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July 31, 1919 — February 20, 2006
I first met Curt Gowdy when I was working for The American Sportsman, an ABC Sports show that could be seen on Sundays during the 1970s and 80s. The show was devoted to hunting, fishing and adventure. My job of Equipment Manager involved carrying lots of cases.
Curt was the host of the show. We traveled all over the US and beyond to film show segments with celebrities from sports and entertainment. I recall shows we did with Curt and Mariel and Jack Hemingway hunting wood duck in Jackson Hole Wyoming; Quail hunting with Bruce Jenner; Bonefish fishing in the flats of the Florida Keys with Herve Villechaize, Tarpon Fishing in Tarpon Springs, documenting (but not hunting) the migration of Canadian Geese down the Delaware, Elk Tracking (but not hunting), skin diving off Cuba, Tuna Fishing in Newfoundland and many more. What an amazing job I had!
Many of these shoots were physically demanding and dangerous. Much of the fun is that when working with a small group of people for a week or so, you become like a family unit. A lot of what makes that work comes from the top down. So while Curt was the star and father figure, he tied the group together because he was very professional and a lot of fun. There was always an ABC producer with us such as Bob Duncan, Glen Giere, or Mark Lucas leading the small army/family unit that a crew becomes. Theoretically, the ABC producer was running the show, but it was clear that they were working for Curt rather than visa versa.
On each shoot there were maybe three to eight freelancers including cameramen, assistant cameramen and sound men. The freelancers I worked with on American Sportsman included some of the best in the business such as Peter Henning, Bruce Buckley, Andy Rowe, Scott Ransom, Hank Holton, Alan Schneider, Jimmy Lynch, Dave Conley, Doyle Smith, Bruce Perlman.
The show would not have been possible without our extraordinary office manager for the small ABC Film Unit, Ms. Tony Brown. Among the others who worked on the fourth and fifth floors of the unmarked brownstone at 60 West 55th St, New York City were Jon Hammond, Lorraine Venezia, Bob Nixon, Mary Jo, John Wilcox, Pat Smith, and Neal Cunningham. Our editors includes Vinny Reda, Tony Scandifio, John Peterson, uh oh. memory failing…Help! Some more names from the editorial department were sent to me: Angelo Bernarducci, Chris Liem, Dennis Fierman, Joe Weintraub, Sam Fine. Rich Rossi, Jean Standish, Tim Tracy, Wayne Weiss, Ted Winterburn, Tony Zaccaro, Henry Jedda, Tom Marcyes, John Peterson. Please email me names of others who should be listed here. Better yet, just use the Comment box below.
Denise DeBellis writes:
| I worked for ABC TV for 17 years. During my job interview with John Wilcox, he had asked me your typical interview questions. The one question that sealed my position with Sportsman was, “Do you know who Curt Gowdy is.” I replied, senior or junior…….bam…I was hired.
I had the pleasure of working for “The American Sportsman” in New York back in 1981-1982, working with John Wilcox, Bob Nixon, Tony Brown, Chris Carmody, George Bell, Liz ? and the list of wonderful people goes on. In 1982, I relocated to Los Angeles to work with ABC in Century City. |
This was a successful show that, even though it was bounced around in the schedule by ABC, it became the prototype for this type of show. Imitators could never match the kind of fiercely loyal audience drawn to American Sportsman. As Curt told an interviewer for Sports Afield magazine in Feb 2002, “I think the appeal of The American Sportsman was that it had a film-like quality. It was more than just a hunting and fishing program. Every episode told a story. We had a big budget and the best people in the business working on that show – the best producers, editors, cameramen, and soundmen. Not like today where the host and a single cameraman do everything on an outdoor show.”
Hunting and fishing are unpredictable activities. The freelancers joked that we had many hours of excruciating boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror. The show was filmed in 16mm film. Those film cameras were really the only way you could do it in those days. We used Eclair 16 mm cameras called NPRs and ACLs for most of the work. High speed cameras like the Photosonics could shoot up to 1000 frames a second and make exquisite slow motion.
But the sound recording was one of the most difficult aspects. The sound man had to be pretty clever sometimes hiding mics behind bushes and rocks. “We soon employed shortwave microphones,” says Gowdy, “which was a first in the history of television. It allowed us to record every bit of conversation, and little things that made the experience more vivid to the viewer like the crushing of gravel under your wader boots or the cackle of a rising pheasant.” Today these mics are called wireless mics. The sound was recorded on Nagra tape recorders which were worn on the shoulder. In some cases a miniature Nagra SN was hidden on the talent to provide more flexibility
Some people with as much clout as Curt had could become demanding, but Curt never was. He was a true gentleman, patient and fun. He set the tone for the entire week or so we were on the shoot. Traveling and working outdoors with these documentary crews was some of the most fun I ever had in the TV business. Sitting for many hours in a cold duck blind, all day bouncing on the bow of a small fishing boat waiting for a Tarpon to be hooked and to leap high out of the water, sitting very quietly in complete camouflage before sunrise waiting for turkeys.
Long before I had the honor to work for him, Curt was an award-winning broadcaster. His broadcasting career began in Cheyenne, WY, in 1944 where he would stand on a milk crate and announce football games often in subzero temperatures. In 1949, he did play-by-play announcing for the New York Yankees and then two years later for the Boston Red Sox.
Curt Gowdy was inducted into the broadcast wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984 and the American Sportscaster’s Hall of Fame in 1985. Gowdy won six Emmy’s for his work on American Sportsman and nearly every celebrity appeared on the show at one point or another. As Gowdy said, “All these guys explained to me why they liked coming on the show: because they loved the outdoors and loved getting away from Hollywood and everything phony there.” Curt was the perfect person to make that happen.
Thank you, Curt Gowdy American Sportsman.
– Hal Landen
To comment on this article, just use the Comment Box below.
PS. Sorry, I do not know where you can buy the American Sportsman shows on DVD. If you know, please contact me.
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Did my best in researching DVD’s for The American Sportsman with Curt Gowdy……..You tube has about 6 interviews with Curt
check it out……
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPmD5Y9NJdE&feature=PlayList&p=1D9C215C2061CE45&index=0&playnext=1
My friend does a radio show for ESPN and would like to find a recording of the theme music for teh early version of TAS. It was a vocal piece. ABC owns ESPN and the rights to the music but no one in the building can find the darn thing. If you can help, please e-mail. In any case thanks for your time.
I have been searching for videos of the original American Sportsman series for years and came across your website. It is hard to believe that no one at ABC or anyone associated with the program archived the series or kept personal copies of the program. I know as a former television anchor and reporter myself I still have boxes of old tapes in my closet with nearly every feature story and major news event I ever covered. Has anyone checked with Mr. Gowdy’s estate or organizations in Wyoming that might have kept a library of this series? I am sure I would not be alone in wanting to buy copies of the program up until that time that the PC crowd changed its nature and Cheryl Tiegs came on board. Like others who have written, I have many fond memories of this show. It was beautifully produced and lovingly rendered, and I looked forward to every episode like the coming of Christmas. The big game episodes were beautifully done, but my fondest memories are of those bird hunts with Bing Crosby and Phil Harris and the way they captured a real sense of being under October skies with nothing but you, the birds and your dog to occupy your senses and thoughts. The theme song, incidentally, began with the words, “Follow me, to higher mountains, follow me…” I regret that I cannot remember the other lyrics, although I’m sure I could repeat them instantly if I heard them again. I do remember the melody, but since I cannot write music that is a little more difficult to pass along. I am going to save this site address in my email and periodically check back for any updates about videos or DVDs that might become available in the future.
Hi Mike,
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. According to a friend I worked with on that show, the reason you can’t find any videos for sale is that the producers of the show neglected to get legal releases from the talent. These are written permissions to film and distribute. You can see release forms in our Free Library on this site. So if anyone had copies of the show and sold or distributed them, there would be big lawsuits from lots of stars’ or their estates. I know it’s hard to believe a network show like that would neglect such an obvious filmmaker 101 kind of thing, but the show was never really given as much corporate attention as Wide World of Sports and other shows.
Hal
Someone of authority must start some type of action into getting these episodes on dvd. I’ve seen them on VHS, but I heard the intro theme was not included. I’ve been dreaming and yearning to see this show again, especially during the winter months. And I believe the demand would be very strong from the boomers. I crave this show again….very theraputic.
I too would love to get ahold of those old episodes. I’m now in the hunting/fishing field because of those great shows sparking my fire. The early intro song, I believe, was “Follow Me”.
I have been looking for video of the episode when Mr. Gowdy had Terry Bradshaw as a guest,fly fishing in Fla. for tarpon.Terry got tangled up in the line,dropped the rod (with a fish on)overboard.Bradshaw didnt hesitate..in he dove to save the rod.In a later interview in Field and Stream Mr. Gowdy laughed about the episode and said “we didnt have a special blooper show, we put the bloopers on THE SHOW”
“Follow me and find contentment, follow me to rippling streams…what we’ll be sharing, come and follow me, come share your world with me.” I think these are a few more of the lyrics, and I can remember the music like it was yesterday. If I remember right, there was a music-only theme song at least for the first season (I think there were 4 one-hour episodes that aired three weeks apart: it just killed me waiting all that time when I was a kid and there were virtually no other outdoor programs on the air), and the song with lyrics came later. I think there was an episode that included fly fishing for trout in Montana: I’ve wanted to go there ever since but still haven’t made it. I’m doing some web searching, though, and hope to get there eventually.
IF YOU GO ON WORLDCAT AND TYPE IN AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. YOU CAN FIND OVER SIXTY SIX EPISODES. IN LIBRARYS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. PERHAPS THERE MIGHT BE SOME FANS OF THE SHOW IN ONE OF THESE STATES.MY GUESS IS THE SONG WILL BE ON ONE OR MORE OF THESE EPISODES.FOR EXAMPLE AT EASTERN ILLNOIS UNIVERSITY THEY HAVE THE ONE WITH CURT AND VAN HEFLIN FISHING FOR MARLIN. I ALSO THINK THAT THE LYRICS AND SINGER WILL BE IN THE CREDITS AT THE END
I HAVE RECEIVED A RESPONSE FROM THE REFERENCE LIBRARIAN AT EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY. SHE HAS AGREED TO VIEW THE TAPE WITH CURT AND VAN HEFLIN. SHE WILL CHECK IF THE SONG ON THERE AND ALSO THE CREDITS.IT WILL BE ABOUT A WEEK OR SO.SHE HAS TO PUT A REQUEST FOR IT. SHE WILL BE ON VACATION FOR A WEEK. WHEN I HEAR FROM HER I WILL COMMENT AGAIN.
In the lyrics there was mention of free open spaces and come and follow me. thats all I can remember,Iam 52 and thats going back a long ways,Hope someone can find more info, I sure cant.
I worked on The American Sportsman Show from 1978-79, for almost two years, as an assistant film editor. I worked as Chris Riger’s assistant the first year, then as Tony Scandifio’s assistant the second year. I remember sitting in the edit room one day, looking at the yellow walls, the Steenbeck, my rewind table, thinking ‘these are the good old days’. I loved that place. Ted Winterburn was in charge of the editors and was always kind and encouraging. Chris was one of the most talented editors I ever met. We had the freedom to use whatever piece of music we wanted. There were plenty of days we would just sit and listen to Keith Jarrett, waiting to hear that perfect sound to blend in with the incredibly beautiful footage of hang gliders off Mt. McKinley, or a quiet marsh where Cheryl Tiegs waited for a nearly extinct Whooping Crane to come into view.
I lived on 56th Street, a block from the office, and during the season we used to work way past midnight, go home for a couple of hours, then return for another long day of preparing the show for the negative cutter and the mixer, Lee Dichter. If I could have one day to go back to from my working past, it would be a day at The American Sportsman. I would walk into the building on 55th Street between Fifth and Sixth, say good morning to Dominic, take the elevator up, pass Ted’s office and walk into Chris and my edit room on the left, right before the ABC Sports suite. I’d start up the Steenbeck, start finding clips of film from the bin, maybe sync up some late- arriving dailies, then sit back and watch Chris edit the way it was done in those days, the way it still should be done. But that was then.
So nice to hear your memories of working on 55th St. I remember Dominic and the editors you mention even the Steenbecks.
watched the show for years,loved curt it was evident how much he loved the outdoors.being from alabama i remember coach bryant going quail hunting with curt not sure but i believe the hunt was on coach bryant”s farm do you know? (i thik i saw a show with phil harris too)
I DID HEAR BACK FROM THE LIRARIAN I MENTIONED. THE SONG AND THE LYRICS WERE NOT ON THE FILM.
I POSTED AN ADD ON THE CRAIGS LIST PRVOVIDENCE RHODE ISLAND ASKING IF ANYONE KNEW THE LYRICS OR WHO SANG THE SONG. NO RESPONSES. IM GOING TO POST ANOTHER ADD ON CRAIGS LIST BOSTON. SOMEONE OUT THERE MUST KNOW WHO SANG THE SONG AND THE LYRICS. CAN ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN ON THIS SITE POST AN ADD ON CRAIGS LIST IN THE CITY YOU LIVE? CRAIGS LIST WILL ONLY LET ME POST AN ADD ONE CITY AT A TIME THE EPISODE WITH PHIL HARRIS AND BING CROSBY WERE ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR SHOWS. IF YOU GO ON WORLDCAT.ORG IT LISTS THAT EXACT SHOW AND MANY MORE. TYPE IN THE AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. I WILL CONTINUE TO SEARCH.
Bits & pieces here:
Follow me to higher mountains.
Follow me to rippling streams.
XXXXXXX
Clean open spaces,
come and follow me.
Yes come & follow me.
“Come share another world” is also in there somewhere
Come share another world.
More potential fragments from my memory:
Follow me , and find contentment.
Follow me, XXXXXXXXX
What we’ll be sharing, come & follow me.
Come share another world.
Somewhere, I have the entire opening song on cassette tape that I had recorded with a little portable cassette recorder many years ago as a teenager. This show is what sparked my interest in the outdoors, hunting and the shooting sports. How I wish I could thank Curt Gowdy! About a year ago, I purchased on ebay a vhs tape with 6 episodes. Bear Bryant quail hunting in Alabama, Hank Aaron duck hunting in 1975 after he had broken Ruth’s record, Bing Crosby and Phil Harris hunting sand grouse in Africa, Robert Stack hunting ducks in Mexico, Andy Griffith and Sam Snead hunting snow geese in Texas and another episode of Bing and Phil hunting pheasant in Iowa. I was lucky enough to buy 3 copies of these tapes new in the plastic wrap and I have watched one of the tapes about 100 times. Somewhere I also have an episode I had taped of Redd Foxx pheasant hunting which is an absolute hoot. If only they would all become available on DVD.
Hi Mike V
Do you know where that cassette is? There are a few people looking for the lyrics and who sang the song. There is one young man who has fond memories of watching the show with his dad on sundays.I have also been searching for quite a while myself. You might be the only one who has a copy of the song.The original composer was Harry Bluestone.Some of the lyrics were Follow me to distant places Find a land that embraces wide open spaces Come and follow me.Would it be possible for you to check your tapes and see if the name of the song and who sang it is listed in the credits? Not even ABC or Espn knows. If you could please email me I sure would like solve this mystery. My email is principemike5@yahoo.com
I too have been looking for VHS or DVD’s of the
Show.Would eally like to find ones with Fred Bear
Bow hunting deer and bear.
If anyone has Any Ideas?
Mike V.:
PLEASE find that tape and post the lyrics on this site! The American Sportsman along with Mutual of Omaha’s “Wild Kingdom” were my favorite shows growing up. I find myself humming the fragments of the theme song that I can remember when I FINALLY get to go fishing each season.
I have a video tape of several fishing episodes that I can share with my son & daughter, but the theme song isn’t on that tape.
Jeff
Dale,
A few hunting episodes were saved & are available through used vhs dealers on Amazon. That’s where I bought a AMS fishing video.
Jeff
Curt Gowdy,
THANK YOU !
I, like others, am after the theme song. I have purchased the VHS tapes on ebay but unfortunately they don’t contain the song. I hope it’s appropriate to say this — there certainly appears to be enough demand that there is a financial reward to the first person who can locate the opening song. Lyrics I recall include “Come and share a world of memories, you have treasured throughout the years, there’s no way of comparing, what you’ll be sharing…” Of course, this is the memory of a 55-year old from his youth, and I’m sure time has warped some of the clarity.
Jeff B,
I do the same thing. I’m looking for the lyrics too! I find myself singing (quietly of course) fragmented lyrics. Crazy isn’t it? That show had a profound affect on me as a kid. Great show. Often, while fishing or hiking it’ll pop into my head.
Part of the lyrics I sort of remember goes something like this:
Follow me to where your heart leads you.
Follow me throughout the land.
There’s a world to discover.
A world like no other.
Come and follow me.
To where you will be free.
Hello All.
I have searched to no avail for the lyrics. It seems like no one has a copy.So i am going to try to do my own version from memory and the bits and pieces that i have picked up over the net.I am going to post it on youtube with a slide show.
I am open to thoughts on the lyrics. Im sure mine will not be 100 per cent.So here goes. If you know the melody it will be familer to you
MUSICAL INTRODUCTION INSTRAMENTAL TWO TIMES.
BEGINING VERSE.
Follow me to the highest mountains.Follow me to rippling streams.Find a land that embraces wide open spaces. Come and follow me.
Follow me and find contentment.Follow me thru times gone by.Find a land that embraces wide open spaces.Come and follow me.
INSTRAMENTAL ONE TIME.
Follow me on a grand adventure.Follow me to another world.Find a memory we are sharing of times that were caring come share your world with me.Follow me to the highest mountains. Follow me to the deepst seas.Find a land that embraces wide open spaces. Come and follow me
INSTRAMENTAL ONE TIME.
Follow me on a grand adventure.Follow me to another world.Find a memory we are sharing of times that were caring. Come share your world with me.
INSTRAMENTAL ONE TIME.
FINALE.
Follow me to the highest mountains. Follow me to rippling streams.Find a land that embraces wide open spaces come and follow me. Follow me to where your heart leads you.Follow me throughtout the land.Theres a world to discover.A world like no other Come and share your world with me.
Follow me.Follow me!!!
Ilook forward to your emails.principemike5@yahoo.com
Look for the eagles soaring on youtube.
If you google the american sportsman theme song you will see a web site that says camel cigarettes reel #4.
http://www.archive.org/details/tobacco_hli83d00
click on that and it will bring you to a film of camel cigarette comercials from the 60’s. At 1433 of the film is footage from the american sportsman from 1966 with what i think is a closing theme song.Don’t google theme song. Google american sportsman theme song. Is it the closing theme or the opening theme non vocal?. See what you think
If anyone finds the song, please could you email me? gcandrews@gmail.com
Thanks!
Wow. I can’t believe so many other people are searching for this song, for the very same reason I have been. It was such intrinsically a part of me growing up in the Midwest. And the song does remain forever in one’s mind. I hope someone can find it. I had some internet experts (so called) and they were unable to find anything other than maybe a library in Pennsylvania having tapes. Don’t give up, anyone….
“Follow me to wilderness trails, follow me to bristling streams….free open spaces…come and follow me.” Those words still resonate in my mind.
Hal, great to read your wonderful rememberances of the Sportsmen days. I hope you do remember me, I edited several episodes of the sportsmen and went on to produce the “Walkes Cay Chronicles” with Flip Pallot that aired on ESPN for 17 seasons. Andy Rowe and Bruce Buckley shot several of the episodes for me and we remain close friends, Pat Smith wrote and help create the show. Curt Gowdy Jr. also produced outdoor shows for ESPN and I have had several wonderful conversations with him about his Dad. I too wish we could relive those wonderful days.
Angelo, Great to hear from you! I certainly do remember you. I learned a lot about editing from you. I lost track of you after Sportsman.
Didn’t know you produced the ESPN series also. Please let me know if you know others who might enjoy reconnecting from this article.
I to have been looking for any Videos on the American Sportsman Series, Hosted by Curt Gowdy, I loved watching those on Sunday afternoon, as a young man.
Hi,
Longtime fan of the American Sportsman. My father and I were glued to the TV set when it came on. So miss those times and would love to hear that song again.
Another Boomer,
Bob
Google You tube the american sportsman. Click on the piece that says 9:25. It is on the right hand side above the picture of Ethan Hawke.
Sorry should have been more specific Check out the boys in the duck blind.
If anyone finds a tape with music and song please email me rrparker212@yahoo.com Thanks.
The verse that has stayed in my head is….. Follow me to fragrant meadows,follow me to rippling streams….
Has anyone found the opening theme song that everyone seems to be looking for? Please email me at bpsitrep@yahoo.com if you have found it. Thank you.
I too have been looking for the theme music for years. Please also let me know if it is found!
duanewhitacre@hotmail.com
Does anyone remember an episode in the early 70’s with Robert Conrad meeting with a parapalegic guy who whitewater kayaked and took him down a section of the Colorado river ? I remember the guy getting in the boat and then flipping it over on himself on land and doing pushups to show off to Robert. He also showed him how to roll before they started the river run. It got me into whitewater kayaking a decade later. I’m quite sure it wasn’t a Wild World of Sports episode ,but an American Sportsman one. I remember they always aired around the time school let out in June each summer. I watched every one of them through 1979. Glad I grew up in that great era !
I was looking for the song also. Very sad that no one can find it. I can hear it in my head.
One of my favorite episodes had William Shatner hunting Kodiak grizzlies with a bow.
Slightly off the subject – I have an album that I bought at the local sporting goods store when I was a kid, many years ago. Curt Gowdy interviewing Fred Bear; Fred telling stories about his hunting adventures. I guess it must be a classic now.
Found it! ..and yes, I’d love to lay my hands on the old tapes.
http://youtu.be/6bomO58sLhc
I’m looking for an episod on quail hunting in Georgia. My dad was on that along with Chuck Connors, I think. It would have been around ’66’ or ’67.
Video of ABC’s “American Sportsman” opening:
That’s the theme I remember. I could never find it. However, I do not recall the show ever being called “The World Sportsman” when I saw it. Perhaps one of you more knowledgeable than me will have an answer.
Living in Alabama, the segment with Coach Bryant was a favorite. I seem to recall one with William Shatner hang gliding, too.
I don’t think it ever was The World Sportsman here in the U.S. That must be a Canadian version or maybe some other country.
The American Sportsman opening music (the sung version) is definitely one of the all-time great TV themes. The voice sounds a lot like Jack Jones, but I suppose it could have been someone long forgotten from a music production house. Here are the lyrics from an MP3 recording:
Follow me, and find contentment
Follow me to rippling streams
Find a world that embraces
Free open spaces
Come, and follow me!
Come and share a world of memories
You will treasure throughout the years
There’s no way of comparing
What you’ll be sharing
Look at another world
Come share another world!
That people still remember and search for this song and its lyrics is a tribute to its timelessness. What a fantastic program, and I wish we still had shows of this quality today.
Randy,
Thanks. You mentioned that you have an MP3 recording. Can you drop it on-line. We would all like to download it and play it at will.
Mark
The MP3 referenced was found by Mike Principe (see earlier blog entries). Unfortunately, whoever made this copy did not watch the audio levels/impedence because it is grossly distorted. However, after a LOT of searching just like everyone else has done, I think it is the only full version of the song posted online to date, which is unbelievable. Hopefully a decent quality version will emerge someday.
Here’s how to find the recording:
1. Go to http://mythemes.tv/
2. Drop down the menu titled “Browse Audio Files” near the top of the home page.
3. Scroll down to “American Sportsman, The”
4. Play or download (easier if you use Firefox) the MP3 file.
5. Enjoy, even if it is distorted at least we can hear this great theme once again!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!
I have a copy of the American Sportsman episode (1973) that includes William Conrad (billfishing);
Bill Russell (learning motorcross) and Curt Gowdy, Bear Bryant, Billy Morton and Jimmy Hinton hunting bobwhite on the Sedgefield Plantation in Alabama with National Champion Wrapup.
I will trade it for copy of the American Sportsman episode (1973) with Tony Kubek and Jerry Koosman hunt over my brittanys National Champion Pacolet Cheyenne Sam and Jacolet’s Wandering Star in Washington State…
kenjacobson111@hotmail.com
PS It includes the original American Sportsman theme song “Follow me”
My son is attending Humboldt State University in northern California. A friend of his recently showed him how to fly fish for trout in the rivers. He actually caught a couple of little brown trout on his first experience. He was so excited. His birthday is this week, so I bought him his first fly rod and reel and a bunch of accessories, and shipped them to get there on his birthday Friday, 8/24/2012. My Dad and I used to watch The American Sportsman and Wide World of Sports every week. I’ll never forget the skier crashing. I always dreamed of retiring in some part of the country where I could go stand in a river and fly fish with my sons or a friend like Bing Crosby and Phil Harris did. Those were my favorite episodes. I really wish I could get copies of those episodes with Bing and Phil,fly fishing, crooning, to give to him and watch this holiday season. If anybody knows where to get those specific episodes, I will be eternally grateful. thomas_4003@msn.com Thank u in advance Tom in Sacramento
Like all of you, I grew up watching TAS. The theme song still plays in my head. I live in Montana now and enjoy the kind of life I dreamed of as a kid (thank you Curt). It seems to me there were more lyrics. I remember, although I was young at the time, something like: “There is a place for us to wander, where time is young and so are we….there is a stream….” DOes anyone recall anything like that?
There was a posted video segment on YouTube awhile back. Part of the post included an advertisement for the videos that were on sale back in the early 70’s. I think the price quoted was around 400$. You can imagine why they didn’t sell many if they did. Someone out there has the videos!
Phil Harris And Bing were the best episodes,Thanks for finding the intro,just as I remember in the 70s on a cold and snowy winter Just after the PBA on ABC with Chris
I am looking for information on the episode where Bing is bird hunting in Iowa at Wingover Ranch
I’m searching and searching for a higher quality video of Ron Kauk climbing on The American Sportsman. Is anyone familiar with this episode, or does anyone have tips as to how to find them?
Thanks very much,
Stacey
My dad passed in 1988, when I was 12, he was 52. He had just retired from the Remington Arms Gun Factory, in our home town of Ilion, NY. With not many memories, I often ask my older sister to give me some random details of his life that I probably didn’t know/think to ask. She recently told me that he did a segment on a sports tv show, she thought TAS. In the episode (not sure how long the segment would have been), he was demonstrating how he made his particular gun at the factory. Does anyone recall a Remingon gun demo in the mid to late 70′s? I was born in 74 and think it would have been 75, 76, 77. Any info is appreciated, I have so few memories of him, a handful of pictures and zero video footage.
S/curt-gowdy/#sthash.ckLQlpWX.dpuf
Hi Jodi,
I would contact the factory
Ilion Firearms Plant & Custom Shop
14 Hoefler Avenue
Ilion, NY 13357
TEL: 1-315-895-3200
Or the corporate offices:
http://www.remington.com/en/pages/our-company/our-company/company-info.aspx
It would be pretty unlikely you’d find anyone here who had a copy. We’ve been told ABC can’t help us with copies of the shows.
Good luck.
Hal
Hal,
Enjoyed reading posts. Like a lot of the commenters, I too grew up watching this show. My best memory was Jackie Stewart, the race car driver, hunting pheasant with Curt.
This show was widely anticipated because there was no other like it at the time. Except for Fishing Hole and local outdoors show here in New Jersey (New Jersey Outdoors), American Sportsman was it.
I’d also like to mention that Curt Gowdy was a sportsman in the truest sense of the word. When he was out there hunting and fishing, it was like being out with my Dad where the memories made WERE the thrill of the chase, not by the size of your bag limit.
Look forward to reading other posts.
Ed
Did someone mention PBA? That was great! I can’t believe there’s so much more football on TV now and no bowling!!!! TV used to have more ethics … now they just show what has the highest ratings.
Does anyone have information and/or contacts for Bob Duncan who was one of the producers for quite a few years from late 60’s through most of the seventies
Hi Liz,
I knew Bob when I worked there. He used to live on the upper west side of New York. I think some of the editors knew him. Tony Sandiffio, Angelo Bernaducci are a couple names that come to mind. I think Angelo was working for ESPN or another sports show. Andy Rowe is a cameraman who also knew Bob well. I’ll look and see what I can find.
Hal
Don’t know if this is the same Bob Duncan, but I found this on a book blurb
Bob Duncan, Executive Director, Virginia
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
No, he’s not the same Bob. I saw a photo. Different man.
Hi Hal, Yes we’re talking about the same guy. At some stage after ABC he moved to the LA area somewhere. I think in the Valley. Am an old friend from Africa but met Bob in London. I think it was to do with Le Mans. I also met you (if it ‘s the same Hal). I certainly remember him speaking about you. Any news good or bad will be appreciated.
Regards Liz
Check your email. I think I have a lead for you. Did you ever meet Andy Rowe? I’m sending his contact info. He did a lot of shows with Bob.
Hi there Hal, I’ve had problems at this end and unable to get my replies posted. Hope this one goes. I didn’t receive your email with Andy’s contact details. I don’t remember him but may well do if we’re able to correspond. It was a long time ago. Please try and re send. It would be great to surprise Bob with a Christmas phone call. Compliments of the Season to you and your family. Regards Liz
Fun memories.. I grew up around the show as my father was Neil Cunningham. Curt gave me a fishing rod in exchange for the fish I caught off the camera boat so everyone could have it for dinner.
I worked for your father when he was there. I think he was executive producer for a while. Great guy.
We had some of the old 16mm reels for a long time but seems they disappeared after they relocated. I would love some of the VHS tapes if anyone has them.
I’m sure I’ve met a few of you as I was lucky to visit the office on occasion when I was a kid. It was sad when my dad left the show, I grew up wishing to following into that biz but it’s changed so much and I dare say not for the better.
Enjoyed reading the posts. Found this site when I was remembering the show and wondering about all the logistics involved in shooting it. Seems I found a group of people who were there! so a few questions not covered above: 1- Were most shoots a couple of days, or longer or shorter? 2 – did cameras and sound roll all the time or did you stop sometimes to conserve film? 3 – If start and stop, what was the most amazing thing you failed to catch, and did you try to recreate anything in those cases? 4 – how did you ensure you wouldn’t run out of film, batteries, broken cameras/mics/recorders, etc (No radio shacks in the Andes!) 5- Sounds like the crews were about 8 – 10 people typically. Did you mostly stay in hotels or did you camp occasionally? Thanks for all your great work creating this show, and for any anecdotes.
Jimmy
PS Met Curt Sr. once, he owned my hometown radio station WCCM
Hi Jimmy,
I can answer some of your questions – Most shoots were closer to a week. The 16mm cameras used magazines which held 400 ft of film which lasted about ten minutes. So shooting was very deliberate. Sound was separate but ran at the same time. It was called double-system filming.
The crews were typically 6 – 8 people total. Most times we stayed in motels.
I once spent a couple days getting slow motion shots of Tarpon jumping out of the water. I had to guess where and when they were going to jump. It was hit or miss, but I got pretty good at it.
When I worked as Unit Mgr, it was my job in NYC to always pack enough film, batteries (which were recharged every night) and backups so we did not run out.
I took the job very seriously. If I messed up, there were 100 people waiting to do my job for free. Working on that show was an honor and a thrill.
Hal