Walter Hill & Howard Kazanjian

I traveled to Los Angeles yesterday to meet with director Walter Hill about writing the screenplay based on the book Thunder Over the Prairie. Mr. Hill is currently editing the latest film he directed starring Sylvester Stallone. The film will be released in April but the talented writer/director believes he can get the script written before the Stallone picture comes out. It was quite an experience having lunch with two motion picture icons – Walter Hill and Howard Kazanjian. I was glued to their conversation about the western movies they’ve made from The Wild Bunch to The Long Riders. Sometimes it seems I’m so busy trying to get a moment like that I don’t realize that it’s happening when I’m in it. Yesterday was the exception. I listened intently as they spoke of shooting the film Geronimo in Moab, Utah and The Wild Bunch in Mexico. They talked about some of motion picture’s greatest actors such as Alan Ladd. Mr. Hill shared a story about Ladd’s comments as he completed filming a sequence in the western Shane. Ladd walked off the set and someone asked him how he thought he did that day and Ladd responded with “I got a few good looks in.” It’s important to look like a cowboy who means business in westerns and evidently Ladd and Jack Palance were two of the best at that. No matter what strides are made in this movie making venture and how exciting it can be at times, my thoughts always go back to my brother Rick. It seems he might be allowed to get help for his eyesight soon. I can be happy and thankful for the opportunities I get to discuss western films with award winning industry folks but I’d trade all those chances and any chance I might ever get at success for my brother to be home and well again.