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High Chaparral Reunion 2013

March 22-24, 2013
Tucson, AZ

Act Now and Save!

Most fans take advantage of the Early Bird Discount special rate, so don't be left out - reserve your space at The High Chaparral Reunion 2013 now and save!

The Early Bird rate is only $255 for the weekend - a big discount off the regular price of $350. Don't miss the chance to save as it won't last long.

The Reunion is a celebration of all things High Chaparral (our beloved stars, production, creatives, back-stage folks, episodes, memorabilia) and other fans of the show. It's a unique opportunity to enjoy the American West and the culture that created the Great American Western on television and the big screen.

Special activities for fans in 2013 include:

• Wild West Days at Old Tucson.
• Cowboy Dinner at White Stallion Ranch for our fans who arrive on Thursday evening.
• The Bill Claxton Director's Cut of the Pilot Episode, containing never broadcast scenes.
• Reunion at the High Chaparral Ranch house set at Old Tucson Studios....and much more.

You definitely want to attend the 2013 Reunion!

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Pilot Episode, The Director's Cut

Thanks to the Bill Claxton family, The High Chaparral Reunion has available a copy of an exclusive 'Director's Cut' of The High Chaparral pilot episode.

Transferred from original 16mm film,this unique copy of the pilot episode was sent to Claxton for review during production. It contains scenes from the script that were shot but not included in the broadcast version.

Bill Claxton directed the two-hour Chaparral pilot and in 1967 was named producer-director of Chaparral. The first two years he directed roughly every other Chaparral and according to Kent McCray, "Really was the thought behind the show." As a truly one of a kind Chaparral artifact the Claxton pilot is a fascinating piece of history and provides an amazing look at the initial storyline. The 16mm film was faded but is still watchable, especially for the extra scenes which add richness to the story of how the Cannons came to Arizona to found The High Chaparral.

The High Chaparral Director's Cut of the pilot episode will be shown during the 2013 Reunion for fans to enjoy.

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Art-S Region Free DVD Release Supports The High Chaparral Reunion

Thank you to Dutch Publisher Art-S for providing copies of the newly released Season I of The High Chaparral for the 2013 High Chaparral Reunion silent auction!

Sales of the new release are brisk with over 2000 copies sold in the first two weeks, proving there are fans world wide anxiously looking for episodes of their favorite western. With an English soundtrack, no region encoding so no special playback concerns, the Art-S set is the first legitimate release for U.S. fans who've wanted a licensed DVD source that doesn't require a special player.

Art-S plans to branch out to Amazon UK in the near future, and to release Season 2. The Season I release contains some of the missing scenes in the pilot episode other publishers had trouble locating. Cost is $39.95 EU plus shipping.

For ordering check

High Chaparral Dutch Fan Site
http://clickdvd.nl/index.php?page=product&id=479
http://www.bol.com/nl/p/dvd/high-chaparral-the/1002004012136689/index.html

 

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Henry Darrow Lightning strikes

Henry Darrow continues to generate excitement with his successful biography Lightning in the Bottle.

An appearance at the Memphis Film Festival in May with co-author Jan Pippins kept both busy signing autographed copies and meeting fans.

The Tucson Weekly ran an article promoting the book.

The Examiner's Sue Thurman interviewed Henry, gathering enough for two great articles. Henry Darrow Talks About The High Chaparral and More with Charming Henry Darrow.

A video promo for the film with narration by Henry is also new on Yahoo here.

Lightning in the Bottle, the story of the trailblazing actor's first seventy-five years of life, stage and screen, can be ordered on Amazon.com. Fans who want a copy personally autographed by Henry Darrow can order at HenryDarrowBook.com.

Henry can also be seen in the independent film Soda Springs, which is available for order on Amazon.

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Susan McCray
Hollywood Hotline

High Chaparral alum Susan McCray has a new segment on radio station The Skunk FM KUNK.

Hollywood Hotline airs Mon thru Fri at 8:15 a.m. on "Rio and Hoot In The Morning."

No stranger to wearing multiple hats, Susan is the Entertainment Editor for KUNK which broadcasts in Mendocino County and on the internet at www.theskunkfm.com.

Plans are underway to add Susan’s popular Getting to Know you to The Skunk FM KUNK lineup.

 

 

 

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Dream Trip to Tucson

by John Richardson

(Editor's note: When The High Chaparral premiered John was in high school. He loved the show, but missed the last two seasons because of his military service with the U.S. Army and a tour of duty in View Nam. He's never seen it in reruns but still retains the great memories and love of The High Chaparral. In May 2012 he and a group of friends traveled to Old Tucson Studios..and The High Chaparral.)

As boys growing up in Oklahoma in the 50’s and 60’s, we all wanted to be Cowboys. We had a steady diet of TV and western movies. I never out grew my love for the iconic westerns of those days.

Some years ago one of my best friends and I took up Cowboy Action Shooting. In this sport you shoot guns that were in use prior to 1900, and dress in clothing that is period correct. He and I are both Masons and decided to take this cowboy thing one step further. We got with friends from the lodge and started doing degree work as 1870’s 1880’s cowboys. As the team grew we wanted to have a calendar printed with pictures of the team members in various western settings. It wasn’t long before the decision was made to take a trip to Tombstone and Old Tucson Studios to get these pictures in our cowboy garb, and in a true old west setting.

Once at Old Tucson the fun began. It was like stepping back in time 135 years. We stopped at every site, trying to take it all in. See where Dean Martin was hit over the head and tied up in Rio Bravo. To walk the same streets that John Wayne walked, and saw where Gun Smoke, Have Gun Will Travel, and other great westerns were filmed.

It took little time to wind our way to the set of one of my all time favorite TV shows, The High Chaparral. I was amazed; it looked just as I remembered. This is the very place Big John, Uncle Buck, Victoria, Blue Boy, Manolito, and Sam made one of the best (if not the best) TV westerns of all time. In my minds eye I could still see all of them. We took picture after picture on this set, and we all looked like we belonged there. At the end of the day we had taken over 300 pictures. But here is the kicker. I would venture to say that there was at least that number of pictures taken of us. Tourists from all over the USA & Europe stopped us to ask if they could take a picture with us.

When I was 9 or 10 I would strap on my Fanner “50”, and with my buddies play cowboys in the back yard. I would be dreaming all the while that I was a real Cowboy, a US Marshall, or a steely eyed Gunfighter walking the streets of Dodge City, Tombstone, or Tucson. Well, at 63 that dream came true. I walked the streets of Old Tucson and Tombstone, and it was everything I could have wished for.

If you are a fan of the old westerns, or into that part of our countries wonderful history, you owe it to yourself to visit Old Tucson Studios & Tombstone. For me and ten of my close friends it was the trip of a lifetime, and one we are planning to do again.

John Richardson
Sand Springs, Okla.

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Go Shopping

High Chaparral Reunion Merchandise - own a piece of Chaparral Memorabilia!

• Limited number of XL T-shirts
• Magazine with lots of photos
• High Chaparral Water Bottle
• 2009 CD

Reunion Merchandise Page

 

Couldn't attend but still want a signed photo? Remember you can get your very own cast photo or CD - - signed personally to you -from Henry Darrow, Don Collier or Rudy Ramos from Out West Entertainment.

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Mark Slade, Real Name

Vintage Article Reprint

Just to set the record straight, Mark Slade is his real name, although any actor’s agent probably would give up half of his ten percent to take credit for it.

It’s not that Mark Slade, who is in his third year as Billy Blue on The High Chaparral, is sensitive about it. It’s just that so many people are curious to know.

It’s my real name,” says the young man who achieved stardom in his first two years on the Western series, “and it was my father’s name and my grandfather’s.”

A native of Salem, mass, the eldest of four children, Mark was well on his way toward a career as a cartoonist or a ventriloquist when he was sidetracked into acting. It was while he was a student at Worchester Academy prep school that he filled in for an ailing cast member of “The Male Animal.”

That did it. Though he had worked for the sports department of his hometown newspaper drawing caricatures, and his comic strip “Sea Breeze” enjoyed a lengthy run in the Danvers (Mass.) Herald, he decided to leave for New York to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

After nearly two years of training and tryouts, he garnered his first major role – in Joshua Logan’s Broadway production of “There Was A Little Girl” which starred Jane Fonda.

Spotted in the show by Elia Kazan, Mark was brought to Hollywood in 1960 for the feature film, “Splendor in the Grass.”

By his own admission, his career went into a nosedive for some months until an appearance in the television series “My Three Sons” sparked the trend toward more and better rules in motion pictures and television. Mark also credits his rule as the baby-faced narcotics pusher in a “Mr. Novak” episode to gaining him the recognition he needed in the business. He also portrayed the seasick radio operator in “The Wackiest Ship in the Army.”

Mark married the former Melinda Riccilli on Jan 6, 1968. On March 21, 1969, Morgan Van Blacom Slade was born to the young parents who make their home in Sherman Oaks, Calif.

 

 

 

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