I haven’t seen all that many of Fred Olen Ray’s movies, but I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve seen that he wrote and/or directed. I first became aware of his work in the mid-Eighties when I worked at Fort Worth Books & Video and rented out his action film ARMED RESPONSE (starring David Carradine and Lee Van Cleef) many, many times. It was a popular movie for us.
Ray has just published his autobiography, HELL-BENT FOR HOLLYWOOD. I always
enjoy reading about creative people, so I gave it a try. He doesn’t pull many
punches in telling about his life, from his hardscrabble upbringing in Florida
to his early desire to be a filmmaker to the many detours along the way to
achieving his dream. It’s a compelling tale that Ray spins in straightforward,
no-nonsense prose.
I especially enjoyed the sections where Ray talks about our mutual friend
Terrell Lee Lankford, who wrote the scripts for several of Ray’s movies over
the years. Lankford was a regular commenter here in the early days of this blog
and is the author of several excellent crime novels including EARTHQUAKE
WEATHER, BLONDE LIGHTNING, and ANGRY MOON. If you haven’t read his books, you
really should.
But to get back to Ray, HELL-BENT FOR HOLLYWOOD is a wonderful book. I had a
very hard time putting it down. If you want insights into filmmaking and
fascinating, behind-the-scenes stories about many legendary Hollywood figures,
you’ll find plenty of that in the book, along with the inspiring narrative of
Ray’s own life. I have a feeling he might scoff at hearing himself described as
inspiring, but that’s the way it seems to me. HELL-BENT FOR HOLLYWOOD is one of
the best books I’ve read this year, and I give it a high recommendation. It's available in trade paperback and e-book editions.
3 comments:
ARMED RESPONSE-- isn't that the one where Carradine played Van Cleef's son? I have a six degrees link with Ray! I once knew a guy who dated Linnea Quigley from Fred's HOLLYWOOD CHAINSAW HOOKERS.
Fred, that's the movie, all right. Ray mentions in the book that Van Cleef was actually only 11 years older than Carradine. I haven't seen the movie in a long time, but I seem to recall that they carried off playing father and son pretty well.
I read the book and thoroughly enjoyed it. I've known Fred for 40 years and there were still stories I hadn't heard before. A fascinating look at 80s movie-making. And more!
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