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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, September 2, 2016 2 By Cassie Dresch TV Media W hen you think of Har- ley-Davidson motor- cycles, what springs to mind? Powerful, durable and loud? Beards and leather? What about a game-changing, boundary-pushing dream that started in a small shed in Mil- waukee, sprouting from the minds of two close-knit schoolyard pals? That's where Discovery is taking viewers — on a jour- ney back in time to the turn of the 20th century, when Bill Harley and Arthur Davidson took an idea and built it into the legendary product we know today. The premiere of the three-part event series "Harley and the Davidsons" airs Monday, Sept. 5, on the cabler, with the final two in- stallments running Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 6 and 7. Starring Robert Aramayo ("Game of Thrones") and Bug Hall ("The Little Rascals," 1994) as Bill and Arthur, re- spectively, "Harley and the Da- vidsons" is based on a true story — one that makes for compelling TV, even if you're not a motorcycle aficionado. Two pals embark on a risky adventure, go up against seemingly insurmountable odds (and tough competition), and fight and claw their way to success and recognition. In this case, we know the out- come — Harley-Davidson has been around for more than 100 years, and has grown into a way of life for generations. But, as Aramayo and Hall told TV Media during a round- table interview, the focus isn't just on motorcycles. "This sto- ry is about people," Aramayo said. "It's about the develop- ment of a motorcycle, but it's also about the people who created it." "At the end of the day, no- body actually watches a show about motorcycles, they watch a show about people," Hall added. "In real life, these guys had a great love for each oth- er, and their story as human beings was just exceptional, and that's what's really ap- pealing about this." Michiel Huisman ("Game of Thrones") rounds out the big three as Arthur's older brother, Walter Davidson, who was also a company founder. Wal- ter was the daredevil of the bunch, but with Arthur's sales- manship and Bill's creativity, they grew to be an unstoppa- ble and inseparable team — which is something that Hall said also happened among the three actors. "I can say with absolute certainty that, in 25 years of doing this job, I've never been as close with anybody as I was with Rob and Michiel," said Hall. "We had a name we called ourselves, the Bottom Button Brothers, because Ar- thur, Bill and all those guys in the photographs always had their bottom button buttoned on their suit jackets. We really, really care about each other, and I think that translates on the screen as well." For Aramayo, the connec- tion with Hall was practically instantaneous and mirrored the story "Harley and the Da- vidsons" is looking to tell. "What was so enjoyable for me was the way in which things developed [with Hall]," he said, "because it seems similar to the timeline that we were portraying. Me and Bug struck up very imme- diately an instant friendship, and I think that was lovely, but it was also very useful when telling the beginnings of the [show's] story because it's two young lads in Mil- waukee who get one another into trouble." Of course, it can't be all fun and games for the three young Wisconsinites — there's al- ways some sort of adversity lurking around the corner. Whether it's proving the critics wrong, going up against a big- name corporation that already has a strong foothold in the motorbike market or facing the dangers that motorbike racing and motordromes in- herently pose, Arthur, Bill and Walter ultimately have to lean on each other to ensure their budding business survives. The boys also have to lean on a few other friendly (and some not-so-friendly) faces in "Harley and the Davidsons." British actor Daniel Coonan ("EastEnders") stars in the miniseries as William "Big Bill" Davidson, the eldest brother and final founding member of Harley-Davidson. Annie Read ("Cherry Red Kiss," 2014) plays the eventual Mrs. Harley, Caroline Jachthuber, and new- comer Essa O'Shea stars as Clara Beisel, Arthur's future wife. Gabriel Luna ("Wicked City") also appears in the mini- series as Eddie Hasha, a motor- cycle racer also known as the Texas Cyclone who rides on an Indian bike, a Harley-Davidson archrival. So many different things come to mind when you think of an iconic brand like Harley- Davidson. Whether you think of its cultural impact, its clas- sic design or its legion of dedi- cated fans, it always comes back to one thing: motorcy- cles. The company's humble beginnings, rich history and longevity make for a great sto- ry, especially on the small screen, but you don't have to be a part of biker culture to en- joy Discovery's latest offering. "You don't have to know anything about Harley-David- son to watch the show," Ara- mayo said. "This is a story about adversity, this is a story about creation, and this is a story about people and fami- lies." Catch the premiere of the three-part special event series "Harley and the Davidsons" when it airs Monday, Sept. 5, on Discovery. A/Bulls Head Inn B/Laura Reyda 2 x 2 coverstory Discovery miniseries shines light on the men behind Harley-Davidson By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: Judge Joe Brown often talks about having peo- ple fined and arrested for any kind of contempt or disrespect in the "courtroom." Does the show actu- ally have the authority to do this, or is it just the ex- pected staging of the series? A: As you suspect, Judge Joe Brown's threats of con- tempt charges are empty. He and his various court-show colleagues can't charge someone with contempt of court, because they're not in court. The "Judge Judys," "Judge Joe Browns" and "People's Courts" of the TV world are actually performing arbitra- tion, not litigation. Arbitration is a process whereby people agree to let a third party rule on a dispute. The arbitrator has no legal authority beyond the contract signed be- tween the people involved. So Brown is actually arbitrating between the "defen- dant" and "plaintiff" on his show, not delivering a legal ruling. That said, the arbitration is binding: Part of the con- tract people sign to be on court shows generally states that they must abide by the decision, or else be in breach of contract — that's pretty much the extent of the punish- ment power vested in old Joe. I should point out here that the "judges" on TV are not amateurs chosen only for their charm or looks (indeed, some are said to have neither) — most of them are real le- gal professionals of some kind. Judge Joe Brown, for ex- ample, is an actual judge. Brown has recently become familiar with the concept of contempt of court, but from the other side of the bench: last year he served five days in jail for contempt. The in- fraction occurred a year earlier, when he was serving as a mother's legal representative in a child-support case (pro bono, I should point out, and reportedly for a stranger — "a woman in need," he told ABC News). He apparently got a little overexcited in her defense, and was sentenced to five days in jail for contempt. Dan Michael, the chief magistrate of the court, told ABC News afterwards that, "This is not Hollywood. This is the real thing and as an officer of the court, he should have known better." The court incident occurred in 2014, a year after "Judge Joe Brown" was canceled following 15 years on the air. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided. hollywoodQ&A Losie's Gun Shop 1 x 4

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