Plot Synopsis

Executive produced by Mark and Jay Duplass, THE LADY AND THE DALE is a four-part documentary series that traces the story of Elizabeth Carmichael, a larger-than-life entrepreneur who rose to prominence during the 1970s oil crisis with her promotion of a fuel-efficient, three-wheeled car known as The Dale. At a time when three big American automobile manufacturers ruled the road, Liz launched a futurist vehicle that promised to get 70 miles to the gallon. Her promotional zeal thrust her into fierce public and media scrutiny, which uncovered a web of mystery and suspicion about the car's technology and her own checkered past. The series explores family and identity, as seen through the lens of the rise and fall of a fearless and wily innovator, an extraordinarily resilient woman and a dedicated parent. THE LADY AND THE DALE debuts with back-to-back episodes on Sunday, January 31, 2021 from 9-11pm ET/PT on HBO, with a new episode debuting each following Sunday, through February 14.

In 1974 in the midst of the Middle East oil crisis, a new, innovative automobile promised America high mileage and a low-price tag; its three-wheeled, slick design is a hopeful harbinger of things to come. Behind the development and promotion of The Dale was Elizabeth Carmichael, who had previously lived a life of crime, on the run from authorities, and always cooked up preposterous mayhem. She claimed to have smuggled arms to Cuba during the revolution and was wanted by the FBI. With several ex-wives and children in her wake, she eventually wedded soulmate Vivian Barrett. They and their five children lived on the run from the law for many years with Liz starting her transition in 1966. As a woman in the 1970s, with her past kept hidden and a new identity as a widow with a business degree, Liz Carmichael founded the 20th Century Motor Car Company and made a name for herself in the male-dominated business world. A savvy marketer, Carmichael claimed that The Dale would be the biggest thing since the Model T and would challenge Detroit's iron grip on the auto industry.

Interest in the Dale intensified, accelerated by Carmichael's boasts of its efficiency and safety but also fueled by the company's dubious business practices. With that spotlight came increased focus on Liz's identity and gender. As media attention was heating up and frustrated investors clamoring at her door, Carmichael was arrested for fraud and business code violations before The Dale could even hit the streets.

The trial that followed was one of the longest in Los Angeles criminal court's history and became as much about Carmichael's transgender identity as it was about The Dale. Representing herself in the high-profile case, Carmichael challenged the prejudices of the time, but the surrounding media circus obfuscated the issues; Liz as a person was under interrogation as much as her business practices. The scrutiny into her life would continue for decades, even as she continually found surprising ways to outwit her pursuers, persist in her own survival and keep her family together.

THE LADY AND THE DALE marries archival material with photo collages and animation to illustrate Carmichael's experiences, combining audio recordings with interviews, while framing Carmichael's story within a broader history of trans experiences. Shedding light on Liz Carmichael's life and on the dogged investigations into her past and gender identity are Candi Michael, Liz's daughter; Michael Michael, Liz's son; Jeri Burchard, Liz's granddaughter; Dick Carlson, local TV reporter; Pete Noyes, KABC news producer; Charles Richard Barrett, Liz's brother-in-law; and lawyers, prosecutors and employees of 20th Century Motor Car Company. Historian Susan Stryker, Gender and Media Theorist Sandy Stone and criminal defender Mia Yamamoto add historical and legal context to the story.

This series is a human portrait of an imperfect trans trailblazer, an industrious businesswoman, and a beloved mother whose ambition and unwavering optimism ran headlong into widespread transphobia and media bias. Her life leaves a complicated legacy. Ahead of her time, forced to operate in an unaccommodating world, Liz Carmichael stands as a reminder of the prejudices facing the trans community and as a symbol of untrammeled enterprise and survival.

The four episodes include:

"Soldier of Fortune" (Sunday, January 31, 2021 at 9pm): Meet Liz Carmichael, trailblazing promoter of the fuel-efficient car of the future: The Dale. Just as publicity for the three-wheeled automobile reaches its peak, Liz, a trans woman, is outed as a fugitive who's spent the last several decades running from the law with her wife Vivian and their five children. As Liz's family and friends guide us through her chaotic yet riveting life, we learn how it all came to a crashing halt with the 1974 rise of The Dale.

"Caveat Emptor: Buyer Beware" (Sunday, January 31, 2021 at 10pm): With Liz at the helm, the 20th Century Motor Car Company launches The Dale, which soon takes on a life of its own. Investigative reporters question the operation and its leader, leading to government attempts to reign in Liz's sales practices, upheaval at the company, and a fatal shooting.

"The Guilty Fleeth" (Sunday, February 7, 2021 at 9pm): Just as Liz moves the company to Dallas, news breaks of a murder at the 20th Century Motor Car Company showroom. As the press turns on her and law enforcement begins to close in, Liz once again goes on the lam. But she's soon found and subjected to mounting media scrutiny, transphobia, and a lengthy, unpredictable trial.

"Celestial Bodies" (Sunday, February 14, 2021 at 9pm): In 1989, Liz and her family are running a roadside flower business outside of Austin, Texas when she's exposed by a true crime TV show. After being forced to serve 18 months in a men's prison, Liz is outed once again by the media upon her release. Liz's legacy as a trans entrepreneur and parent is contextualized within the broader history of exclusion and discrimination against trans people.