My Acting Debut – Winter in the Blood

I was contacted by a fellow from our local radio station in the summer of 2011 looking for old cars for movie props for the movie Winter in the Blood.  He came and looked at the cars and about 2 weeks later I was told on a Thursday I would need to bring 3 cars to the set at the Walleye Tavern between Kremlin and Havre on Saturday. What a scramble to get a couple of them running. Oh by the way the fellow said would you be interested in sitting in a bar scene? Do you remember how it was to sit in the bar? I said “I think I can remember!”

What a blast, we drove and hauled the cars to the set at 6 a.m. Saturday morning. I sat in on two barroom scenes with about 30 others. One was a 1950’s scene and one occurred in the 70’s. Two different costumes… heady stuff these movies… a lot of work for one scene. Then I got to drive my black 63 chevy up and down the highway for a couple of scenes.

We were there all day and the pay was a meal.. good enough for me. They apparently didn’t have enough of me so they invited me to Chinook on Monday for more shooting. I drove my nephews 65 chevy in a scene and my black chevy was in several background pictures.

Wonderful experience, we weren’t supposed to talk to the actors, but one in particular Richard Ray Whitman spent a whole afternoon in Chinook, Montana with me talking. He didn’t have a scene that day and just was relaxing. Very nice man and a real gentleman. He plays John First Raise in the film..

Of course I don’t know if I will even appear in the film as the cutting room floor may be littered with my image. I think the cars will make their appearances, however. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to do this… There is a lot of life after retirement..

I just read in the Missoulian that Winter in the Blood is debuting at the Los Angeles Film Festival in mid June.