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• 

10

He’s a veteran of over 100 films and TV series appearing as a stuntman and actor. But this was Kingsport resident, Dick Warlock’s most famous role. 

Dick Warlock has scared up over 40 years in the movie business. But, this is the role that got him the most face time. Dick was the man behind the mask. He played “Michael Myers” in “Halloween II”. The part actually came about during a monstrous, makeshift audition..when Dick met the film’s director, Rick Rosenthal.

“So he’s down at the end of the hall”, Dick says. “So I took off down at the end of the hall and as I passed this empty office, I saw this mask laying on the desk so I walked over and picked the mask up and put it on and walked on down to Rick’s doorway and stepped in and just stood there and looked at him with this mask on and I guess it kind of made the hair on the back of his neck go up. Anyway, he said, who are you? And I didn’t answer and he said, who the h-e-l-l are you?”

Well, Dick finally revealed his hidden identity to Rick and they had their meeting.

“I got up to leave”, continues Dick.."and I turned back to him and I said, is there any reason I can’t play this character? And he said, no it doesn’t bother me if it’s okay with Debra and that’s how I stumbled into the job”.

Now, Dick never cared about becoming a big star. He was always content to be a top notch stuntman. He stood in for Richard Dreyfuss in the shark cage in “Jaws”. And, he was Kurt Russell’s stunt double for over 20 years.

“Kurt was a great guy”, says Dick. “He’s one of the best guys I’ve ever met in the motion picture industry”.

He says it’s good to have his memorabilia and reminders of his working days in Hollywood still around to look at..especially mementos from Halloween II..like the original coveralls he wore..complete with bullet holes.

“Maybe I’ll show you the Elrod kitchen knife”, he says. “In the movie, I come in and take this off her cutting board and walk off with it. I was allowed to keep this after the filming. “And here is the infamous scalpel”, he says as he pulls it from his box of old props.

He’s also still got the original mask from Halloween I and II. It still has the hole where Jamie Lee stuck Michael with the knitting needle. Each and every item of memorabilia a significant reminder about a significant movie.

“It was like the re-birth of horror movies when this one came out”, Dick says. “As far as the movie being a cult classic, I think it’s kind of neat you know and to be a part of that, it amazes me because up until five or six years ago, I had no idea there was such a fan base for the movie. But the fact that I’m known as “Michael Myers” from Halloween doesn’t bother me at all, I kind of enjoy it, I live with it, I have fun with it you know”.

You might say playing “Michael” really helped open doors for him.

“By the grace of God I was able to go around the world and meet people and do things that the average Joe never had the opportunity to do”, says Dick. “The Lord blessed me, you know, so I’m grateful for that”. 

Posted by Tim Cable

Here’s a video essay of Autumn views around our region. 

Posted by Tim Cable

This Sullivan Countian’s artwork has really blossomed over the years. 

Some of the time, you’ll find Earl Rose with a guitar in his hand. Most of the time, you’ll find him with a paintbrush in his hand.

“Art is my passion I guess it’s my life”, Earl says. “Music I guess you could call my golf game”.

He’s been painting most of his life..over half a century now.

“It’s just something that I don’t know I guess maybe I was born with the desire to want to do it”, says Earl. “Actually I started when I was very, very young probably 10 or 11 years old. First money I ever earned actually was from a painting that I painted I’s probably about 12 years old”.

A bevy of brush strokes have colored the canvas since then. He’s developed a certain style.

“I’m a realist I guess you would say”, Earl adds. “I guess landscapes would be my favorite just outdoor landscapes..and I enjoy doing boat scenes also”.

Having his studio look out on Boone Lake provides daily inspiration.

“It’s fantastic”, he says. “Living here I guess is just a blessing because I can walk out every morning and see something different to paint”.

He’s painted a few popular pieces..like the Tennessee High Viking.

“Enjoyed it tremendously”, says Earl. “It’s hanging in Viking Hall now”.

Earl discovered oils several years back and with them, he’s struck gold. From general store memories to his own version of the Mona Lisa. From the Duke to a Dutch village..he’s put his rosy signature on his work. He’ll tell you he’s semi retired but still feels like he’s never worked a day in his life because he’s enjoyed it so much.

“I love it”, he says proudly. “I guess it’s the creation process seeing something come from nothing. It’s just something part of my life that I do. But I will continue to do it as long as I can. Well, it’s in God’s hands of course and I’ll do it as long as He permits me to”. 

Posted by Tim Cable

Here’s a real “hair do” story to tell you about. 

No splitting hairs here..this is a big step for Jim Vance. After 10 years of growing his hair long..today he gets 20 inches of it cut off.

“This is the shortest my hair’s ever been”, laughs Jim. “I don’t think most of my friends are going to recognize me”.

20 inches chopped off for charity. He’s donating it to the Locks of Love Organization for children stricken with cancer. A disease that’s hit close to home in his family.

“My Aunt’s a survivor”, says Jim. “I was donating it for her and I had an Aunt that passed away a few years back and that’s who I started growing it for originally and whenever this Aunt survived I just went for the double donation. It’s only hair I can grow it back I mean..it’s no big deal to me and for somebody else it could make a difference”.

He knows where he hopes it can make a difference.

“To kids”, Jim says. “I just hope it helps the kids”.

After a couple of years of growing her hair out, Shannon Samples says now was the time to get it cut. She’s an elementary school teacher with a two-year-old at home.

“I think this was the right time”, says Shannon. “And I had had a student and her mother who donated their hair to Locks of Love several years ago and I thought that was just wonderful so I thought, I’ll do that”.

Just to know that one little ponytail can make a big difference.

“Especially when these little children go through chemo and they lose their hair”, adds Shannon. “I think it would help probably their self esteem, help them feel more confident if they could have a wig that they could wear”.

Shannon’s also donating in honor of her Aunt Glenda..who, by the way, is doing the hair cutting on this day. You see, she’s a survivor herself.

“Six years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer”, Glenda says tearfully. “It was very traumatic”.

But thanks to medicine and moxy, she survived. She found out about the Locks of Love program through a cancer support group. It was a natural tie-in given her profession.

“Doing hair gives me the opportunity to talk to people and say, have you had your mammogram?”, according to Glenda. “Do you do self breast exams? Please do so. I have people that comes to me, Glenda, I found this lump, I said okay, what are you gonna do about it? When you find a lump, the sooner that you take charge the better you’re gonna be”.

On this day, Glenda’s glad to be scissor happy.

“Oh, it makes me feel great”, she says.

Happy to do her little part in sending these hair care packages.

“It makes me feel very, very good to know that people have a purpose”, Glenda says gleefully. “You have a purpose in life”.

Glenda’s helping to start a breast care support group at Sycamore Shoals Hospital in Elizabethton beginning the second Thursday in January. Call Glenda at 542-2800 for more information. 

Posted by Tim Cable

This Sullivan County Gardener has cultivated quite a farming find. 

Bill Broyles wouldn’t necessarily say he has a green thumb.

“Maybe half a green thumb”, he laughs.

He and his wife are pretty heavy into putting out a garden each year.

“Ever since we been married and we been together 30 years”, says Bill. “We do more than we need we give the neighbors garden and we’re in pretty heavy, yeah”.

They’ve been known to put out a passel of pears, a peck or two of peppers and other produce.

“Tomatoes, watermelons, cantalopes”, adds Bill. “Beans, shelly October beans, okra, sweet potatoes”.

Ah yes, sweet potatoes..they were especially sweet this year. In fact, they were shocking.

“It shocked me”, says Bill. “It was just a shock to see it”.

You see, his sweet spuds had buds..that’s right..blooming sweet potatoes.

“The weather was forecasting to rain and I said, well, I better get them sweet taters dug”, continues Bill. “So I went down there to check them out and I got to noticing and I said, why there’s blooms on them dang things”.

He says he found 10 to 15 of the plants that had blooms on them. A blooming discovery that’s rare.

“Very rare”, Bill says. “I’d say if it happened once every hundred years the best I could tell, I’ve never seen it. I talked to a guy I used to work with and he said his grandma she was way up in age and said she had seen it one time in her life and we was saying he was sort of a fibbing but I guess him nor she neither one wasn’t fibbing”.

To me, it kind of looks like a morning glory.

“I’ve heard tell that a sweet tater and a morning glory are sort of in the same family”, Bill adds. “But I’ve never seen a sweet tater on a morning glory”.

But now, I’m wondering..do blooming sweet potatoes taste any better than non blooming ones?

“Ah, they’re awful good”, says Bill. “We’ve been a baking them and we’ve been cooking them on the stove, brown sugar and butter and cinnamon so they’re good”.

Call them, uncommonly good. Not that Bill considers himself a famous farmer now..but you could call him a unique one. He’s grown proof that the blooming sweet potato must exist.

“It must exist”, he laughs.

He transplanted the peculiar plant in an old white bucket..and now, the spud’s in the bucket to prove it.

Posted by Tim Cable