50-Years Ago

My 66th Birthday
Fifty years since I started working at Corriganville. Actually, I started working there in late December 1958 - working weekends only; and not allowed to do any stunts at that time, but only to walk as background extras and put up the safety ropes before each show. We were told we were "learning the ropes". By February of 1959, on my 16th birthday, we were having bad weather and the cast had gathered in the saloon to celebrate, not mine, but the birthday of another stuntman, Dick Lemming, whose birthday had been the day before. I remember feeling left out, but still congratulated Dick and participated in the celebration. After that day my career at the ranch began to change. I met Ed Mohler and the two of us worked up a fight routine to top all fight routines, and soon we were regulars in one of the main western show events. That led to more parts in more shows and I continued to work at the movie ranch throughout the summer playing Billy the Kid in a Crash Corrigan movie production that we filmed on certain week days so the customers could see a "real" movie being made while they visited the ranch whenever there were no real Hollywood movie companies shooting.

Home after meeting and check e-mail and news sites with girls and peanuts. Off to Sam's Club to shop for Hall. Talk Beth from store. Load up and meet Tom Snow, George Widman, Norman Foster, and David Bradshaw at a Chinese restaurant for lunch. Home after and down for nap. Up and feed girls. Open mail. Work in office. Clean up side yard; sweep floors. Tom Snow calls. No TV, Beth home and we talk. She brought home orange chicken and we eat. Then it's TV:last nights recording of CSI: Vegas. Later ~