Chattahoochee is a 1989 film directed by Mick Jackson and starring Gary Oldman and Dennis Hopper. The film is based on the reallife experiences of Chris Calhoun, who met screenwriter James Hicks, who then wrote a script based on his internment in a Florida state mental institution. It was turned down by several major studios before being accepted by Hemdale Film Corporation, a small Britishowned, Los Angelesbased company that also produced Platoon, Hoosiers, The Last Emperor, and Salvador.
The movie is based on Chris Calhoun. The main character, Emmitt Foley, is a fictional character based on Calhoun. Chattahoochee appeared in theaters nationwide May 11, 1990. Theatrical Release Date April 20, 1990 This film was wellresearched, and is a great resource for viewers who want to know what conditions were in state mental hospitals prior to the 1970s when radical legislative reform swept the nation. Another famous person institutionalized at Chattahoochee was Ruby McCollum, the AfricanAmerican woman who shot state senator elect, Dr. C. Leroy Adams in 1952. Her case brought many of these same practices to light.
Source: Wikipedia