... that film got a lot of people fired up to go river paddling, particularly around here with the 'Youghiogheny River' as a backyard - always wondered if they ever considered using the 'Yough' as the filming location - would have been pretty cool - think that the old P&LE Railroad was still operating along the west side of the river (now the 'Yough River Trail') back then - along with the B&O Railroad on the east river side, getting a full Hollywood production crew with equipment repeatedly in and out of the 'Lower Yough River Gorge' would have been near impossible - also read that the whole production operated without any type of insurance policy - that would have gotten a big laugh out of both railroads... coincidentally, this year would be the 45th anniversary of actual filming (1972 theater release)...
... came across a few good production stills we found on line - all photos property of 'Christopher Dickey' (son of story and screenwriter 'James Dickey')...
(© Christopher Dickey)
... full crew atop a rock bluff overlooking the 'Tallulah Gorge' and 'Chattooga River' in southern 'Georgia'...
(© Christopher Dickey)
... camera operator in position high above the 'Chattooga River' - looks like fun...
(© Christopher Dickey)
... Cinematographer 'Vilmos Zsigmond', camera operator, crew assistant and actor 'John Voight'...
(© Christopher Dickey)
... camera operator in position capturing some whitewater carnage...
(© Christopher Dickey)
... "deadly hillbilly" actor 'Herbert (Cowboy) Coward' enjoying a 'PBR' between takes...
... don't think that they would have had any problem casting extras here in 'FayetteNam' - know a few actual folks who would probably be considered too unbelievable for the part...
... we think that 'Buddy Matt' would have made a good 'Lewis' - probably could have gotten him for a few bucks cheaper than 'Burt Reynolds' ta' boot...
... still even have this old 'Recurve Bow' that we rigged' back in the day to match Burt's movie rig - has long been out of service because of an overused and twisted limb - and those old aluminum arrows could use some new fletching...
... great film...
"... in one scene, the stunt coordinator decided that a scene showing a canoe with a dummy of Burt Reynolds in it looked phony; he said it "looked like a canoe with a dummy in it". Reynolds requested to have the scene reshot with him in the canoe rather than the dummy. After shooting the scene, Reynolds, coughing up river water and nursing a broken tailbone, asked how the scene looked. The director (John Boorman) responded, "like a canoe with a dummy in it"...
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