Willmore Wilderness Foundation Page 16

Outfitting Marilyn Munroe: Interview with Bud & Annette Brewster and Janet Brewster-Stanton

Below is an excerpt from Chapter One: Bud & Annette Brewster and their daugther Janet Brewster-Stanton interview, in the People & Peaks of the Panther River & Eastern Slopes. Bud Brewster was the outfitter for the movie production called River of No Return, starring Marilyn Munroe and Robert Mitchum.

Sue Bud, I understand that They had one photo shoot down you worked on the feature movie at Seebe when they burnt down called the River of No Return. a cabin there, near Exshaw. Ester Richards was cooking on that job. Bud Yes, I worked on The ten percent of the film that we the River of No Return with Marilyn handled at Seebe was the dangerous Monroe and Robert Mitchum, but there part. They ran the Horseshoe Rapids have been various stories floating around near the Seebe Ranch. I got the power 0. Foreward.indd 18 12-11-27 11:41 AM that I will correct. Pictured above: company to lower the water level to I was hired by OT (Otto) make it safer. I used to work at the Bud Brewster Preminger to pick out the sites for power company. The last scene was a battle with the Indians on the Bow Photo by William Foster the shoot. Otto was the director and producer of this film. He was River. Jim Brewster was also a double courtesy of also an actor. Otto and I did this a for Robert Mitchum in that movie. year before the filming even started. There was one shot that was taken Annette Brewster It took us two weeks to do this. I at the Rafter Six Guest Ranch. We supplied the food and horses for the supplied ten head of horses for this Banff portion of the movie of the portion of the movie. River of No Return. I also supplied food I was involved in six different for the film production camp on the films that had film sets in the Rockies. Jasper Highway. They were produced by International Most of the River of No Return was Films, Fox Films and several other film filmed at Devona, a train station east companies. Rose Marie was filmed in of the town of Jasper. I had to buy a Revelstoke in 1954 for the CPR when horse from the Indians. Mac Graham I was in my late 20s. I was also involved was there and was in charge of the in another shoot with actor Randolph Jasper operation for me. Mac Graham Scott. The film was made near Morley, was also a double for Robert Mitchum. Alberta and it was about an Indian attack on a train. They even brought in Seventy percent of the film was an old CPR train for the show. made in Jasper and twenty percent in Banff. Ten percent was shot at our guest One interesting picture was ranch at Seebe. They filmed up in the during World War 11. Some army Yoho (National Park) too, and they did officers decided that they had to have work at the Ranch near the Bow River. a winter survival session. The problem They moved up to Jasper after they was that in order to do this, we had filmed in Banff and went to Devona. to buy thirty-five head of horses and break them. We needed to prepare Page 17 Annual Edition - 2016 them for a trip to the Columbia a crevasse and saved a guy in Lake as I knew the trail to where we were Icefields. The production company Louise because that story has been going because I had been involved in hired a director and producer from told inaccurately. Dad read an article cutting the trail to the glacier for the New York. It took about six months to about it and said, “That’s not how it movie company that was filmingLassie organize everything, and the war was happened!” Come Home. You could ride a horse close to over by the time the picture right to the edge of the ice flow. It was completed. Annette Bud did the rescue wasn’t long before we arrived at the of the pianist at Lake Louise that fell snow bridge. I was the first to the site, Another small picture was done down a crevasse. Janet was a baby so I hollered down and said, “John, are by Jack Sobel and was called Johnny when this happened, and we were you down there?” Mathis in the Canadian Rockies. Jack living at Lake Louise. The pianist had Sobel had trouble getting a cast. He gone out with a Swiss guide. He only He recognized my voice and tried to hire Lorne Greene but he was fell ninety feet. There was a kid that hollered back, “Get me out of here, not available. Jack finally called Karen we picked up on the trail who went but I don’t want you to come down!” Valentine, who was a singer and the down after him. We put together lash So the young Swiss boy offered to go production was successful. ropes and lowered the young Swiss down. We tied all the ropes together boy in there. The wardens came after and the crew lowered him down. He The largest picture that I was we got him out. tied John on, and the crew pulled him involved with was Fort Saskatchewan. out. The doctor took over after we A lot of the picture was shot at Bow Bud The story is about a had him safely out of the crevasse. The Lakes, but the movie was filmed piano player who played at the Chateau Park wardens showed up when all was both in Banff and Yoho Parks. We Lake Louise. John Lynn and Walter said and done. They took him down had a hundred head of horses and Feuz, one of the Swiss guides from the to the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House a hundred Indians in that movie. It Chateau Lake Louise were climbing on where he remained during the night. involved twenty-five trucks and six the Victoria Glacier when they dropped The doctor told John that he would buses. There were twenty tepees. It through the snow. Walter hung on and not likely have survived any longer also took about a month to build the John went down to the end of the rope down that hole. fort at Bankhead, about four miles out that both were tied to. Walter didn’t of Banff. The two main actors were have the strength to pull John out Sue Did you work on any Shelley Winters and Alan Ladd. so he had to cut the rope and let his other films in later years? partner down. John went down about Son of Lassie Come Home was a ninety feet and caught a ledge. Walter Bud No, Parks Canada short film that was shot out of Lake started walking back to the Plain of Six eventually made a rule that there Louise. We left Lake Louise and rode Glaciers Tea House and got help from a would be no more major films to the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House guide who was out with a party of five or documentaries shot in their in Banff where we had a building. We or six people. Walter instructed the jurisdictions, so we really lost a lot of had to build trail for about a half-mile guide to go over to the corral and get opportunities in later years. to get all the props into the Victoria a hold of me. Glacier. Everything had to go by packhorse at that time, as there were Now it was up to me to organize no helicopters. It took about four days a rescue off of the Victoria Glacier to get all the props in, and it only took for John Lynn. I closed our operation two days to shoot the picture. The down for the day and went to work. SHOP FOR BOOKS at: dog trainer made us pack in a dead We gathered up about 125 feet of dog for any dangerous shots. It took rope and left the corral with all the WillmoreWilderness.com about twenty-five head of horses. staff we had. There was seven staff and myself—the rescue chief. I even got PeopleandPeaks.com Janet One interesting the hotel doctor to come and assist AlbertaRockiesAdventures.com story that happened during the time on the trip. On our way to the site, you were involved with Lassie Come we picked up a young Swiss boy. He Home is when this guy went down joined our group and followed me, PayPal accepted