44 April 25 • 2019
jn
E
than Davison readily reveals
what he considers the most
important lesson learned from
his late father, William Davidson, a
philanthropist and businessman who
headed up Guardian Industries and
owned the Detroit Pistons.
If someone offers an opportunity
and says the decision must be made
then and there, always say no, William
Davidson advised. The reasoning was
that people need time to think through
choices, and any rush is taking away
the freedom to think.
Although that lesson is not part
of the film Call Me Bill: The William
Davidson Story, which is kicking off
this year’
s Lenore Marwil Detroit
Jewish Film Festival, it is likely to be
part of small digital vignettes being
contemplated to follow up on the
documentary.
The 90-minute film, being shown
free at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 2, at the
Jewish Community Center, precedes
the showcase of international films
scheduled May 5-15.
“The thing I like most about the
film is that it preserves my father’
s
story and his philosophy in business
and life,” says Ethan Davidson, 49,
executive producer with his wife,
Gretchen, through their El Studio
444. “I think it could be a benefit to
audiences because people like to hear
these kinds of stories.”
The film project, begun seven years
ago, wasn’
t intended for the public. It
was meant to be a family legacy with
archival film footage.
“My father would not have been
interested in a film for public con-
sumption,” Ethan explains. “Just a cou-
ple of weeks before my dad died, he
said he was going to make a short film
explaining something about himself so
that his grandkids would have it. He
must have been feeling his mortality at
that moment.
“To my knowledge, he never got
around to making that 10-minute
film. The next few years went by and
other people in our family passed
away. We thought we should, at the
very least, interview people so we
could preserve stories of the people
who knew him best.”
fi
lm
arts&life
Call Me Bill
A documentary by his son leaves a legacy for
Bill Davidson’
s family and the world.
SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Bill Davidson and his son Ethan
COURTESY DAVIDSON FAMILY