Until his death in 1999, novelist Richard Powell was one of Fort Myers’ most famous residents. Paul Newman starred in a movie based on one of Powell’s books. Elvis Presley in another.
But that was decades ago, and since then Powell has largely fallen out of the public consciousness.
His grandson hopes to change that, though.
For Chris Quigley, Powell wasn’t just a New York Times-bestselling author. He was his larger-than-life grandfather — a former U.S. Army colonel and master bridge player who stood at 6 foot, 3 inches tall, served as Lord Chamberlain in Fort Myers’ annual Pageant of Light, and taught Quigley how to sail and fish on the Caloosahatchee River.
“It kind of implanted in me that thought of honoring his legacy,” says Quigley, 63, of Philadelphia, “and really introducing his stories to a whole other generation.”
Quigley now manages his grandfather’s estate, and he’s been working hard to rekindle interest in those 19 books — four of which were turned into movies from the late ‘50s to the early ‘70s. He says he took over managing the estate four or five years ago at his mother’s request.
Quigley already oversaw the 2023 audiobook version of Powell’s novel “Pioneer, Go Home!” The Matlacha-set novel was later turned into Elvis Presley’s 1962 movie “Follow That Dream.”
Now the Fort Myers native has his eyes set on something bigger: A TV miniseries on Netflix, Hulu or some other streaming service.
‘Yellowstone’ meets Southwest Florida
Quigley describes his proposed TV adaptation as “Yellowstone meets Florida.”
He and his company RPP Productions — named from his grandfather’s initials — are busy transforming Powell’s 1962 novel “I Take This Land” into a screenplay. They’ve already had early talks with several streaming services, he says, and also with people working for Taylor Sheridan, co-creator of the massive TV hit “Yellowstone.”
Written in Fort Myers, “I Take This Land” follows several generations of cattle ranchers as they tame the wild swamp and fight for a piece of land to call their own.
“The story is really the development of South Florida and the families, and the struggles between them…” Quigley says. “You had cow ranchers and cattlemen, and the weather and alligators to deal with. You also had the railroad tycoons coming in.”
If that sounds a lot like “Yellowstone” to you, Quigley sees it, too. That’s why he thinks “I Take This Land” could be a huge hit for Netflix, Prime Video or some other streaming service. There’s already a hunger for that kind of story, he says.
This isn’t even the first time someone’s tried to adapt the novel. Country singer Mel Tillis optioned the rights to “I Take This Land” in the early ‘80s, he says, but it was never turned into a movie or TV series.
Quigley calls it a “timeless story” that will help people see Florida in an entirely new way.
“People see the state of Florida, and they think of Miami and Fort Lauderdale and Tampa,” he says. “They don’t think about how — this is a Trivial Pursuit question — the No. 1 exporter of beef in the United States was the state of Florida.
“It was all cattle ranches. It was rancher territory. … I think it’s going to be a really enlightening experience for people to watch this. Once we get it produced, I think it’s going to be very: ‘Wow, Florida.’”
Screenplay for ‘I Take This Land’ pilot in the works
But first, they have to get the screenplay for the pilot episode written and then shop it around to streaming services.
The screenplay could possibly be done by November 2026, Quigley says. It’s being written by screenwriters Jack McCarthy and William Levinger of Philadelphia company Grey Knight Productions, who didn’t respond to several email and voicemail requests for comment.
Once the screenplay is done, Quigley says, they’ll step up their efforts to get the show made. It helps that Quigley’s cousin is Kylie Kelce, host of the popular podcast “Not Gonna Lie” and sister-in-law to Kansas Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, new husband to pop megastar Taylor Swift.
None of those people are directly involved with “I Take This Land,” Quigley says, but he’s hoping to “leverage” Kylie Kelce’s contacts with Prime Video.
“I’m really focused now on ‘I Take This Land and getting this thing up and running,” he says.
Who was Fort Myers novelist Richard Powell of ‘I Take This Land’ and ‘The Philadelphian’?
Richard Powell died Dec. 10, 1999, in Fort Myers at the age of 91. He’d written 19 novels, including his most popular book, “The Philadelphian.”
That 1957 book was later adapted into the Paul Newman legal drama “The Young Philadelphians.” The 1959 movie also starred Barbara Rush, Alexis Smith and Robert Vaughn, who landed an Academy Awards nomination for best supporting actor for the role.
“‘The Philadelphians’ really launched my career,” Powell said in a 1992 profile in The News-Press. “All of a sudden, with one book, I made more money than I’d made in the 28 years of my working life.”
Three more books were adapted into movies, as well. “Pioneer, Go Home!” — about the early days of Pine Island’s development — became the 1962 Elvis Presley movie “Follow That Dream.” “The Build-Up Boys” (written under the pseudonym Jeremy Kirk) became 1961’s “Madison Avenue.” And parts of Powell’s 1966 political satire “Don Quixote, U.S.A.” were adapted into the 1971 Woody Allen movie “Bananas.”
According to Powell’s 1999 obituary in The News-Press, the Philadelphia native was a graduate of Princeton University, a former reporter for the Philadelphia Ledger, a retired Army colonel, a master bridge player, a past president of the Fort Myers Little Theater and a longtime Lord Chamberlain at the Edison Pageant of Light’s annual Coronation Ball.
“They don’t make men like that anymore…” Quigley says. “I think he could be the poster child for a life. I really do.”
Powell’s 1992 profile in The News-Press — with the headline “McGregor’s Renaissance man” — called him “an “immensely successful, famous author” with a “Colgate smile, firm handshake and a heck of a pleasant persona.”
He and his first wife moved to Fort Myers in the ‘40s after discovering the city during a Florida vacation. In 1945, they bought a two-story, four bedroom house between the Caloosahatchee River and McGregor Boulevard for $17,000.
The couple moved back to Philadelphia in 1949, but returned to Fort Myers in 1959 and settled into another house on Carlene Avenue along the Caloosahatchee River.
At the time of his 1992 News-Press interview, Powell said he didn’t have much interest in writing anymore. Popular fiction had changed a lot, he said, with “way too much violence and sex.”
“It’s turned me off,” he said.
He and his second wife, Marian Powell, were living comfortably, he said, and he felt no need to write.
“I doubt that I shall write again…” he said. “I’ve enjoyed my work so much, it has never seemed like work. And it pays so much.
“Life’s been wonderful to me. It really has. I’m just taking time to enjoy it.”
Chatting with Paul Newman on Christmas Eve
Quigley says he didn’t appreciate his grandfather’s fame when Powell was alive. It was only later that it struck him just how well-known the man was.
Take, for instance, the time Quigley ran into actor Paul Newman outside a Connecticut grocery store.
“We just struck up a conversation,” he says. “It was Christmas Eve day, like 1986. And we just started talking. And he said, ‘Your grandfather was quite a gentleman. He came over to the Merion Cricket Club — (in Pennsylvania), where they were filming (“The Young Philadelphians”) — to help me out with the scene.’ And we went on. It was crazy!”
Now Quigley hopes to make his grandfather just as famous to newer generations as he was to people in the mid-20th century.
After “I Take This Land,” he wants to adapt his grandfather’s most famous book, “The Philadelphians,” into a TV series. And then more works after that.
But first, he has to get “I Take This Land” developed and find a home for the miniseries.
“I’ve got a lot of motivation to get this done,” he says. “I’ve always admired my grandfather’s work and I’ve always admired the stuff that he’s done. …
“My desire is to keep his legacy alive. He had four New York Times bestsellers, four feature films that came from his novels. That’s an impressive career.”
Charles Runnells covers arts and entertainment for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. To reach him, call 239-335-0368 or email crunnells@usatodayco.com. Follow or message him on Facebook (@charles.runnells.7), Instagram (@crunnells1) and X (@CharlesRunnells).
Please support local community journalism and stay informed about Southwest Florida news by subscribing to The News-Press and Naples Daily News. Download the free News-Press or Naples Daily News app, and sign up for daily briefing email newsletter, food & dining and growth & development newsletters here and here.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: ‘Yellowstone’ meets SW Florida: Writer’s grandson plans TV series | Exclusive
Reporting by Charles Runnells, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Charles Runnells, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News | USA TODAY Network
