Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed is a Documentary by Joshua Rofe.
The film tells the story of Bob Ross, host of the popular PBS series The Joy of Painting. Through interviews with people like Bob's son, Steve, friend Dana Jester, and director of his show, Sally Schenck, the movie tells the story of Bob Ross' life, his relationships with those closest to him, and his refusal even on his death bed to sign his name and likeness over to his business partners Annette and Walt Kowalski, who wanted to milk them for all that they're worth.
Sadly, it also shows how, in the aftermath of his death, the Kowalskis still managed to make loads of money by gaining ownership of his name despite Bob's best efforts. Thus, the film also shows his family's and friends' attempt at stopping them from exploiting a dead man's likeness to make money.
The film was released on August 21st, 2021
Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal And Greed contains examples of:
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Mr. and Mrs. Kowalski. They basically booted Bob's fellow TV painters off the air, made other people paint pictures to sell as Bob Ross originals, and made sure that Bob's family never see any of the profits from Bob Ross Inc.
- Downer Ending: Due to a lack of funding, Steve and Dana lost their lawsuit against the Kowalskis, who continue to this day to make money off of Bob Ross' likeness, while Bob's family doesn't see one red cent of it.
- I Am Not My Father: Steve didn't like how his dad seemed to be trying to get him to take over the show once his own time on it was over.
- Talking Heads: Plenty, courtesy of the people in Bob's life. Such as his son, Steve Ross, his friend, Dana Jester, and Sally Schenck, the director of the show.
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: Steve and Dana now teach people across America to paint.
