The High Chaparral Reunion

admin — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 13:22:05 +0000

Final two days to order Reunion merchandise before the deadline on Sunday 9/18. If you want a High Chaparral Reunion 2011 t-shirt, water bottle or the special 20 page magazine then visit http://thehighchaparralreunion.com/merchandise.shtml to place your order today.

Special High Chaparral Reunion Auction

gshook — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 18:57:57 +0000

In honor of The High Chaparral Reunion we have created a one-of-a-kind auction item on Ebay. The winner will receive a shiny High Chaparral Reunion water bottle, a pack of Old Tucson Studios Notecards and a vintage Old Tucson Studios pin. Bid today and be the proud owner of these unique items.

Here is the link:

Ebay Auction for The High Chaparral Reunion

On the road to Tucson

gshook — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 03:50:11 +0000

Here is a scene from the episode The Covey. Filmed mostly at Old Tucson, this clip shows the beauty of the Tucson desert. If you were attending the reunion, you’d see many of the shots, up close and personal, that were used in the show. They will take your breath away.

This episode was written by Alex Sharp, who also wrote A Fella Named Kilroy. He was a regular contributor to Bonanza, with seven of his scripts were turned into classic episodes. As a writer he was well thought of for his great character dialogue. That’s why The Covey is so good – the dialogue is revealing, quick, and to the point. And funny.

He was best known as a stuntman. When he attended the High Chaparral Reunion in 2005 he told us of his great friendship with Jerry Summers, who played ranch hand Ira in the first season. Jerry, who left the series to return to the more exciting work of stunts, was a small man about 5’6″ while Alex towered at 6’4″. Alex said the other stuntmen called the pair “the long and the short of it.”

The Covey intro

David Dortort at the 2005 High Chaparral Reunion

gshook — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 18:35:13 +0000

David Dortort, the creator and producer of The High Chaparral and his wife Rose attended the 2005 High Chaparral Reunion, which was held in Studio City, CA (this year’s reunion will be in Tucson, AZ). If I remember correctly it was the Dortort’s 60th wedding anniversary.

Here is a rememberance from Mr. Dortort:

“We were going to shoot The High Chaparral in Tucson, Arizona. I chose that location because it was really high desert rather than a studio back lot, which wouldn’t look like the real thing. I thought, let’s get out into the big sky country of Arizona and shoot it with all the grandeur and majesty of that landscape. So my dear wife, Rose, and I fly out of Los Angeles for Tucson, Arizona. And it’s one of these planes with three seats together on either side of the aisle and plopping down in the third seat was an actor named Cameron Mitchell.”

Cameron had heard we were casting the show. So he bought a ticket to fly to Tucson, made sure it was open seating so he could sit next to us and he could pitch me from Los Angeles to Arizona on why I needed him in the show. And you know something – it worked. He got the part and I was forever indebted to him for his wonderful performance as Uncle Buck.”

Another clip from The Doctor From Dodge

gshook — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 23:15:23 +0000

Doctor From Dodge Intro

Here is another clip from the High Chaparral episode, The Doctor From Doge. This episode always seems to be high up on the list of fans’ favorites. Its a great combination of humor and drama, with interesting glimpses into the characters – such as Blue introducing himself to the traveling dentist as “William” instead of the childhood nickname he is usually known as and Victoria’s immediate solution to the request for Blue’s ransom because she is, in her heart, his mother. And what a surprise ending!

Joe Butler’s statement in this clip of how he feels about John Cannon in priceless. How Bob Hoy would have loved to be in attendance at The High Chaparral Reunion, Oct. 21-23, 2011. But he will be with us in spirit. Filling in for Bob will be his wife, Kiva Hoy, who will no doubt have great stories about Bob and his love for the role of Joe Butler.

A new guest at The High Chaparral Reunion

gshook — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 03:00:24 +0000

George Contreras, son of Roberto Contreras, has accepted an invitation to the Reunion. What a treat it will be to have Roberto there in spirit. His portrayal of Pedro was perfection. What would The High Chaparral have been without his great comic timing?

Here is one of my favorite scenes with Pedro from the episode “Doctor From Dodge”, when he gets his tooth pulled by none other than Doc Holliday.

Doctor From Dodge

Reunion Memories

admin — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 21:11:46 +0000

Fan Brenda Greenwood shared her memories after the 2009 Reunion.

You could be sitting with Henry Darrow’s arm around you with that famous double-dimple smile aimed right at you! And after spending a weekend with the High Chaparral bunch, they’ll all be proud you call them friends!

My thoughts on the reunion was that it was more than I had ever imagined!

We didn’t get to Tucson until Friday afternoon, and we sat at a table chatting with a few new friends we had just made. Henry walked into the room first and someone told him I had come from the UK, and he just came up to me and gave me a hug and said how pleased he was to see me – it was as if I was the celebrity! He signed my photo which was in my goody bag, without me asking him, and he made me feel like the queen. He was so natural.

It was good to see all the stars and production team getting on so well and pleased to see each other after such a long time – and their informal chat was so informative. At the end of that session Rudy was lingering and we asked for a photo – and he made the person taking our picture do it so many times until the right shot was taken with all looking good and smiling. I can’t think of any other celebrity that would give so much time and attention to detail – he was wonderful.

Saturdays trip to Old Tucson Studios was just fantastic, to give us an idea of the place where it was all filmed – you could almost imagine it happening right there. What a magical time it was helping Don celebrate his 81st birthday with his family. Very few people can say they had that privilege!! And I loved the way the bag and bandana were arranged on the tables – wow, what thoughtfulness went into it. Sunday brought the lovely autograph and photo session, as though these guys hadn’t already given us so much time, and I was very fortunate to get some time with Ted before he had to leave. This is the most memorable holiday I have ever had! The memory’s are etched on my mind, and I’m still living the dream that I had as a young teenager. Well done to all who had a part in arranging this reunion, and to Penny for all the hard work she put in, and especially

Countdown to Reunion Registration Deadline

admin — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 21:10:23 +0000

Don’t put it off any longer!

There are only a few more days until the September 1 deadline for The High Chaparral Reunion registration deadline!

The deadline for registering for The High Chaparral reunion is September 1, after that date there will be late fees added to the registration price.

Go to www.thehighchaparralreunion.com and save $75 in late fees today. There is no guarantee we’ll be able to fit in late registrants, plus you’ll save $75 per person on every one who signs up.

Rudy Ramos and Kiva Hoy

admin — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:43:16 +0000

Just confirmed flight arrangements for Rudy Ramos (Wind) and Kiva Hoy (wife of the late Bob Hoy).

So excited to have both of these wonderful people attending. Fans are going to love getting to know each of them.

Henry Darrow and Lauren Levian attending

admin — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 03:16:34 +0000

Talking with Lauren Levian (Henry Darrow’s wife) tonight. Working out exactly what flight to book. Always exciting to get a flight locked in and know Manolito and wife will be attending!