It's been a busy month for all The High Chaparral folks, so catch up on what's happening at the ranch in this edition of the newsletter:
- Announcing the date and location for the 2009 High Chaparral Reunion!
- Henry Darrow's new movie premiers in Las Vegas.
- Guest star Barbara Luna works on a new Star Trek production.
- Read the results of the 2009 High Chaparral Reunion Survey.
- The Kent McCray lobby was dedicated at his former prep school.
- Harry Sukman's music was performed live at the University of Hartford.
- Rudy Ramos (Wind) can be seen in the movie trailer for Mr. Sadman.
- A vintage photo and article on Mark Slade (Blue Cannon), and a new posting on the Mark Slade Studio RedactedRedux website.
- Don Collier (Sam Butler) is the new Arbuckle's Coffee Cowboy.
- Remembering High Chaparral director Joseph Pevney.
- Questions and Answers.
- Photos, video clips, sound bites, and more!
Remember, if you have any problems reading this newsletter -
Click here to open it in a web browser.
The 2009 High Chaparral Reunion:
Destination Tucson
October 16-17-18, 2009 in Tucson, AZ
Mark your calendar and plan to attend the 2009 High Chaparral Reunion!
Watch for details as plans are finalized, but this is an event not to be missed. We'll be reuniting the cast and crew at Old Tucson Studios where the show was originally filmed.
This is a wonderful chance to see the original Cannon ranch house set, reminisce with the people who made The High Chaparral, meet your favorite HC star, meet other fans, experience the places where the show was actually filmed, and have a truly unique, one of a kind experience.
See you in Tucson - on The High Chaparral!
Q&A
Question:
Was there an official branding iron in The High Chaparral episodes? If so, what did it look like?
Answer:
Yes. The Cannon cattle were branded with a basic 'HC'. Kent McCray provided the background story behind how this brand was made: "The HC brand was made for the episode and it was
used periodically. It was not used in the pilot. The prop man
had the Paramount metal department make it up for the show."
The brand can be seen briefly in the branding scene from Bad Day for a Thirst - click the photo to see the video clip. While searching for a scene that would show the Chaparral brand, I wondered how hard it was to get the actors to learn how to handle cows, and this caused Kent to laugh at my mistake, since obviously the show had stuntmen and wranglers to handle the animals. Actors do what they do best - act!
The High Chaparral brand can be seen in this screen capture
from Bad Day for a Thirst. Click the photo to see the video clip.
Having Trouble reading this email?
Question:
I was watching "The Arrangement" the other night and thought I heard the "standard"
Victoria theme in that. I thought there were two Victoria themes? I know there is a different one--I need to figure out which is Sukman and which is Rose, because I think I have them confused. What I hear when Victoria enters the dining room at Casa Montoya in "The Arrangement" is what I always thought was the Harry Sukman Victoria, because I hear it in the other episodes.
Answer:
The theme you hear for Victoria in the pilot episode (The Arrangement) was written by David Rose. The U.S. Copyright site lists two entries for Victoria, One attributed to David Rose in 1969 and another in 1970 by David Rose, arranged by Matt Dennis.
However, as with all the regular episode character themes, the music you're hearing for Victoria (and the rest of the Montoyas when it's a serious theme) in the remainder of the episodes is the lovely Montoya Theme by Harry Sukman. This piece of music was a particular favorite of David Dortort.
Susan Sukman McCray provided background information about the two themes and the copyright dates in this message: . In it, Susan says, "As far as the theme for Victoria goes, David Rose only composed the music for the pilot of High Chaparral. The pilot was in 1966. Harry Sukman composed all character themes and background music scores for all the episodes of The High Chaparral. The pilot music was done by David Rose. I just looked at my High Chaparral book, which has all the music and themes, and I find Victoria, written by David Rose, arranged by Matt Dennis. The copyright is 1969 and 70. The reason being, the copyright which originally was under David Rose in 1966, was transferred to Open Door Music, which is a publishing company owned by David Dortort. All of the music after 1967 was transferred into the Open Door Music Company for publishing. I think that may clear it up. That includes all Harry Sukman music as well, so you will find the 1969-70 date on The High Chaparral music by David Rose, even though it was only composed for the pilot in 66."
In this composite video clip, listen to the David Rose theme from the pilot episode The Arrangement, followed by a unique scene in a second season episode, The Promised Land. In it, Victoria plays the Harry Sukman Montoya Theme during the dialog.
Click on the photo to see the composite video and hear both the David Rose and Harry Sukman music
themes associated with Victoria.
Having Trouble reading this email?
Question:
The quote 'brand 'em, don't bar-be-que 'em' came up in discussion on the fan boards - what scene is this from, and is it really used more than once?
Answer:
This catch-phrase is indeed used twice in The High Chaparral. It appears first in the pilot episode Destination Tucson, when Big John Cannon uses it to chastize Blue for his inexperience. Later in episode 26, Bad Day for a Thirst, Blue quotes his father when he uses what would be almost a year's worth of experience to teach Buck's Apache proteges Sourdough and Saddleblanket how to brand a cow.
In this scene from the pilot episode Destination Tucson, Blue Cannon wrestles a steer, but his inexperience at branding displeases his father. Click the photo to view the video clip.
Having Trouble reading this email?
In this scene from Bad Day for a Thirst, Blue demonstrates proper branding technique to one
of Buck's new Apache ranch hands. Click the photo to see the video.
Having Trouble reading this email?
We Get Letters
This month's Letters to the Editor includes email from Sweden, a letter from a namesake of Billy Blue Cannon, and interesting information from an HC fan who is also an actress.
Do you have a question about The High Chaparral, the cast, or anything connected with the show? Have a comment on the newsletter or something you'd like to see covered? Send it to info@highchaparralnewsletter.com, and we'll do our best to get the answer for you!
Henry Darrow Movie Premiers
It may have been 40 years since we first saw our favorite stars in The High Chaparral, but their talents continue to keep them busy and in demand.
On June 19th, Henry Darrow’s movie Primo opened in Las Vegas. Written and directed by award winning filmmaker Francisco Mendez, this independent production was shot in El Salvador and Nevada and tells the story of three cousins during the war in El Salvador. Separated, they reunite when their grandfather – played by Henry – becomes ill.
In this interview, Mendez discusses the movie and the 'legendary Henry Darrow', saying, "We cast the film out of Los Angeles and Nevada. Our stellar cast (primarily Screen Actors Guild) includes the legendary Henry Darrow, who was the first Latino I had seen on an American TV show when I was growing up in El Salvador. He played Manolito Montoya, a trickster and ladies man, in High Chaparral. It wasn't until years later that I learned he couldn't get acting jobs using his real name 'Delgado.' When he changed his name to 'Darrow,' he started working right away. Since then, he has created a remarkable body of television work."
You can see Henry in the movie trailer here and at the official Primo movie website.
BarBara Luna as Conchita in The Firing Wall
Luna Appears in Trek Production
The always beautiful BarBara Luna (Conchita in The High Chaparral episode The Firing Wall) is appearing in a new Star Trek Phase II fan production, Enemy Starfleet. Fans of Luna will recall she played Marlena Moreau, Kirk's girlfriend in the acclaimed 1967 Star Trek episode Mirror, Mirror.
This feature article describes the project.
2009 Reunion Survey Results
Thank you to EVERYONE who took the time to take the Reunion survey questionnaire. Sixty-four of you let us know what you thought!
We're carefully considering everything you said, and making decisions about the next Reunion. Thanks to YOUR input, we're going to hold part of the 2009 Reunion where the show was filmed - at Old Tucson Studios! So plan to head to the Cannon Ranch, because we'll all be meeting on the original High Chaparral on October 16, 17, and 18th, 2009. It's going to be very special, so watch upcoming newsletters for announcments and plans.
Here are the results of the survey - click on the image to view it all:
