When director Lisa D'Apolito imagines what Gilda Radner would be doing if she were alive today, she sees a strong woman in front of and behind the camera.
"She definitely could have been like Ellen (DeGeneres) ... because there's such a big part of her that wanted to help others," she says, envisioning Radner as a popular daytime talk host.
"But she could have written and starred in her own TV shows, without a doubt," she continues, citing two of Radner's comedy heirs, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey.
It's bittersweet to think about what Radner, who died in 1989 at age 42 of ovarian cancer, would have done next in her career. But it's easy to see from "Love, Gilda" that she had enough impact on the world for two or three lifetimes.
The documentary details how the Detroit native was fearless in her comedy — and in facing her own insecurities, eating disorders, sexism in the entertainment industry and cancer. Her spirit remains vibrant today as a source of laughter and, in equal measure, humanity.
That's a powerful message of "Love, Gilda," which arrives Friday at the Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts and Ann Arbor's Michigan Theater. Next weekend, it opens at the Maple Theater in Bloomfield Township.
The project was a four-year labor of love for D'Apolito, a New York filmmaker who was inspired to make a movie after doing pro bono work on a fund-raising video for Gilda's Club, the extraordinary organization that provides support and education to people with cancer and their families.
Lisa D'Apolito directed "Love, Gilda." (Photo: Evan Agostini, Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
"Love, Gilda" also was a deeply personal commitment for producer Meryl Goldsmith, who grew up in Bloomfield Hills and is the goddaughter of Gilda's older brother, Michael Radner.
In fact, the entire mostly female crew felt a bond with Radner that's evident from the film, which is told through Radner's own words via video and audio tapes and readings from her journals done by the likes of Poehler, Melissa McCarthy, Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph and more.
"I think all of us on the team adore her," says Goldsmith, who's now based in Los Angeles. "It's just obvious how much heart we put into this project."
When "Love, Gilda" was screened in June at the Detroit Film Theatre for the Cinetopia Film Festival, the event drew D'Apolito and Goldsmith, plus Radner's family members and many friends from places that were important to her, like the University Liggett School and Camp Tamakwa in Canada's Algonquin Park.
Radner also had a connection to the University of Michigan, where she studied drama for six years before moving to Toronto and getting her first break as a cast member of "Godspell." Once "Saturday Night Live" debuted in 1975, she became one of the late-night show's early breakout stars.
Her "SNL" characters — from tough-talking Roseanne Roseannadanna and giggly Lisa Loopner to sweet but confused Emily Litella — were portraits in humor mixed with empathy. Radner understood them so well, she could make the broadest impersonations — like Baba Wawa, her take on Barbara Walters — seem affectionate.
Gilda Radner with her older brother, Michael Radner, in a family photo circa 1968-69. (Photo: Michael Radner)
D'Apolito makes her feature film debut as a director with "Love, Gilda." After becoming fascinated with her subject through spending time at Gilda's Club and reading Radner's memoir, "It's Always Something," D'Apolito began a long process that included launching an Indiegogo crowdfunding drive and convincing big names to sit down for interviews.
D'Apolito says she wondered at times if the project would ever be finished. But she never gave up, she says, because so many people ended up putting their faith in her.
One of her greatest encouragements was gaining the trust of Michael Radner, now 76 and living in Southfield. He gave her a special window into his sister's thoughts through her private photos, journals and more than 30 hours of audio tapes recorded for her memoir.
"At one point, when Michael gave me access to Gilda's boxes that were in storage, it just became like, 'I really have to make this into a good movie,' " she says.
"You feel like, in these tapes, that she's talking to you. It's the weirdest thing, but everybody feels it."
Gilda Radner Photo courtesy of University Liggett School The Radner photo was in the Liggett School 1964 yearbook - her graduation year. (Photo: University Liggett School)
Because some of the tapes were damaged, it was necessary to scour libraries and museums and contact Glida Radner's friends for additional material. Among the resulting finds were audio tapes from a 1978 profile of Radner by the Michigan Daily, the University of Michigan student newspaper.
The college journalists who traveled to New York City to interview Radner in her "SNL" heyday not only hung on to the tapes for decades, but also had the original tape recorder they used, according to D'Apolito.
Goldsmith says that she first heard about "Love, Gilda" from Michael Radner. She donated money to D'Apolito's crowdfunding campaign, then got a chance to meet her on a trip to New York for a separate movie project.
After seeing an early cut of the film, Goldsmith came on board as an executive producer and then a producer, doing whatever she could to make sure the project would reach theaters. "Love, Gilda" had its world premiere in February at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Goldsmith says the film has been a gift to her. She met Radner as a very young child, but has no memory of it. She still has gifts and a handwritten note that Radner sent after her birth.
"Through this film, I felt like I was finally able to get to know her. ... I'm so grateful for that and I think audiences will be, too," she says.
With 2018 being the year of hit documentaries — like "RBG" about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" about children's TV show host Fred Rogers — "Love, Gilda" could be the next title to bring comfort through a beloved, unifying figure.
Tribeca Film Festival 2018 kicked things off Wednesday, April 18 with opening night film "Love, Gilda." The documentary, about the late "Saturday Night Live" star Gilda Radner, was screened for an audience that included several "SNL" stars at the Beacon Theatre premiere. (Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris)
"I think it was Amy Poehler who said (Gilda) is like a red/blue state who everybody loves," says Goldsmith.]"I think it's a perfect time for Gilda to be in our lives. She also reminds people to face trauma with humor and face life with humor, to be brave, be courageous."
Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture writer Julie Hinds: 313-222-6427 or jhinds@freepress.com.
'Love, Gilda'
Showing at 7 p.m. Friday, 4:30, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday and 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Opens Friday at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor (producer Meryl Goldsmith will appear at the 6 p.m. Sunday screening). Opens next week at the Maple Theater in Bloomfield Twp.
