The Lazarus People I

In 1995, I moved to Utah to live with Heather and Robert Urich and family. I was still not quite recovered from my divorce, and the Urich's job offer (a couple of hours of tutoring a day, with a nice stipend and room and board) provided a much-needed healing space.

At the end of the year, Robert asked me to come to Santa Fe and work with him on "The Lazarus Man," an intriguing western-cum-mystery.

I spent four months on set--ranches around New Mexico--with little to do except keep Robert company. As he was busy much of the time--carrying the show as its only weekly character, conducting interviews, etc.--I had lots of time to kill. I shot lots of pictures and chatted with cast and crew.

You'll be seeing pictures of some of those people off and on throughout July and August, culminating in a few precious pics of the great man himself--in cowboy duds.

Today: Crew.

Well, I say "Crew," but actually it's mostly the stand-ins; because they have a lot of time on their hands, they became some of my closest friends.

Bill Huckaby was an avid reader, Joseph Campbell fan, sensitive soul, and all-around good guy. Note the book in his hand (and his beloved vintage Stetson on his head) as he sits on the edge of a horno oven enclosure at historic El Rancho de Los Golondrinas, where we filmed for one episode.

Here we see the three male stand-ins, all reading scripts. Bill's on the left, Jim Bowie (musician and Buddhist) in the center, and Jon (whose family name I've forgotten) on the right. All three were avid readers, a must for the stand-in, who spends most of his or her time waiting.

Here's Laura Auldrich, whom I called nothing but "Sunshine." She's holding my copy of A Joseph Campbell Companion; we had lots of great discussions of film and literature. I since spotted her in a Natalie Portman movie.

OK, so this last old friend is not a stand-in, but I wanted to share this as a tribute.

Rod Wilson was a veteran make-up man; the IMDB link given lists only a fraction of his work, which started back in the 60s. He also ran a make-up school.

When my folks came to visit in Santa Fe, he went all-out to meet them; I also saw him several times after we returned to L.A. Rod passed away in 2003, just shy of 70. IMDb lists "natural causes"; he was a heavy smoker, so maybe...?

Anyway, fare well Rod, wherever you are.