Okay, you can come over and see it. But I'm not going to give it to the TCMA for their auction. Like I said on Texascavers.com, I've thought about it. My ex-wife and daughter went to LA with me on that. They were there for the earthquake and all. I'll give the script to my daughter. It's family lore.
Bill ---- Charles Goldsmith <[email protected]> wrote: > You lead a very interesting life, and I would like to see that script > sometime, see how it compares with the new movie. > > On Fri, Jul 11, 2008 at 3:41 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > > Charles, > > > > Why thanks. True story. > > > > Bill > > > > ---- Charles Goldsmith <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Bill, you amaze me with your stories. That is a great one! > >> > >> On Thu, Jul 10, 2008 at 8:39 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > >> > Here's a story for you all. > >> > > >> > A few days after Christmas 1993 I got a phone call from a man who said > >> > he was a producer with Disney films. I thought some caving friend of > >> > mine was putting me on, like I've done a time or two (like the time Rick > >> > Bridges was on TV talking about Lechuguilla, so I called him and in my > >> > best fake French accent told him it was Jacques Costeau, and "we should > >> > do zee projects togezer.") Anyhow, this guy said that Disney had a > >> > script and an approved budget and they were going to make another > >> > Journey to the Center of the Earth. Their premise was that the Jules > >> > Verne story had happened, and now modern cavers were going to go back. > >> > It was to be a new story, not the same one. They invited me to come to > >> > LA and bring a duffel of caving gear, slides, and ideas of what sorts of > >> > gadgets cavers in the future might use. So I took them up on it and went > >> > to LA a couple of weeks later. > >> > > >> > The morning I was to meet at the Disney studios was the morning of the > >> > Northridge Earthquake. It happened in the wee hours of the morning. I > >> > was staying in well known cavers Matt Oliphant and Nancy Pistole's guest > >> > house behind Matt's parent's house on the north end of the LA basin. I > >> > didn't know what to do about the scheduled meeting at the Disney > >> > studios. The phones were out. So I picked my way around closed roads and > >> > made it to the studio in Burbank, which was closed. Eventually I managed > >> > to get through to an associate producer and we planned to meet at the > >> > director's home in Burbank later the next day. > >> > > >> > The director's (Charlie Haid) chimney on the side of his house was > >> > laying flat in his yard. For several hours I met with him, two > >> > producers, a set designer from England (who had designed the sets for > >> > the movie Willow), and a couple of other people. I showed them gear, > >> > slides of Huautla, Cheve, Golondrinas, Honey Creek, etc., and > >> > entertained them with caving stories. They got me to speculate about > >> > what cavers of the future might have, like lightweight lights with very > >> > bright beams (this was pre-LEDs), radio headsets in helmets like in > >> > Sylvester Stallone's movie Cliffhanger, and so on. > >> > > >> > The movie was a go and they started planning locations. They were in > >> > constant touch with me and offered to hire me away from my job for one > >> > year. I named a price, which I thought they would think would was too > >> > high ($250K) and they agreed to it. They let me read their script and I > >> > told them there were lots of things that cavers would scoff at. They let > >> > me re-write it to the point that I thought cavers would like it. I > >> > still have a copy of that script. I've thought about donating it for > >> > the TCMA auction. > >> > > >> > Then the whole project fell through when Disney president Frank Wells, > >> > who had climbed the Seven Summits, and was somewhat the outdoorsman, who > >> > planned on making a series of outdoor adventure films and had already > >> > made Iron Will, which Haid directed, was killed in a helicopter crash > >> > while remote skiing. The Journey project was immediately shelved. About > >> > a month later the producer called me and said he was going on to other > >> > projects and he didn't know what would happen to the movie. He said, and > >> > I quote, "My guess is that they'll change direction and start making > >> > goofy animated films instead." Michael Eisner got Frank Wells job, and > >> > the rest is history.. > >> > > >> > Bill > >> > > >> > PS - I asked them if Kurt Russell could play me, and they said they > >> > probably could do that. > >> > > >> > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> > Visit our website: http://texascavers.com > >> > To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] > >> > For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected] > >> > > >> > > > > >
