I had the great honor of working with Mean Gene Kelton during the production of Marfa Red. He was a natural actor, calm, professional and deeply introspective throughout the shoot. He was a great musician, readily picking up his guitar and strumming a few tunes for us along the trip to Marfa. But what inspired me most was his great incredible humanity – Gene was a true gentleman. He may hate me saying this, but the man had class. He was anything *but* mean. It made me a better person to get to know him.

The last time I saw Gene, he said his acting career was picking up and he was doing another film. He was also interested in doing a blues festival, and I told him to let me know if he needed help with anything. I should’ve known better, though: Gene doesn’t ask for help, not out of any weakness like pride or shame, but simply because he’s so respectful of other people that he doesn’t want to bother them or take up their time. Little did he know that those of us who knew him would happily jump at the chance to work with him again. He was just that great to be around.

Last night, Gene was in a car accident. It was fatal. Texas lost a great man, but heaven gained itself a blues angel.

Click here to see “Mean Gene Kelton : 21 Miles to Heaven”

About grace

http://www.gracerodriguez.com http://twitter.com/gracerodriguez http://facebook.com/gracejrodriguez http://linkedin.com/in/gracerodriguez http://www.culturepilot.com http://www.dfjmercury.com http://www.c2creative.org http://www.fanlaunch.com http://www.sockwonkey.com http://blog.aynbrand.com

View all posts by grace →