Modern cowpokes capture Old West

REYNOLDS RANCH, Wash. —As the grimy cowpoke wiped sweat off his forehead, dust flew from his battered ten-gallon hat. His spurs jingled as he shifted position on the wooden bench. His 'kerchief was faded, the color indistinguishable, and his shabby chaps were the gray of constant use in sun and saddle. His work-lined face was partially hidden behind a stubble of black beard. His hands were callused from calf-roping duties.

Filming the payhouse scene Camera and sound crews begin filming a pivotal scene in "South By Northwest: Second Time Around" at the tack room of the John Reynolds ranch north of Soap Lake. Using the latest solid-state mini-cameras, the production crew can get away from fixed indoor studio sets and go out into the field to film.

As the paymaster hollered his name, he slowly drawled his intention to join the trail herd. A buzz of agreement rose from the other grimy cattlemen with him. He tossed his head, his shaggy hair shaking yet more dust into a halo around his face. The struggle of years riding herd showed clearly in his calm but tired eyes. As his name was repeated by the paymaster, he gave the same answer in a weary voice.

Suddenly, a new voice shouted "Cut. Print that." The tired cowpoke launched himself upright with startling vigor, as activity exploded around him. Men and women in cut-off blue jeans and modern T-shirts rushed electronic camera and sound equipment past him as he pulled a cold soda out of a Styrofoam ice chest. He carefully handed the tattered cowboy hat to a woman standing nearby and pulled a baseball cap over his bushy hair.

What's going on? What's a bunch of young film makers doing in this setting straight out of the wild west? They are doing just what it seems—filming a sequence on the Old West.

Operating out of the corrals and pastures of the 300,000-acre Reynolds Ranch 15 miles north of Soap Lake, the production company is creating a series on the contributions of the black to the history of the Pacific Northwest. Titled "South by Northwest: Second Time Around," the series of five shows trace the migration of black people from the deep south to this area. The programs will be filmed as docu-dramas, using historical facts as the basis for the dramatizations. "We're not changing history, we're just portraying it," said Susan Banks, production coordinator.

This is the second series on the same general topic that has been filmed. The first batch of five about black history, produced in 1975, met with critical acclaim when the programs aired on television around the country.

Although the series is "a continuing story about the lives of black contributors," Banks said it is not one show broken into parts such as "Roots.' Each show pictures a particular segment of black history. The show being filmed near Coulee City revolves around the involvement of "the guys who traveled the rodeo circuit in the Northwest," Banks said. "The setting is the early 1900s, for this show."

Others include the story of Horace Cayton, who operated a successful black newspaper in Seattle at the turn of the century but who suffered reverses from anti-racial sentiments of the era.

Taking a break Director Joseph M. Wilcots takes a break from the chore of making a television film and chats on the set of "South By Northwest," the story of the black contribution to Pacific Northwest history. The show being filmed on the Reynolds' ranch is one of five new episodes and depicts the black riders of the Northwest rodeo circuit In the early 1900s.

Another, filmed in Virginia City, Mont., a week ago by the same production group, re-enacts a famous case in which slave Robin Holmes won his freedom through the Oregon Courts. There the show's producers utilized the resources of "the entire city legal staff," said Line Producer Russ Tillman. "The judge is almost 80 and we had him doing the scenes for almost four hours. That's hard for even professional actors. He was really a trouper."

Tillman is in charge of the day-to-day production schedule, monitoring shooting, keeping costs down and aiding wherever he can. He reports directly to Nate Long, the project's executive director. Long's credits include Warner Bros.' coming theatrical film "Over the Edge," 20th Century-Fox's "Mr. Billion," and stunt coordinator for Columbia Picture's "White Line Fever." Other names involved in the production include director Joseph M. Wilcots, who worked as director of cinematography on both of ABC-TV's "Roots" series.

A number of famous black actors are also giving time and effort to the project, including John Amos and Esther Rolle ("Good Times"), Bernie Casey, Denise Nicholas, Thalmus Rasulala, Vonetta McGee, Johnny Ray McGhee, and Gracie Lee. Casey and Rasulala star in the rodeo episode. Tillman said the actors "see this as a worthwhile project. They normally work for eight to 12 times as much as we are paying them."

Also active in the shooting are several local folks working as extras for the film makers. Robert Ping of Ephrata and ranch owner John Reynolds have been given speaking parts as cowboys. Tillman praised Reynolds for the cooperation the ranch has extended to his film crews. "We're working with a great group here, that keeps my headaches to a minimum. They've integrated as much of what we're doing as possible into the normal operations of the ranch."

As an example, Tillman said his cinema cowboys brought a herd of calves down from a higher pasture to use in a roping sequence, "then we just took them over to a pen for John." Reynolds planned to show the calves to potential buyers after the filming. Since the film concerns black rodeo riders, "John's going to have a little jackpot rodeo here, with a little team roping," Tillman said.

Checking the action In the tack room, Director Joseph M. Wilcots is visible through the window. Wilcots, who worked on ABC-TV's "Roots" and "Roots II," controls the action with a television monitor in the room. The camera sends its signal back to the KWSU-TV remote truck, parked about a quarter mile away. The production is funded by HEW, through the Washington State University Black Studies Program.

"South by Northwest" is being filmed on video tape, shooting scenes film-style with one camera for editing later in the studio. The film crews are using facilities from KWSU-TV in Pullman, which include the station's completely equipped location truck and KWSU technicians. The Washington State University-affiliated station secured federal funds to finance the entire series, Banks said. The production is underwritten by the Emergency School Aid Act of the U.S. Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare, to the WSU Black Studies Department.

The programs are based upon research done by Quintard Taylor and Joyce Stevens, former history professors with the Black Studies Department. That agency then hired Long, who formed his own production company to make the films.

When post-production is complete, the programs will be reviewed by HEW and then offered to commercial public and cable television stations in the spring of 1980, nationwide through the offices of Television for All Children. TvAC is a federally funded agency in Los Angeles that distributes films for minority children's programs. The only charge for the films will be the cost of shipping and handling, Banks said, since the federal government will already own the series.

"The federal government makes out like a bandit," said Tillman. In addition to the more than 80 stations that have optioned for the second series, they can use the films oversees for armed forces stations. "And there's no reason the dialogue couldn't be dubbed into foreign languages," he added. "It's romantic. It's exciting. It has a tremendous amount of appeal and it adds another piece of information as it relates to the contributions of the black man in the northwestern part of the country," Tillman said.

Part of the appeal is the authentic look the "South by Northwest" shows will have. "Other film companies are jealous, because they think we spent a ton of money on our sets," Tillman said, waving his hand at the rustic ranch corrals and buildings. The company picked the Reynolds ranch on the basis of work done here the last time Long filmed. "The country is just ideal," Tillman said.

"My only complaint is with General Telephone. We couldn't get a phone to save our lives. I'm making this film using a pay phone."

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the paymaster stands solemnly at his cash drawer, sorting the money. He looks out the teller-cage window at the assembly of dusty, unshaven, exhausted cowpunchers and begins the paycall. His voice abruptly squeaks. The camera crew dissolves in laughter at the unexpected sound. "Cut," shouts director Wilcots, with a smile. "Enjoy your laugh and then we'll do it over correctly."

Published by The Columbia Basin Daily Herald, Scripps-Howard League Newspapers, Moses Lake, WA, 98837