As we at the American Film Company have endeavored to turn American history into movies, I've been struck by how many amazing true stories have not been given the green light. There are two reasons for this: first, Hollywood's formula for commercial success has only included the history genre sparingly, and second, there are so many incredible stories that it would take a company solely dedicated to producing only American history movies many years to make a dent in this enormous stockpile. Luckily, that company now exists and we're hammering away every day.

So, this is a discussion about those fascinating pieces of American history that have not made it to the silver screen. And by "fascinating" I don't necessarily mean "popular." I'll get the ball rolling with three American history stories that, as far as I know, have never been made into a motion picture (but should be):

1. THE BRADDOCK CAMPAIGN: British General Edward Braddock attempts to deliver a decisive blow in the French-Indian War, accompanied by a young and brash militia officer named George Washington.

2. THE MAYFLOWER: that's right, the ship that brought the pilgrims. May not be a laugh-a-minute, but you can't beat the conflict.

3. JOHN HENRY: Not just a folktale about a man who beat a steam shovel and died with his hammer in his hand. Recent scholarship suggests that John Henry may have been the real deal.

Keep reading for my own personal ground rules: