Tag Archives: The Champ

In Memory of Stefan Gierasch

13 Jan

The latest edition of Cowboys & Indians magazine has arrived with sad news. September saw the death of Stefan Gierasch, who played Del Gue in Jeremiah Johnson.Stefan

Gierasch created a great representation of mountain men as he showed Robert Redford the ways of survival in the mountains. At the end of the movie, Del and Jeremiah were saying their goodbyes, and Gierasch spoke the lines that epitomize the thinking of mountain men – both real and imagined. He said:

Ain’t this somethin’? I told my pap and mam I was comin’ to the mountains to trap and be a mountain man; acted like they was gut-shot. Says, “Son, make your life go here, son. Here’s where the peoples is. Them mountains is for animals and savages.” I says, “Mother Gue, the Rocky Mountains is the marrow of the world,” and by God, I was right.

As the two men parted ways, he continued:

I ain’t never seen ’em, but my common sense tells me the Andes is foothills, and the Alps is for children to climb! Keep good care of your hair! These here is God’s finest scupturings! And there ain’t no laws for the brave ones! And there ain’t no asylums for the crazy ones! And there ain’t no churches, except for this right here! And there ain’t no priests excepting the birds. By God, I are a mountain man, and I’ll live ’til an arrow or a bullet finds me. And then I’ll leave my bones on this great map of the magnificent…

Geirasch appeared in several productions that I have watched – The Hustler, High Plains Drifter, Carrie, Silver Streak, and The Champ. However, he will live in my mind as the crusty mountain man, Del Gue.

Rest in Peace, Stefan Gierasch. As Del Gue, you said, “I decided that when I depart from this life I’d like to leave something.” You left a great performance in one of the great movies.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Movie Wisdom – Angelina Jol…Wait, Jon Voight Edition

21 Nov

Today, I read that Angelina Jolie is thinking about retiring. Certainly, she has many items on her plate. There is her new marriage to Brad Pitt along with her role as one of Hollywood’s ambassadors to the world. As soon as I read the news, I thought that there must be some wisdom within her works.

I was wrong. Well, I was not completely wrong. There was some wisdom in a few of her movies, but I could not find enough to make a decent blog post. Then, the decision was made to go with a backup plan.

We will look into the movies of her father, Jon Voight, and see what wisdom can be discovered.Jon Voight

From Midnight Cowboy

Well, if it’s free, then I ain’t stealin’.

It just ain’t right cheatin’ from a pregnant lady.

Make your old grandma proud.

The two basic items necessary to sustain life, are sunshine and coconut milk.

From Deliverance

Sometimes you have to lose yourself ‘fore you can find anything.

 From The Champ

You don’t have to live with someone to love them.

From Heat

I say what I mean, and I do what I say.

From Mission: Impossible

Anonymity is like a warm blanket.

Computers are a bitch.

From Anaconda

There’s a devil inside everyone.

From Pearl Harbor

There’s nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer.

A brilliant man would find a way not to fight a war.

From Ali

Free ain’t easy.

From National Treasure

Those who have the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action.

Cooperation only lasts as long as the status quo is unchanged.

You know the key to running a convincing bluff? Every once in a while you got to be holding all the cards.

From Glory Road

Nobody can take something away from you that you don’t give them.

From National Treasure: Book of Secrets

A man has only one life time. But history can remember you forever.

Yep, there is a bit of wisdom within the works of Jon Voight. He should speak to his daughter about doing the same thing.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,