PROFILE Editor’s Note: Helge By took all of the photos in mid-April, 2013 Candace By

ohn Scott is a living legend in the more pounds on the calves. “They Jwestern movie industry, but this were nice golden calves and the gentle, unassuming cowboy has his feedlots liked them,” John explains. roots in his ranching operation. “We have bought replacements and In 1904, John Scott’s grandfather have kept our own. It just depends and his brothers moved from the on the market. I like to have Orkney Islands of Scotland to blaze‐faced heifers to cross with Alberta. The ranch has been part of Charolais bulls.” the family since that time. John “Here in these hills I need to think purchased the ranch where his about larkspur, that crazy weed that mother was raised from his uncle’s will kill cattle quickly. I need to think estate in 1975. about foot rot and pink eye and the They run 200 predominantly John Scott telling us his story Red Angus cows bred to Charolais bulls. They started with purebred I like to have the last few years. I started doing it Herefords, but introduced Charolais “ just strictly because of the larkspur. I bulls to market their calves in a vaccinate the calves and the cows just Natural Beef program Loblaws blaze-faced heifers before branding time, once a year. offered with a ten cent premium. Things have changed quite a bit, my They had a five year contract, but to cross with grandfather used to vaccinate for two after three years the program closed. things, now we have eight way or ten The cattle were fed in the area, but Charolais bulls. way vaccines.” were sent to Toronto for slaughter. ” They market their calves in He started with a Hereford herd, October or November. “We used to grass raised with no drugs. They ability to get around and breed. sell at High River, but we’ve been on calved from the end of March to the I don’t vaccinate for foot rot on bulls Canadian satellite since 1987. When end of May and their calves were but I use Silent Herder (a free choice we went to the auction mart, you feedlot finished. John stayed using mineral) for the larkspur and it seems could get a snow storm and be stuck Charolais bulls after the Natural Beef to have taken away the foot rot. I with poor prices. On video, you have program ended because they put have had no pink eye in the herd in options. You don’t have to take the price offered. You can take it or wait A movie set owned by John Scott Productions for the market to turn around. Guys get to know your product and start buying repeatedly. We used to be able to predict the market, now we’re “ …I use Silent Herder (a free choice mineral) for the larkspur and it seems to have taken away the foot rot.” Charolais Connection • Fall 2013 17 JOHN SCOTT PARTIAL RESUME: Worked on Oscar winning films “ …young people have to get their 2000 Lord Of The Rings (shot in NewZealand) Horse Stunt Co-ordinator for Battle Scenes start either through the womb, 1993 Legends Of The Fall Head Wrangler & Stunt Performer the tomb or the altar. 1992 Unforgiven ” Head Wrangler & supplied all horses, wagons at the mercy of so many things we have no control & Livestock over. The feedlots are going to have to buy a profit back 1976 Days Of Heaven this fall to stay in business. If they don’t, the price of Head Wrangler & Stunt Coordinator beef will climb to a point where consumers will start Worked on Emmy winning film looking for a different meat source.” “Agriculture owners are aging. There is not too much 2007 Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee incentive for the young people to stay in the business. Head Wrangler/Coordinator - filmed 2006 Start‐up and input costs are so high, young people have Feature Films/Job/Production Company to get their start either through the womb, the tomb or 2008 The Last Rites of Ransom Pride the altar. It’s pretty hard to start from scratch.” Wrangler Co-Ordinator; Horse Thief Pictures John has three daughters and seven grandchildren, 2008 A Night At The Museum II none of which are really interested in the ranching. Head Wrangler/Stunt Performer; 20th Century Fox Most of them have found an interest in his other 2006 Eragon business though — the movie/television industry. Horse Stunt Co-ordinator (Canada); Van Productions Ltd. 2006 A Night At The Museum Head Wrangler/Stunt Performer; 20th Century Fox I was a stunt double 2005 Assassination Of Jesse James “ Head Wrangler/Stunt Performer; Jesse Films Inc. 2005 RV for Roy Rogers and that was Head Wrangler; Red Wagon Prod. a real highlight for me. 2004 Van Helsing ” 2nd Unit Stunt Co-ordinator; Saffire 2002 Don't Call Me Tonto John started in the motion picture industry in 1969. He Supplied Animal Wranglers & Animals; Amer. World Pictures started making $25 a day as a riding extra. He learned 2002 X Men 2 that he could do stunts for $100 a day and thought he Alberta Transportation Co-ordinator; 20th Century Fox had died and gone to heaven. “I rodeoed quite a bit 2002 Timeline and some of the guys from the States came up here to Head Wrangler/Stunt Performer; Paramount Pictures do a picture called Little Big Man and they got me to 2001 24 Hours (shot in B.C.) put some horses and riders together for that.” It was the Stunt Co-ordinator beginning of an exciting adventure he still enjoys. 2000 Lord Of The Rings (shot in NewZealand) It wasn’t long and John was on his way to Hollywood Horse Stunt Co-ordinator for Battle Scenes; New Line Cinema to get a crash course on co‐ordinating stunts for 2000 Exit Wounds movies. “I cleaned the manure out of their trucks and Stunt Co-ordinator – Alberta; Silver Pictures brushed their horses for nothing for three or four 2000 Rat Race months just to get on the set of things like Gunsmoke, Stunt Co-ordinator - Canada; Paramount Pictures Alias Smith and Jones, Big Valley, just to learn the 1999 Shanghai Noon business. I was lucky to have done it and be able to Head Wrangler/Stunt Performer; Spyglass/Disney learn from the masters. Those guys aren’t around 1999 Snow Day anymore and they taught me a wealth of information. Head Wrangler; Paramount Pictures Like how to roll a wagon and control the number of 1999 Canadian Dreams (German Feature) times it rolled and in what direction; it is really a Stunt Co-Ordinator science. Another common necessity for westerns is 1998 I'll Be Home For Christmas having a team of horses break‐away from a wagon and Stunt Driver; Disney the wagon continues on to run into something.” 1997 13th Warrior aka Eater's Of The Dead “I was a stunt double for Roy Rogers and that was a Head Wrangler/Stunt Performer; Disney real highlight for me. He had four kids of his own and raised twenty foster kids. I also doubled for Gene Hackman for about three years. I also worked with Paul continued on page 21 18 Charolais Connection • Fall 2013 Mini/TV Series One of his favourite films was 2009 Heartland “ Head Wrangler/Coordinator Legends of the Fall. It was filmed Production Company: Rescued Horse Season 3 2008 Heartland in Alberta with many of the Head Wrangler/Coordinator; Rescued Horse Season 2 2008 Im Tal Der Wilden Rosen scenes on his ranch. Wrangler/Coordinator; Prairie Schooner Films Inc. ” 2007 Heartland Head Wrangler/Coordinator; Rescued Horse Season 1 Newman, Charlie Bronson, Lee Marvin, Morgan 2007 Im Tal Der Wilden Rosen Freeman… Those guys were natural, they could move Wrangler/Coordinator; Prairie Schooner Films Inc. their feet an inch or two and be in the centre of the 2006 Im Tal Der Wilden Rosen camera. There were so many good westerns then, but Wrangler/Coordinator; German Episodic TV we are beginning a good western cycle again.” 2004 Into The West (Epic Mini Series) One of his favourite films was Legends of the Fall. It Head Wrangler/Stunt Performer; Dream Works Television was filmed in Alberta with many of the scenes on his ranch. “I spent four and a half years trying to get it TV Films/TV Pilots here. At first they had Sean Connery, Mel Gibson and 2009 Santa Baby 2 Tom Cruise slated as the cast. That just wasn’t going to Head Wrangler; Alberta Film Entertainment work. Then they came up with Anthony Hopkins, Brad 2008 Virtuality Pitt and Aiden Quinn and that gave the movie a Assist. Stunt Coordinator; Universal Media/Fox Net. 2003 Call Me: The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss Transport Co-ordinator/Stunt Co-ordinator; Nomadic Pictures When Jackie Chan came, he 2003 Asylum “ Head Wrangler; Seven Arts Pictures had never been near a horse 2003 The Legend of Butch and Sundance Head Wrangler/Stunt Co-ordinator; Viacom Productions Inc. 2002 Monte Walsh and after ten days, he looked Supplied Location and Horses; Georgian Bay for TNT like he was raised on one. 2001 The Hitcher ” Stunt Co-ordinator; Universal Home Video 2000 Anthrax flickering green light. Then I brought in the native, Stunt Co-ordinator; Illusions Entertainment Gordon Tootoosis from Saskatchewan, who functioned 2000 Living Dangerously (BBS Documentary) as a narrator on many scenes. We got the full green light Stunt Co-ordinator (recreating Oil Well Fire Fighting in Kuwait and the project had great success.” 2000 For All Time John Scott and his team train actors to ride at their Head Wrangler; Rosemont Productions Longview ranch. He has taught Brad Pitt, Jackie Chan 1999 Commanche (Horse Documentary) and Morgan Freeman, to name a few. “When Jackie Organized Locations/Wranglers/Animals; Chan came, he had never been near a horse and after Directed by Burt Kennedy ten days, he looked like he was raised on one. Some of 1999 The Virginian the actors come and sincerely want to learn and work Organized Locations/Wranglers/Animals; TNT hard. Chan was one of those. There are others that 1999 Crossfire Trail come out of New York and don’t like horses, and don’t Head Wrangler; TNT/Tom Selleck Producer really try or listen. It isn’t hard to spot them, we usually 1999 Cowboy Dad give them a few days and tell them ‘It’s okay, we can Stunt Co-ordinator; Nasser Entertainment put a double in for your riding scenes’, that usually 1998 The Jack Bull makes them sit up and pay a bit more attention. Some Head Wrangler/Stunt Performer; HBO of them are okay but you have to have the right horse 1998 Strangers In A Small Town to carry them through the scene. Then you can have a Head Wrangler; ABC Pictures Corp. faster horse with a double for the stunts.” 1998 You Know My Name “We have 160 horses here and it is great when they Head Wrangler/Stunt Performer; TNT are working, but a winter like this last one and they’ll 1996 World of Horses (13 Episode TV Series) eat you out of house and home. We have four full time Host, Assoc. Producer, Tec. Advisor; WhiteIron staff and sometimes up to twenty. Calgary Stampede is our busiest week of the year and the parade is my Charolais Connection • Fall 2013 21 busiest day. We increase to 30 staff and rub it on his face, but nothing for that week. I take about 250 horses Calgary Stampede is seemed to work. Then he tried salt in for the parade. I provide horses “ and that did the trick.” and tack for the parade marshall, the “All of us work on Heartland. It’s a princesses, contestants, teams, etc. It our busiest week of the very tough picture, it’s what we call is a lot of trucking of horses and tack. adverse training. We train horses to The tack requires a lot of polishing year and the parade is my load on trailers, but on that show and maintenance to be ready for an someone will bring a horse to Amy event like that.” busiest day. We increase that won’t load on a trailer. So we’ll Training horses to be bullet‐proof have to take a good horse and get for events is also a very specialized to 30 staff for that week. someone in the trailer with an skill. The horses have to be prepared umbrella, or an air hose at the base of for situations with inexperienced the trailer, to spook the horse back. riders where all are kept safe. “I just I take about 250 horses You are always messing a horse up can’t have someone fall off a horse and I don’t like that. It takes time to and get hurt. It wouldn’t matter in for the parade. rectify them.” whose fault it was, it would be the ” PMUs used to be a good source for blame of my horse or my tack and horses. When preparing for a picture my reputation is at stake.” xylophone with his nose and I knew you have to have doubles of every “When we were working on the that was who I needed. I brought colour. “We try to stick to solids as it film Shanghai Noon, I read the script Claude Chausse in to work with the is easier to match doubles. If we can’t and realized I needed some help horse. We trained the horse to do find a good match, we have to use training the horses. Jackie Chan’s everything, but we thought we were dye. Only about three out of every horse basically had to act like a dog. stumped when we couldn’t get him It had to drink out of a whisky bottle, to lick Claude’s face. He tried ten horses work in the film business stagger out of a bar and lick a guy’s everything on the side of his face: and have the right mind or right face. I had seen a guy in Quebec molasses, corn syrup, sugar and attitude. They have to stand sometimes that had trained a horse to play a water. He’d grab that horse’s tongue for eight hours. Thoroughbreds don’t continued on page 24 Below: A movie set. Right: John Scott with Tamara and Sled Reynolds on the Heartland set. (Photo credit: http://johnscottproductions.com)

22 Charolais Connection • Fall 2013 The jail coach used in Shanghai Noon The barn used in ‘The Virginian’

work for those parts. I go through all weeks before filming began, I got aspects of horses and I like them all. John has worked on word they wanted to use mules We had a deal on miniature “ instead. I called a friend in Montana chuckwagons and there was one that and sent him to a sale in Billings to couldn’t do the chuckwagons, but many shows in a variety buy twenty mules. Maybe ten of could lead blind people around. So them will be okay for the series.” we made it into a sort of seeing‐eye of capacities. He spent three “The series Klondike has been horse for a different deal. When we hard on my crew. They want to show need a jumping horse, sometimes it months in New Zealand the grim bitterness of the Yukon, not can take three, four or five horses to the romanticized version. This is double the main horse. One that the definitely not the Little House on the actress can really ride, one that will working on the second Prairie. Between 1895 and 1900, 3800 just balk, one that is bold and brave hundred horses and mules went up enough to crash into things and one Lord of the Rings there and 3000 died, and people died. that can actually jump. Then we need Sam Steele, from the RCMP went up specialized horses for bucking, laying movie as head wrangler. there and he wouldn’t let anyone go down, falling, cast horses, gentle ” through unless they had a year of background horses, teams (we have supplies and that kind of straightened about 20) and runaway teams (we’ve driving the team.” things out. The biggest things they got 2 of them). It takes them a long “Time is always a factor in were looking for was wood for time to become bomb proof for the production. In movies we have more building their mines and fire wood. movie set.” time to prepare, but TV is very short So we rebuilt Dawson City at “Whenever we have a team to notice. For Shanghai Noon we had Marshall Copithorne’s place, CL drive, we always have a blind driver ten months to prepare, Legends of Ranches. So a lot of the filming this sitting below and behind the actors. the Fall was had three months. Right week (late April) has been at night, They hold fine wire cables so they now were are working on a TV series starting at noon and working can’t be seen and the actors hold called Klondike and it was supposed through until 5 in the morning. I have reins that have nothing to do with to be shot with horses. About three been blind driving a wagon and the A couple of John’s many stage coaches continued on page 26

24 Charolais Connection • Fall 2013 Land that lends itself well to movies actress is up on top delivering her lines, then she rides it out of town. They have been shooting rain scenes and it has been so cold that as soon as the rain towers are turned off everything freezes. The wagon turns to sheer ice. Everyone is cold and tired and anxious for this part to end.” John has worked on many shows in a variety of capacities. He spent three months in New Zealand working on the second Lord of the Rings movie as head wrangler. “We needed 450 horses for a battle scene and when I got there they had already ticked off a bunch of the local rodeo crowd. So we had to take every cross‐section of horse we could find to make it work. We had to mix heavy horses with light horses to have enough for the scene. We had all of these charges and I’d put 100 horses in a straight line. We put the heavies at the front and the thoroughbreds at the back, but the thoroughbreds always managed to bust through to the front. There were six crews working together on that film and there were 900 people just in the crew I was on. It was a massive production and Peter Marshall “ On his land, he is gifted to have a topography that includes a river with a cliff, rocky shore line, winding changes Decorative fence is found on the property to enhance some sets and overhead filming views.” was a genius. He knew his project so well, we would shoot something from our unit and satellite it to him and he would say yes or no. He was running the first unit but had five other directors working for him in the other units at the same time.” They currently film parts of Heartland, the CBC television series, on his land and he supplies the horses, cattle, tack, etc. for the show. Heartland requires 50 replacement heifers for the show and he rolls them into his own herd when the filming is complete for the season. They are currently also working on a show called Hell on Wheels. All of these things bring other jobs with them. One of his daughters and her husband run a catering business where she feeds people on sets. They have three catering units. The week we were there she was booked to feed 400 on the ranch the next day for the Klondike series. One of his daughters is in the transportation business and contracts for the industry. The third daughter works as a driver for her. His grandson plays Jake on Heartland. They may not be interested in the ranch, but the sideline has become their life. All of this work demands tack that fits the period and is in working condition. John saw that wagons and props for these shows were fast disappearing. continued on page 29 26 Charolais Connection • Fall 2013 His property has Some of the props three movie sets on it.

“Clint Eastwood would come up here and shoot a western and buy up all of the wagons, etc. and take them back to California. Part of our history was being lost, so I started collecting. I decided I wanted to be a one‐stop shop for western films in Canada. In 1959, my grandfather thrashed with horses, the harness cost $50, now it is worth $5000. It is sort of my RRSP. There may be bigger collections of wagons and such in some museums, but they don’t want you to use them with a run away team, or light them on fire or anything,” he chuckles. People know he is always looking for this stuff and collect it for him from auctions whenever possible. He has over 200 saddles of a variety of styles and eras for the movie business and they all require maintenance. The three tack trailers just aren’t enough anymore and he is trying to buy one more. Storage is always an issue. The building housing props is full of everything from old wooden chairs, enamel coffee pots and cups, pot‐bellied stoves to tobacco tins. It is a museum of western pieces that will fit into the film industry to set the appropriate scene and time frame. As we walked through the coverall building filled with over 100 wagons, stage coaches, jail‐wagons and hearses, John shared the story behind some of the collection. He bought a stagecoach used in Ghost Riders and it was bubble wrapped and shipped to Vancouver. “I have spent a lot of money on trucking to get the collection to this place. Some of these things just can’t be found anymore. A stagecoach used in A Night at the Museum sold for $80,000 in Texas.” His property has three movie sets on it. The roads between them are built low so you can’t seem them when filming shots across the land. The sets are also situated so they are stand alone units, you don’t want to be able to see one set from the other sets. When looking at what appeared to be a very old building used in the filming of The Virginian, Crossfire (starring Tom Selleck) and three other pictures, I commented on the aged wood wondering if they collected barn lumber for the construction of the sets. John’s reply was simple, “No it’s all new lumber, painters age it down in two days.” On his land, he is gifted to have a topography that includes a river with a cliff, rocky shore line, winding changes and overhead filming views. The skyline is clean and offers a view that looks like you are the only one on the face of the earth. It is easy to see why producers fall in love with the site. The industry has offered many spin‐offs in his local community and the province. “We used $26,000 of fuel Charolais Connection • Fall 2013 29 The saddle storage box of the few businesses where you are allowed to work more than a 40 hour I had my own series for week. When I run the budget for a “ show, I budget 72 hours per week for my crew. They say there is $7 in the Discovery Channel, spin‐off for every $1 spent on the actual movie.” called the World of Horses “In 1975 I was in a car wreck and couldn’t work, so I decided I had to with John Scott. market my voice to keep things ” going. I had my own series for the Discovery Channel, called the World paying me $10,000 for the shooting. of Horses with John Scott. We did 27 That made buffalo viable. Neighbours episodes. Mine was educational but it would drop off their buffalo because got dropped after those because a they were worth nothing and they bunch of other horse shows were were tired of feeding them. Now they produced and they thought the are worth $4.50/pound hot carcass market was saturated. I have been weight, but the movie business thinking about getting it going again carried me through a tough period in since. Reality shows are taking all of the market.” the market now, I have my own idea to pitch for that, but we’ll see if it “I live in the world of make belief comes to pass.” and come home to chase a cow last year for Heartland alone. The car “I never had any intention of around trying to make fifty bucks. It rental bill only for these series we are getting into buffalo, but back when used to be you could make a living working on are over a million dollars. the bottom fell out of the market, with 100 or 200 head of cows, now Then there is the make‐up, wigs, they were down to $.25/pound. My you need 500‐600.” wardrobe, livestock, etc. For the show neighbour phoned me and gave me “Our cattle numbers are down so Heaven and Earth we had over 1000 his. The BBC called me and wanted low in North America, we should be horses and 750 made it in front of the to do some stuff with buffalo and making some good money. Feed camera. The girl doing wardrobe had they were taking a week to shoot it. I prices have been so high that guys over 200 women behind sewing told them I could do it in two days are going to have to back it off a bit so machines in Calgary to sew the 5000 and got the job. He set up a green guys can make some money and I see costumes, then there is the dry screen on the side of a shed and set it coming back to the cow/calf guy.” cleaning and flowers. The lumber up a system to have them make a “I’m afraid that unless you are a yard gets a lot of business. It took 30 circle. By doing this, I could run one fifth generation family ranch and it is million to make Legends of the Fall. or two or five or whatever in front of well established, the family farm is Klondike has 5000 extras, some only the screen and with computer going by the way side. Corporations for a day, but that is a lot of extra imaging they could multiply it to will be buying all of the land and employment for the area. My crew is look like a thousand.” we’ll be working for corporations.” working 80 hours per week. It is one “The BBC did that for a few years “I’ve always had good luck with conclusion on page 32 One of John Scott Productions horse trailers

30 Charolais Connection • Fall 2013 Calves in mid-April

“ I live in the world of make belief and come home to chase a cow around trying to make fifty bucks.”

Charolais bulls. They’ve all been quiet and I’ve never had them here then truck them all over the States. It was huge one put me over a fence. They reproduce well and the prices in the early years when they would have the red calves top the market every year.” carpet sales in hotels. People promoted them and worked “Charolais marketing has improved so much and that hard at it. Other breeds came in, but the Charolais proved is worth a lot. Now guys will take a bull back no themselves and they are still around. Some of the others questions asked. It used to be if you had a problem with a have fallen by the wayside.” bull, it was your bull.” “Charolais put a lot of bone into the cattle and when “I was involved a bit when the Charolais first came in you cross them with the British breeds you get really here. We’d bring the cattle in to Alberta to quarantine wonderful cattle.”

“ I’ve always had good luck with Charolais bulls. They’ve all been quiet and I’ve never had one put me over a fence. They reproduce well and the calves top the market every year.” Relaxing on a nice spring day April Sunshine

32 Charolais Connection • Fall 2013