stoic mourning and submerged family neuroses, and the crazy contortions caused by money and ownership. No. And Shannon said something on Twitter after he saw the movie, about how hes just happy he can help people. Whisnant is a blue collar man who felt like a nobody because he was never invited to Woods house as a kid (whether this is meant metaphorically or literally is unclear). Mr. Whisnant and Mr. Woods interaction made international headlines in 2007, and the two men aired their custody battle on an episode of Judge Mathis that was wild even for reality TV. This is insane! we were like, Oh, yeah, I guess it kind of is.. Junk dealer Shannon Whisnant, is the, er, lucky guy who found Wood's appendage, in 2007, rolled up in a length of window screen like a taquito, after winning the contents of Wood's storage. On what inspired the directors to make the movie. They have also lived in Gastonia, NC. They tell me that I have the best business mind that they've ever seen. When the documentary footage began, he was just 30 days sober. A story about fame, addiction and a custody battle over a man's leg. He liked it, as I thought he would, but he had two complaints: He thought the movie could have been a little longer and that it could have used a little bit more of him in it. This article was published more than7 years ago. With Barry on the loose, all Gene, Fuches, Hank, and Sally can do is crumble as they wait to see who hes coming for first. Sent home with a big bottle of Oxycontin, he relapsed. Find contacts: direct phone number, email address, work experience. Its a moral judgment versus the letter of the law. The rest winds thoughtfully through family history, class, and the twin perils and enticements of drugs and celebrity. Select this result to view Jessica Shannon Whisnant's phone number, address, and more. Right. Will Tiger King 2 Figure Out What Happened to Carole Baskins Husband? It kind of breaks the stereotypes that are thrown around in pop culture for Southern rednecks. The film is about two men: John Wood, a drug addict who lost his leg in an airplane crash, and Shannon Whisnant, who found the mummified remains of that appendage in an old barbecue grill . When the local media began covering the story of the legs strange odyssey, Whisnant woke up to the unique opportunity it presented, both to make some money and to seize the sort of fame hed always imagined for himself. Howd they respond?BC: John and his family really liked it. With Mark Hamilton, Lisa Whisnant, Shannon Whisnant, John Wood. I know people who talk exactly how these people talk, and theyre wicked smart, funny, awesome people to be around. All this is just the set up for a poignant story of big personalities, legal vs moral ownership rights, the reality TV circus, and the class divide. CT: Yeah. 28, 2023 at 1:52 PM PDT. ", Shannon Whisnant always craved the limelight. Issues of drug addiction and childhood trauma appear as we see a deeper story that deals with regrets and poor decisions that have created a major journey that both characters travel through. Hed asked the hospital to let him have the leg after amputation with a view to including it in a memorial to his late father. Whisnant has a serious jones for the limelight.). Always Sunny to Talking Sopranos: The Best TV Rewatch Podcasts Hosted By Cast & Creators, The Star Trek Story Bridging the Gaps Between Deep Space Nine and Picard, Taskmaster and The Underrated Comic Genius of Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Finders Keepers: The Spiritual Sister Documentary to Tiger King. Menu. Somehow, Carberry and Tweel have managed to fashion an inspirational tale out of what one local newscaster calls a freak show. In the end, Finders Keepers is about Woods recovery and I dont mean of his foot. The leg itself makes many appearances on camera, which made me pretty squeamish. A story about fame, addiction and a custody battle over a man's leg. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. They signed on, no restrictions. He assumed they would give him the bone; however, he was surprised to receive the entire thingwith skin and muscle still intact. As hysterical as it is insightful, this documentary finds the humanity behind a TV news freak show, read the review in Variety. Mike Shannon, the St. Louis native who became the voice of his hometown team for 50 years, has died. If you're looking for an extremely disturbing documentary film, you'll find it on these lists! Shannon Whisnant: I'm pretty smart. He's had 13 near-death experiences electrocuted twice, a couple out of body experiences. So Ed and then Clay and I just didnt know how this story was going to end. Trending Finders Keepers is available to watch on Amazon. Ever watchful for an opportunity to gain fame and make a quick buck, Whisnant tried to parlay his find into a tourist attraction, charging three bucks for a peek at the leathery limb; he even had t-shirts and other merchandise made, dubbing himself The Foot Man. But go figure, the foot did indeed belong to someone: John Wood, who had lost it after a plane crash in 2004 that also took the life of his father. He also began petitioning the police to return the leg to him. Afterward, Mr. Wood spiraled into drug and alcohol addiction. Things you buy through our links may earnVox Mediaa commission. Malapropisms and mummified remains. Heres the logline: A story about fame, addiction and a custody battle over a mans leg., Finders Keepers is a story about a bitter rivalry between two men who are in some ways two sides of the same coin. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time, You could tell these guys had deeper layers of complexity to them that the initial headlines werent really detailing, Tweel recalls of the handicam footage their producer, Ed Cunningham, brought back from North Carolina after following up on a tip. It could have been 10 stars instead of 8.8. Meanwhile Woods addiction destroys his life utterly, leaving him estranged from his family and completely destitute. Shannon Whisnant @footmannc Nov 16, 2016 This is Shannon Whisnant wife he passed away November 11 around 9 pm give or take autopsy is being preformed I will keep everyone informed 11 19 25 Shannon Whisnant @footmannc Nov 11, 2016 @RemfertLouHowdy! But morally, thats not the right thing to do.. But morally speaking, its Woods. All rights reserved. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. He feels as if the leg is the only thing he has left. Not the start of a horrific true crime tale, but something altogether stranger begins to unfold as news of Whisnants find reaches a man called John Wood and his family. The 911 call was unlike anything ever heard in Maiden, N.C., or probably anywhere else. His service will be announced later by the family. In 1975 he received the Gold Medal of the ire Society of Boston for service to literature. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us. Industry professionals are tweeting their support of guild members. Theyve both now seen the film. My favorite thing I've heard as a reaction is Marion, John's sister she felt like she's been watching this story through a knothole in a fence, and she feels like we knocked the fence down for her. Whisnant also had a troubled life, but it wasnt nearly so strange; his family was poor, and his father remorselessly abusive. Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Enter Shannon Whisnant. Whisnant bought Woods barbecue smoker, took it home, opened it up, and discovered inside the mummified limb. At this point, it would be reasonable to assume that Whisnant would want nothing more to do with Woods leg. 1 was putting it in the freezer. Ad Choices, Everything You Need to Know About the 2023 Met Gala, 47 Best Mothers Day Gifts to Give Mom This Year, Where to Watch the 2023 Met Gala Livestream. The Weirdest Documentaries to Watch After Tiger King, Tiger King Earned 34 Million Viewers in First 10 Days, Netflixs Tiger King True Story: What the Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin Documentary Didnt Tell You. The documentary by Brian Carberry and J. Clay Tweel leaves no stone unturned, thanks largely to Wood and Whisnant, who are only too happy to revisit the details of the bizarre and twisting saga, which involves small claims court, the television shows "Judge Mathis" and "Dukes of Haggle" and Whisnant's ongoing attempt to monetize his reputation as the "Foot Man," as he has come to be known (and as the T-shirts he once sold proclaim). Mr. Wood now lives in the mountains of North Carolina; Mr. Whisnant moved to the coast. Before losing his leg, Wood struggled with an oxycontin dependency, which was only heightened during his grief and recovery period. For reasons that will mystify many, Wood took custody of the surgical remains, and after mummifying it, stored the foot inside an unused smoker grill that he placed in a storage locker after he was evicted from his home.
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