Growing up in Ireland during the 1950s and 1960s, I was a great fan of the American Western. Every weekend I would walk four miles to the riding school to join a group of fifteen to twenty riders for a local trek to the hills, or to engage in barrel races and other events. The owner of the riding school, Mr. Skillen, favored the more relaxed Western style over the formal English schools. We often gathered by the warm stove in the large tack room on cold winter days and would sometimes sit for an hour or more discussing the latest episodes of Gunsmoke or Bonanza before saddling the horses and heading out for the day’s ride. Along with a number of my friends, I spent most Saturdays at the riding school, and dreamed of going to work on an American ranch.
One morning I came down to breakfast and announced to my mother and eldest brother that I was “going West.”
“How far west would that be?” my mother asked. “County Donegal?”
“Montana.” I retorted, seriously. “I’m going to Montana to live and work as a cowgirl.”
My mother was still laughing the next morning.
In March 2010, together with other Western fans, I will have an opportunity to relive the excitement of the Wild West—right here, in downtown Williamsburg.
The fourteenth Williamsburg Film Festival, honoring Hollywood’s golden era in both film and television, will be held at the Holiday Inn Patriot Hotel & Conference Center March 10-13 and will once again welcome hundreds of enthusiasts along with stars and screenwriters of some of Hollywood’s most popular Western films and television series.
During the festival, guests will have an opportunity to see continuous 16mm film screenings in two theaters, meet and talk with Hollywood actors in the star interview suite, and peruse thousands of memorabilia items in the dealer memorabilia room. Additionally, there will be daily star interview panels hosted by film historians and evening entertainment. Among this year’s guest stars are Lane Bradbury (The Rockford Files, I’ll Fly Away, Gunsmoke); screenwriter Jim Byrnes, wordsmith of thirty-seven Gunsmoke episodes and program story consultant; Joseph Campanella, television, motion picture and Broadway star, who has performed in Gunsmoke, The Big Valley, The Virginian, Dallas and Dynasty, among many other appearances; Ben Cooper, who has appeared in Bonanza and Gunsmoke, as well as in Dallas, Knots Landing and L.A. Law; and Morgan Woodward, of Cool Hand Luke, Gunsmoke and Wagon Train fame; and many other professional performers. (A complete list of attending stars can be found at www.williamsburgfilmfestival.org.) Ben Costello, author of the definitive book on the classic television series, Gunsmoke: Celebrating 50 Years of Television’s Best Western: an American Institution, will also attend this year’s festival.
The history of the festival dates to the 1980s, when a group of Western film enthusiasts held film nights in a private Williamsburg home. Over several years, as the attendees grew, it was thought that Williamsburg would be an excellent venue for a film festival. Gentlemen could enjoy the Westerns and ladies could participate in the numerous historic triangle diversions. While the organizers considered that attendance might be light at the first official festival held in 1997, they were surprised to welcome more guests than the hotel could accommodate. Since then, the festival has moved locations twice, and is currently housed at the Holiday Inn Patriot Hotel & Conference Center, which provides ample space for the growing audience, memorabilia rooms, interview/photo suites and two film theaters.
In conjunction with the event—and perhaps an unlikely pairing—the Solar Guard Space Academy will hold its annual reunion as part of the Williamsburg Film Festival. Guests can travel back through the inimitable world of early science fiction film and television, meet guest stars and help preserve the history of this beguiling genre.
“We are seeking to integrate more students and the younger generation into the event,” notes Bill Sasser, festival president. “We have recently met with professors and presented classes at the College of William and Mary and film studies departments at other colleges, in an effort to attract students of Western literature and film.” The festival provides an excellent opportunity for film and drama students to meet and talk with actors and screenwriters and to learn more about auditioning and working in film and television.
Attendance is currently comprised of a core group that presents at the Eastern festivals held annually in Williamsburg, Winston-Salem and Asheville, North Carolina, and Memphis, Tennessee.
Larry Floyd, guest star coordinator, handles celebrity management for the event. “Each year, we look for a different angle or fresh spin. This year, our spotlight will feature a tribute to Gunsmoke, and we are delighted to welcome screenwriter and producer, Jim Byrnes.” Mr. Byrnes penned thirty-seven episodes of Gunsmoke, and wrote and produced two book adaptations of Louie L’Amour’s The Sacketts. In 2008, he completed a television script for Hallmark’s The Gunfighter’s Pledge; this will be his first visit to the festival.
Westerns recount stories set primarily in the latter half of the nineteenth century in the western United States, and yet they continue to attract audiences from around the world. They have spawned sub-genres such as Euro and Spaghetti Westerns, and even incorporated horror and other influences. Still, most of us recall the staples such as Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Virginian, Stagecoach and Wagon Train, among other notable series that entertained us during our younger years.
I never made it to Montana, but I did reach Minnesota. After fourteen years, the frigid Midwest climate sent me south to Virginia and I finally connected with some real cowboys. It must be fate after all. I called my eldest brother this week in Ireland; he’s begun packing and will be here to meet some of his Western idols. Of course, he’ll travel by Continental Airlines, not stagecoach.
We hope to see you all at the Williamsburg Film Festival in March. Save the date and don’t forget your Stetson! pl
Festival 2010
Honoring the 55th Anniversary of Gunsmoke
Dates: March 10-13, 2010
Location: Holiday Inn Patriot Hotel & Conference Center, 3032 Richmond Road, Williamsburg, VA 23185
Telephone: 757-565-2600
For more information, visit the festival web site at
www.williamsburgfilmfestival.org
Photo of Directors:
Left to Right: Bill Sasser, President; Larry A. Floyd, Guest Star Coordinator; and Dr. William A. Krantz, Director
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