Amputee John Wood finds himself in a stranger-than-fiction battle to reclaim his mummified leg from entrepreneur Shannon Whisnant, who found it in a g Finders Keepers Captures Something Ineffable About the American Experience CIA Director, Noam Chomsky Named in Epstein's Private Calendar: Report The movie leaves things on a tenuous note in both of their personal lives . 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. Whisnant, however, wanted to keep it. When he found the leg, he thought he'd stumbled upon his big break. The second best result is Jessica Shannon Whisnant age 40s in Dallas, NC. William V. Shannon - Wikipedia The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time Thats one of the reasons why this movie took so long: John had been to rehab before. Wood'sstorage unit and all of itspossessions were later sold at auction,including a barbecue grill that he used to storehis mummified leg. "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? It becomes more touching, too. On what inspired the directors to make the movie. It could have been 10 stars instead of 8.8. And where do their lives really go after the media attention perhaps really dies down? Only one of the initial accounts, Mr. Carberry said, explained why Mr. Wood was an amputee: He lost his leg in a plane crash that killed his father. Obituary for Shannon Whisnant 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). The 911 call was unlike anything ever heard in Maiden, N.C., or probably anywhere else. But morally speaking, its Woods. . After a two-year treatment program, he has stayed on track, he said: Ive seen enough bad karma, and now Im starting to taste some of those good flavors of karma.. Review: 'Finders Keepers' Finds Humor and Humanity in the Bizarre I disliked it from the first time I seen it, he said. Wood had lived in the disapproving shadow of his larger-than-life father, who was a furniture store owner, erstwhile daredevil, and bush pilot. The deeper we get into the background of the story and its characters, we witness a struggle for fame, forgiveness and family. In 1975 he received the Gold Medal of the ire Society of Boston for service to literature. 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. He was 83. When the documentary footage began, he was just 30 days sober. So much so that the 2015 documentary, directed by Bryan Carberry and Clay Tweel, actually feels like a companion piece. Filmmakers Bryan Carberry and Clay Tweel tell NPR's Arun Rath they wanted to dig deep and get the story behind the spectacle. He says he cries at a different part at almost every screening. When he got evicted, it went into his grill in his storage unit. On Shannon Whisnant, the man who found the leg. This is insane! we were like, Oh, yeah, I guess it kind of is.. Since the documentary made waves in 2015, both Wood and Whisnant have appeared in several urban legend TV episodes, and Wood has performed charity work at the Woodford Landfill in North Carolina as a recyclables organizer. Whisnat charged people to see the leg in person, referring to himself as the "Foot Man" and selling shirts to further his brand. One thing thats interesting about this documentary is that both main characters were so ready to talk on camera. All rights reserved. Parts of the news media, Mr. Wood said, used him like a paper plate: They use you one time and throw you away.. Wood, however, is slipping further and further into the darkness. Finders Keepers: The Spiritual Sister Documentary to Tiger King He really likes it. Mr. Wood, 50, and Mr. Whisnant, 41, both grew up around Maiden, but in very different corners. Shannon Whisnant, 42, Stacy, died 11-12-2016. I kind of love the idea of the intersection between the incredibly wacky and stupid with this much deeper meaning. So that allowed us to go to these places that we didn't initially expect. Whisnant initially gave it to police, who subsequently turned it over to a funeral home when it became clear it was not the result of foul play. John says hes watched it a bunch and he tears up at a different spot every time. Arrangements: Munden F.H., Morehead City. As hysterical as it is insightful, this documentary finds the humanity behind a TV news freak show, read the review in Variety. Like somebody above is really having fun with this story., As for what became of the leg, the filmmakers and Mr. Wood would rather not say. With the film, Im able now to, even on a grander scale than I couldve ever thought, pay tribute to my father and pay homage to my family, Mr. Wood said. The Inside Story Behind 'Finders Keepers,' This Year's Most - Yahoo He also began petitioning the police to return the leg to him. PDF DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY - GovInfo I think its nice for them to have it finished, to be able to watch something thats complete, kind of like a good final chapter to that debacle. View Shannon Whisnant results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Shes been an entertainment journalist for more than 15 years previously working at DVD & Blu-ray. Self: Finders Keepers. Finders Keepers is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). Shannon Whisnant died on 11 November 2016 in Morehead City, North Carolina, USA. How did it end up inside the grill? Say no more. Carberry: [John] tried a few things. Wood felt that Whisnant was exploiting his leg asa "freak show,"and that regardless of whether it was still attached to him, he should have control over what happensto his own body. embalming of his leg to the amateur forensic veterinarian who eventually preserved it. They tell me that I have the best business mind that they've ever seen. 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. All the essentials: top fashion stories, editors picks, and celebrity style. The New Documentary Finders Keepers Is Almost Too Weird to Be True - Vogue Jessica Whisnant - Address & Phone Number | Whitepages His discovery turned him into a local celebrity; Whisnant had t-shirts . A few festivalgoers have wondered if the film is exploitative, feeding Mr. Whisnants hunger for fame while paralleling it with addiction, a criticism that the documentarian Joe Berlinger dismissed. Wood and Whisnant have more in common than they might imagine. With Mark Hamilton, Lisa Whisnant, Shannon Whisnant, John Wood. Barry Recap: A Tragic Death Shakes Up Bill Haders Dark Satire, John is a guy whos dealt with loss and addiction, Carberry says. Cinema Review: Finders Keepers | Under the Radar Magazine So that was nice. Technically, the body part in question is Wood's lower leg, lopped off a few inches below the knee, but "foot" somehow sounds funnier, even though, as Wood's mother notes, "the tale was born of tragedy.". No, Mr. Wood said. Yeah, I saw it, a police officer admits when asked about the leg, recalling Mr. Whisnants 911 call in 2007 to report his plum nasty find. Would you believe me if I told you the story gets even crazier as it goes along? The discovery naturally raised a lot of questions: Whose foot was it? The film ends with Whisnant going on talk radio to announce his candidacy for President of the United States in the 2016 Presidential Election. Eventually, his things were auctioned off to the highest bidder. 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. At the time of the crash, Wood seemed to be turning a corner in his long struggle with drug addiction. He feels as if the leg is the only thing he has left. And then Shannons wife, Lisa, really liked it. If you didnt have your birthday party at John Woods house, then you were nobody, Whisnant recalls. Its hard to get 400 hours of footage into 83 minutesfuck editors, they should be stoned to death.. We want to hear it. Finders Keepers could have easily veered into Hicksploitation 101, scoring laughs off the quirks and delusions of a couple of rednecks fighting over a foot. He'd had to have that leg amputated years earlier. I teach English to children in China,while sitting in the comfort of my house. Oscars Best Picture Winners Best Picture Winners Emmys Women's History Month STARmeter Awards San Diego Comic-Con New York Comic-Con Sundance Film Festival Toronto Int'l Film Festival Awards Central Festival Central All Events If part of the story is this guys search for fame, and desire for fame, thats the story, said Mr. Berlinger, who tread similar tonal and thematic ground with the 1992 film Brothers Keeper. When you go in the editing room, you have to make a great effort to be fair to your subject and fair to your material, whatever that is, he added. Movie Review: Finders Keepers Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Join Facebook to connect with Shannon Whisnant and others you may know. Inside the smoker, a mummified human foot. Its important to Wood that he gives back to his community, and that his reputation extends beyond this strange scenario. Breaks Down His Killer White House Correspondents Dinner Set, Barry Recap: A Tragic Death Shakes Up Bill Haders Dark Satire, Succession Recap: Logan Roy Makes Shock Return, Shiv and Tom Get Kinky, Roy Wood Jr. Torches Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon at the WHCD, Keith Richards Surprises Fans at Willie Nelson's 90th Birthday Concert, Sings 'Live Forever' With Willie, Trump Tries to Bail Himself Out of Rape Case by Asking for Mistrial, Marty Stuart Heads Back to the Spiritual Home of Country Music, BachmanTurner Overdrive Guitarist Tim Bachman Dead at 71. It was very one-sided and only 10 percent of actually, really what happened, he said. 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. It would be easy to treat Wood and Whisnants conflict as mere hillbilly antics (the story did, after all, land them on the show Worlds Dumbest Hillbillies). Tendons, toenails and all. As Whisnant and Wood struggle over ownership of the limb, other issues come into play. Weve seen this much deeper idea, this synchronicity, these bigger themes, Carberry says when I speak to both directors by phone. Moral dilemmas, relationships, parenting and more, Finders Keepers looks at the legal dispute over a severed leg, Ask Amy: Im pregnant and I cant deal with my moms negativity, Miss Manners: They gave us their home phone number, we never called, Carolyn Hax: Struggling spouse agrees to therapy, wont follow through. This case was filed in Orange County Superior Courts, Orange County Central Justice Center located in Orange, California. But Mr. Whisnant, a professed entrepreneur with a flair for promotion and a thirst for the spotlight, did not want to return it to Mr. Wood. Did the leg rightfully belong to its original owner, or to the man who had inadvertently paid good money for it? According to him it might have to be amputated. If you're looking for an extremely disturbing documentary film, you'll find it on these lists! John Wood (left) and Shannon A. Whisnant in 'Finders Keepers.'. Skip to main content But instead of the skeletal remains Wood had expected he was instead given the whole foot and leg complete with tendons, flesh, toenails and all. It was . There are 3 professionals named "Shannon Whisnant", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. They put it in their freezer until the manager found it. What made it feel like an important story to tell?Brayn Carberry: I saw this Handycam footage that Ed [Cunningham] had shot. I really appreciate it! Thus began a bitter, drawn-out custody battle, one that landed Wood and Whisnant in the tabloids, on cable news shows, and on reality TV. You're marketing my leg! - NBC News Man who got leg back, now giving back | Charlotte Observer These books give us a record of our times via the moments best comic minds. Trouble is, the original owner of the limb, John Wood, wanted it back. 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. CT: The fact that Katy was handling it with no gloves was a little crazy to me. Directors Tweel and Carberry keep them talking, and the film expands as it goes along. . Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Archival footage of Mr. Whisnant and Mr. Woods many TV appearances (they came in at No. Serbian leader lashes out at the West over Kosovo vote | AP News They (oddly) agreed, and Wood, after attempting to store it in the refrigerator at a nearby Hardees, employed some makeshift preserving techniques to, as he said, mummify it.. View the profiles of people named Shannon Whisnant. They were even profiled on a show called Worlds Dumbest Hillbillies! But while the documentary certainly doesnt deny the gut-busting news-of-the-weird hook of this story one talking-head participant refers to the whole situation as fuckery and shenanigans its more interested in drawing connections between two sad characters who are haunted by distant or abusive fathers. John did the only natural thing. While Tiger King is largely populated by conmen and scumbags, Finders Keepers deals with its subjects in a far more sympathetic fashion. Eventually, they decided to appear on the show Judge Mathis, to once and for all decide the legs fate. By what name was Finders Keepers (2015) officially released in Canada in English? This is the stranger-than-fiction tale like Carson McCullers come to life chronicled in the documentary Finders Keepers, opening on Friday, Sept. 25. He soaked it in the embalming fluid, put it in a possum trap and put the trap in the tree in his front yard to sun dry and after six months it was mummified. Password must be at least 8 characters and contain: As part of your account, youll receive occasional updates and offers from New York, which you can opt out of anytime. Rather than toss it in a dumpster as he was advised, Whisnant saw the dismembered limb as a sign of good fortune. 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. Loved Netflixs Tiger King doc? John lost his leg in the same plane crash where he lost his father's life. Cardinals Broadcaster, World Series Champ Mike Shannon Dies - US News Wood prevailed and won his leg back. Inside the unit was a smoker. Legally speaking, Whisnant owns the foot, since he bought it. Same with Marian. Shirley Bowman Whisnant, 81 - Stacy, NC - Has Court or Arrest Records Sam and Joel reach a new level of intimacy. He lost it because, in the throes of addiction, he couldnt keep up on his storage unit payments. This article was published more than7 years ago. What If a Whole Stand-up Special Were About Peanut Butter? Shannon even more so, trying to make his dad laugh so he would stop getting whipped. 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. Doctors had to amputate Woods leg and his father did not survive. Concertgoer Allegedly Orgasms While L.A. Philharmonic Plays Tchaikovskys 5th, Melanie Lynskey, Seth Meyers, and More Support WGA Amid Negotiations. He wanted to keep the limb as a memento of sorts to his dad. Whisnant grew up poor, the kind of kid, he laments on camera, who would never have been invited over to the Wood house. We all wanted to make sure that we were able to show the complexities of these guys, be responsible about not playing into the stereotypes. At the end of 2007, Ed Cunningham, the onetime NFL footballer and documentary producer (he previously produced the Academy Awardwinning high school football documentary Undefeated and The King of Kong), overheard some people discussing the leg debacle. He was a nobody in town, he said in a phone interview, because as a child, he was never invited to Mr. Woods house. Hell always go on to say, Will I ever have him over for dinner? Inside the smoker, a mummified human foot. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. Cynically, do you think hes amplifying that story to draw this out more?BC: That wouldnt surprise me. When Wood heard what was happening, he asked for his leg back, but Whisnant was unrelenting in his insistence that the leg belonged to him. 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. Trump came to Dover after my wife was killed fighting ISIS. He 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. Everybody wants to make a leg pun, Mr. Tweel explained. You can listen to Whisnant talking on the Film School Rejects In The Mouth Of Dorkness Podcast here. How reality TV is getting even more unreal | The Week Its a moral judgment versus the letter of the law. Find contacts: direct phone number, email address, work experience. Rather than return the appendage to its rightful owner,he madeit into alocal tourist attraction. Before losing his leg, Wood struggled with an oxycontin dependency, which was only heightened during his grief and recovery period. He and Lisa are still together but certainly having some rough patches. Other names that Shirley uses includes Shirley Bowman Whisnant, Shirley B Whisnant and Shirley Bowman Whisnant. There was definitely an awareness of what the media is capable of. For us, as documentarians, that's such a great compliment. 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.