ACES & 8's About the Shoot

APRIL 27, 2006

After several saloons and local Western movie sets were considered, we found the perfect location. A saloon built in 1850 that was very similar to Nutall & Mann's No. 10 Saloon in Deadwood. Matter of fact, it is quite likely that the Sundance Kid (Harry Longbaugh) may have stopped here to wet his whistle while working in Calgary's ranching area in the late 1800's prior to heading to Deadwood and later a life of notariety with Butch Cassidy.

Today the building, known as Drew's Saloon, stands proudly at Heritage Park located in south west Calgary for all to visit during the summer months.

Several of the "models" for the piece are active members of the Calgary Stampede and the acting community, many of whom have played background roles in the recent movie Jesse James movie starring Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck.

Wardrobe for the men, was provided by group known as the Guns of the Golden West, a well known Western Canadian reenactment group with a die-hard penchent for authenticity. Our two fine ladies were attired by the wonderful people at The Costume Shoppe in Calgary.

THE CAST

Capt Bill Massie	..................1....................	You, the viewer
Wild Bill Hickok	..................2....................	David Johnston
Jack McCall	..................3....................	Peter Skagen
Charlie Rich	..................4....................	Lane Kranenburg
Carl Mann	..................5....................	Larry Ottmann
George Shingle	..................6....................	Rod McLeod
Man in Doorway	..................7....................	Longfellow Deeds
Gambler 1	..................8....................	Randy Hallett
Gambler 2	..................9....................	Anthony Worman
Gambler 3	.................10...................	Bob Wilson
Sassy	.................11...................	Kirsten
Scarlett	.................12...................	Ronda-Lee
Unseen, in the background of the piece are: Bartender Harry Young (Paul Ritchie) and Gunfighter (Rick Codd)

	THE CREW
	THE CREW
Photographer	......................................	Ben Laird
Make-up	......................................	Shelley
Hairdresser	......................................	Nicole

	PRODUCTION
	PRODUCTION
Publisher	......................................	Jim Fisher
Artist	......................................	Ken Dewar
Marketing	......................................	Rod McLeod
Research Editor	......................................	Bernadette Harvey


As the person viewing this painting, you are.... CAPTAIN WILLIAM R. MASSIE, the player sitting opposite Wild Bill during the infamous game. He was a Missouri River Pilot who claimed that the bullet which ended the life of Wild Bill had lodged in his right arm (later in court he admitted it was his left). Rather than have it removed, he bragged for the rest of his life that if you shook his hand you would shake the ball that killed Wild Bill Hickok.
	WILD BILL HICKOK was expertly played by David Johnston, a long time member of the Guns of the Golden West. David has been a student of the Hickok Legend for may years and was able to assist a great deal in the research of the project. David was on hand in Deadwood for the official unveiling of the first print on August 2nd, 2006.

JACK McCALL, the nefarious and cowardly assassin played by Peter Skagen, well known actor and acting teacher. Peter was trained in Hollywood and runs a course called Audition Hell for aspiring actors in Western Canada. He has written a number of excellent plays and screenplays including Rodeo & Juli-Ed, an interactive dinner theater play.

	CHARLIE RICH, a player at the table and witness to the event was played by Lane Kranenburg. If Wild Bill could blame anyone for the tragedy, Charlie would be the man. Hickok always sat with his back to the wall, a matter of self preservation after his years as a lawman and gunslinger. Joining the game late, Rich had already claimed Hickok's traditional chair. Despite Hickok's request, Rich decided not to give up the seat which left Hickok's back exposed. Big mistake! An ex-policeman, Lane is a well known figure in the transportation industry and serves with The Promotion Committee of the Calgary Exhibition & Stampede.

COOL (CARL) MANN, the fourth player was one of the partners who owned the No. 10 Saloon, played by Larry Ottmann. Larry is a background actor who played the Mayor of Lawrence, Kansas in Spielberg's epic series INTO THE WEST. Larry lives on a beautiful ranch in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and is a Wildlife Inspection Officer for the Canadian Wildlife Service.

	HARRY "SAM" YOUNG, the Barternder at the No. 10 Saloon was played by Paul Ritchie. He testified at the trial that he had just given Hickok another $15 worth of chips after Captain Massie beat him with a hand of 4 sevens. No sooner had he returned to the bar when a shot rang out. He turned to see McCall standing behind Hickok with the proverbial smoking gun. Paul is the Managing Director of TALENT INC, one of the largest and most successful talent agencies in Western Canada.

GEORGE SHINGLE, a star witness for the prosecution at Jack McCall's second trial in Yankton (Dakota Terr), was played by Rod McLeod. At the trial, Shingle described the saloon..." There were stools and a few tables dotted around. There was a front door and a back door with one or a couple of windows, which provided the only natural lighting, so kerosene lamps often burned night and day". Rod is one of the partners and originators of this project. He makes his living as a Marketer and Web Author. He is also an actor and member of the Calgary Stampede. Rod's company is Stampede Graphics Ltd..

	The GUNSLINGER, a common site in the wild town of Deadwood. Rick Codd is featured in the third painting in THIS series, the yet to be released painting entitled Luck of the Draw with fellow member of Guns Of The Golden West, Anthony Worman. Both have great moustaches!

MAN IN THE DOORWAY, the proverbial harbinger of death. This role was played by Longfellow Deeds, another longstanding member of the Guns of the Golden West. Longfellow is a writer and publisher of Western posters and books on a variety of subjects. He is as colorful as his name and has amassed a wealth of great information and facts on the West. We encourage you to visit his web page at: The Last Best West.

	GAMBLER 1 Not just another saddle tramp fresh off the dusty trail to quench his thirst at the No. 10 Saloon. Randy Hallett is a Calgary based actor who has been in a number of movies shot in the Calgary area. Don't let the grizzled look fool you. Randy makes a handsome living as a wealth management advisor in the boom town of Calgary, Alberta.

GAMBLER 2 A well dressed local from Deadwood stopped in for a friendly round of poker. Anthony Worman is another member of the Guns of the Golden West who added a great deal to the project. He and Rick Codd are the principal characters in Luck o' the Draw, the third piece in the series.
*Sorry about that....couldn't resist a little levity here! The shock on Bob Wilson's face* *was just too good to pass up....and the look on Anthony's mug sealed the deal!*
GAMBLER 3 Another member of the Guns of the Golden West, Bob Wilson has been with the group for several years and specializes in firearms demonstrations. When he is not packing his brace of beautifully matched shootin' irons, Bob is a purchasing agent in the health care/hospital world.
*...and who can forget our fabulous photographer?*
BEN LAIRD The consumate professional, Ben set up the shots and lighting along with Ken Dewar to ensure that we had enough good reference shots to create the piece. Ben is also an accomplished actor and professional photographer. You can visit his web site at www.blaponline.com

*And now....the Ladies!* The girls had a lot of fun that day, helped along by Nicole and Shelley, the hair and make-up mistresses for the project.
	SASSY A brazen hussy if ever there was! Kirsten had a great day on the set and played her role to the hilt. A mother of three and a music teacher, Kirsten brought life and a refreshing sense of humor and adventure to the set. She and Ronda-Lee are the subjects of the second painting in this series aptly titled "Double Diamonds"

SCARLETT Very much a part of the fabric of Deadwood were the dancehall girls or soiled doves as they were sometimes called. Deadwood the TV series uses words for this profession that we dare not print! Another great character who is working hard on the development of her acting career is Ronda-Lee. She and her family were on hand for the official unveiling of Aces & 8's on August 2, 2006 in Deadwood. Ronda-Lee makes her living as a wealth management consultant.
Just gotta love the ladies....!

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