Saturday, January 06, 2007

"Arizona Heat," the movie: How's your memory?

I was watching the "Arizona Heat" movie filmed on location in Phoenix and Scottsdale back in 1987, starring Michael Parks and Denise Crosby. I recognize a lot of the local scenes and some of the bar scenes, like the ones that were filmed at Warsaw Wally's and Mr. Lucky's. But there were a few places that I didn't recognize and thought maybe some KCAC/KDKB blogger might know since you all seem to have great memories. The places that were mentioned in the credits were the (1) Sands Resort Hotel, (2) Sylvester's Sizzling Catfish Restaurant and the Serendipity Cocktail Lounge. I assume these places are no longer around as I couldn't google any information on them, and hope that one of you readers might have some information of where they were, or what might be in those buildings now.

Anybody remember this movie being filmed here? There's a pretty exciting car chase in the desert somewhere. Some pretty funny dialog also I thought.

Terri, as you requested I'll pass this DVD on to you, the next time I see you.

32 comments:

Mariah Fleming said...

Lowell, I"d love to see the DVD myself. Maybe Terri and I can watch it together and nudge our memories while we do. Some AZ theatre folks I know were involved in it. Yes indeedy, I remember the Sands Resort ('le hotel du jour') and the Serendipity. Right now I'm battling a cold from hell, but as soon as I can think I'll fill you in on what i remember.

Hey did we ever commmiserate about Wallys? What a place that was. By any chance did you know Thom Morgan (deceased bass player from Midnite Blues) I used to go there all the time, sometimes sat in. Thom called me about doing an acoustic blues music project with him. It was such a disappointment to lose him so needlessly.

Sylvester's doesn't ring a bell with me but I'll bet someone will know!!

Tom Wright said...

More Phoenix-area film exposure:
An episode of "Then Came Bronson" (a TV show ca. 1969-71, starring Michael Parks) was filmed in the East Mesa/Apache Juntion area. Several scenes took place in the "Ned Cross - Not Red Cross!" bar that was a fixture on the Apache Trail for many years. Sonny & Cher's "Chastity" was filmed partially in Phoenix and Scottsdale. Barbara Streisand's version of "A Star is Born" includes footage from Sun Devil Stadium, Gammage Auditorium, and the old Red Dog Saloon in Scottsdale. "Murphy's Romance" has a scene filmed at the Valley Art Theater (although most of the rest of the film was shot in and around Florence). And then there's "Raising Arizona" which gives us a final look at the old Jokake Inn and the North Scottsdale desert before the red-tile roofs took over. And don't forget the opening shot of "Psycho" with its famous pan of the Phoenix skyline, Janet Leigh lounging erotically on a bed in a seedy Phoenix hotel, and a later scene of her crossing a downtown street (Central Avenue? Washington Street?) with Christmas decorations in the background. Ah, and Marilyn in "Bus Stop" with its Technicolor scenes of the rodeo parade along Central Avenue in the mid-1950s. And "The Ballad of Cable Hogue" with scenes filmed at the old Apacheland studios near Apache Junction in 1970. And Robert Altman's "O.C. and Stiggs" filmed in the heat of Summer 1983, mostly in and around Scottsdale... Undoubtedly there's more, but that's all that comes to mind right now. Wait a minute: "Zabriskie Point," with the big house in Carefree blowing up at the end! Bob Hope's "Cancel My Reservation"! And does anybody else remember the old Cudia City Studios (40th Street north of Camelback Road) where a number of low-budget films and TV shows were shot?

Anonymous said...

Tom, Mariah: You both have very good memories. Tom, I remember a scene in "Psycho" where Janet Leigh was in her car driving north on Central, watching her boss cross the intersection at Central and Adams, and there appeared to be a lot of Christmas decoration in the intersection.

Do you know anything else about the "Bus Stop" movie? There was a night club in the movie by the name of the "Blue Dragon Club." I've often wondered where that was filmed.

Just last night I was watching the Clint Eastwood "The Gauntlet," where there was a major scene in Phoenix; the scene where the bus drives through Phoenix and up the steps of "City Hall." "City Hall" being the Phoenix Civic Plaza/Symphony Hall area.

I haven't seen most of the other movies you mentioned, except for "Murphy's Romance," and "Raising Arizona." There were some other movies partially filmed in the Phoenix area that weren't on your list; "Transamerica in 2005," "Terminal Velocity in 1994," "The Getaway also in 1994," "Days of Thunder in 1990 at Phoenix International Raceway," and released just this year "Forget About It" with Burt Reynolds. This movie was actually filmed in 2004 mostly in Mesa and downtown Phoenix, with some nice shots of Patriots Square Park, the Luhrs Tower, and the old Maricopa County Court House. The movie was released in only two states for some reason (financial reasons I assume). Plus there is the "Dante's Arizona" movie filmed in the Valley area by Nico Holthaus, which had a premier at the Alto House in 2005. This is the movie where Hans Olson plays a character by the name of Jimmy the Jackalope.

Tom, does the Cudia City Studios" buildings still exist, or were they leveled with some of the other buildings in that area (I'm thinking the north west side of the intersection you mentioned).

I may have to rent DVDs of the other movies you mentioned that I haven't seen.

Anonymous said...

PS Tom, that "seedy Phoenix hotel" you mentioned in "Psyscho" was the Jefferson Hotel (now the Barrister Building), just to the left of the Luhrs Building in the opening scene. I've heard there was a remake of "Psycho," but don't know anything about the newer version.

Anonymous said...

PS #2 I meant "Alwun House" above, NOT "Alto House," when I mentioned "Dante's Arizona." Some sort of a typo on my part. Anybody remember this premier of "Dante's Arizona" in 2005 at the Alwun House?

Anonymous said...

Tom: How did you know abut the "Then Came Bronson" episode that was filmed in the Eas Mesa/Apache Junction area? That seems like pretty obsure information. Were you part of that filming?

Marty said...

Hey guys, how can you have missed the reason I gave for quitting a "perfectly good job" at the County treasurer's office: to work as an extra along with Toad (Gary Kinsey) and Ron (Papa Eric) Harris?
The movie, LITTLE FAUSS & BIG HALSEY, starring Robert Redford and Michael J. Pollard, along with the delightful Noah Beery, Jr and the world's earthiest old character actress, whose name escapes me. ... directed by Sid Furie. Marsha Green even had a speaking part ..
"Is he dead?" and former local stage director Kit Carson was there with his two kids, thus picking up 3 x $15/day. Scenes were shot at a dirt track off Grand Ave, in the desert about where Desert Ridge is now, and on Saturday night at Manzanita Speedway. The stunt camera guy was amazing .. he had never raced before but he wanted to get the feel, so he entered a race that nite .. started in last place, and came in second.
Then he did it all again with the stunt drivers with a full size Panavision camera hanging off the side of the bike.
I don't think Nick Nolte worked on that one, but he was part of our little group of hippies being interrogated by Robert Blake at an old ranch around 40th & Dobbins, in the film ELECTRA-GLIDE IN BLUE.
Also in that group of freaks supposedly "communing" it in the desert were most of the members of the band Chicago, since the film was being produced and subsequently (at the urging of Blake when the director quit) directed by James William Guercio, Chicago's resident genius and producer. Mostly Blake would set up the scene, the cinematographer would line up the shot, and then they would have Guercio look at it.
"Looks good to me" and away they'd go.
I would up getting totally blitzed with one of the band guys and we never actually managed to stagger out and get in the group scenes. So you won't see me there, but you will see Nick, and his friend Jimmy from Minnesota, and maybe some others.
And while we're at it, a little Psycho tidbit (that a lot of people know) is that when she's out on Central Avenue getting ready to take off with the money, you see a building with a radio tower on top. Everyone always assumes that it was the Westward Ho,but actually it was the old Heard Building which I believe is gone now.
Marty

Marty said...

Oh by the way .. I was there the nite Cudia City burned down. Actually it was early in the morning and I was supposed to be delivering the Arizona Republic but I was joining every other paperboy in that part of town racing toward the fire.
Cudi City was actually just a small Western movie set alonside the canal north of Camelback off 40th Street. We used to go over there and play when we were about 11 or 12 (1957 or so). IT was just a little further up the cancal from where Chelsea's Kitchen is now.
Say Hoppy, you don't suppose those rest'runt folks had anything to do with that place goin' up in flames do ya?
Well actually California, it was more likely those newspaper kids .. how d'ya suppose they got there so fast anyways?

Anonymous said...

Tom, Marty: That's very interesting information you added about Cudia City Studios (which I wasn't even aware of, having spent way too many years working in a cubicle); I've since done a little googling and found about the "26 Men" TV series that was filmed there. I never even hear of this series either, or at least have forgotten it. Amazon.com has the DVD out now and one Amazon.com reviewer wrote the following.

"This DVD (Vol. 1) has the first four episodes broadcast in 1957. Episode Two features a young Our Gang star, and future Hollywood celebrity, Robert Blake. "26 Men" was filmed on location around Camelback Mountain, the Superstition Mountains, and at Cudia City. Cudia City was a 2-street Western set at 40th Street and Camelback Road in Phoenix Arizona. It mysteriously burned to the ground in 1967. But it's founder, Mr. Cudia, lives on. Today, across the street, lie track-homes titled: Cudia Estates. As a curiousity, Arizona fans can marvel at the pristine landscape of the Phoenix and Scottsdale area; 50 years before it was trampled by freeways and shopping-malls. "26 Men" is a fast-moving, outdoor adventure-ride down memory lane. And it may have the best theme song of any Western series, written by Russell Hayden."

Russell Hayden was always one of my favorite Western stars. Now that I know about Cudia City Studios, I will order the 2-volume DVD set of "26 Men." Tom, Marty: Thanks for the Phoenix history lesson, very enjoyable reading.

Tom Wright said...

Lowell, Marty, et al.-

Thanks for the Cudia City info! I'm not sure I ever saw the place myself, but I know it was part of the local lore when I was growing up. The main thing I remember about that area was the "Goofy Golf" course at (I think) the northeast corner of 40th & Camelback. This would have been somewhere between about 1965 and 1970, when I was 10 to 15 years old. The "Green Gables" course (24th just south of Indian School - or was it Thomas?) remained my favorite, though, mainly due to the enormous shade trees that made it bearable in summer.

And Lowell, I remember the "Then Came Bronson" episode because I watched it on TV in 1970 (or whatever the date was), and I recognized the settings. I don't think I've seen it since then. It was a poor man's "Easy Rider" - Michael Parks on a motorcycle, riding around the country having adventures (but not, regrettably being murdered by rednecks; he wasn't much of an actor).

Yes, the 1998 remake of "Psycho" also opens up in Phoenix, using many of the same landmarks as the Hitchcock version. Unfortunately it leaves out Janet Leigh's heaving breasts, using Ann Heche's instead - a poor substitute, in my opinion.

Here are some other films with Arizona connections. These are not necessarily either "good" or "rotten-tomato-worthy" films, just ones filmed in out fair state that nobody's mentioned yet.

Phoenix area: "Pocket Money" (1972, Paul Newman & Lee Marvin); "Greasewood Flat" (2005, a locally-made independent film with scenes at the Rhythm Room and at the namesake cowboy bar in North Scottsdale); "Little Miss Sunshine" (2006, really just a few scenes of freeway traffic and desert countryside along Interstate 17); "Harry & Tonto" (1974, ditto, plus a few scenes in Sedona); and the 1953 "War of the Worlds" which contains a few shots of the Arizona National Guard Range near Florence - watch for Gene Barry and Ann Robinson dashing through the desert as Army tanks and jeeps are heading for battle with the Martians.

The 50's version of "WOTW" still scares the crap out of me, by the way. The special effects are cheesy by modern standards, but Spielberg ruined the remake with too many elaborate special effects at the expense of story and character. The 1950s version, crude and simple as it is, still packs an emotional wallop. With Spielberg, all you can say is "wow, how did they blow up all those people?" and "why did they cast Tom Cruise as a working-class regular guy?" Check out the DVD of the 50's version if you don't believe me.

Outside of the Phoenix area: the John Ford westerns in Monument Valley. Several films around Sonoita and Patagonia: "The Wild Rovers," 1971, with William Holden and Ryan O'Neal; "Red River," 1948, with the Duke and Monty Clift slugging it out; and the musical "Oklahoma!" with the volcanic peaks of the Mustang Mountains rising above the supposedly Midwestern cornfields. Oliver Stone's "U-Turn" (1997 with Sean Penn, pre-stardom Jennifer Lopez, and Nick Nolte, filmed in Superior). "The Great White Hope" with pre-Darth Vader James Earl Jones, filmed partly at the old Dominion Hotel in Globe. "Midnight Run" with Robert DeNiro and Charles Grodin, also filmed partially in Globe with additional scenes near Sedona and Flagstaff. A whole slew of 1950s westerns (many of them starring James Stewart) filmed in and around Oak Creek Canyon (one of them, I forget which, has Jimmy fighting to the death was a vicious Apache as they are both swept through Slide Rock). "The Rounders," a terrific little film (1965?) with Henry Fonda and Glenn Ford as modern cowboys in and around Sedona and Flagstaff. Henry's boy Peter tooling around with Dennis Hopper in "Easy Rider" with Sunset Crater in the background. (Peter also made a film called "Wanda Nevada" at Lee's Ferry and the Grand Canyon in 1978; I saw it but, mercifully, no one else did.) In the Prescott area: "Billy Jack;" San Peckinpah's wonderful "Junior Bonner" with a classic fight scene at the Palace Bar; and a 1940s melodrama called "Leave Her to Heaven" filmed in Technicolor at Granite Dells.

And, finally, the piece de resistance: 1954's "Johnny Guitar," the greatest lesbian western ever filmed in Oak Creek Canyon or anywhere else. The stuff that Joan Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge get away with in this film makes it one of the greatest "camp" experiences of all time. John Waters would be proud to call it his own.

Tom

Mariah Fleming said...

AN OBSCURE TIDBIT: My family has a 16mm movie color film written and directed by the AZ artist Paul Coze, made in the late 30's or early 40's before WWII.

It is a 'documentary' about AZ Boy Scouts. It was filmed up north around Oak Creek Canyon; in the film the boy scout leader actually shot and killed a cougar (GASP!)

My husband Ray Bowen is in the process of trying to figure out the best way to preserve this and to transfer it to DVD. The scenes up North were achingly gorgeous; truly pristine. I remember climbing around Slide Rock in the late 50's when you could drink the water.

I don't remember seeing "Cudia Studios'it sounds real cool. Played goofy golf a the places mentioned. BTW the Green Gables is on Thomas I believe. Gables was an enchanting little place in its time, wasn't it?

Was any film ever shot at the old Safari Inn? Remember that 24 hour coffee shop?

Reading all these memories is fantastic you guys...brain food for us to chew on. Yum! (o:

Mariah Fleming said...

PS Stay tuned for articles on these topics in a new AZ magazine called "REZONATE." Will let you know when the first issue hits...soon. The wheels are turning as we speak! It's gonna knock your socks right off.

vagabondvet said...

Whew! What fine vignettes! Say, it's not in Phoenix, but you guys left out one of the major studios in Arizona, the Old Tucson Movie Lot just west of Tucson, a whole little western town, where they did a lot of filming:

"Films such as Rio Bravo, Gunfight at the OK Corral, The Three Amigos, and more recently, Tombstone with Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer, were filmed at the the Old Tucson Movie Studio. The television series High Chaparral made its home at Old Tucson, as well as episodes of Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie and countless TV commercials. If you have seen a John Wayne movie, you have probably seen Old Tucson, which was built in 1939 for the movie Arizona."
--
"In 1945 the next picture was filmed there. It was The Bells of St. Mary's starring Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman. From then on studios and actors began wanting sequences and entire films to be shot there. Gene Autry, Bert Lancaster, James Stewart, Kirk Douglas, Ronald Reagan, Glen Ford in the 50's."
--
"John Wayne chose Old Tucson to film four of his movies. Rio Bravo, McClintock, El Dorado and Rio Lobo all left their buildings added to the growing "town". Lilies of the Field (Sidney Poitier won and Oscar), the TV series Have Gun Will Travel, episodes of Bonanza and many scenes of High Chaparral were filmed there."
--
"1968 a 13,000 square foot sound stage was built. Frank Sanatra, Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman, Charles Bronson and, Harrison Ford are some of the actors who came to the studios which had expanded in the acquisition of another studio about 45 miles east of Tucson in Mescal Lakes. It was at the Mescal Lakes set that much of Little House on the Prairie was filmed."
--
"Three Amigos was filmed there in the 1980's with Chevy Chase, Steve Martin and Martin Short. Also CBS-TV's Poker Alice starring Elizabeth Taylor. Later Tombstone (1993) with Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer; Lightning Jack (1993) starring Paul Hogan and Cuba Gooding, Jr., and The Quick and the Dead (1994) with Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio showed that westerns were popular again."

Mariah Fleming said...

I LOVED going to Old Tucson! Thanks for reminding me of some great memories.

Tom Wright said...

OK, my last word(s) on the subject, then I'll be back on-topic. Yes, you're right about Old Tucson and the many movies made there, in whole or in part. Here are some more Arizona connections: Alice Doen't Live Here Anymore (Tucson), The Mountain Road (Jimmy Stewart again, with the Apache Trail standing in for the Burma Road), The Eiger Sanction (Monument Valley), Lost in America (probably the first and last Hollywood movie ever to shoot on-location in Safford), Brighty of the Grand Canyon (starring an obnoxious child actor named Dandy Curran who was an equally obnoxious schoolmate of mine at Kiva Elementary in Scottsdale), Charro! (Elvis!), The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing (Gila Bend), Plant of the Apes (1968 version) and The Greatest Story Ever Told (Page/Lake Powell area), Jerry McGuire (a few secenes in Tempe and Apache Junction), Used Cars (which had Mesa in an uproar over the topless dancers), The Grifters (Turf Paradise; the best mother/son comedy since "Psycho"), and a 1970s horror movie that I can't remember the name of but I think it involved William Shatner, Camp Verde, and hordes of poisonous spiders. Also: Bride of the Colorado (a "lost" silent film from the 1920s about a raft trip through the Grand Canyon, existing now only in a few still photos), and two concert films: Let's Spend the Night Together (Stones 1981) and Rattle & Hum (U2 1987) both filmed at Sun Devil Stadium. And it's not a movie, but the famous video of Springsteen doing "Rosalita" in front of an adoring crowd with young girls madly rushing the stage and giving him French kisses while he tries to sing... Phoenix, 1978, at the Coliseum. There's other footage from that night too but none of it has leaked out (well, not officially anyway).

Tom

Anonymous said...

And lest we forget Sean Penn and Oliver Stone stuck in Superior, AZ again...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120399/

Mariah Fleming said...

Say what?

Lowell Hollars said...

Hey Bob Gately

About your comment above somewhere (different posting), "And what about Patrick Farrels, "Ransom",
filmed on the streets of Scumdale in the 70s ? Pats still around and has reels to share...:" I just googled on that movie (The Ransom, 1977) and found it at "http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076598/combined" But I didn't see who Patrick Farrels was.

Anonymous said...

Tom

After reading your comment about Bruce Springsteen "doing Rosalita in front of an adoring crowd with young girls madly rushing the stage and giving him French kisses while he tries to sing (1978, at the Coliseum);" I did a little googling and found the video on YouTube at the following URL (in case anyone else wants to check it out).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRXkNYbaQTo

I may have to rent that "Johnny Guitar" flick, you got me interested in it.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, Lowell, Pat Farrell(now Pat Strong) was the Exec Producer of this bomb. I remember showing up at 5th Ave & Marshall Way to play the part of extras for the parade scene with the S,dale High band and cheerleaders leading the way. (Pat was a Beaver)77?, that was my post Dr. Munchies days much of which I dont/cant remember. Ask Pat, his number is (480)367-7995 or (310)248-2624.Say hi for me an tell him I'm back on-line.

Serendipity, Mariah, they sold alot of tickets to our shows as did the Bootlegger, Clouds and Rags, Ltd...Wow...

Bob G

Mariah Fleming said...

I was an extra in a movie filmed at the Wrigley Mansion that starred gap toothed actress Lauren Hutton; John Davidson; John Cassidy - does anyone remember this debacle? "A Time for Love" I think it was called.

Also remember a bunch of folks from the ASU Theatre dept used as extras in 'A Star is Born' with Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. My roomate (who went on to host her own tv show in LA) adored Streisand.

She came back to the dorm a little disenchanted because her diva idol reportedly spent much of the time being obnoxious and shouting "Fuck Off!!"

Ahh, the crusty but magical world of showbiz!

Anonymous said...

Tom, Marty

I ordered and received the 3 volume set of "26 Men" that were filmed at the Cudia City Studios in Phoenix. I've watched one of the 30 minute episodes so far, one called "Trouble at Pinnacle Peak." Kind of neat seeing Camelback Mountain in the background, and also Pinnacle Peak, and all that beautiful rocky desert scenery. I wish the shows were in color Two of the other episodes in Volume 1 have Robert Blake and Paul Sorensen, but I haven't watched those yet. There was a lot of scenes with horses crossing big streams, I don't know where that was.

Anonymous said...

Mariah

Great memory you have, we should call you "The Memorynator." I wasn't in Arizona in the mid '70's, but I just did a little googling and came up with this comment about a Springsteen 1975 show at Gammage. "Springsteen delivered a blistering show and worked the crowd into a complete frenzy, so much so that the large, humanity-packed balcony of Gammage began visibly swaying during the final stages of the concert. It was later reported that school officials had nearly decided to stop the show prematurely, although a post-concert engineering report gave the balcony a clean bill of health." That info was from the followig site: http://www.brucebase.org.uk/gig1975.htm

Mariah Fleming said...

Wow! Guess Chris didn't need to leave town after all!

Mariah Fleming said...

YOU'RE NOT CRAZY, I DELETED THE FIRST ONE TO CORRECT MY FRIEND'S NAME IN CASE ANYONE ELSE KNEW HIM (o: I only have a good memory on Wednesdays. LOL.
M
Lowell, in response to your comment way up top: "After reading your comment about Bruce Springsteen "doing Rosalita in front of an adoring crowd with young girls madly rushing the stage and giving him French kisses while he tries to sing (1978, at the Coliseum)..." here's something I just remembered:

Was anyone else there when 'the boss' came to Gammage Auditorium (very early 70's or maybe 1969) and the decibal levels supposedly cracked the walls? A friend, Christian Harting, who had been with Odyssey Records in Tempe helped promote it.

He felt an urge to depart shortly therafter for California. But it was a GREAT show.

Does that ring a bell for anyone?

Tom Wright said...

I wasn't at that show, but a friend who was there said he could feel the balcony swaying beneath his feet. Someone else once told me that the whole thing was instigated when Bruce yelled out "Let's do some damage to Gammage!" and everyone in the balcony began stomping their feet in time to the music. I think Gammage banned rock music for a while after that, possibly until Bob Dylan's "Christian" show in 1979, when the audience yelled and heckled him. This show was allegedly one of the lowest points in Dylan's career, and a factor in his refusal to tour for several years after that.

Tom

Anonymous said...

And James Garner did a movie in Florence, AZ down in Pinal County.
In Florence, they pronounce it Peenal... :

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0089643/

Mariah Fleming said...

Tom,
As far as I recall you're right about no rock after Bruce till Bob...and Dylan's show was, well, weird. I saw
Guthrie, Bromberg and Sebastian there, Sebastion in place of Steve Goodwin who had recently passed away...I think I'm right about that show, and that was a GREAT show.

Isn't all this reminiscing fun?

Liz Boyle said...

Wow. Your memories and stories and ancedodts are priceless, everyone!

Mary Jo West and Bill Close reported all the excitement, when, in 1978 the made-for-TV disaster movie "A Fire in the Sky" starring Richard Crenna and Elizabeth Ashley, was filmed in town.

Also, that same year, the movie pilot for the tv series "The American Girls" starring Priscilla Barnes (Three's Company) was filmed at Big Surf.

My girlfriend and I ditched our plaid uniform skirts, and school, to be extras in bikinis on the volleyball court.

And of course all the stars lunched at Dr. Munchies, in those days !

Oh, and speaking of the Jokake Inn..My dad was performing some union labor there in the 70's and garbage-picked a few furniture pieces out of a dumpster. I have a small, mexican tile and iron table from the Jokake Inn that is one of my most cherised items of Valley history!

Marty, I can picture you as a little Irish scamp of a paperboy!!!

Anonymous said...

I never saw the TV movie (A Fire in the Sky), but I just now checked and the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) says locals Bill Heywood and Pat McMahon also had roles in the movie.

For anyone else not familiar with this movie, the IMDB gives the plot as "Astronomers discover a comet that they believe will crash into Phoenix, Arizona. They attempt to warn officials, but no one believes them."

Tom Wright said...

If you missed "Fire in the Sky" don't feel too bad; it was a typical 1970s-made-for-TV disaster movie of no significance except for the local color (yes, I remember Pat McMahon popping up as a local newscaster). And Mariah, if the Pete Seeger show you saw at Gammage was in July 1978... I have a tape of it. It was broadcast on KMCR (now KJZZ). My friend Paul Lowes was there too... he's the "other" Richard Thompson fan I've mentioned to you, and we're going up to see Richard in Flagstaff on March 7th. I don't remember if Fairport Convention got played on KCAC but I did hear them quite a bit on early KDKB. The combination of Richard's timeless songs and unique guitar style, and Sandy Denny's angelic singing, was and is a thing of rare beauty.

Tom

Anonymous said...

Tom: Many thanks for the tip on Richard Thompson in Flagstaff (March 7th). I just check Thompson's schedule and see that he will also be at the Rhythm Room in Phoenix the following night (March 8th).

On another subject, the movie mentioned above somewhere ("Forget About It" with Burt Reynolds), that movie also had a local TV person in a very small role. Cory McCloskey, who does the weather on “FOX 10 Arizona Morning, played a car dealer in the movie.