Liz Carmichael claimed to be a lot of things. She said she was the widow of a NASA engineer, a farmer’s daughter, and a mother of five. In reality, she was none of those things. The truth was a little less straightforward.
Carmichael was born in the late 1930s as Jerry Dean Michael, a male. By 1961 she would be wanted by police for alleged involvement in a counterfeiting operation. Carmichael fathered five children with Vivian Barrett Michael, who she would introduce as her secretary rather than spouse or partner. These exploits were just the beginning.
“The Lady and The Dale” will debut on January 31 on HBO.Photo courtesy of HBO
A new, four-part documentary series from Emmy-winning producers Mark and Jay Duplass (“Room 104”) follows the story of Geraldine Elizabeth Carmichael, the founder of Twentieth Century Motor Car Corporation. During the fuel crisis of the 1970s, Carmichael was living as a woman, taking the world by storm with the promotion of a fuel-efficient three-wheeled car named The Dale.
The Dale was designed and built by Dale Clifft. Before meeting Carmichael, Clifft had built the original vehicle from aluminum tubing and covered it in naugahyde. Carmichael came along and served as the vehicle’s hype woman, using her promotional zeal to build up the vehicle’s design and engineering and gaining investors putting more than 100 employees on the payroll.
Soon, the media took notice and began digging into The Dale and Carmichael. What resulted next is the story that is captured on film.
“The Lady and The Dale” mixes animation, archival footage, and interviews with Liz’s family members and gender scholars, including Susan Stryker.
The series debuts with two back-to-back episodes on Sunday, January 31, at 9:00 p.m. ET with new subsequent Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET. The Lady and The Dale will premiere on HBO and be available to stream on HBO Max. Watch the trailer below.
The Lady and the Dale: Official Trailer | HBO
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