About the Movie

What is “Everything Back”?

"Everything Back" is a Historic Narrative Biopic. Its screenplay was adapted from the memoirs of terrorist bomber John Birges, titled Mindent Vissza (translated: Everything Back) that were written in prison and mailed to his extortion victims nearly sixteen years after his bomb “the Machine” ripped apart their family casino business in South Lake Tahoe. The Memoirs were sent as both an obscure apology and final extortion attempt.

John Birges is known in the history books as the millionaire gambler who tried to extort a casino by creating a bomb that even the FBI couldn't dismantle. In truth, it was his life that was truly explosive. How did he know how to build such a sophisticated bomb? What journey led him from being a self-made millionaire who seemingly had it all, to a man without a home, a wife or a dime to his name? How much of a hand did John Birges really have in the success and tragedy of his life? The master storyteller made up the rules as he went along, and sometimes, life is truly crazier than anything a madman can conjure.

History

In August 1980, Harvey’s Casino in South Lake Tahoe was bombed in a failed 3-million-dollar extortion attempt. No one was injured or killed, but the physical, financial and emotional repercussions were extreme. A year-long FBI investigation led to John Birges, a Hungarian immigrant and WWII Luftwaffe pilot who was convicted of the crime.

Birges died in prison August 1996, nearly sixteen years after the bombing, and around the time a manila envelope containing Birges' memoirs were mailed to Harvey's Casino addressed to then owner William "Bill" Barton Ledbetter, the son-in-law of founder Harvey Gross. In 2006, William did an interview in Palm Springs with his granddaughter for her college thesis about the bombing, titled "Code 5." It was then that Brandianne Ledbetter was given the envelope with the memoirs.

Due to rational fear, the contents of the envelope were kept a close family secret until Brandi decided the material was too sensational to keep under wraps. She founded Tahoe Production House and enlisted Charlie De Mars to adapt this unique story into a screenplay. Currently in pre-production and seeking additional financing and distribution for their Independent Feature-Length Motion Picture, the only question that remains is: are there any real high rollers out there willing to take a gamble?

To develop this screenplay our team has spent the last few years researching the history behind the memoirs, checking the facts and figures and we can honestly say; it all stacks up.

"Everything Back" begins in the middle and ends at the beginning. It will be fast-paced, visually stunning, action-packed thriller, with true historic revelations with significant implications that will challenge the history books and the mind, by triggering every human emotion...

No spoiler alerts: this amazing true story has serious historical implications and will have to be seen to be believed. So come along with us on this journey and help be a part of unfolding this history in a way no one will ever see coming...

History

In August 1980, Harvey’s Casino in South Lake Tahoe was bombed in a failed 3-million-dollar extortion attempt. No one was injured or killed, but the physical, financial and emotional repercussions were extreme. A year-long FBI investigation led to John Birges, a Hungarian immigrant and WWII Luftwaffe pilot who was convicted of the crime.

Birges died in prison August 1996, nearly sixteen years after the bombing, and around the time a manila envelope containing Birges' memoirs were mailed to Harvey's Casino addressed to then owner William "Bill" Barton Ledbetter, the son-in-law of founder Harvey Gross. In 2006, William did an interview in Palm Springs with his granddaughter for her college thesis about the bombing, titled "Code 5." It was then that Brandianne Ledbetter was given the envelope with the memoirs.

Due to rational fear, the contents of the envelope were kept a close family secret until Brandi decided the material was too sensational to keep under wraps. She founded Tahoe Production House and enlisted Charlie De Mars to adapt this unique story into a screenplay. Currently in pre-production and seeking additional financing and distribution for their Independent Feature-Length Motion Picture, the only question that remains is: are there any real high rollers out there willing to take a gamble?

To develop this screenplay our team has spent the last few years researching the history behind the memoirs, checking the facts and figures and we can honestly say; it all stacks up.

"Everything Back" begins in the middle and ends at the beginning. It will be fast-paced, visually stunning, action-packed thriller, with true historic revelations with significant implications that will challenge the history books and the mind, by triggering every human emotion...

No spoiler alerts: this amazing true story has serious historical implications and will have to be seen to be believed. So come along with us on this journey and help be a part of unfolding this history in a way no one will ever see coming...

Players

  • John Birges
    John Birges
    János Birgès was born on March 22, 1922 in Jászberény, Hungary. He immigrated to Clovis, California in 1957 after flying for Hitler's Luftwaffe during World War II, serving 8 years of hard labor in a Siberian Gulag and escaping to America after being a freedom fighter in the failed Hungarian revolution. The movie "Everything Back" is his life's story, and it is a story worth telling.
  • Harvey Arnold Gross
    Harvey Arnold Gross
    Harvey Arnold Gross was born on March 09, 1905 in Western Nebraska. By the time he was 18, he had lived in Spencer, South Dakota, Kimball, Nebraska, only to migrate west on the Overland Trail to Sacramento, California. He began his career as a butcher, opening his own shop, founding the Sacramento Meat Company and then the Tahoe Sierra Meat Company. Officially moving to South Lake Tahoe in 1944 to retire, he became a gambling pioneer, turning a small cabin on the California Nevada border into a multi-million-dollar casino empire.
  • The Bomb
    The Machine
    One of the largest bombs the FBI had ever seen until the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 and the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995. It contained over 1,000 pounds (500 kg) of dynamite. According to FBI experts, the Harvey's bomb remains the most complex improvised explosive device ever created. A variety of triggering mechanisms made it virtually undefeatable and a replica of "the machine" is still used in FBI training to this day.

Players

  • John Birges
    John Birges
    János Birgès was born on March 22, 1922 in Jászberény, Hungary. He immigrated to Clovis, California in 1957 after flying for Hitler's Luftwaffe during World War II, serving 8 years of hard labor in a Siberian Gulag and escaping to America after being a freedom fighter in the failed Hungarian revolution. The movie "Everything Back" is his life's story, and it is a story worth telling.
  • Harvey Arnold Gross
    Harvey Arnold Gross
    Harvey Arnold Gross was born on March 09, 1905 in Western Nebraska. By the time he was 18, he had lived in Spencer, South Dakota, Kimball, Nebraska, only to migrate west on the Overland Trail to Sacramento, California. He began his career as a butcher, opening his own shop, founding the Sacramento Meat Company and then the Tahoe Sierra Meat Company. Officially moving to South Lake Tahoe in 1944 to retire, he became a gambling pioneer, turning a small cabin on the California Nevada border into a multi-million-dollar casino empire.
  • The Bomb
    The Machine
    One of the largest bombs the FBI had ever seen until the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 and the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995. It contained over 1,000 pounds (500 kg) of dynamite. According to FBI experts, the Harvey's bomb remains the most complex improvised explosive device ever created. A variety of triggering mechanisms made it virtually undefeatable and a replica of "the machine" is still used in FBI training to this day.

Our team has spent the last few years developing and researching this movie and the history behind it, checking the facts and rounding up the figures and we can honestly say; it stacks up.

Telling the Story

Everything Back:

South Lake Tahoe

"Everything Back" begins in the middle of the story and ends at the beginning. It will be fast-paced, visually stunning, action-packed and full of intrigue, while at the same time challenging the mind and triggering every human emotion. No spoiler alerts: this amazing true story has to be seen to be believed. Take a gamble on this true explosive tale and watch history unfold in a way you will never see coming.

Behind the Scenes

Learn About the Team

Brandianne Ledbetter Brown

Brandianne Ledbetter Brown

Producer/Writer

Brandianne Ledbetter Brown is the founder and owner of Tahoe Production House, a creative agency in South Lake Tahoe where she was born and raised.

In high school, Brandi interned at local TV station, KMTN Television, as the teen correspondent. At Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA she received her BA in Film and Television Production. While at LMU, Brandi helped launch the University TV station, ROAR Network and upon graduation in 2006 received high marks for her thesis film on the Harvey’s Wagon Wheel Bombing.

Brandi’s years at Lake Tahoe Television/Outside TV as Production and Marketing Manager provided her a strong foundation in managing productions. Seeing the industry move forward in technology and the way we use the Internet to market ourselves, Brandi was an early adopter of Social Media marketing.

Along with this movie, her decision to launch Tahoe Production House was driven by the realization that Lake Tahoe lacked a full service production facility. Since opening its doors, TPH has worked on numerous projects for various businesses as well as city, state & regional public organizations.

"This is a bittersweet project for me and my family to be involved in, but I am excited to be the one to tell the story." -Brandi

Brandianne Ledbetter Brown

Brandianne Ledbetter Brown

Producer/Writer

Brandianne Ledbetter Brown is the founder and owner of Tahoe Production House, a creative agency in South Lake Tahoe where she was born and raised.

In high school, Brandi interned at local TV station, KMTN Television, as the teen correspondent. At Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA she received her BA in Film and Television Production. While at LMU, Brandi helped launch the University TV station, ROAR Network and upon graduation in 2006 received high marks for her thesis film on the Harvey’s Wagon Wheel Bombing.

Brandi’s years at Lake Tahoe Television/Outside TV as Production and Marketing Manager provided her a strong foundation in managing productions. Seeing the industry move forward in technology and the way we use the Internet to market ourselves, Brandi was an early adopter of Social Media marketing.

Along with this movie, her decision to launch Tahoe Production House was driven by the realization that Lake Tahoe lacked a full service production facility. Since opening its doors, TPH has worked on numerous projects for various businesses as well as city, state & regional public organizations.

"This is a bittersweet project for me and my family to be involved in, but I am excited to be the one to tell the story." -Brandi

Charlie De Mars

Charlie De Mars

Screenwriter/ Director

The true entertainer falls prey to his craft; he is at once lost in an abyss of delivering himself to those around him, affecting them by whatever means necessary until he generates within them an emotion only he can provoke.

This voice of dissent and jack of all trades has more than mastered this art, he’s introduced to it a sense of humanity that is often forgotten in the fast-paced, self-perpetuating entertainment field. He offers a genuine tie to reality, an overwhelming sense of calm that spreads to whoever he’s with.

Always in motion and always creating, with an obsession for nurturing the most overlooked detail, this passionate individual loves nothing more than sharing his hopes and dreams for the world and his desire to build an empire with which to forever change the Universe, using media as the medium.

References upon request.

"Everything Back is one of the most remarkable acts of redemption ever, I am so glad to be a part of this epic." -Charlie

Charlie De Mars

Charlie De Mars

Screenwriter/ Director

The true entertainer falls prey to his craft; he is at once lost in an abyss of delivering himself to those around him, affecting them by whatever means necessary until he generates within them an emotion only he can provoke.

This voice of dissent and jack of all trades has more than mastered this art, he’s introduced to it a sense of humanity that is often forgotten in the fast-paced, self-perpetuating entertainment field. He offers a genuine tie to reality, an overwhelming sense of calm that spreads to whoever he’s with.

Always in motion and always creating, with an obsession for nurturing the most overlooked detail, this passionate individual loves nothing more than sharing his hopes and dreams for the world and his desire to build an empire with which to forever change the Universe, using media as the medium.

References upon request.

"Everything Back is one of the most remarkable acts of redemption ever, I am so glad to be a part of this epic." -Charlie

History in Imagery

Resources

In Association With

Tahoe Production House
EyeLAshout Entertainment