Exploring the “streets” cluttered with antiques, memorabilia and other people’s trash now prized for its inherent Old West essence, any visitor soon will realize this 90,000-square-foot building houses extraordinary things and people. A street front of an authentic Old West town set has life-size cutouts of the likes of Hopalong Cassidy and Roy Rogers watching out for outlaws. Pushing through the creaky swinging doors to enter the saloon, one almost expects to see Miss Kitty restlessly wandering the 1,200-squarefoot establishment in hopes Marshall Dillon will arrive soon. But this is Simpson Country – movie home of Stormy Lane and Texas Clappsaddle, the characters the brothers portray.
A PITCHER-FULL OF MEMORIES itting in the dark saloon with these siblings, the saga that inspired Stormy and Texas unfolds as each eagerly pours from a pitcher-full of memories. The story line originates with their father, K.P. Simpson. He moved the family out of Enid to a quarter-section Garfield County farm on Skeleton Creek in 1953, where the boys’ affinity for cowboys flourished. When World War II was over, K.P. went in business selling surplus military items out of the back of his pickup truck. “When Rick and I were growing up, he would take us along. We got to go to the auctions at Fort Sill,” remembers Larry. “It was like going to Disneyland.” Through the years, the surplus-selling business dwindled and K.P. established Simpson’s Mercantile with Rick and Larry at his side. “Rick leaned toward the western, so we had 4,000 pair of boots,” remembers Larry. “We had anything the farmer and rancher could want. People knew they could come in here out of the field because we might have just come from the horse pens. It worked out. “We had western, variety and sports. Lord knows what you might find. We always had fun, but we all were worn out in retail. We never really closed the store, but phased it out in 2006.” Those who knew the Simpsons should have seen it coming. K.P. was a local celebrity, known for his entertaining television commercials for the mercantile. He wrote and produced them, telling a story in every single one that people seemed to love. One commercial even earned an All Industry Marketing Award in 2005.
Left: One vintage saddle after another lines the split rail fence near the entry of Skeleton Creek Productions and Simpson’s Old Time Museum, which is located at 228 E. Randolph in Enid. Visitors always are welcome and admission is free, but donations are accepted. Below top: Larry and Rick stand in front of the case holding the two gold colored Aurora Award statuettes awarded to Skeleton Creek Productions. Guns Along the Bravo took the Aurora Award for the best picture from the Salt Lake City festival. The brothers’ last movie, Curse of the Sacred Mountain, won an Aurora Award for best screenplay. With more adventures of Stormy, Texas and Cimarron planned, the trophy case has ample room for more statuettes. Below bottom: The Old West vintage hotel lobby with staircase is one of the first movie sets visitors encounter in the old Simpson Mercantile building.
FRIENDSHIP WITH BEN JOHNSON chance meeting with cowboy actor Ben Johnson, who was shooting movie scenes in Enid in 1972, kindled an enduring friendship with the Simpsons that lasted until the screen star’s death in 1996. Larry and Rick regularly sent Johnson copies of the mercantile commercials. One commercial so intrigued Johnson, that he invited the Simpsons to Texas in 1986 where his nephew was making a movie, Shadow on the Wall. They got bit roles in the film. One day on the movie set, a woman they didn’t know handed one brother a business card. It was routinely pocketed until later. The woman turned out to be one of the top talent agents in Texas, and she helped the Simpsons land extras roles on the hit television show Dallas. Oklahoma Country • Summer 2008 • 13
That early movie and television involvement proved to be infectious. Rick devoted some time to writing segments for the television series Unsolved Mysteries. K.P. was featured in one, portraying a carpenter who constructed a seemingly mechanically impossible spiral staircase in a Santa Fe, N.M., chapel. While that segment aired in the ’90s, video sales still are still brisk each month in the gift shop at the Loretto Chapel and Simpson’s Old Time Museum. “Nobody was doing old westerns,” says Larry, “so we decided let’s try one.” That was 1996 – the inception of Skeleton Creek Productions and the introduction of Stormy and Texas to audiences longing for old time westerns with spectacular scenery, lots of action without gore and language your great-grandmother would appreciate. There’s no drinking – except sarsaparilla – and no smoking, unless puffs billow from a campfire.
THEIR FIRST MOVIE wrote a script,” says Rick. It was The Trail to Abilene, the first of their four movies to date. “We didn’t know what to do,” he continued, “but nobody ever told us we couldn’t.” The Trail to Abilene, released in 1997, was an epic tale of determination as big as the old west. It set the standard for all their movies – action-packed, good versus bad with good always winning, characters worthy of admiration and scene-stealing scenery. “We just wanted to give the kids some heroes like we had when we were growing up,” proclaims Rick. “No one is there for the kids to look up to and to set examples of right from wrong. They don’t have a Hoppy, Gene or Roy. These men were always on the side of right. . .they represented the kind of virtues for which we hoped America would always stand.” “In our own small way,” interjects Larry, “we’re trying to give kids heroes.” Rick was the writer and director as well as playing Stormy Lane. Larry was the producer, the head carpenter, the set designer, one of the film’s scorers and Texas Clappsaddle. Each brother’s wife – Karen
Above: The set for the marshal’s office and two jail cells looks barren without any characters. However, it has seen its share actors behind the bars when Skeleton Creek Productions brings in camera crews to shoot movie scenes. Right: Rick and Larry relax in the old line shack set. Larry built the old bunk bed in the back of the room complete with the ropes, which could hold a mattress or be covered by an old quilt when cowboys bed down.
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(Rick’s spouse) and Stefanie (Larry’s spouse) – also were in the first movie along with K.P. Low budget? Most definitely, particularly when compared with Hollywood rates that hit about $1,000 per minute. Entire Skeleton Creek Productions usually cost less than two hours of Hollywood production fees despite production times of several months. THEY’VE MADE MONEY he brothers decided if they could at least break even on The Trail to Abilene – which was shot at various locations in Oklahoma – they could do others. “So far,” says Rick, “we’ve made money with our movies.” The Trail to Abilene was marketed at Simpson’s Mercantile, and offered to others in ads appearing in several western magazines. Orders
streamed in from across the U.S., and came in regularly all the way from England, Germany, Japan and Scotland. Rick and Larry quickly discovered they weren’t the only two people who hankered for westerns sans profanity, drinking, gore and nudity. While they experienced success with the first movie, it wasn’t until after K.P.’s death in 2000 that movie number two – Guns Along the Bravo – started shooting. That movie, released in 2001, earned the Simpsons an Aurora Award for the best picture at the Salt Lake City festival. The Aurora Film Festival is an annual international competition designed to recognize excellence in the film and video industry, and attracts entries from the U.S. and abroad. Guns Along the Bravo is the saga of an 1880s ruthless gang of outlaws who terrorize the Southwest. The renegades are led by the
notorious Bloody Jack Ryker and his top gun, Johnny Vermillion. Three men stood in their way. Stormy Lane and his two sidekicks, Cimarron Simmons and Texas Clapsaddle, pursue the band of cutthroats through the badlands of Texas, seeking ultimate justice for the crime victims.
BUILDING MOVIE SETS ne thing became apparent to the brothers after making their first movies. They needed some of their own sets and locations for the movies. Sets were available, but rental rates sometimes were steep for their budget westerns. “The location is the hardest,” says Rick. “We know we can bring characters to life. But it’s hardest to have an authentic Old West town.” In 2003, they began building movie sets in the old mercantile building. It actually fell upon Larry to build the sets since Rick is more
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Left: Rick and Larry stand in a room that’s still under construction in Simpson’s Old Time Museum. Artifacts and memorabilia are strewn throughout the large space, which will house a new wing once Larry gets through with construction. Nearly all of the movie sets in the building are available for parties, meetings and gatherings. Below: The old hotel room set is modest by today’s standards, but could have been five-star back in the 1850s era. Old metal bedsteads and an old trunk give the room its realistic look.
the writer and director type. After some consternation and with just more than a smidgen of help, Larry has built the saloon, the western town front, the marshal’s office and jail plus another smaller town front, hotel lobby and guest room, line shack and the recently-completed church. Lumber for many of the sets has been recycled from old fence posts, barns and old houses that were being razed. Some of the props, like the bunk bed in the line shack, were Larry’s creations due to necessity. The single beds in each of the two jail cells used to be the bunk bed Rick and Larry slept in as boys. The mismatched, old pews in the church came from individuals and local churches in the area that were glad to see their old seating resurrected. In addition to being used as a movie set, the 1800s vintage church is getting some use locally from those looking for a unique setting for their weddings. In fact, many locals, businesses and organizations have discovered the different movie sets are excellent backdrops for all sorts of parties and gatherings. The Simpson brothers have plans to add a vintage one-room school house, general store and bank to the existing movie sets in the not-toodistant future.
STOCKING THEIR CUPBOARD hrough the years the brothers also have amassed a gigantic wardrobe of Old West-era clothing. It fills a large portion of the old mercantile’s second floor. They’ve also managed to accumulate a stockpile of many of the six shooters and long guns used in their movies. Rick and Larry own a fair sized herd of horses, so they supply many of the mounts used by both the good guys and bad guys in their westerns. Tom Ward of Guthrie, who stepped in to play Cimarron Simmons after K.P.’s death, has a large collection of horse-drawn wagons that have been used in nearly every major western film. The brothers felt fortunate to land Ward, whose family has been in cowboy entertainment for more than 75 years. And it also helps that Rick and Larry’s sister and her husband own a 2,000-acre dude ranch in Oklahoma. It’s been used as a movie location by Skeleton Creek Productions. With some of the sets constructed, movie number three – Showdown at Devil’s Butte – began production. It was released in 2003. The movie was the sequel to Guns Along the Bravo and tells the story of Bloody Jack Ryker’s escape from prison and the resumption of his reign of terror. He heads for the hills with Texas Clapsaddle as his hostage. Stormy Lane and Cimarron Simmons pursue, eager to rescue their comrade and put the outlaw back behind bars. “I’ve been shot and beat up and almost hung,” says Larry, looking back at some of his movie scenes. “I tell Rick that he’s getting back at me for all the things I did as a kid.”
SAFETY ON THE SET he action-packed Showdown features fierce gun battles and wild horse stampedes. Despite the intense fights, gun battles, chases and stampedes, Skeleton Creek Productions has maintained a spotless safety record in its productions. “We practice safety,” declares Larry, “and common sense.” While blanks are used in all weapons, none of the six shooters or rifles is ever loaded unless the scene involves shooting. Even when Oklahoma Country • Summer 2008 • 17
gunplay is involved, blanks are doled out sparingly with each cast member getting a prescribed number. “We’re overly careful, overly cautious,” explains the producer-actor Larry. “We haven’t had any accidents.” With so many horses used in their movies, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has monitored their activities. Representatives sometimes come to the shoots or call regularly. Their last movie, Curse of the Sacred Mountain, had more than 2,000 head of horses in scenes filmed on the Drummond Ranch in Pawhuska. “We’ve done four,” says Larry, “with all kinds of chase scenes and never had one hurt.” They’ve even had a police S.W.A.T. helicopter suddenly appear above one location after people nearby phoned to report a gun battle.
FAN CLUB hile none of their first three movies made the big screen, Stormy, Texas and Cimarron nonetheless have their share of fans. In January 2005 a group of parents and grandparents came to the Simpsons and asked them to start a fan club for their movie characters. “They told us their children and grandchildren had watched our films 20 to 30 times,” said the brothers. “They also told us that their children and grandchildren started playing Stormy, Texas and Cimarron around the house.” They now have fan clubs in 65 towns in Oklahoma and in 31 other states. Most members are 6- to 8-year olds, who receive a list of 10 rules to live their lives by from the Simpsons. Youngsters also regularly get photos of the movie characters along with other trinkets plus birthday and Christmas cards signed by Stormy, Texas and Cimarron. “We’re trying to give kids heroes,” says Larry. “They keep us on our toes.” With three movies under their gun-belts and an avid fan club waiting for more, the Simpsons undertook their most ambitious movie yet in Curse of the Sacred Mountain. Curse had a speaking cast of more than 70 – including five members
Larry and Rick hold copies of the four Skeleton Creek Production movies. A small section of their studio and museum is set up to display the DVDs of their movies. Movies can be purchased in person, by telephone at 800-749-1156 or by visiting their Internet site, www.skeletoncreek.org. Parents and grandparents also may sign up children for the growing fan club of the movie characters, Stormy Lane, Texas Clappsaddle and Cimarron Simmons, using the same contacts or in person at 228 E. Randolph in Enid. 18 • Oklahoma Country • Summer 2008
of the Oklahoma State University cheer squad – more than a hundred extras, thousands of horses and a herd of Longhorns and buffaloes. After the casting call for the movie went out, Skeleton Creek Productions’ western sets were filled by hopefuls from five states wanting to be in the western.
CHECK THOSE EGOS “ e told them all if they had an ego, they could leave,” says Larry, explaining that all cast members must perform a variety of tasks including policing locations at the end of a day’s filming. “Everyone we hired said don’t plan to do any more movies without calling me,” remembers Rick. “They call and say you don’t even have to pay me. We’re always lucky to have fine people working with us.” The Simpson contract for cameras and cameramen for their movies. “There’s a lot of things you can do and hide with a camera,” says Rick. “We’ve had as many as four cameras going at once. It’s a lot of fun. The people we hire are good clean people and want to put out a good family western.” Curse began production in April and finished in September, with about three months of actual filming. When the filming was done, they had about 25 hours worth of tape to pare down for the two-hour movie. “We try to edit as we shoot. Ninety-nine percent of the time it works,” says Rick. Curse of the Sacred Mountain was shot in Oklahoma and New Mexico. The action-packed film has the three heroes riding to Denver to save two falsely accused women from hanging. While in the mountains a lost Spanish treasure is discovered, but it’s protected by a mysterious Indian curse. It is a tale of lost gold, gunfights, courage and sacrifice.
GALA PREMIER IN ENID he movie premiered in late 2005 in Enid before a standing room only audience. In addition to the local fans, the event drew a director from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, the Oklahoma University filmmaker in residence, Oklahoma Film Commission representatives and a host from the Discover Oklahoma television series. Since its premier, Curse of the Sacred Mountain earned the brothers another Aurora Award. Both of the Aurora statuettes now are displayed prominently in the Skeleton Creek Productions building in Enid. While the last movie premiered on the big screen, it went to DVD immediately like the three earlier pictures. Today there are talks with a California company to make a kids’ Saturday morning television series from their movies. And Rick’s “magical keyboard” hasn’t been retired, so the brothers likely will be strapping on their gun belts for more Stormy and Texas adventures. “We have so much fun on the sets,” says Larry. “As long as Rick keeps writing, we can keep on doing them.” “Most celebrities shy away from being role models. We relish it,” says Rick with a bit of Stormy’s panache. “The Lord watches over the ignorant. We’ve been very blessed. We’ve had fun.”
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Oklahoma Country • Summer 2008 • 21
A fifth generation family continues to produce strawberries in Stilwell. By Johnna Stevenson – OFB Summer Intern ields of fresh red strawberries likely don’t top the list of images pictured when thinking of Oklahoma agriculture. Typically, golden wheat fields, green pastures with grazing cattle, or fields with rows of round hay bales are envisioned. However, strawberries are exactly what Scott and Lisa Baird see every day on their farm in Stilwell. California and Florida, along with other coastal states, typically are credited for strawberry production. However, there are strawberry
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producers in the state. In fact, strawberries are Oklahoma’s state fruit. The Bairds are one of the few strawberry producers left in their area. “Stilwell has been know for producing strawberries for a long time,” said Scott, who grows the fruit on seven acres in the hills of eastern Oklahoma. “Now there are only seven or eight producers left in Adair County.” The family has been contributing to Oklahoma agriculture for five generations. In 1961, Scott’s mother and grandmother
Scott Baird and his daughter, Emily, pick strawberries on their seven-acre field near Stilwell. Strawberries are the state fruit. Generations of Bairds have been growing them in Adair County for 46 years. Scott Baird shows off his latest crop of Oklahoma’s state fruit – strawberries. A fourth generation farmer in Stilwell, Scott is one of a handful of farmers to still grow the crop in Adair County.
Oklahoma Country • Summer 2008 • 23