‘On the Trail’ now on IMDb

“On the Trail: Jack Kerouac in Cheyenne” is now listed in the Internet Movie Database which is the largest listing of movies and movie related information in the world. Click on the logo to check out the page.

Mayflower Bar turns over on Kerouac’s Birthday

It was white out conditions between Laramie and Cheyenne last night on Sherman Hill. I made it to the Plains at 930pm. The Capitol Grille was closed, the pizza place was closed. The Mayflower lights said “OPEN”. Imagine my surprise when I walked into an empty room.

Turns out the Mayflower had closed again and a new club is opening up on Friday, March 12th – Jack Kerouac’s birthday. The new place is operated as a night club by a local guy named George Bush. The format is hip hop, techno, karaoke and no food, but eventually there may be bar food. I was the first customer for Club USG which had a soft opening on Wednesday night.

“On the Road: Jack Kerouac in Cheyenne” features the last recorded scenes of the Mayflower, taken during Cheyenne Frontier Days in 2009. Check out the movie that’s entered in the Wyoming short film competition. Click on the image of the Mayflower dance hall. View the movie and rate it by clicking on a “star” under the video player to record your vote. The Wyoming Film Office requires you to sign up to vote or comment to be sure you’re not a robot. Don’t worry, when you create an account, the Wyoming Film Office won’t be sending you spam or unsolicited emails!

Vote for “On the Trail: Jack Kerouac in Cheyenne

“On the Trail: Jack Kerouac in Cheyenne” is an official entry in the Wyoming Film Office short film contest.

The top 10 will be determined by a popular vote and then the winner determined by a professional jury.

To vote, click on the movie image and then you have to register through the Wyoming Film Office site to make a comment and rate the film.

It’s a bit of a hassle, but you’ll get a chance to see some of the other great movies set in Wyoming or have stories with Wyoming themes.

The footage was shot bar hopping in throughout Downtown Cheyenne during Frontier Days in July 2009. The “actors” are regular folks who agreed to be a part of the narrative / documentary production.

The project is pleased to have the son of Neal Cassady, John Allen Cassady, read the part of Sal Paradise. John was in Denver to celebrate his father’s birthday at My Brother’s Bar in Lower Downtown Denver.

The commentary is provided by three students from New Vista High School in Boulder, Colorado taking the “Beat Generation Class” to provide some generational diversity to Kerouac’s timeless work.

Kerouac movie merch available

We’re offering “On the Trail: Jack Kerouac in Cheyenne, Wyoming” production apparel. Click on the “MERCH” link and check out the production caps and T-shirts. The caps are adjustable and has Jack Kerouac embroidered over the classic bucking bronco.

The shirts are silk-screened with an image of Jack Kerouac on the front and production info on the back.A portion of your contribution is deductible, as allowed by law, since Wyoming Community Media is a 501(c)(3) organization. Get yours today and commemorate Jack’s birthday on March 12th in style!

‘On the Trail’ to be released March 12th – watch the trailer

“On the Trail: Jack Kerouac in Cheyenne” is a short narrative / documentary that will be released on March 12th. Jack Kerouac’s birthday. Here’s a trailer for the movie that will be screening at the Cheyenne International Film Festival May 21 – 23 at the Atlas Theater in Downtown Cheyenne.

Click on the Frances Brammar image of Dazee’s Dance Hall to watch the movie trailer (Wyoming State Archives Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources)

On the Trail: Jack Kerouac in Cheyenne to screen at CIFF

“On the Trail: Jack Kerouac in Cheyenne” is screening at the Cheyenne International Film Festival May 21 – 23 at the historic Atlas Theater. The short film produced by Wyoming Community Media retraces steps of Kerouac’s character, Sal Paradise, through the streets of downtown Cheyenne, Wyoming during an overnight stop during Cheyenne Frontier Days in 1947.

John Cassady, the son of Kerouac’s best friend Neal Cassady, is the voice of Sal Paradise and is invited to make a personal appearance and be a part of a question and answer “talk-back” following the screening.

The image on the left is the Mayflower Dance Hall, a lively night spot during the 1940s and 1950s. (By Frances Brammar – Wyoming State Archives Department of State Parks and Cultural
Resources). Click on the image to enter the facebook fan page.

For more information about the Cheyenne International Film Festival go to www.cheyenneinternationalfilmfestival.com

The ‘Digital Scroll’ project

You’ll recall that “On the Road” was originally written on a long scroll of paper, which was on a national tour during the golden anniversary of the book back in 2007.

My neighbor, Henry, called up during the fall of 2008 asking if I’d like to go to a screening of a movie at the Denver International Film Festival. The short entitled “Not Enough Night” produced by Dan Boord and Luis Valdovino, both profs at the University of Colorado. I decided to tag along with Henry and his friend Carmen.

Turns out the festival program was a series of experimental shorts. The movie is about a couple pages in “On the Road” novel when Sal Paradise gets dropped off in Longmont, Colorado and crashes out at a gas station on U.S. Highway 287 between Longmont and Denver.

I picked up a copy of “On the Road” and learned that before Kerouac made it to Longmont, he spent the night partying in Cheyenne, Wyoming during Frontier Days.

The project was born.

My big idea is to create the “Digital Scroll” project, which would be a digital “open source” opportunity for digital artists to create interpretations of “On the Road” and post them. The goal being to present “On the Road” in a digital format as an homage to the original paper scroll written by Jack Kerouac.