Fictionalized biography of George Gershwin and his fight to bring serious music to Broadway.

Overweight Boston spinster Charlotte is a repressed, self-esteemless woman completely dominated by her wealthy mother, Mrs. Henry Vale. When her sister-in-law Lisa Vale brings her friend Dr. Jaquith, a renowned psychiatrist, to visit Charlotte, he invites her to spend some time in his sanitarium. Soon Charlotte transforms into a sophisticated, confident woman and takes a cruise to South America. She meets married architect Jerry Durrance and they have a love affair in Rio de Janeiro. Six months later she returns home and confronts her mother with her independence. One day they have an argument and her mother has a heart attack and dies. Charlotte inherits the Vale fortune but feels guilty for her mother's death. She decides to return to Dr. Jaquith's sanitarium, where she befriends Jerry's 12-year-old daughter Tina, who has been rejected by her mother. Charlotte takes Tina home to Boston with her and one day Jerry brings Dr. Jaquith to visit them there. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Music teacher Christine Radcliffe thought her love Karel Novak died in the war. When he miraculously returns, she realizes she loves him more than ever and insists they marry. However, a wealthy composer, Hollenius with whom she had become involved after learning her real love had supposedly died, refuses to let her go and at her wedding reception offers Karel the chance to solo his new cello concerto and a chance at success... but is he planning to ruin Karel's music career and their marriage? Written by Ed Stephan stephan@cc.wwu.edu

The Brave One is a bull named Gitano (or Gypsy). A Mexican boy Michael Ray "adopts" Gitano after saving the animal's life during a storm. The friendship between bull and boy is threatened when Gitano's legal owners claim the animal and ship it off to the bullring. Moved by the boy's plight, the President of Mexico signs a "pardon" for Gitano - but not soon enough to prevent the bull's appearance at the Plaze de Mexico at Mexico City, where he faces top matador Fermin Rivera. Based on a true incident, the film earned a "best story" Academy Award for one Robert Rich - who, much to the embarrassment of the Academy (and the delight of civil libertarians) turned out to be blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. Written by alfiehitchie