May 15th--

Right up to the last minute, a guest may cancel and that is what we have here.  In one of the worst years for guest cancellations yet, we have had still another - Will Hutchins, also known as Sugarfoot, will not be able to attend due to health concerns.

We wish him a speedy recovery,

May 13th--

Many have inquired about the health and status of James Stacy after his recent bad health bout.

Boyd heard a few days ago that Jim was headed for rehab but was told by Doctors not to fly for some time. Then the latest is, he's running a high fever and is back in ER.

He posted on his website, http://www.westernclippings.com , that due to surgery he will be unable to attend.

We wish the best for Jim and hope he can make it to the next Memphis Film Festival!

May 5th--

People attending the festival registered at the Whispering Woods or Fairfield Inn who will need to use the shuttle service from the airport must call the hotel and make a pickup reservation at least 72 hours before arrival.

Whispering Woods: 662-895-2941 Fairfield: 662-892-4469

You will need to provide the following information: Guest Name, Airline, Arrival Date, Arrival Time, Departure time, Cell Phone Number, How Many Guests traveling.

The hotel will not send a shuttle if you call from the airport when you arrive, you must have a reservation ahead of time.

April 23rd--

The 2012 edition of the Memphis Film Festival is just a little over a month away!

We just wanted to remind you of the deadline for pre-registration.

The Pre Registration deadline for the Memphis Film Festival is May 12, 2012.  All preregistration requests and fees will need to be received by that date!  After May 12, people can register at the Festival Desk for the regular registration price of $25 per day.

For details on registering early, please see our Registration Page.

April 23rd--

Just when you think "all the dust had settled" on our guest list, we have again suffered a couple of guest cancellations - Robert Horton and James Stacy have both cancelled due to health concerns.  We wish them both a speedy recovery!

We now have available the latest (and what should be the final) flyer for the 2012 Memphis Film Festival with the most up-to-date information concerning our changed guest lineup.

Feel free to download copies and print them out!

Help support the show by giving flyers to friends and family you believe will be interested in attending this exciting, fun-filled festival next summer!

MEMPHIS FILM FESTIVAL FLYER (JPG Format)

(Please note that one of these flyers is in PDF format. If you are unable to read it, it may be because your computer is not equipped with a PDF reader program. To download Adobe PDF reader free of charge, please take the following link.)

Download Free Adobe Reader

April 15th--

Whenever a past guest of the Memphis Film Festival passes away, we make the news public by posting a notice here on the website of their contributions to the film world and to the festival.  We need to announce the passing of Carol Adams who graciously appeared at our show in 2007.

While we can go on and mention her western film credits as we normally do, this space is probably better utilized by sharing a recent latter that Carol's grandson, Don, sent the Memphis festival.  It expresses thoughts better than we ever could.

Hello Ray and Boyd,

My name is Don Smith, and I met both of you at the 2007 Festival when I accompanied my grandmother "Carol Adams" AKA Lurline Pearl to be a part of the festivities, and she went on to partner up with Boyd at the Gene Autry Centennial.

It is with regret that I inform you that Lurline passed away Monday Apr.9.

She had been dealing with breast cancer most recently, following a series of hip problems and falls over the last two years. She was at home in her own room, surrounded by loved ones and without pain. She was 94 on March 15th.

She mentioned to me, on more than one occasion since her dealings with each of you, how much she had appreciated your professionalism and courtesy and those late memories in her life were some that she genuinely reflected on with fondness and pride.

So this email will serve two functions, hopefully. To tell you that she is now "Ridin' On A Rainbow", and secondly, to thank you both for those happy memories that we shared with her and will carry on with us forever.

Best regards, and good luck with this year's festival,
D. Emery Smith

The reference her grandson made to "Ridin' on a Rainbow" was referring to the 1941 film she made with Gene Autry.  This was one of the best of Carol's many film credits.

While we are always saddened by the passing of one of our festival's past guests, in this case, it brings us a warm comfort to realize that her appearance at the 2007 festival and the opportunity she was given to meet her fans brought her such happiness and joy!

Carol Adams
(1918 - 2012)

April 7th--

The Memphis Film Festival is extremely pleased to announce their final two guests for the upcoming show!

Making his final public appearance before he retires, we are pleased to announce the great Robert Horton, star of "Wagon Train" and "A Man Called Shenandoah" will be joining us!

Robert Horton is a star in the truest sense when it comes to TV westerns.  His influence on the western genre
is well-known and the Memphis Film Festival is honored he has selected us as the venue to make his final public appearance!

Also appearing with us this summer will be Henry Darrow of "The High Chaparral" and "Zorro". Henry appeared at the show a few years back and will be making a welcome return to meet his fans again this year!

This finalizes the guest list for the 2012 show and as you can see, we wrap up the "Gathering of Guns" guest list with a BANG!  The largest and most spectacular gatherin g of stars our show has ever seen!

For more information on these stars and the rest of our amazing lineup, please check out our GUESTS page!

See you in just over a month!

April 7th--

The Memphis Film Festival is pleased to announce a new guest who will be joining us at the festival in just a few weeks.  Don Pedro Colley has been added to round out our Daniel Boone reunion!

Don will be there greeting fans of the show and remembering his other experiences in Hollywood.

For more information on Don and the other great guests appearing this summer, check out the Guests page!

April 1st--

We regret to announce the passing of one of the most familiar faces in Hollywood history.  Warren Stevens was seen in literally hundreds of TV shows and movies and recently passed away at the age of 92.

Warren Stevens had one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood after aving appeared in dozens of movies and over 150 television programs.  He also consistently made appearances in westerns usually playing gamblers or town leaders.

He was always sought after to play solid roles in dramas, gangster and horror/scifi roles.  Perhaps his most famous role was that of the ill-fated "Doc" Ostrow in the classic science fiction film Forbidden Planet (1956).

He made many appearances in TV westerns incuding Laramie, The Rebel, Wagon Train (2 episodes), Gunsmoke (3 episodes), Bonanza (4 episodes), Daniel Boone (3 episodes), The Virginian (3 episodes), Rawhide, and Have Gun, Will Travel (3 episodes).

It was his appearances on Have Gun, Will Travel that introduced him to Richard Boone, which resulted in Stevens's only continuing TV role as one of the "regulars" in The Richard Boone Show, an award-winning anthology series which lasted for one season (1963–64).

It was a pleasure and honor to have Warren join the Memphis Film Festival in 1998.  He brought with him a wealth of historical memories of television and Hollywood history.

Warren Stevens
(1919 - 2012)

February 27th --

The Memphis Film Festival is becoming such a popular destination this year that we have just sold out our third hotel - a first for the Memphis Film Festival AND we are still three months before the show!

We now have filled up the Whispering Woods Convention Center, the Fairfield Suites and Comfort Suites facilities.  We are now recommending everyone book their accomodations at the Hampton Inn Hotel in Olive Branch. There will be a shuttle that runs regularly between the Hampton Inn and the film festival site.

Important information about the Hampton Inn Hotel follows:

The number for the Comfort Suites is  662 / 893 - 7600.

Address:  6830 Crumpler Blvd.,   
                    Olive Branch, Mississippi     38654

You can also make reservations and find out more information about the Hampton Inn online by using the link below:

Hampton Inn Hotel in Olive Branch

February 18th--

It seems we have lost several past guests of the Memphis Film Festival recently and with sadness we must again announce the passing of still another one.  Russell Arms left us on the 13th of February.  He had been a guest of ours in 1993 and again in 2005.

Russell Arms, 92, a singer and actor who was a regular vocalist on the popular TV musical program "Your Hit Parade" from 1952 to 1957, died Monday at his home in Hamilton, Ill., where he had retired with his wife, Mary Lynne. The Lamporte-St. Clair Funeral Home in Hamilton confirmed his death but did not give the cause.

Along with other regular cast members Gisele MacKenzie, Snooky Lanson and Dorothy Collins, Arms performed what were billed as the seven most popular songs in the country every Saturday night on the NBC show. The program had begun on radio before moving to television in 1950 and aired until the spring of 1959

Arms started his career as an actor. Born Feb. 3, 1920, and raised in Berkeley, he studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse. He signed a contract with Warner Bros. in 1941 and was given small parts in war movies before he was drafted the next year.

He worked steadily on radio in New York before landing the spot on "Your Hit Parade." After he left the show, he had guest roles on episodic TV series including "Have Gun — Will Travel," "Rawhide" and "Perry Mason."  He
went on to costar in a series of western films alongside such stars as Gene Autry, Lash LaRue,
Clayton Moore, Dickie Jones, Roy Acuff and Gail Davis.

Russell during his visit to Memphis in 2005.

Russell was a man of many talents and whose appeal spread from music lovers to western film fans.  Our prayers go out to his family and friends as we remember his gentle spirit and contributions to the entertainment world.

Russell Arms
(1920 - 2012)

February 14th --

We are excited to announce that Jeff Connors, the real-life son of The Rifleman's Chuck Connors, will again be appearing with us at this summer's Memphis show.

With Johnny Crawford who played Lucas McCain's son, Mark, making a rare appearance here, how could we not resist the temptation to bring back Chuck Connor's real-son to join in the festivities and again meet many of his father's fans.

Besides being an accomplished musician, Jeff Connors also made his mark in TV and films including three appearances on his dad's famous western series. The image below shows Jeff in a 1959 episode of The Rifleman entitled "Tension".

This show also marks another special reunion for Johnny Crawford - this will mark the first time that his brother, Bobby, and he will appear at a public film festival together!

The Memphis Film Festival is excited to bring these two special reunions together at the same show.  Another MFF first!

February 11th --

We are sad to announce the passing of a popular actor who was a regular on the classic TV western, "The Big Valley".  He was 82 years old and was a past guest of the Memphis Film Festival having attended in 1991.

Peter Breck, most famous for his role as Nick Barkley on the popular TV western, passed away last week after a lengthy illness.  Nick gave Peter Breck an excellent opportunity to display his acting abilities since the character was such a strong fiery role.

Besides that iconic role, Peter was a familiar face on many more TV westerns including "Have Gun - Will Travel", "Wagon Train", "Zane Grey Theatre", "The Restless Gun" and others.  He also appeared opposite some of this year's MFF guests in "Cheyenne", "Bronco", "Sugarfoot" and "The Virginian".  He was a regular on still another western, "Black Saddle", and had a semi-regular role playing Doc Holliday on "Maverick".

He even made multiple appearances with his "Big Valley" costar, Lee Majors, in the latter's later series, "The Fall Guy" and "The Six Million Dollar Man".

Peter Breck was such a familiar face to all TV western fans.  He brought us many, many great memories and will be sorely missed.

Peter Breck
(1929 - 2012)

February 6th --

Just when you thought that the Memphis Film Festival had finished finished adding guests, when it couldn't possibly top its already amazing lineup -- look at this!!

We are thrilled to add another incredible guest to our already bulging lineup!

Johnny Crawford, known to all TV western fans as Mark McCain on the classic series, The Rifleman, will be joining us at this summer's show!

This will be Johnny's second appearance at the Memphis Film Festival - the first being in 1995!  He will be joined by his brother, Bobby Crawford, of "Laramie" fame!

In recent years, Johnny has been involved in the music industry.  He leads an orchestra which keeps him busy so we are very fortunate to have him make this special appearance!

January 15th --

GREAT NEWS!!

This website erroneously reported the passing of Caren Marsh a few days ago.  She is not only still with us but she took the "news" of her passing with her great sense of humor.  She was laughing about it.  One obit said she was 5'7"....she laughed, "I wish".

We apologize for any confusion and rejoice in the correction!

Recently, we lost another past guest of the Memphis Film Festival - that being Bill McKinney who visited with us back in 1984.  He was 80 years old.

Perhaps Bill's most famous role was the sadistic mountain in Burt Reynolds' film, "Deliverance", but he also went on to appear in seven Clint Eastwood films, perhaps most notably as Union cavalry commander Captain "Redlegs" Terrill in "The Outlaw Josey Wales".

Bill earned a special footnote in western film history when he teamed with Richard Boone and this summer's MFF guest, Hugh O'Brian, as one of John Wayne's final on-screen adversaries in the climatic ending of his final film, "The Shootist".

Bill McKinney
(1931 - 2011)

It brings us sadness to announce the passing of a previous Memphis Film Festival guest - Robert Easton - who visited with us in 2006.  He passed away on December 16th at the age of 81.

Mr. Easton had a very successful acting career that started out in radio and moved on to TV and film appearances.  Included in that over 60+ year career were such notable films as "Paint Your Wagon", "Red Badge of Courage", "Comin' Round the Mountain" and "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea".  One of the more interesting roles of his career was that of Mangus, Chester's brother on Gunsmoke.  Mr. Easton played that role on both the radio and TV versions of the classic western.

Robert had a second career as well.  For decades he had been one of the leading dialecticians in the industry. He even earned the title "the Henry Higgins of Hollywood" because of his rich knowledge of regional dialects. During his Memphis visit, he gladly entertained attended with his expertise of dialects.

Robert Easton as he appeared in Memphis in 2006.

We have lost a true talent amongst us and are are left a little poorer for it.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

Robert Easton
(1930 - 2011)

Perhaps the most anticpated event during each year's edition of the Memphis Film Festival is the Saturday night banquet.  Attendees get to enjoy an evening of fellowship with a grand meal and, see the guests accept a gift of honor from the festival.  They also enjoy an opportunity to see and hear a wonderful evening of entertainment as the favorite guests perform.

This year, the festival has once again brought together an outstanding line-up of entertainers to perform at this banquet.  Headlining the show will be the legendary Rex Allen, Jr!

Rex Allen, Jr. is an American country music singer who followed in the footsteps of his father, Rex Allen, a singing cowboy and the narrator of many Walt Disney films.

He has had over 50 hits with "Goodbye" (1974), "I'm Gettin Good At Missing You (Solitaire)" (1977), "Lonely Street" (1977), "Two Less Lonely People" (1977), "Lonely Street" (1978), "With Love" (1978)) and others.  He. was a regular on The Statler Brothers Show on The Nashville Network in the 1990s and he hosted the spin-off series, Yesteryear.  And now The Western Music Association is inducting Rex into their Hall Of Fame.

We are also excited to announce that fan favorite, Johnny Western will be returning to the festival next year!

Inspired by Gene Autry when he was a child, Johnny got a guitar and was performing professionally a year later.  He went to later perform with Gene Autry, Johnny Cash and many western music stars.

A member of the Western Music Hall of Fame, Johnny's voice is perhaps most familiar as the composer and singer of "The Ballad of Paladin", the theme song of "Have Gun - Will Travel".  He also co-wrote the theme to the TV series, "The Rebel", with Johnny Cash.

Johnny has appeared at the festival a few times before - most recently in 2010 - and has always been a hit with the fans with his exciting performances.

It wouldn't be an Memphis Film Festival if we didn't enjoy the comedy of John Buttram as our banquet emcee!

John is the nephew of Pat Buttram, star of "Green Acres" and sidekick to Gene Autry.  Apparently Pat's comic style and homespun humor is a family trait because John has it "down to an art".  Past attendees have come to realize that John's appearance as the banquet just brings the event together like a neatly wrapped package.  And be sure to meet John in the autograph area during the festival - he loves to visit with the fans!

If the guests, panel discussions, films and other activities of the Memphis Film Festival haven't already prompted you to decide to attand, surely this amazing line-up for the banquet will convince you!

The Memphis Film Festival will be THE fan event of 2012!!

October 30th --

Bill Hale , the brother of singing cowboy Monte Hale, passed away from cancer on October 29th.  Bill made his mark on the western genre after appearing in several Republic, Monogram and Columbia westerns.  He then went on to appear in many 50s and 60s western TV series.

We had the pleasure of hosting Bill's appearance at the 2007 film festival when we celebrated a tribute to Monte Hale.  Other guests that appeared that year had appeared in his films or worked with Monte in some way. It was a pleasure for Bill to meet so many fans that year.

Bill will be missed.  Our thoughts and prayers go out t  That is evidenced by o his friends and family.

October 17th --

MIchael Dante, a guest at last year's Memphis Film Festival, was recently honored by having a street named after him in his hometown of Stamford, Connecticut. The award winning actor was present when the street was dedicated in his name, ‘Michael Dante Way’ on Friday Oct. 7, 2011.

The street is in the middle of the city and runs ¼ mile, the full length of Prospect Street, going from Prospect and Hoyt Street to Prospect and Walton Street. The dedication was officiated by City Mayor Michael Pavia and attended by family, friends and city officials. Oct. 7 was named Michael Dante Day in Stamford, Connecticut.

Our heartfelt thanks to all those who supported Michael with character reference letters, signed petitions supporting the street naming, submitions of all of Michael’s career press releases and awards information given to the City of Stamford for the Board of Representatives approval, the making of the signs, the Proclamation and the Resolution.

The naming of a city street for Michael Dante will live in perpetuity as a testament to his life and dedication resulting in his consequent successes in signing a major league baseball contract, 30 motion pictures, 150 television shows, many prestigious awards and 12 years hosting his own celebrity radio show, as one who is most deserving of this once-in-a-lifetime honor.

One of the biggest highlights of the 2012 Memphis Film Festival will be the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the classic western, The Virginian!  The festival was already hosting the largest reunion of stars from the series ever assembled at a single festival.  But we are not resting on that distinction!

The Memphis Film Festival is excited to announce yet another Virginian star (the eighth) who will be joining us to help celebrate the anniversary - L.Q. Jones!

L.Q. Jones will be honored for his recurring character, ranch hand Andy Belden, on The Virginian. But his association with classic TV westerns and films goes far, far beyond that role.  His list of appearances in western series and films is one of the most impressive in Hollywood!

His appearance at next year's MFF will bring an added excitement to all who attend!

For more information concerning the Virginian celebration or our latest guest, please check out our Guest Page now!

August 18th --

The Memphis Film Festival is pleased to announce that Bobby Clark will also be appearing at the 2012 festival!

Bobby appeared in the 1958 syndicated series, "Casey Jones", which followed the adventures of the western railroad engineer played by Alan Hale, Jr.  Also appearing on that series regularly was Dub Taylor and Eddy Waller.

This will be Bobby Clark's first-ever appearance at a film festival! And the Memphis Film Festival is pleased to help make this special occasion happen!

For more information concerning the Casey Jones TV series or our new guest, Bobby Clark, please check out our Guest Page now!

July 27th --

The Memphis Film Festival is excited to announce its latest addition to our guest list - and it is a great one - Robert Loggia!

Mr. Loggia has had an incredible career in Hollywood starting in the early days of TV and continuing on to his highly respected list of feature films from his Oscar-nominated role in "Jagged Edge" to his audience-pleasing appearance in "Big" (remember the uplifting scene of Robert dancing on a giant keyboard with Tom Hanks?)

We will honoring Mr. Loggia for his memorable title role on "The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca", one of the recurring western mini-series that appeared on "Walt Disney Presents".  This was the breakout role that launched Mr. Loggia on his incredible career.

This is a very rare public appearance for this versatile charactor actor and you won't want to miss it! Check out more information our Guest Page now!

June 26th --

Attendees are in for a special treat at "A Gathering of Guns 4--A TV Western Reunion" at the Memphis Film Festival May 31-June 2, 2012. "Love Letters", the Pulitzer Prize for Drama nominated play by A. R. Gurney, will be presented by Will Hutchins and Roberta Shore.

For those of you unfamiliar with the outstanding 90 minute play, it centers on just two characters, Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd III. Using the epistolary form sometimes found in novels, they sit side by side at tables and read the notes, letters and cards--in which over nearly 50 years they discuss their loves, hopes, ambitions, dreams and disappointments, victories and defeats--that have passed between them throughout their often separated lives.

It was first performed in 1988 at the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, CT. It soon went to Broadway. Over the years it has been presented thousands of times all over the world by name actors such as Charlton Heston, Carol Burnett, Robert Wagner, Elizabeth Taylor, Julie Harris, William Hurt, George Segal, Jason Robards, Polly Bergen, Robert Vaughn, Timothy Hutton, Cliff Robertson and many more. Both Will and Roberta have performed the play separately, but never together, so "A Gathering of Guns" attendees are in for a very special presentation of this beautiful play.

We look forward to presenting this unique experience.

June 22nd --

The 2011 festival was an astonding success and brought many wonderful, fun memories for attendees and guests alike.  The staff of the Memphis Film thanks you for your participation and hopes to see all of you return next year forthe 2012 festival.

And, next year's event is already shaping up to be the best yet!  Just look at one of the highlights set up for next year --

The 2011 festival hosted the greatest reunion of stars of "The Virginian" ever.  But we are are not simply resting on our accomplishment - we plan to make it even BIGGER!

2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the long-running classic western and to honor that special occasion, we will have all of the Virginian stars return next year! But, more than that, we will be having two more stars from that series join us!

Sara Lane, who played Elizabeth Grainger on the series, will be appearing at the festival. At the last festival, she graciously was available for a phone interview during The Virginian panel discussions.  But, next year she will be attending the festival in person!

We are also pleased to announce that Diane Roter will be appearing with her Virginian co-stars next summer.  We had the pleasure of watching Ms. Roter portray Jennifer Sommers alongside her Virginian costars and now, we will have the opportunity to meet and visit with her!

This is, however, just the beginning.  Please visit the Guests page for a more in-depth review of these guests and all the others who will be appearing next year!

May 27th --

There have been many, many guests who have appeared at the Memphis festival over the past 35 years.  In fact, there have been over 300 guests making over 450 appearances.

Want to relive some memories of those shows?

Or, if you haven't been attending these shows for long, you may want to be surprised by the very impressive list of guests the festival has hosted over the years?

You can do that now - by checking out our new "Past Guests" page.  You can review the list of past guests by festival date or by an alphabetic last name.

Check out this page here - you will be impressed!