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1-9 of 9
- Robert came from a large Catholic family, raised in Los Angeles, and lived at Sycamore Farms, Malibu CA in about 1970, which he leased with his brother Peter Porter. This was an old horse stable that had been a Malibu landmark for decades, still located on Cross Creek Road today just off the Malibu Lagoon and the central shopping area.
The brothers built the large two-story horse barn using materials "borrowed" from the county building site a block away, and at the time the trainer was Capt. Pat Conar, an Irishman that had served in the British Cavalry and coached Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet. The stable clientèle was a mix of socialites like Gigi Gaston (Getty), actors & models along with regular locals like director Sam Peckinpah's daughter Melissa Peckinpah.
The brothers lived in the small house on the property and much of the layout is still the same, except the stable was later expanded in front of the large barn and in the back. Robert's girlfriend at the time was a beautiful Hippy local Erin Murphy whose grandfather was director Dudley Murphy, founder of the famous Holiday House hotel & restaurant located a few miles up the coast. Their relationship was a tumultuous, passionate affair out of an Italian movie.
This was the period after he had a few roles in major movies and was beginning to do the Indy type work that most know him for. Robert was so charismatic there was a constant stream of female stable boarders looking for any excuse to hang out. These were also the times of the anti-war protests and anti-establishment Yippies and the brothers lived the part, dressing like European aristocratic vagabonds.
Robert had been heavily influenced by the Actors Studio, Method Acting and actors like Brando and James Dean, that had set the bar in the previous decade. His throwback style was out of place in the new industry which had taken on television level mass production values and cookie cutter acting styles. His friendship and association with talents like Zalman King, who later gained notoriety for cult films like Wild Orchid (1989) encouraged him to step off into the independent type roles that would let him stretch his acting chops.
This was the period when he did The Jesus Trip (1971) and in the first wave of the counterculture following films such as Easy Rider (1969) there was a buzz at the time that this might be his big break in a lead role. Distribution & PR was lacking though and his last major film was Klansman (1974) with a large cast of A & B list actors starting with Lee Marvin & Richard Burton and descending down to other names like O.J. Simpson, Lola Falana and Linda Evans.
His last work of note, Trip WIth the Teacher (1975), a low budget movie inspired by European New Wave films such as Antonioni's Zabriskie Point (1970), saw him in a supporting role to his friend Zalman King, who played the lead bad guy while Robert was the conflicted younger brother exasperated by his sibling's evil doings. This work would presage later violent Grindhouse movies such as Tarantino's, also influenced by major fare like Peckinpah shooters.
The Porter brothers dropped out of the horse business and got into agriculture, first with a foolhardy pot grow near the Malibu/Ventura county line off Yerba Buena Road below Mt. Boney Peak, and later a stint doing some back to the land farming on the McGrath Family Farms in Oxnard which led to brother Peter going into the pickling business selling hot peppers through their company Hosan Produce.
Robert was working as a stonemason in Sacramento CA in 2007 and talking about returning to acting as a teacher. - Charles Becker was born on 24 November 1887 in Muschenheim, Germany. He was an actor, known for Spangles (1926) and The Terror of Tiny Town (1938). He died on 28 December 1968 in Elk Grove, California, USA.
- Actor
- Producer
Tony Keyes was born on 5 February 1960 in Sacramento, California, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Nash Bridges (1996) and Salome's Kiss (2003). He was married to Julie Decker. He died on 16 December 2008 in Elk Grove, California, USA.- Set Decorator
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Puppeteer, clown and artist. Before graduating the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, he came to Chicago children's television in 1952 doing graphic arts for the Magic Drawing Board on the "Garfield Goose and Friends" program. He became the show's puppeteer shortly thereafter. In 1968, he created Cooky the Cook for "Bozo's Circus" when the producer and writer, who also played Sandy the Tramp, announced he was leaving the show. Brown restyled a discarded Bozo wig and other props, and his "audition" was on a live Bozo program the following week. He won a Chicago/Midwest Emmy award in 1992. In 1993, he was inducted into the Chicago Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' Silver Circle, and the Internatonal Clown Hall of Fame in Wisconsin.- Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
Joseph Torres Sr. started in still photography while pursuing a degree at The University of Pacific (College of Pacific, during his tenure there), in Stockton, CA. After graduation he started shooting news as a stringer for Sacramento stations. He then decided to start his own business selling and processing sports film in the Central Valley. Besides owning the lab, he was the team cinematographer for UOP's football team (and some basketball). He held this position for 25 years. He built his business on personal service and the speed of getting film processed and returned to the coaches. He also worked on low budget films as a crew member and background actor.- Sound Department
- Additional Crew
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mark Lourim was born on 4 August 1955 in Jackson, Michigan, USA. He was an assistant director, known for Reckless Ramification, Streets (2017) and Red Light (2015). He died on 21 July 2021 in Elk Grove, California, USA.- Nick Peters was born on 1 April 1939 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was married to Lise Poirier. He died on 23 March 2015 in Elk Grove, California, USA.
- Mary Kellerman was born on 9 March 1970 in Illinois, USA. She died on 29 September 1982 in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, USA.
- Gloria Van was born on 17 August 1920 in Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for Windy City Jamboree (1950), The Little Revue (1949) and Wayne King (1949). She died on 24 December 2002 in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, USA.