Arts & Entertainment
Disney Film Crew Comes to Town This Week
TV series featuring young boy with famous Marblehead ancestor will be filmed this week in Marblehead.
It has been a celebrity kind of summer in Marblehead. And now the Disney Channel is coming -- and bringing a descendant of famous resident Elbridge Gerry.
Noah Gerry, who is 12, arrives in Marblehead late this week with a Disney film crew. Noah is from Jacksonville, Fla., but traces his roots back to Elbridge Gerry, the Marblehead-born patriot and fifth vice president of the United States. Noah's dad, William Elbridge Gerry, is named after his famous ancestor.
On Friday, Noah Gerry and the Disney producers will film at several spots in Marblehead, including the Gerry School, Gerry Playground and the historic Gerry home on Washington Street.
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It's all part of the new TV series "My Family Tree," said Disney spokeswoman Patti McTeague. The show features kids "who have self-esteem and a gift of story-telling -- a true art form," she said.
Noah Gerry has never been to Marblehead, but can't wait to visit.
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"I always thought it was cool that I was related to a famous vice president. Now I get to see where he lived," he said.
Gerry is no stranger to cameras. Two years ago, he asked his dad to let him audition for a Disney show in Jacksonville. He didn't get the part, but he did catch the acting bug.
Since then, he's appeared in several commercials and even a sitcom pilot. His younger sisters have starred in national commercials. The family now lives part-time in Los Angeles, in hopes of furthering the kids' acting careers.
And Marblehead may provide the big break they've been waiting for.
"We're all really excited," said Noah's dad, William Gerry.
For those of us who might need a refresher, Elbridge Gerry was born in Marblehead in 1744 and worked in the shipping business with his father and brothers.
He's famous for signing the Declaration of Independence, serving as Massachusetts governor from 1810-1812 and as U.S. vice president from 1813 until his death in 1814. He is perhaps best known for the political redistricting process - called gerrymandering, named after him - which favors a governing party during elections.
