August, 2016: Frame Switch, a movie I con-starred in, is going to the Berlin Film Festival…Drew Thomas up for Best New Director, and Best Editor; Writer John Herndon up for Best Screenplay…An Honor, to be sure, for them and the whole Frame Switch Gang!

Paulo Biscia Filho is busy editing the final cut on Virgin Cheerleaders In Chains, a Horror Comedy we filmed here in Austin early spring…Paulo also directed, from a script by Gary Gannaway. I have seen the teaser Paulo put together, and it is marvelous. Can’t wait fro final product.

I am also working on putting together a crew and budget for “Shortcut To Hell”…another Drew Thomas film, produced by writer Bee Pedersen. We hope to shoot by late fall/early spring.

Oh, and I had a heart replacement…I now have a Bovine Trans-catheter valve in my chest!!! Thanks to the Drs., especially my pal, Dr. Robert Mingea, who put together the whole operating team…they were perhaps, saviors of my life. Also special thanks to Son Michael, for coming in from LA to take care of me through the whole procedure and aftercare…also Daughter In Law Celina…and neice in law Alice McTighe…son Chris…etc…all of these dear people and more and angels in my life…I am sooooo blessed to have their love surrounding me…so lucky and blessed, at once.

So, now, I have had several broken ribs, a broken hand, a broken leg, two heart by-passes, a leg major artery stent and by-pass, five main artery stents in heart, chemo, and a major heart valve replacement…you’d think that is enough? I am ready for some slack now…:)

Bud Cardos has his book out, published by Friend Robert Dix..titled “Action!!” It chronicles the life and times of this amazing man and dear friend of sixty years. I salute you, Bud, Mi Amigo!

Welcome back, friends and neighbors…and, thusly, welcome back Gary, Gar/Bear/G/Sector, Brother Gar and Boo…it has been a long, quiet spell, eh? While awaay from my web site I have been busy as a beaver building bridges, and favored works….did the ice-bucket challenge, finished a major movie “Frame Switch, flew to my sister’s funeral in Seattle, got inducted to my High School Hall of Fame and Wall of Honor..(Renton High, Washington State)…this meant a lot as that school changed my life forever for the good.

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Well, who knew? I was asked by the illustrious Alamo Theater gang to put together a stunt show for the closing night of their Fantastic Fest. I brought in Chuck Bail, Bud Cardos, Bob Ivy and Bobby Sargent for as film screening of stuntwork, a history of the biz, and then adjourned to the parking lot of Alamo Lakeline for a Live Stunt Show. Cars rolled, guys fell off of roofs, guys ON FIRE jumped out of exploding cars, more cars rolled, and Zach Carlson
did his awesome imitation of Evil Knievel…the next night, the stunt guys and moi were guests of The Austin Film Society for a sit down steak dinner and casual talk about our adventures falling, fighting, and frolicking through a combined 100 years of Hollywood Hijinks…sweet Jesus…would you believe it, we are all still friends, and still ALIVE!!

I finished shooting all of my scenes on Frame Switch, including “the big fire sequence” which is a highlight of the flame…(and one of my character ‘s (Alfred Whitby) dastardly deeds. Stuntman Zach Goss did the burn, and it went great…nobody was hurt, footage was fantastic. I cannot wait to see this fil completed. The whole shoot was a pleasure, working with talents like Deanna Brochin, Manny Ray, Al Bianci, etc. And production manager Sara Golembeck is soooo good, she got signed on with Terrence Malick productions….Drew, John Herndon, et al, and moi partied until wee hours after martini shot.
Made a car trip with John Herndon and Deanna Brochin to Cor;pus Christi, Texas, where we met up with director Drew Thomas and the lovely Christina La Puentes, to shoot some scenes for the movie Frame Switch. We were all guests of Christina’s grandparents…staying at their mansion (which has its own indoor movie theater, complete with indoor Marquee. I used to do theater in Corpus, and for a time, was an announcer at KSIX radio…talk about seeing ghosts? Yeah, that’s right…too many to count.

Man o man…what a busy year…too busy to keep up…made an excursion back to sunny Southern Calif., for granddaughter Hannah’s Graduation from Thatcher High School, visited with son Andy and my magnificent grandson, Timothy, then on to L.A. where I joined Joe O’Connell, Drew Thomas, and crew fro interviews for documentary “Love And Other Stunts.” We talked with one of my favorite directors, Richard Rua, old pal, stuntman/director Bud Cardos, script supervisor Joyce King, and uber-talented actor, Marc Singer. We also filmed Barney’s Beanery, Patty’s Restaurant, Musso and Franks, etc…all old haunts of mine when I lived and toiled in tinseltown. Only one mishap…2nd day of the shoot, the lightint gear was stolen from the trunk of the rental car….ooops…forgot to tell the boys this was Hollywood! Spent last four days with my beloved granddaughter, Nicolette, and her mom, Celina, in Whittier. Celina was kind enough to squire me around to places I wanted to visit-revisit, and even drove me into Sherman Oaks to hangout with grandson Ethan and his mom, Daphna….what a whirlwind triip!!