In the middle
of July 1963, actor Jeffrey Hunter had reason to feel upbeat. For on thing, he and his
family were vacationing in Acapulco. For another, things seemed right in his acting career
as well. Director John Ford had just hired Hunter as the fifth star of Ford's new Western,
The Long Flight (released as Cheyenne Autumn). He'd join a cast that
already included James Stewart and Richard Widmark in what would be his fourth film with
the great director.
The news had come on the heels of an announcement from Warner Brothers
that Hunter had signed a long term contract for film and television work, beginning with a
television Western pilot shot that March, Temple Houston.
The pilot focused on the exploits of lawyer Temple Houston, son of
famed Texan Sam Houston. Hunter not only played the lead but co-produced as well. NBC
targeted the series for the 1964-65 season. Two additional announcements from Warner
Brothers also guaranteed Jeff work. First, the studio said it would add 30 minutes of
story to the 57-minute original pilot and release the new film overseas. Second, a new
test film, this one 90 minutes long, in color, ....................... |
