Well, no surprise here...Ray and his staff put on another fantastic Dukes event. Of course this one was a little different. I arrived at 6:00 and the first person I bumped into was my favorite stuntman, Mike. We talked outside the building for awhile, catching up on life in general. It was good to see him again after that scare he gave me at the last stunt show. But tonight wasn't a stunt show so it was nice to know I didn't have to worry about any of my friends getting scuffed up. It was the premier of Ray's movie so the only danger was slipping on spilled popcorn.
I walked into the massive ballroom amazed at it's size. Scattered in different places was the General Lee, Daisy's Jeep, and two patrol cars, (Rosco's and Big Ed's). The Bandit and KITT were also there. It was $15 to get in (it would have been cheaper if I would have bought it in advance). I got my hand stamped and immediately went over to check out the General. Byron Cherry was nearby so I waited for the people who were talking to him to leave and went over. I had met him in 2014 and he behaved the same this time. He is super friendly, talkative and high energy. Like Enos (who was at Ray's stunt show last year) he is also a southern gentleman....born in Atlanta....and is very easy to talk to. You immediately feel relaxed around him. I asked a lot of questions, like what it was like when he first found out he was going to be a Duke boy, if he ever witnessed any stunts (he watched 6), what were his other hobbies and interests, his friendships with cast members other acting jobs, etc etc. Thankfully I got the time with him I was hoping for.
Before the movie I chatted with other stunt show folks and fans and made some new friends along the way. Then, the main event. Byron spoke to the crowd and the movie began. It is called "Stuntlife, the Wild Ride". It is the story of Ray and the stunt crew and his family. It was made by Highway Pictures and directed by Aj Satterfield. Only one word is needed to sum it up..."WOW!....I'll use more though. It's an hour and a half long and was so professionally made it is no different than any high quality made movie you'd see in a theater. I'll skip the details of how well made it was but it was truly perfect in every way. Highway Pictures is one class act. Sonny Shroyer, Tom Wopat and Byron also make appearances in it. I think my favorite part was Ray showing and describing each of his 22 General Lee jumps, and adding if he was hurt and where. I think they all were shown from more than one camera angle...some from several angles. Every time he said he wasn't hurt on a particular one I felt a sigh of relief. I've only seen a few so it was really cool to have a collection of them in order. (I bought the DVD before I left). Then there was the stunts of the other drivers. Some of them were pretty detailed and others were just quick scenes. The music that went with all the jumps and stunts was amazing. Everybody who was anybody with the stunt show was interviewed with the corresponding stunt and others behind the scenes got their well deserved moment or moments of fame....and there were many. The issue of safety was also discussed by several show members. The tribute Ray gave to his father was a tearjerker. When a man, like Ray who is larger than life, gets emotional on the big screen everybody in the place does too, especially me, since his dad was my favorite....no surprise there...he played Uncle Jesse, my favorite. Thankfully I spent a lot of time before and after the show talking to Dean, the new guy who plays Uncle Jesse. He's not new to Ray though. They've known each other a long time. In fact we talked so long most everybody had left and the crew members were driving the vehicles out. Then, as I walked to my car I bumped into Ray securing Daisy's Jeep onto the trailer and thanked him for all he's done. If ever there was a true Duke boy it's Ray Kohn.
Keep an eye on their website but I think he is planning something new....a Bandit jump... in south-central Pennsylvania on June 22. Next will likely be a Dukes event in August in Virginia. In the meantime if you live too far away I highly recommend you go to his website and buy "Stuntlife." You have my promise you will not be disappointed. I laughed. I cried. I yelled YEEHAWW a lot. You will too.
It's good to hear from you MaximRecoil. I'm not too interested in the bloopers but I am interested when an old member drives back into town. We hope you stay a long time. How have you been doing?
