Filming in Bartlesville?

Ironically, having just returned from two film festivals now I have been contacted by a film company with an interest in my project. They hope to come to town to interview the remaining key players and shoot some footage on location. Will this solve the mystery or just add to it? Stay tuned…..

 

More from Down The Road

This is the latest installment from my travels west….

Down The Road with the Original Buffalo Dale

Welcome back. This past weekend Bartlesville had what you might call a perfect storm with three big events going on all at once. Thursday night was the kick-off for the 24th annual Oklahoma Indian Summer Festival at the Bartlesville Community Center and it was also the night of the big homecoming parade downtown. Throw in the start of the Tulsa Fly-in out at the Bartlesville Airport and I think you get the picture. Most of the hotels were full and I found that local restaurants had crowds in them way after normal business hours. Although the inclement weather on Friday was a challenge on the football field, at Oklahoma Indian Summer and out at the airport, both the game and the Fly-in went on as scheduled and better weather on Saturday brought out big crowds to both the Oklahoman Indian Summer Festival and the Fly-in..I personally got to fly in the 1929 Ford Tri-Motor airplane and if the Tulsa fly-in group brings it back next year you’ve got to go for a ride. It has three engines and a pair of wings hooked on to a corrugated tin travel trailer that flies. The wonderful history of this plane and all the others that participate in this great air show is a real plus for ourcommunity and our local economy.

The big news coming of the Oklahoma Indian Summer Festival is all the talk about next year’s event which will be the 25th anniversary of the festival. The committee has already signed a big name recording artist for an outdoor concert and there are rumors flying around about VIPs who might attend and even a possible parade.

I am bringing up this next story because I just returned from Pagosa Springs, Colorado where I had heard that the Springs Resort and Spa had commissioned an engineering and hydrology firm to determine the true depth of the hot springs on their property. Naturally I wanted to check it out and on August 20th in front of a crowd of onlookers, the consultants verified that at 1,002 feet the pool is the deepest in the world, setting a new record for the Guiness Book of World Records. This natural phenomenon was discovered hundreds of years ago by the southern Ute Indians and called “Pag-Osah” a place of peace and healing. It is claimed that these waters relieve arthritis, normalize heart rhythms, lower blood pressure, convert blood sugar to energy, strengthen bones and promote at least fifty  other physical improvements including brain function and hair growth.  The Springs Resort and Spa offers luxury accommodations, a full service spa and 24 four hour a day access to 23 individual hot springs and a large fresh water pool.

While you’re at the Resort there are plenty of things to explore including many cliff dwellings and historical sites such Chimney Rock Archaeological area which is one of my favorites. This place where the Pueblo people lived hundreds of years ago sits on top of the highest peak in the region. Why these ancient people chose to live there has been a mystery since the discovery of the site in 1920. The hike alone can kill you as the narrow trail leading there is sometimes less than ten feet wide and a fall would send you off the mountain to instant death. Mysteries and myths, legends and theories, you’ll have your own after this day trip.

Chama, New Mexico is an hour and a half south of Pagosa which is the home of the Cumbres and Toltec railroad. The old steam engine and the original cars have been completely restored and offer you a ride that I promise you’ll never forget. Through narrow, steep passages and dark steam filled tunnels, you cross over the continental divide, stopping at an old railroad station for lunch and then come back down. It’s an all day trip and you’ll want to take your camera.

Soon I will be telling you more about this place that’s only a day’s drive away and explaining how you will have the opportunity to bid on a stay at the Resort and passes for some of these day trips.

Till then, I’ll see ya down the road…

 

Telluride Film Festival

This is my report from the Telluride Film Festival where I just spent five days going to films and making contacts for the project, several of which seem to have real potential.

Down The Road with the Original Buffalo Dale

Welcome back. All the action at this year’s Telluride film festival was once again based around the New Sheridan Hotel. The original hotel was a wooden structure built in 1891 four years after the town was founded and when it burned down three years later the hotel was rebuilt in brick in 1895 and renamed the “New” Sheridan Hotel. The early days of the Sheridan were splendid and the hotel was the center of social life in the town. The restaurant was considered to be on a par with the famous Brown Derby in Denver and featured large private tables designed for discreet conversations about either business or romance. The hotel was a landmark for years but with little upgrading it went downhill until 1994 when it underwent its first major renovation in 100 years restoring the hotel the restaurant and the bar to their original elegance. Today the hotel features twenty-six luxury   rooms and suites, a beautiful hand carved mahogany bar and a collection of Victorian era antiques and artwork. Thanks to the dedication of owner Joe Steinberg the New Sheridan is once again the place to go in Telluride and this is another story of man investing millions of dollars in a business that he will probably never recoup in order to save an historic place. I am hoping to have the opportunity to interview him and learn more about his vision for the hotel in the near future. I understand that he is also very involved with the planning and direction of the festival.

Sitting on one of the many benches in front of the New Sheridan it is common to see celebrities passing by such as George Clooney who was drawing a big crowd when I saw him out walking. His new film “The Descendants” got good reviews here and my report is that it will do well at the box office. Tilda Swinton who won an Oscar for her performance in “Michael Clayton” was also hanging out at the hotel regularly and the town was buzzing about her new film “We Need to Talk About Kevin”. I saw this film also and from the opening minutes you know that there is something creepy about this kid Kevin. I’m not going to give anything up but I predict that this will be another box office success.

One of my personal favorites that will certainly be a big hit with Beatles’ fans is Martin Scorsese and Olivia Harrison’s new film “Living In The Material World.” This is the life story of George Harrison which incorporates never before seen images and interviews with the famous guitar player from his youth up to the time of his death. I had a fluke introduction to Olivia and then had the opportunity to visit with her on a couple of different occasions. As you can imagine she was very kind and I observed that she was gracious to everyone who approached her. Here’s a couple of things she mentioned while we were visiting :

v     George was a packrat and kept all of his photos and video recordings.

v     He learned early on that fame and the money he made were not terribly important to him and he was much more interested in the spiritual aspects of life

v     Director Scorsese cried when he read the letters George had written as a youth

v     George wanted the film to be faithful to the facts of his life and it took 3 years to make.

I personally saw the film right after our last visit and it runs a full 3 ½  hours with interviews not only with Harrison but also with Eric Clapton, Tom Petty and many other famous friends who discuss their feelings about George as a man. The film also includes new, previously unheard, music composed by George. As you might guess this is a top of the line piece of work from a couple of nice folks who are devoted to preserving George’s  memory.

I also saw Glenn Close’s whose new film “Albert Nobbs” was getting a lot of attention as was  “The Island President” and the German film “Pina.” In my opinion the sleeper in all these new movies is called “The Artist” and believe it or not it is a silent film shot entirely in black and white. “The Artist” was made in France last year and stars Penelope Ann Miller, John Goodman and Jean Dujardin who won the best actor award at this yer’s Cannes Film Festival for his role.

There were many other films showing in different locations around town and you just can’t see ‘em all but it’s a lot of fun trying. This weekend there was another big event taking place at fashion designer Ralph Lauren’s 20,000 acre ranch just ten miles away. Three past Presidents are rumored to be in town, along with Johnny Depp, Oprah Winfrey and many more celebrities. Many locals have been hired to work at the event and I have been told that they all have signed confidentiality agreements. All I know for sure is that 27 year old Lauren Bush, the niece of  former President George W. Bush, will marry Ralph’s 39 year old son David at the ranch on Sunday and 200 people are invited.

You may think about going yourself next year so mark your calendar for Labor Day weekend 2012 for the 39th Telluride Film Festival.

Right now I’m burning up the highway to get back to Bartlesville’s own Oklahoma Indian Summer Festival which starts tomorrow at the Community Center. Dee Ketchum and the rest of the committee have worked hard to put together the 24th annual event which provides a showcase for Indian culture and history that is intended for the general public. This is going to be a great weekend and I guarantee that it will be well worth your time.

Till next time I’ll see ya down the road…..

 

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Whitey Bulger

I was fascinated by this story about another long time fugitive with ties to Oklahoma…..

Down The Road with the Original Buffalo Dale

Welcome back.   According to the L.A. Times, James “Whitey” Bulger reportedly started his life of crime hijacking delivery trucks in the 1950s before he was captured and sent to prison on Alcatraz Island. After his release from Alcatraz he joined the powerful Winter Hill gang in Boston where he and his chief ally Stephen “The Rifleman” Flemmi quickly seized control, running the rackets, shake downs and drug deals for over 40 years. Then in 1994, facing a federal indictment and years in prison, Whitey vanished. FBI Agent John J. “Zip” Connolly had tipped him off to the indictment and later did prison time himself as a result.

17 years later, after following up on leads in 19 countries and spending thousands of dollars, the FBI’s relentless efforts paid off when they arrested Whitey at apartment 303 in the Princess Eugenia apartment building in Santa Monica, California where he been all along, living under the name of Charles Gasko. His arrest resulted after the FBI aired 350 public service announcements offering a 2 million dollar reward for his capture.

The ads weren’t directed at Whitey but at his 60 year old girlfriend who had been a dental hygienist before she met him. She was known to frequent beauty salons and just a couple of days after the ads with her description started running a tip came in that led to the Princess Eugenia.

Bulger faces federal charges in Massachusetts of racketeering, murder, conspiracy to commit murder, drug dealing, extortion and money laundering. He is also charged with murder in Florida and in Oklahoma where he has been linked to the 1981 death of Roger Wheeler who was gunned down in broad daylight after playing golf at Southern Hills Country Club.

Inside Bulger’s apartment FBI agents found 822,198 dollars, most of it in hundred dollars bills hidden inside the walls which had allowed him and his girlfriend Catherine Gray (aka Carol Gasko) to live quite comfortably. They also found thirty guns which Whitey told agents he had carried when he traveled back to Boston on several occasions “to take care of unfinished business.” He also told them that he had gone to San Diego where he crossed over the border into Tijuana, Mexico to buy medicine. He claimed that he had “previously stashed money with people he trusted” but did not name names.

Bulger has been the subject of several books and in the 2006 Martin Scorsese film “The Departed” starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Jack Nicholson, Nicholson plays a Bulger like character.

He was quickly extradited back to Boston where according to papers filed by U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz Federal prosecutors plan to put the 81 year old crime boss on trial “as soon as possible.” They are also analyzing the two cell phones found in Bulger’s apartment to find out if he had help during his 17 years as a fugitive.

Bulger is said to have boasted that he corrupted 6 FBI agents and more than 20 police officers and in sworn testimony his right hand man, Kevin Weeks, said the gang boss stuffed envelopes with cash around the holidays saying that “Christmas is for cops and kids.”

Trial dates for Bulger are being set now and his girlfriend ‘s next court appearance is scheduled for September 29th after she pled not guilty to helping him evade authorities, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of 5 years.

According to federal indictments compiled by the L.A. Times staff writer Victoria Kim Bulger is believed to have been involved in the following string of murders:

March and April 1973: Michael Milano, Al Plummer, William O’Brien, James Leary and Joseph Notorangeli, members of a rival gang.

December 1973:            former associate James O’Toole

February 1974:             Al Notorangeli, leader of a rival gang

October 1974:               James Sousa, criminal associate

November 1974:          Paul McGonagle, member of the Mullins gang

June 1975:                    Edward Connors, potential witness

November 1975:          Thomas King, member of Bulger’s gang

December 1976:          Richard Castucci, FBI informant

May 1981:                     Roger Wheeler, owner of the gambling     operation World Jai Alai in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Late 1981:                    Debra Davis, girlfriend of Bulger associate Stephen Flemmi

May 1982:                   Brian Halloran, FBI informant on the Wheeler killing and Michael Donahue who was riding in the car with Halloran

August 1982:                John B. Callahan, former President of World Jai Alai  who could implicate Bulger in Wheeler’s death

July 1983:                     Arthur “Bucky’ Barrett, alleged safecracker and bank robber whom Bulger targeted for extortion.

November 1984:          John McIntyre who was cooperating with law enforcement on the gang’s involvement in shipments of arms and ammunition to the Irish Republican Army.

Early 1985:                   Deborah Hussey, Flemmi’s stepdaughter.

Authorities in Oklahoma are waiting their turn to get their hands on Whitey and have filed the paperwork to have him extradited back here if he lives long enough.

Up next my report from Telluride on the films and film stars I saw at the festival.

Till then I’ll see ya down the road…..

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Bob Funk’s Big Event

I’m on the road at the annual Telluride Film Festival in Telluride, Colorado and soon I’ll be posting a full report on the films and film stars I’m seeing here. In the meantime here is a story from the Big Event in Yukon, Oklahoma.

            Down The Road with the Original Buffalo Dale

Welcome back.   Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, Lt. Governor Todd Lamb, former Governor George Nigh, singers Anita Bryant and Ty England, rodeo star Billy Atbauer and entertainer Jim Stafford were among the many guests who gathered in Yukon, Oklahoma on Friday for what is known as “The Big Event”.

Bob Funk, the owner of Express Ranches puts this party on very year to promote the ranching industry and what a gala it was. The two day event kicks off with a cow sale on Friday morning that is televised around the world.  Its just like a regular cattle sale except on Friday the cattle are still in pastures and a film crew is out there with them, broadcasting back to the Express Ranch sale barn where a dozen workers are taking bids over the phone selling cattle in bunches of everywhere from thirty to fifty at a time.

That night after the sale a big party is held under a giant tent where the various dignitaries give speeches about the important of the cattle industry. Governor Fallin sat at a table next to mine at dinner and she told me that Mr. Funk has given millions of dollars in college scholarships to high kids who want to get into the cattle business and he is also the second largest donor to OSU after T. Boone Pickens. I learned more of Mr. Funk’s philanthropic work from Heather Wilson, a former U.S. Representative from New Mexico, who told me that his St. James Hotel and the Express UU Bar Ranch in Cimarron are the largest employers in that area. She said he pays good wages, provides health benefits and offers profit sharing all of which makes him a hero in this economically depressed community.

After the Friday night gala I thought the event couldn’t get any better but Saturday turned out to be the real showcase when the auctions started off  with the individual cattle sales. These cows were in the sale barn and although I didn’t understand all the talk about genetics and DNA I could see that this is what today’s big cattlemen look for.Better animals, better prices for the ranchers and better steaks was what this greenhorn understood.

“The Big Event” is held every August at the Express Ranch in Yukon, just a few miles west of Oklahoma City. The sale is free to attend and open to the public and it is truly an educational experience. “Check It Out.”

This next story shifts from the best of mankind to the worst and it has a small tie to our area. Charles Gasko as everyone knew him at his 1012 3rd Street apartment in Santa Monica seemed fairly normal. According to Barbara Gluck who lived across the hall he walked his dog regularly and was usually well dressed with an elegant jacket but he could at times be mean to his female companion, especially when she spoke to the other neighbors. Their 800 square foot rent controlled apartment was just a couple of blocks from the Santa Monica beach and in a wealthy enclave of beautiful homes and apartments. But on June 24th, just a few days before I arrived in California the world discovered that this was not your average 81 years old but James “Whitey” Bulger, leader of the notorious Winter Hill gang in Boston.

Whitey had been on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list since 1994, right below Osama Bin Laden and I’ve got his story coming next week. Till then, from Telluride, Colorado where I’m attending the 2nd largest film festival in the U.S., I’ll see ya down the road…..

 

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More from California

This is the last article from my California trip. Tomorrow I will be on my way to the Telluride Film Festival for more networking.   I will continue to keep you up to date on the progress of Footprints in the Dew and I will also be posting my weekly article.

        Down The Road with the Original Buffalo Dale

Welcome back.   San Bernardino was on my list of stops on this adventure and I didn’t know much about the town except there were a number of Indian legends about the area and during the golden age of film in Hollywood there was a majestic hotel tucked back in the mountains where many of the stars stayed.

There was another interesting place in town I wanted to see that you Will Rogers fans may not know about and that’s the California theater. The theater has one of the two stage curtains that Will owned and which he would send ahead to any theater where he was scheduled to make an appearance. Three days before his fatal plane crash Will had done a benefit for the Red Cross in San Bernardino and after his death no one came to claim the curtain and it has hung there ever since. The curtain itself has what appear to be thousands of small stones glued onto it in a very unusual pattern. Although it is very frail, the curtain continues to be used for most shows because audiences are still eager to see something associated with Will Rogers.

During our visit we stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn which was a great choice. The hotel was an easy stop right off Route 10 and is conveniently located for many of the attractions we went to, the theater, the history museum and Pharoh’s Water Park. We had a beautiful view of the mountains right from outside our spacious room and the hotel offers a business center, free Wi-Fi, a great pool and a hot tub. On a scale of one to five I’d definitely give this one five buffalo.

Another stop on our trip was the town of Ventura which is on the coast just a few miles away. I had been told to check out the Channel Island National Park while I was there because the islands are quite historic. The many small islands which make up the park were once home to early American sheep ranchers and farmers who shipped their goods inland. One of the islands also served as an early day prison where the worst offenders were held. The start of our voyage to experience the islands first hand was Ventura which also happens to be the largest offloading port on the west coast for squid (aka calamari).  The numerous fishing boats in the harbor also bring in red sea urchin,ridgeback prawns, warty sea cucumber and rock crab. The harbor was recently named as one of the top seafood offloading harbors in the nation and trucks line up all day long to pick up seafood that is then shipped around the world.

Tucked in among the fishing boats is the Island Packers Excursions fleet. They are the only state licensed excursion line taking visitors to Santa Cruz Island which I especially wanted to see. The early morning boat ride takes an hour and a half and on the way I saw seals, California sea lions, hundreds of dolphins and migrating whales. Great white sharks are also occasionally seen in these waters. You also pass by several offshore oil rigs which operate 24/7 and are interesting to see in action.

The boat drops you off on a narrow catwalk in the harbor and leaves you on the island until 4:30 in the afternoon so you pack in anything you might want during the day because there are no cafes or other services on Santa Cruz. Time went by way too fast as we hiked through the mountainous center part of the island, explored underwater caves and swam in a protected harbor with seals. On the return trip the seas were rough but the Captain had warned me that this was frequently the case later in the day and it added to our adventure.

When we got back to the harbor we were definitely ready for dinner.  I knew the seafood in the area would be good and the family owned Spinnaker Seafood Broiler was recommended because they buy their fish right off the boats. The restaurant has been run by the same family for several generations and they take great pride in their food. The big thing I hadn’t anticipated was the great price. With no middleman or fuel surcharges to get the product to your table, dinner was unbelievably delicious and cheap. I had everything the captains brought in including a wonderful seafood appetizer and our bill was still only 12 dollars and change per person. A person really needs a full day to explore this peninsula which is called Ventura Harbor Village but unfortunately I just didn’t have it. If you want to know more you need to call the Ventura Chamber of Commerce which I’ve found is always a good way to start a trip to a new place.

Coming next week its Whitey Bulger who was captured in L.A. just days before I got there. Also: it’s called The Big Event and it happens every year in Yukon, OK when buyers come from around the world to bid on premiere registered Angus cattle. Till then I’ll see ya down the road….

 

 

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The Life of Joel McCrea continued…

This week I am still in California and visiting the McCrea Ranch where I explored Joel’s private office and learned a lot about the early days of Hollywood. I hope that some of the contacts I have made during this trip will pan out and bring me back here soon.

            Down The Road with the Original Buffalo Dale

Welcome back.  Will Rogers had become an important friend and advisor to 27 year old Joel McCrea by the time McCrea bought his own ranch in 1933. He and his wife Frances purchased several hundred acres in an unincorporated area of Ventura County just outside of the town of Moorpark, CA which lay just north of Will’s place in Santa Monica. Joel was seeing Will on a weekly basis when he hired architect John Byers to design his house. He wanted a simple place where he could support himself and his family by running the ranch in case his movie career ever went south.

Throughout the 1930s and 40s Frances made over 50 films including Four Faces West co-starring with Joel.  Like her husband, Frances loved their new ranch and gradually her career took a back seat to her projects there, like lining the driveway with eucalyptus trees and planting a garden. Joel also preferred to be on the ranch, milking the cows before breakfast, taking care of the chickens and working on his haying machine. He grew barley and wheat and the health conscious couple also grew most of their own food.

Nevertheless, Joel continued to work in movies and his starring roles in films like Buffalo Bill, Colorado Territory and Ride The High Country made him a giant in the film industry. Friends like Gary Cooper and Alfred Hitchcock loved Joel’s and Frances’ down to earth characters and visited them at the ranch whenever Joel wasn’t  on location.

The 1960s brought change to the McCrea Ranch when Joel donated a large piece of the ranch for the construction of a new YMCA in Moorpark. He also began selling some outlying parcels of the now very valuable property. The money from these sales along with what he had earned in his film career made him one of the richest actors in Hollywood.

In 1973 he became Chairman of the Board of the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City and he was also very involved with events at the Will Rogers Museum in Claremore traveling there often. Through the years following his death, Joel continued to think of Will and his love and respect for him was evident in remarks he made at the Will Rogers Museum when he said “I owe everything I have and am to Will Rogers”.

Joel’s last movie was Mustang County with Robert Fuller and Patrick Wayne and it is a little known fact that he always used his own horses in his westerns. Dollar and Sandy were his favorites and they are both buried on the ranch.

Because they never smoked or drank and lived very healthy lifestyles, the later years were very good to both Joel and Frances. His favorite spot on the ranch became the bunkhouse which was full of mementos and awards along with a few old leather chairs where he liked to receive guests. They would visit about the early days of Hollywood and up to the end Joel was always the same friendly, all American guy William Randolph Hearst had met in 1927.

After their deaths both Joel and Frances were cremated and had their ashes scattered on the property where they had been so happy together. Today the eucalyptus trees that Frances planted are 80 years old and 70 feet tall. The house the couple loved sits as it always did and walking around the barns and the bunkhouse you wouldn’t be surprised if Joel came around the corner.

Their story has never before been told to the general public but the McCrea family has donated the ranch to the Conejo Recreation and Park District and a  new Visitors Center will be opening there soon. Check out McCreaRanchFoundation.org for the date of the official grand opening.

Next week another Okie connection pops up in Los Angeles. Till then I’ll see ya down the road…

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Joel McCrea Ranch

This week my travels in California continue with a visit to the Joel McCrea ranch and a chance to go behind the scenes at this property which is not yet open to the public.What I am learning and the contacts I am making hold great promise for my project.

Down The Road with the Original Buffalo Dale

Welcome back.  In response to many requests this week and next I’ll be bringing you the in-depth story of a man I recently wrote about who despite his huge success in the golden age of film stayed true to his roots, living the simple life of a cowboy whenever he could.

Joel McCrea was born just outside Los Angeles, California on November 5, 1905. His paternal grandfather had been a Calvary officer and a stage coach driver and his mother’s parents were “49ers” who had come to California in a covered wagon. Growing up in a middle class family Joel went to grade school in Hollywood with the children of Louis B Mayer, Cecil B. Demille and Douglas Fairbanks. He got his first real job in 1914 delivering newspapers in the area and many of his customers were the silent screen stars of the time including William S. Hart. By the time he was in his teens McCrea was a strapping 6 feet 2 inches and very handsome.  He also rode horseback very well and started doing double work for actors which led to small acting parts in films. In 1927 while portraying a football player in The Fair Co-Ed he was spotted by William Randolph Hearst who immediately took a liking to him and started telling all his movie friends that Joel personified an All-American boy.

Although he would rather have been on a horse with a rope in his hands working cattle, McCrea’s natural good looks and charm were more and more in demand in the film industry.  The year was 1931 and fame was coming on fast. He was now always in the company of female stars such as Constance Bennett, Gloria Swanson and Joan Crawford but he met his true love when a studio arranged a date with another upcoming star named Frances Dee.  Joel never smoked or drank and in between movies he preferred to be in the country avoiding the Hollywood scene which was something he and Frances had in common. She had been an extra on the Paramount lot before a recent starring role in The Playboy of Paris with Maurice Chevalier made her famous. Then in 1933 when Joel and Frances co-starred in The Silver Cord the two fell madly in love and married on October 20, 1933 in Rye, New York where Frances was on location. Despite the Hollywood trend, their marriage lasted until Joel’s death fifty-seven years later.

Frances was a real perfectionist in her acting and encouraged Joel to take his craft more seriously.  When his new friend Will Rogers recommended Joel for the juvenile lead in Lightnin it was the beginning of a long and successful career. His first big film for MGM was Wells Fargo followed by The Barbary Coast directed by Howard Hawks with Edward G. Robinson and a young Walter Brennan.

During these years Joel and Will Rogers became close friends and the pair rode together regularly on Will’s Santa Monica ranch. In later years after Rogers’ tragic death, Joel would credit Will for encouraging him to buy his own ranch.  Will had told him “You need to get out of this town regularly to get a perspective on it and there’s no better place than the back of a horse herdin’ cows…”

Next week I’ll continue the story of Joel McCrea who always listed his occupation as rancher on his tax return and was proud to show the calluses on his hands to prove it. If you can’t wait to learn more about the ranch go to McCreaRanchFoundation.org.  Till next week from his ranch I’ll see ya down the road.

 

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Will Rogers Ranch

This post continues my reporting from my trip to LA….

Down The Road with the Original Buffalo Dale

Welcome back.  Every year over 250,000 people visit the Will Rogers Ranch in Santa Monica, CA and during my two day visit there I learned that this includes not only Americans but also folks from every other country around the world who flock to see the home of this famous cowboy from Oklahoma.

In 1928 as Will began working in movies more and more he moved to California and bought 500 acres of land just a mile from the shoreline and right off the soon-to-be-famous Sunset Strip. The first building on the property was a simple one story cabin but before long a second story was added with additional bedrooms for guests. That expansion was followed by the construction of another three bedroom home for the family which is connected to the first building by a patio. This is where Will and his wife Betty started raising their kids.

Will loved all the new gadgets that were invented during his era and he was the first in the area to have both a telephone and central heat for his home. His guests at the ranch were the “who’s who” of his time including film stars, business tycoons and six Presidents (past, present and future) as well as many plain working folks.

Earning $500,000 a year, Will was able to indulge his love of horses and he kept 20-30 head on hand for his guests’ pleasure. Even though he did not play golf, he built a golf course for guests which was clearly visible from the picture window in the living room of his house. Just to the right was a polo field and up the hill on the left was a massive set of barns with an indoor riding arena for use in bad weather.

Will loved to read and soon his personal library was filled with first edition books signed by the authors, including a copy of The Wizard of Oz.  Many of the authors were also frequent guests at the ranch. The main house was decorated with original drawings and bronzes by Charles Russell along with gifts from Frank Phillips and fancy saddles from Leo Carrillo, all of which are still on display today. This collection is the second most valuable in the California parks system, topped only by the treasures in the Hearst Castle.  Recently Leland Wilson, who had acquired every book written about Rogers, donated his entire collection of 2,000 books to the home adding to the spectacular library.

Will died in 1935 and as many of you know he is buried in Claremore on the grounds of the memorial there. But here are a few things you may not have heard about him:

His great grand daughter Jennifer Rogers who is the granddaughter of his youngest son Jimmy was a founding co-director of the Will Rogers Ranch Foundation and today she serves as the Treasurer for the Board. Jennifer travels around the country promoting the Ranch.

Will had two favorite horses, Soapsuds his roping horse who died in 1949 at the age of 32 and Bootlegger, his polo pony who also died in 1949 at the age of 33. Both horses are buried next to their stalls at his California ranch.

Will Rogers Jr. fought in the Battle of the Bulge with General Patton and served as a tank commander.

The famous singing cowboy and actor Roy Rogers named himself after Will.

Next week it’s the Joel McCrea ranch in Moorepark, CA just outside of Los Angeles. The ranch is not open to the public but I got a behind the scenes tour you won’t want to miss. Till then I’ll see ya down the road….

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from the road…

This week I am posting my article from the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise which relates to Footprints in the Dew.

Down The Road with the Original Buffalo Dale

 Welcome back.  This week since I’m on the road to LA I thought I’d tell you about a couple of high points of the trip so far.

Gallup, New Mexico is located in the heart of Indian country and in 1937 the brother of movie magnate and famed director D.W. Griffith opened El Rancho Hotel on Route 66. The hotel quickly became a home away from home for the many big time movies stars who stayed there while they were filming in the area. Photos of legendary actors such as Allan Ladd, John Wayne, Jackie Cooper and Ronald Reagan line the walls of the hotel which is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Just a few miles from Monument Valley, the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest where dozens of films were made, the interior of El Rancho reflects this golden age of movie making. Beautiful animal mounts and authentic Indian artwork convey a sense of true western history which the new owner, Armand Ortega intends to preserve. He is the descendant of four generations of respected Indian traders in the region and is dedicated to maintaining the historical integrity of the hotel. The rooms bear the names of the famous people who stayed in them and the hotel register still has the signatures of celebrities like Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn and Kirk Douglas making El Ranch truly the home of movie stars. So if you plan to travel through Gallup like I did, its well worth your time to stop and at least take a tour of this wonderful place that is as much a museum as a hotel.

About six hours farther west and an hour north up 1-40 is the Grand Canyon where I am writing this column from my campsite on the stunningly beautiful south rim. According to the park service brochures, the canyon and the surrounding Rocky Mountains were formed about 70,000,000 years ago and the canyon is a mile deep and 18 miles wide in some places.

As early as 1540 the Hopi Indians were guiding Spanish explorers through the area and  then in 1869 John Wesley Powell led a major expedition through the canyon. In 1901 the construction of a rail spur made travel to the canyon much easier and tourism began to grow. In 1908 President Theodore Roosevelt declared the Grand Canyon a National Monument and in 1919 Congress made the canyon a national park.

Nowadays the thousands of visitors who come from around the world to experience its awe inspiring beauty are offered many different opportunities for staying on the rim and enjoying the Grand Canyon. There are guided mule rides to the floor of the canyon, rafting trips on the Colorado River, helicopter and bus sightseeing tours and of course, many hiking trails. Accommodations range from cabins and campsites to elegantly restored lodges which were originally built in the Roosevelt era. Numerous restaurants, a mall and a grocery store all make touring this national park a lot easier than it was for the first tourists arriving by train.

I found the $25 entrance fee cheap at the price and I  would highly recommend reservations for any type of lodging, including camping. I can also report that at an elevation of 7,000 feet the temperatures during the two days I stayed in the park averaged 79 during the day and lower 50s at night which was a pleasant break from the   100 degree plus days we have been having lately.

Next week I’ll be in LA for a personal tour of Will Rogers’ ranch with his great grand daughter, followed by a tour of Joel McCrea’s ranch with his grandson Wyatt. Till then I’ll see ya down the road….

 

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