If you're a fan of Classic Movies and Television
we invite you to join us at the next...

 Memphis Film Festival

 

June 3-5, 2010

Whispering Woods Hotel and Convention Center
Olive Branch, MS

 

 

 

 

Have questions or comments to share about the
Memphis Film Festival?

We now host an internet forum to help you,
our attendees and fans, to do just that!

You may want to discuss announcements, exchange ideas,
ask questions or simply take part in a fun forum game!

Go this this link --

Memphis Film Festival Forum

to sign up and take part in our forum!

 

 

 

Latest News Items

February 5th --

The latest flyer for the 2009 TV Western reunion is currently available!

NOTE: this is an updated version of the flyer previously shown here - it reflects the most up-to-date information on the 2010 festival!

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)

MEMPHIS FILM FESTIVAL FLYER (PDF 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

February 5th --

The Memphis Film Festival is excited to announce still another guest who will be joining us for this summer's show - Robert Horton!

Mr. Horton is certainly well-known for his work in TV westerns.  He starred in two classic series - "Wagon Train" and "A Man Called Shenandah".  

He is especially pleased to be joining us this summer after being forced to cancel his appearance at last year's festival due to health reasons.  Be sure to come this June for this rare appearance.

February 4th --

Recently, we lost a good friend of the Memphis Film Festival - Dewey Derrick - who passed away at the age of 84.


(Dewey reclined in his favorite chair in his "Double D" Theatre)

Most people who've collected 16mm B western films and serials over the years probably encountered Dewey Derrick of North Little Rock, AR somewhere along the way.  He'd been an avid collector since the mid-1970s and was very proud of his films.  Bob Steele was his favorite cowboy, and he also enjoyed Tim MCoy, Buck Jones, Ken Maynard, and Tom Tyler among others.  He was involved with the Memphis Film Festival during the early 1980s, and continued to loan film to it for years afterward.

Dewey died on February 3rd. He was about 85 years old.  He had been in ill health for the last year or so.  He is survived by his wife, Lorene, and two daughters.  He was active in Masonry for a long time.

This is Dewey preparing to run one of his beloved B westerns
with posters and lobby cards of some of his favorites in the background.

I owe alot in my life to Dewey. He was the one who reintroduced me to B westerns, which I had enjoyed on television as a young boy in the early 1950s.  They were only a part of my past in 1977, and I never dreamed I'd be able to enjoy them again until I saw a news story about Dewey and his collection on a Little Rock television station.  I was intrigued that anyone could actually collect and watch these films, so I contacted the station to see if it could put me in touch with Dewey. I called him shortly thereafter, and he invited me to his home in the Rose City section of North Little Rock.

He had converted his garage into a screening room, complete with theatre seats and cowboy movie posters covering the walls.  He screened part of a film for me that day, and invited me to come back when he showed a complete one to a small group of fans.  I returned and continued to do so one Saturday a month for the next 30 years.  Dewey would run a couple of serial chapters and would follow them with a two or more B westerns.  More often than not, we'd be watching his films but occasionally others who collected would bring something of theirs along to screen.  There'd always be a lot of great conversation afterwards about the films we watched, the characters featured in them, and how these movies still meant so much to us decades after they were made.

Dewey holding a plaque his friends in "The Cliffhangers Club" gave him
for all the entertainment he provided them over the years.

Because of Dewey, I first became aware of a film festival held in Memphis beginning in 1972.  It was dedicated to B western movies, and I went to my first festival there in 1977.  I can still remember being awestruck by meeting the likes of Monte Hale, Myron Healy, Iron Eyes Cody, Art Davis, Arkansas "Slim" Andrews, Penny Edwards, Jock Mahoney, and Foy Willing of Riders of the Purple Sage fame.  Within three years, when the festival reorganized, I'd become a part of the organization.

Dewey taught me everything I learned about film collecting.  He also introduced me to other collectors such as Norman York, Don Shofner, Charlie Boren, H.K. Garth, Mitchell Schaperkotter, and others who broadened my horizons.  A year or so ago, Dewey's health got the best of him, and he was no longer able to show films at his home.  We moved our group to my schoolroom in Conway, AR., but we still talked with him on occasion and tried to keep him up with what we were doing.  There are about 10 of us now who are continuing the tradition Dewey started.  He will remain in our hearts for as long as we're together.

---Ray Nielsen
    Chairman, Memphis Film Festival
(with memories from Jimmie Covington, Fred Davis, H.K. Garth, Jimmy Higgins, Harold Mathews, Bill Matchett, Bob Moore, Ross StanleyDwayne Yant and the late Cloyd Reeg.

For more information on Dewey, his film collection hobby and how he was involved in the early days of the Memphis Film Festival, please check the article in the book, "Moving Pictures and Classic Images".

You can post your tributes to our good friend at the new MFF forum.

Dewey Derrick
(1925 - 2010)

January 20th --

Recently, we lost a prior guest of the Memphis Film Festival - Brad Slaven - who passed away at the age of 86.

7

Brad's film career started out in "Our Gang" comedies and he had several as a child actor in such ntable films as "Little Lord Fauntleroy", "Bringing Up Baby", "Young Tom Edison" and "Pride and Prejudice".

His film career was interrupted by his serviceas a fighter pilot in World War II. He was shot down over Germany and spent 6 months as a prisoner-of-war.

After the war, Brad returned to acting and found his niche in the industry when he appeared in B-Westerns along with such stars as Lash LaRue, Jimmy Wakely and Eddie Dean.  Some of the classic westerns that featured his performances were "Stage to Mesa City", "Range Beyond the Blue", "Law of the Lash" and "Border Feud".

Brad retired from show business and had a second career as an airline captain for Western Airlines.  He made a rare appearance at the 1999 Memphis Film Festival where he had a great time revsiting his Hollywood memories with the fans.

Our prayers and houghts go out for his family and friends.

Brad "Buster" Slaven
(1922 - 2009)

January 8th --

The latest flyer for the 2009 TV Western reunion is currently available!

NOTE: this is an updated version of the flyer previously shown here - it reflects the most up-to-date information on the 2010 festival!

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)

MEMPHIS FILM FESTIVAL FLYER (PDF 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

January 7th --

The Warner Bros Cowboys are ridin' into Memphis!!

And leadin' the pack is none other than the big man himself, Clint Walker ("Cheyenne")!  This will be the very first appearance for Mr. Walker at a Memphis Film Festival and we are thrilled to have him join us this June!


But the lineup doesn't stop there!

Joining Cheyenne will be his two fellow Warner Bros cowboy pals, Sugarfoot and Bronco in form of MFF favorites, Will Hutchins and Ty Hardin!

This will be the first time these three western heroes will have ever made a public appearance together and the Memphis festival is excited to be the one to bring them together!

You will want to be here this summer to be a part of this historic reunion that will be remembered forever!

January 1st --

It looks like the New Year will be starting off with a BANG as the Memphis Film Festival is pleased to announce that William Smith will be making a return appearance to this summer's festival!

William was a regular on the exciting TV western series, "Laredo" which makes him an excellent addition to our tribute to TV westerns.

But he also has a very extensive film and TV career of which he has many, many stories to share.  If you have an interest in any area of classic Hollywood, he can probably relay stories to you that involve your personal interest.

Plan now to spend some time in June visiting with Ranger Joe Riley - William Smith!

December 28th --

Mr. George Kennedy has notified the Memphis Film Festival that he will be unable to attend next year's festival due to health reasons.

Although he was looking forward to coming to Memphis and meeting his many fans, it became necessary for him to make the reluctant decision to cancel many of his 2010 travel plans including attending the MFF.  He sends his deep regrets to the attendees of the festival.

The Memphis Film Festival appreciates his candor and wishes him a quick and speedy recovery.

December 10th --

Festival attendees will be in for a very special treat next summer - the Memphis Film Festival is proud to announce there will be a rare screening of the once-thought-to-be-lost western serial, "Daredevils of the West".

This classic serial was described by Alan Barbour in his book "Cliffhanger" as "one of Republic's all-time best action serials".  It starred two of their greatest stars, Allan Lane and Kay Aldridge.

For many years, it was believed that only 4 chapters of this exciting serial were in existence but a full version was recently found. The Memphis Film Festival is pleased to present one of the first public screenings of this memorable film.

The rare presentation will be made in the hotel's amphitheatre and is made available courtesy of Brigham Young University.

There will be an additional $5 admission for this festival event.

Be sure to check out the news on this special screening at the Festival's Forum Page.

November 28th --

The Whispering Woods Hotel and Convention Center is the official site of the Memphis Film Festival.  They have now made it possible to conveniently make a room eservation for the festival using email.

Guests need only send a request email to the following address:

reservations@wwconferencecenter.com

Be sure to include your arrival/departure dates, your credit card number and any other particular information in your email.  Also don't forget to mention that you will be attending the Memphis Film Festival in order to guarantee you will be given our special room rate.

However, if anyone wishes, they may continue to call the hotel directly to make their reservations.  The phone number for the Conference Center is:

(662) 895-2941

October 28th --

Recently, we lost a good friend of the Memphis Film Festival - George Coan - who passed away at the age of 66.


(George (on left) with fellow B-Western enthusiast, Bobby Copeland)

George was a movie theatre owner-operator who began screening B-Westerns at The Hub Theatre in Gaffney, SC. in 1992. It started as a small gathering of folks who loved watching old westerns and grew into a force for preserving their memory and passing them down to future generations.

Bill Elliott was George's favorite B Western star, and "Prairie Gunsmoke" (shown below) was his favorite film. His son, Jack, says George had a 16mm print of it, and for a time they both watched it together at least once a week.

As off-shoots of his devotion to classic westerns, George got involved with the Silver Screen Saddle Pals. They're a group of B western lovers who dress up like their favorite movie cowboy heroes and sidekicks from days gone by and take their positive message to parades, children's hospitals and other public events. He also became publisher of "The Old Cowboy Picture Show" (TOCPS) a newsletter that features biographical stories of B western stars and others involved in their production.


(George, on right, with Steven Lodge)

George attended a lot of western film conventions and supported them all. He supplied many 16mm films for screening at the Memphis Film Festival over the years, and he loaned them for various screenings at a film club I convene in Conway, Arkansas each month.

George was also good about promoting Memphis with ads and commentaries in TOCPS.

George's big heart finally gave out on him, but his contributions to western film lovers will live on. George's son, Jack, says there will be one last issue of TOCPS. "It may take me a while to get through it," he said. "I will have to close that door for dad."

That door may close, but it will not shut out our memories of all that George meant to us.

---Ray Nielsen
   Chairman, Memphis Film Festival

You can post your tributes to our good friend at the new MFF forum.

George Coan
(1942 - 2009)

October 22nd --

The theme of next year's festival is a tribute to classic TV westerns.  One of the first shows that comes to mind when the subject of classic TV westerns is "Bonanza".  The Memphis Film Festival is pleased to announce that we will be joined next summer with a regular from that series - Mitch Vogel who played Jamie Hunter Cartwright for three seasons on that memorable series.

Mitch Vogel is also well-known for his starring role in the popular 70s film, "The Reivers".  For that film both Mitch and his co-star, Steve McQueen were nominated for a Golden Globe award.  But besides those memorable roles, he has also been in several other TV and film productions including "Gunsmoke", "Death Valley Days" and "Little House on the Prairie".

You will certainly want to wait to come next year and meet this talented actor and talk about his years on the Ponderosa!

September 9th --

Recently, we lost a good friend of the Memphis Film Festival - Alvin Naifeh - who passed away at the age of 76.

Alvin was born to Dora Kouri Naifeh and Noimmer Naifeh April 26, 1933 in Sapulpa, Okla.  Following his graduation from Classen High School in 1953, Alvin attended classes at Oklahoma City University.  He volunteered for & appeared in Lyric Theatre productions.  He also worked in the campus post office.  Alvin was an icon at OCU, and many people knew who he was and admired him for his accomplishments.

Alvin's Cafe is a special place on OCU's campus and is named in his honor. He loved the Lord, movies, and plays.  Thank you to Dr. & Mrs. Walker & Wilt Conine, who were special friends to Alvin.  He is survived by Eleanor & Jean Vandruff, their children & grandchildren; Carrie Lee Kouri & her children & grandchildren.  David & Susie Opp were his loving caregivers in recent years.  Alvin was preceded in death by his grandparents, Addy & Mary Kouri; his parents; aunts & uncles.

Alvin visited Memphis almost every year since the festival tradition began.  He always impressed everyone with his extensive knowledge of Hollywood film history.  He leaves behind a large group of friends who will miss him.  He was part of our family too.

Alvin Naifeh
(1933 - 2009)

 

September 2nd --

"A Celebration of Guns II" keeps growing!  We are have recently added two additional guests to next summer's festival!

Robert Fuller will be returning to the Memphis show after a very successful appearance last year.  His expertise and insight into the world of TV westerns entertained guests so much that he was asked back by popular demand!



Lou Elias will also be appearing next June - this gentleman has an extensive list of credits that that involves films (such as "Posse" as seen above) and over 70 TV programs.  He has multiple appearances in many series including "Gunsmoke", "Lancer", the original "Star Trek", "Combat" and "Maverick".

July 22nd --

"A Celebration of Guns II" keeps growing!  We are happy to announce the latest addition to our fine guest list for next summer's show!

Darby Hinton is best known for playing Israel Boone on the popular TV series, "Daniel Boone".  But besides that memorable role, he has also been in several other TV and film productions including "The Big Valley" and "Wagon Train".



Come next year to meet this man with many tales to tell about his years at TV's Boonesborough!

June 26th --

"A Gathering of Guns", the 2009 Memphis Film Festival was a great success - both guests and fans had an enjoyable time they will remember for a lifetime. Highlights of that historic event will be posted in coming weeks so stay tuned.

With the 2009 Memphis Film Festival just a few days behind us, plans are already being made for 2010!  Prelimary details have been announced on the flyer shown above but check back often as newer details are released.

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!

 

For more information on the Memphis Film Festival send a S.A.S.E to:
P.O. Box 87
Conway, AR    72033
or email: raynielsen@dishmail.net

 

Last modified: 1/20/10

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