Premiering Sunday: Wayland Native's Doc On Cocoanut Grove

WAYLAND, MA — On Nov. 28, 1942 Frank Shapiro was in the right place at the wrong time.

The young lawyer from Newton was out at a theater with his wife when a nightclub in Boston's Back Bay caught fire. Shapiro sent his wife home in a taxi, and then rushed to the burning Cocoanut Grove to lend a hand.

Four-hundred and ninety-two people died that night in the worst nightclub fire in history. And although Shapiro was helpless the night of the fire, he went on to represent the victim's families, winning them some compensation from Cocoanut Grove owner Barney Welansky.

This weekend, a new documentary produced by Frank Shapiro's granddaughter will debut at the GlobeDocs film festival. Michele Shapiro, a Wayland native, was inspired to make the film by her grandfather's role in the tragedy. The documentary, "Six Locked Doors," grew out of a short film made several years ago by director Zachary Graves-Miller, who grew up in the Bay Village neighborhood near where the club used to stand.

"The fact that my grandfather lived it and was there, it's just incredible. It makes me proud that he was a part of it and was fighting for the people who were the victims and their families," Michele Shapiro said.

After Cocoanut Grove, the Boston law firm Friedman and Atherton took on the case of the victims. Just a junior lawyer there at the time, Frank Shapiro was assigned the case because no one thought there was anything to gain from Welansky. But a stash of illegal liquor was found in the club's basement, and Shapiro helped strike a deal with the government to sell it. He was able to get about $100,000 for families, Michele Shapiro said.

"Six Locked Doors" will recount the tragedy through interviews with survivors and new archival footage — including a recording of Frank Shapiro, who died in 2008, recounting the night the fire broke out. The film also features interviews with former Boston mayor Raymond Flynn and Boston Globe columnist Kevin Cullen.

Apart from her family connection, Shapiro says it's important for people to see how Cocoanut Grove changed the world. More strict building codes went into effect, like requiring doors to open out onto the street instead of into a building.

Although officially undetermined, the fire may have broke out when a busboy lit a match inside the dark club as he was trying to screw in a light bulb. The match lit fake palm trees on fire, and the blaze spread to the fabric ceiling. Within minutes, the entire building was on fire as patrons rushed to the sole main exit, a revolving door.

"This changed things not just for Boston, but the U.S. and the world. It's important people see it and understand this," she said.

The Sunday premiere of "Six Locked Doors" at Coolidge Corner is sold out. But there are still a few ways to see it. You can donate to the film's Kickstarter page to watch online, or to grab tickets to the sold-out East Coast premiere. There will also be a screening at the Boston Public Library on Oct. 21.