Allen Rucker is best known for his long track record of writing for television. As his recent book, The Best Seat in the House: How I Woke Up One Tuesday and Was Paralyzed for Life, climbs in sales with its release in paperback, he is gaining attention for his own story.
A victim of Transverse Myelitis, Rucker was unexpectedly paralyzed from the waist down. "I was 51 at the time. I'm a writer. The obvious thing to do, while I was laying there with this weird disease, was write. I thought I'd better start writing this down. You roll with it, you learn to dance," Rucker explained. "Some people have said the purpose of this book is as a primer for the able-bodied community to see what it's like to be disabled, detailing this indignity or that complication. It's also very valuable for the newly disabled. It's a funny, sarcastic view of my paralysis."
Comedy often serves as a poignant approach toward education. Part of educating society is also being developed in Hollywood through specialized committees such as Writers With Disabilities (WWD), of which Rucker serves as committee Co-Chairman for the Writers Guild of America. "We've been putting together the great moments of feature films and television that involved disabilities. We'll clip together the wonderful performances and send that out to production companies and show the pieces that won awards. There's also the Media Access Awards which recognize people in the entertainment industry who accurately portray people with disabilities," Rucker said. "There's more participation and a new spirit in the disabled community."
Rucker's writing continues to receive notice. Last year, a documentary he wrote for PBS about Vietnam, called Two Days In October, won an Emmy, a Peabody, and a British Grierson Award.
Prior to publishing The Best Seat in the House, Rucker was also awarded the Writers Guild of America West Joan Young Award for career distinction as a writer with a disability.
Rucker's career has changed over the last decade. Returning to the industry after his paralysis was an interesting jaunt. "For the first two years after I was paralyzed, through personal and professional relationships, I was writing specials and documentaries. But, some people are not comfortable with disabilities while others think there are logistics problems. Sometimes you think there are four guys sitting around a room saying, 'Yeah, we could use a great writer. What about Rucker? No. He has that paralysis thing…' They go right by you. You don't know if those conversations are happening or not because the CIA isn´t recording them. I was already in my early 50s and Hollywood is an ageist business. It also depends on which social/professional clique you´re in. TV is an up and down game, of course, but I don't complain. I've been very lucky," Rucker explained. "David Chase who created The Sopranos asked me to write a book on the Sopranos which led to three books. They're tongue-in-cheek, but highly successful."
In fact, The Sopranos Family Cookbook, written by Rucker, was a New York Times No.1 bestseller. "Now, I collaborate on books and write for Ability Magazine. There's no TV work now, but you go where you're wanted and you don´t go where you're not wanted," Rucker noted. "I think the entertainment industry doesn't use disabled performers or disabled writers out of habit instead of hatred. Everyone is anxious in Hollywood and you turn to someone you know, someone on your own writing staff. People with disabilities are often barred from the front door in terms of employment and that hasn't changed."
Viewing the world honestly from both sides of disability, Rucker admits the topic of using disabled writers or disabled performers never came up in his circles. "No. I never once heard a conversation about not using someone who was disabled. But, this is Hollywood. Even if it´s the right project, they don´t go out of their way to find someone who is disabled," Rucker said. "For real change we need to use every tool at our disposal. Someone is becoming 50 years old every seven seconds. More people are getting older, more people are becoming disabled or dealing with someone who has a disability. We need to deal with those numbers and include them in representation. We also need to use new avenues to educate such as Ability and New Mobility magazines. Of course, there are leaders such as the Farrelly Brothers and Larry David as more disabled people are showing up in their films and series."
For performers with disabilities, Rucker believes the attention is moving in the right direction. "Making noise speeds up awareness. If there's a breakthrough show, it will help. Some people thought when there were two pilots featuring characters with disabilities, they would be picked up this season. But, they both were rejected. Of course, in this business, it can change overnight. If someone in charge says, 'That's so funny, let´s get that.' Look at The Sopranos. Some of those stars couldn't buy a job before that show. Some of the actors had made up their own group name 'Gangster Actors Guild.' They went from being unemployed to being household names. So, you never know in this business because it´s a curious thing. The right vehicle, the right time and executives will be positive about it," Rucker said. "There are wonderful films involving disabilities such as The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The Waterdance, The Men starring Marlon Brando as a paralyzed war veteran in 1950, HBO's Warm Springs about FDR being paralyzed, Dr. Strangelove, and It´s a Wonderful Life, with Mr. Potter, who was an angry character and a complete stereotype."
One of the most incredible moments of seeing the disabled community come together occurred at the beginning of the writers´ strike. "The strike happened and it was actor Danny Murphy's idea to get together for a special strike to show our support for the writers. Disabled writers and disabled performers marched together in front of Warner Brothers Studios. There were a lot of cameras and newscasters who showed up and it gained a lot of attention because it was a new angle to the story. There were 20 or 30 people in wheelchairs and it was almost a celebration. We hadn't seen each other and it was like a picnic. It was an encouraging experience," Rucker said. "Maybe one writer and one performer may have come together that day and come up with a really great idea."
For information on Allen Rucker link to www.AllenRucker.com.
For more information on the Writers Guild of America Writers With Disabilities Committee visit www.wga.org.
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