- In 1929, JUDGE DEHY is on his way to Riven Rock estate in Montecito to meet the "millionaire mental incompetent" STANLEY MCCORMICK, before making his final ruling in a high profile case The New York Times declares "The Largest Custody Case in the History of the Courts."—Tina Love
- About the life of millionaire mental incompetent Stanley McCormick (1874-1947), committed to his Montecito estate/personal asylum. It tells of his wife Katharine Dexter's battle, against his psychiatrists and siblings, to explore the possible biological cause of schizophrenia. The documentary is structured around the pivotal moment when Santa Barbara Judge Dehy, goes to visit Stanley for himself, after hearing much contradictory testimony regarding whether or not the treatment he was getting was of any benefit. Around the story of the court battle we learn of: Stanley's millionaire inventor father (of McCormick reaper fame), his possessive Victorian mother, his sister's battle with mental illness, his pursuit of and marriage to suffragist Katharine Dexter (1875-1967) (1st woman to graduate with a biology degree from MIT), his mental deterioration after the wedding, and Katherine's constant conflict with Stanley's family and the various opportunistic psychoanalysts who treated Stanley on his 87-acre Montecito estate.—Tina Love
- Diagnosed with Dementia Praecox the year of his marriage to Katherine Dexter, millionaire Stanley McCormick (1874-1947), is confined to his Montecito estate/personal asylum. The term Dementia Praecox is eventually replaced by the term Schizophrenia for what ails Stanley. Declared "mentally incompetent" in 1909 a judge appoints Katherine and his siblings Harold and Anita to be his personal care board. For the remainder of his life, Katharine clashes with the McCormick family regarding what is best for Stanley.
Katherine, the 1st woman to graduate with a biology degree from MIT, instructs his psychiatrists to investigate the possible biological cause of Stanley's condition. Mostly trained in psych analysis, all his doctors ignore her wishes. The lack of improvement in Stanley's condition leads to a revolving door of doctors, who get fired for various reasons. Things come to a head in 1929 when Katherine files a lawsuit in Santa Barbara Superior Court against Stanley's siblings and Dr. Kempf. She claims that they alienate her and that their course of treatment is failing to improve Stanley's condition. Because Stanley is the millionaire son of business mogul Cyrus McCormick, the inventor of the mechanical reaper that revolutionized harvesting, the court case is sensationalized in the national papers.
After hearing much contradictory testimony regarding whether or not Stanley's treatment is of any benefit, Judge Dehy visits Stanley for himself to inform his decision. This is the pivotal moment around which this short documentary is structured. Spiraling around this event we learn of: the development of Riven Rock, Stanley's millionaire inventor father (of McCormick reaper fame), his possessive Victorian mother, his sister's battle with mental illness, Stanley's pursuit of and marriage to suffragist Katharine Dexter (1875-1967), his mental deterioration after their wedding, and Katherine's battles with Stanley's family and the various opportunistic psychoanalysts who treated Stanley on his 87-acre Montecito estate. This short documentary aims to bring viewers into a rich family saga spanning decades that could fill up seasons of television. (written by Tina Love)
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