Don Tjernagel has been thrown a couple curveballs in life.
An Oelwein native and 1994 District Championship basketball player with the Huskies, Don recalled how one injury during spring football training at the University of Northern Iowa changed the trajectory of his career.
“I first went to college under a partial football scholarship, got hurt and had a shoulder dislocation, so I had to find the cheapest school to finish,†he said. “UNLV (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) was the cheapest — cheaper than Hawkeye when I went because I didn’t qualify for financial aid. I went to UNLV and went into the film program.â€
His favorite genre was comedy, hence the highlight of his career in writing and directing with the movies “Flirts,†“Singles†and “Rudy’s.â€
“80’s comedies. One of my best memories of the Oelwein Grand is when ‘Spies Like Us’ showed as a kid. I saw the trailer on TV and then you see it there in the paper and it’s going to be here in two weeks. I was so excited,†he said. “I think out of all of the times I went to the movie theater with my dad, my sister, that’s my greatest memory of a movie ever.â€
Turns out, he found his calling in the director’s chair having earned awards for his later film productions: European Film Festival U.K. 2021 winner for Best Comedy with “Happy’s,†Vegas Movie Awards 2021 winner for Best Experimental Film with “Sin,†Focus International Film Festival 2023 winner for Comedy Feature with “Singles†and 2021 winner in the Florence Film Awards for Best Comedy for “Lark Brewing†among many others.
Don also did bits of stand-up comedy here and there while crafting scripts.
His most recent production, “Huskies,†featuring some of the area’s finest players and locals will be available for viewing Saturday, Aug. 9, at 3 p.m. at the Oelwein Grand Theatre, 26 South Frederick Ave — a moment he said has come full circle for his younger self.
“This is my all-time favorite [film], I’ve always wanted to do a sports movie,†Don said. “I absolutely love my hometown so much, so it has a feeling that I get to go home a bit. Even though it’s [Huskies] fictional, it had nice memories and we have images of old Oelwein football games, basketball games.â€
The credits in the beginning features old Oelwein Daily Register articles, and the movie poster features Don in a layup shot from the 1994 Oelwein District Championship basketball game against West Delaware.
“Going to Oelwein High School in the 90’s was beautiful, it was golden,†he added. “It’s a little nostalgic in a way because it’s like ‘Oh, wasn’t that fun?’â€
The PG-rated movie “Huskies†tells the tale of Coach Jerry West McCarty, played by Rebecca Lee McCarty, who leads her beloved father’s old basketball team into a grudge-match alumni game as she attempts to live up to his legacy. Shot between gyms in Randall and LaSalle across the span of three years from start to finish, Don thought it natural to screen the movie in the town that inspired it all.
Viewers may see familiar faces like Dan Gable, Husky announcer Dan Stasi, UNI Panther announcer Gary Rima, Chuck Geilenfeld, Margaret Damge, Peggy Sherrets, and Rose Ubben. Wrestlers from Wapsie Valley made an appearance as well.
“This one was hard to do, but I really hope people like it,†he said.
Saturday’s screening will also be a fundraiser for the Oelwein Husky Football Boosters. Tickets start at $10.
