Photo courtesy of "Some famous Quakers"

The Man
William Penn (October 14, 1644 - July 30, 1718) founded the Providence of Pennsylvania, the former British North American colony that became the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The land to which we know today as Philadelphia was originally part of a large loan pay off by King Charles II of England to Penn's father, after whose death, was settled by granting Penn the large area west and south of New Jersey. Arrested several times and ultimately exiled from British society for his Quaker views and rejection of puritan beliefs, Penn sought to establish in his newly acquired North American settlement a colony based on freedom of religion, fair trials, elected representatives of the people, and a separation of power - all ideas that would later form the basis of the American constitution.

Penn designed the grid-like layout and building plans for the city of Philadelphia himself. Once his revolutionary political ideas had started to take affect, Penn went on to successfully befriend the local Indians (primarily of the Leni Lenape), ensuring them fair payment for their lands and establishing several laws that secured peace between the colonists and the natives for much longer than in any other English colony.

Penn had wished to settle in Philadelphia himself, but severe financial problems would ultimately force him back to the English society he so despised. Despite Pennsylvania's rapid growth and diversity, the colony never turned a sizable enough profit for Penn or his family. Sadly enough Penn eventually landed in a debtor's prison in England where he would remain until his death in 1718, not a penny to his name.

Photo courtesy of Bryn Mawr

The Statue
Designed by Alexander Milne Calder (1846-1923), this four story high bronze cast of William Penn is the tallest statue to reside on top of any building in the world. Weighing a total of 53,348 pounds and constructed in fourteen different pieces, it was first perched atop City Hall building at Broad and Market Street in Center City Philadelphia over a century ago.

At the time, an agreement was made - though not by law - that no building in the city could ever rise above the brim of his hat. The descendents of the Quaker Church who commissioned the statue in honor of their beloved founder and city planner, wanted Penn to forever reside over the city that he had given them.

Photo courtesy of artnet.com

The Curse

For nearly a century, William Penn stood atop the city, one hand extended over the thriving society that had sprouted from the seeds of freedom wihch he had planted so long ago. For all those years, the wishes of the commissioners of his statue were upheld by a simple gentlemen's agreement - a handshake.

However, in 1984, that agreement was broken. Plans to build Philadelphia's first skyscraper - One Liberty Place - had commenced. The 945 foot glass skyscraper, to be located only three blocks west of City Hall, would exceed Penn's hat by a whopping 397 feet.

Philadelphia sports teams had, up until that point, enjoyed a wealth of success - back to back Stanley Cups for the Flyers in 1974 and 1975, an NBA title for the Sixers in 1983, and the appearance of all four major sports teams in their respective finals in 1980, concluding in a World Series Title for the Phillies. The Golden Age of Sports in the City of Brotherly Love was brought to a halt in 1985, only a few months after discussions to build Liberty One had commenced, when Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers hoisted the Stanley Cup following a win over the Flyers in game five.

Since then, the Eagles, Sixers, Phillies and Flyers, have gone 0 for 7 in Championship finals, accumulating in an 88-season drought - the longest of any city with four professional sports teams. Meanwhile, the City of Brotherly Love now sports seven skyscrapers that rise above the ever mysterious statue of William Penn. Interestingly enough, all of the offending buildings stand to the west of City Hall as the city's founder faces northeast, conceivably giving Penn an unobstructed view of the Delaware River (where he and the Quaker settlers originally landed in the late 1600s). Whether the buildings were constructed keeping Penn's view in mind or not, the fact still remains that Philadelphia pro sports fans have been deprived of a championship for 22 years...and counting.

Producers Dan Borkson, Rob Marcolina (right) and Mikaelyn Austin (left) with Kevin Bacon and Michael Bacon (The Bacon Brothers)

(from right to left)
Chip Herrmann, Producers Mikaelyn Austin & Rob Marcolina, former 76ers Owner Pat Croce, and Producer Dan Borkson

Producer & Director of Photography Mikaelyn Austin (middle) films as Producer Dan Borkson (right) conducts an interview with a psychic from Harry's Occult Shop

The Documentary

Mikaelyn Austin, a "transplant" Philadelphia sports fan originally from San Diego, CA, had known Rob Marcolina for a number of years during her time as a student-athlete at the University of Pennsylvania. She also knew of his vision to produce a documentary about Philadelphia's professional sports teams fans and their lack of a championship in the past 22 years.

Rob did not know Dan Borkson and Mikaelyn was only introduced to him for the first time, in a chance meeting, when he revealed to her his similar vision to produce a documentary about the curse of Philadelphia's pro sports teams. Needless to say, it didn't take a lightning bolt to make Mikaelyn realize the potential of pairing the two die-hard sports fans together and jumping on board for the ride!

It was about 9:00PM on a weeknight in late September of 2004 at the Cherry Street Bar in downtown Philadelphia when now co-producers Rob Marcolina, Mikaelyn Austin and Dan Borkson met together to discuss their respective visions for the first time. By the end of that meeting, The Curse of William Penn was born.

Since that first meeting, the filmmakers, under their newly penned company name, Phrustrated Phan Films, have conducted over 40 interviews with a number of Philadelphia's most noted sports figures as well as a plethora of Eagles, Flyers, Sixers & Phillies fans. Highlighted interviews include Philadelphia native son Kevin Bacon (pictured at top left), ESPN2 show host Stephen A. Smith, former Sixers owner Pat Croce (pictured at middle left), broadcasting legends Harry Kalas and Merril Reese, Radio and TV talents Angelo Cataldi, Joe Conklin, Ray Didinger, Dick Jerardi and Glen Macnow, Naismith Coach of the Year Phil Martelli....and many more!