Dracula vs. Frankenstein vs. Sam Sherman

Sam Sherman and Frankenstein from Joe O'Connell on Vimeo.

Just when we thought the documentary Love and Other Stunts was complete, I took a trip to legendary B-movie producer Sam Sherman's New Jersey house and met Frankenstein.

Sherman and I talked about the independent film scene of the '60s and '70s, about director Al Adamson (and Adamson's murder) and, of course, about stuntman Gary Kent whose story is the focus of Love and Other Stunts.

Sherman said he believed Kent was destined to be a major Hollywood star or perhaps the star of a television series, but instead Kent was soon back on the Adamson crew. But Kent's life did take interesting turns as you'll see in the doc. (Get regular updates on our Facebook page.)

Sherman said Kent's role as the good-guy lead in Satan's Sadists was a turning point for his Independent-International Pictures. Sherman is first and foremost a fan and a collector of film reels and memorabilia. He's also still actively working as head of IIP. And, as you can see, he knows just what box to open to reveal the star of Dracula vs. Frankenstein.

Find more about Love and Other Stunts here.

Sam Sherman: Photo by Joe O'Connell

First trailer for 'Love and Other Stunts'

Love and Other Stunts trailer #1 from Joe O'Connell on Vimeo.

We are gearing up for a 2017 film festival launch of my documentary Love and Other Stunts.

We're working now on taking care of legal aspects and getting all our ducks in a row. I hired an amazing designer who will create our film poster.

The film's main character, legendary stuntman Gary Kent, is just back from Milan, where a film he starred in, Frame Switch, took best film honors at a festival there. At 83, he is rocking it.

Here is the first trailer for Love and Other Stunts!

Thanks again for your support.--Joe O'Connell

Sneak footage of 'Love & Other Stunts'

I spend the afternoon looking at footage we shot in Los Angeles for the Gary Kent documentary Love & Other Stunts that I'm directing/producing. Here are a few snippets that may or may not make it into the completed film. We're aiming for a rough cut by the end of the year.

Here's The Stuntman director Richard Rush talking about how his career began.



Director/stuntman John "Bud Cardos talking about doing stunts.



Director Don Jones talking about why he quite doing stunts.




and actor Marc Singer talking about Chuck Bail and The Beastmaster.

Elephant Gun takes aim at photography

I'm pleased to be part of a new photo collective Elephant Gun. Check out the photos (Mine are here) and dive into true creativity. It's gritty. It's real. It's art.

By the way, the image you see is my shot of movie director Richard Rush speaking on camera for Love & Other Stunts, the documentary film I'm making about legendary indie stuntman Gary Kent. The folks at Elephant Gun were particularly taken with the image. Thanks for including me in the Gun, guys!

Why I'm making a documentary about Gary Kent

This is a clip from a press conference we had Saturday in Dallas for the documentary Love & Other Stunts about indie film legend Gary Kent. Watch it, and you'll see why I'm making this movie! Check out the IndieGoGo campaign here! With nine days to go we are 79 percent funded.

'Love & Other Stunts' nearing halfway point at IndieGoGo

Get Gary Kent and this doc out of jail!

We're trying to raise finishing funds for my documentary LOVE & OTHER STUNTS about legendary stuntman Gary Kent over on IndieGoGo, and it's going well. We're at 42 44 percent of our goal--more than $4,000--with the midway point approaching. Not bad.

Now we've decided to have a special screening at some future date (most likely in Austin, Texas) just for contributors. Sound good? Wait until you see the other  perks.

Help us complete the ultimate stuntman documentary!

 OK, it's official. The IndieGoGo campaign to fund the completion of my doc Love & Other Stunts about stunt legend Gary Kent is a go as of this very moment. (Hat goes out and bumps you in the chest.)
Please visit the site and consider dropping a few dollars in the coffers here:  http://igg.me/p/309171/x/2068884

Here's more info you will find on the site.--Joe O'Connell

 

The most interesting man in the world

I was at a writing conference in the late '90s when I met a white-haired hustler with a Burt Reynolds mustache and a knowing grin. He introduced himself as Gary Kent and told me about a cult biker film he'd starred in called Satan's Sadists. That night I tracked down a copy of the film and watched it, then I tracked down Gary and wrote a couple of articles about his unique film career doubling Jack Nicholson and Robert Vaughan,  and staging stunts and special effects sequences for notable directors Peter Bogdanovich, Monte Hellman, Richard Rush, Al Adamson and Don Coscarelli for movies including Hell’s Angels On Wheels, Psych-out, Targets, Bubba Ho-tep, and the noir Westerns The Shooting and Ride in the Whirlwind.


One day I told Gary someone should make a documentary about his life and career. Then I realized that someone is me. Gary agreed and opened his archives of personal photos and home movies to me and provided contacts for his long-time film industry friends and his family.

 

I've written about the film industry 15 years, including as a columnist for The Dallas Morning News, Austin American-Statesman and The Austin Chronicle and as a contributor to Variety and Video Business. I'm also an award-winning fiction writer, novelist and photographer. I'm a storyteller.

The documentary begins following Gary's journey with the release of his memoir Shadows and Light: Journeys with Outlaws in Revolutionary Hollywood. But I soon realized this film is about more than a guy who makes movies. Gary has faced bigger challenges in his personal life: his wife and soulmate's battle with alcohol and an abusive mother; his own struggle to sucker-punch cancer. The documentary gets to the heart of a survivor who learned how to take a fist to the gut, stand up and try life again.

It's time for the martini shot

We've got a lot of footage in the can, but this campaign will fund final shoots, editing and permissions to use film clips in the documentary. An editor is lined up and waiting. Gary is on board 100 percent, and isn't shying away from the grittier parts of his personal story being revealed. Your donation will assure this project is completed.

Why you should help

Gary Kent's story is one worth telling. You'll see from the brief video above that he is a compelling, charasmatic, good guy with an amazing film career and personal story worth telling. My aim to see this film screen at both mainstream and genre (horror, biker, sci-fi) film conventions like Cinema Wasteland. Both domestic and foreign televisions, DVD and streaming sales will follow.

Did you check out these perks for participating in our campaign? First edition copies of Gary's memoir are at this point ultra-rare. Come have lunch with us, pretty please?

Spread the word!

Please post a notice of this campaign to your Facebook page. Blog about it. Send a note to Filmnewsbyjoe at yahoo dot com and ask me questions. Let's cement Gary Kent's place in film history.