Nelly Don at the Screenland

On Saturday, we ventured over to the wonderful locally-owned Screenland Theatre to watch the locally-produced movie "Nelly Don: A Stitch in Time", about a local woman who became the largest dress manufacturer in the world, before the rise of globalism and third-world sweatshops. (While in the movie, I enjoyed a locally-brewed ale.)

I never thought that a documentary about a dress-maker could be crafted into anything but a tedious movie, but I was mistaken. "Nelly Don" is a loving portrait of a fascinating lady who lived a extraordinary life. The mob, Kansas City history, politics, labor relations, management techniques, a child born of an extra-marital relationship with a Senator - this is not a movie about hemlines and fabric.