From Page IT.

“Yea, but...” ae

“Weil, if one person gets it,
that’s good enough for me.”
We were both right. This, he
appreciated.

The last time we spoke (by. -

phone) he was at Columbia
Studios, “I’m having woman’
trouble.”. he moaned. We w
going to discuss this pattern
(in light of his chart), but hi
” got pretty busy after that —-
Easy Riger, On A Clear Day:
You Can See Forever, Five Easy
ieces, “Carnal Knowledge,

(Dece:

direct Ensy Rider which led to. -
The Last Movie (771). Jack >". °°
teferred to him as “Happy”:
during the Easy Rider shoot.

= “Tr stuck. Peter still cails him °

Hoppy.” : .
I did astrological work for
hima aiid, in fact, delivered an
extensive tape-recorded read:

ing at a Sunset Suip nightclub ~: |

few hours afer my wedding
ber 69). 1 brought my
young bride, Gracia, along.

“He ana his cohorts drank a

"Twas something of a mys-
. tery to these guys; Jack,

Dennis and Peter (Fonda).
Hepper couldn't figure me

“out... first; 1 was Ford Dunhill,
: Henry Willson-styie actor,

then, Robert Aiken,
astrologer/Krishnamurti :

"enthusiast who could tell him

Dad pr
”. Elliott; who didn’t’.
g Or wear glamorous duds. ::
dmonished him not to be.

all this stuff. about himse!
“Whoa, far out, dude.”

‘In 1967, Peter For:ia had:
been involved with The Trip,

two million dollar’ pic:
.”. Fonda would ‘assert.

developed into. Easy

loaded and I'looked at a

_ and, sometimes, very

Candy, involved. Shooting

~ began in February 1968, to”
-.¢ceincide with New Orteans’
-. Mardi Gras. It cost a‘super. low

$375,000 (much of it Peter’s
money). Columbia distributed:
Profits eventually exceeded

- sixty million dollars. a
Peter, as actor, producer.”
~ and co-writer, received 22%."

Dennis was very much as he

appeared in the picture, cith

“freaked out,” or about to be.
y fanny.

“Why did you jcave like’ that?
he cries over a fe

‘a fool, Mothe

y Rider is the seminal:
movie of the sixties. I might.
have spoken these lines — Jack
Nicholson and‘ami

much.

“able lawyer, George Hanson...
explains to “Captain America,”

or Wyatt (Peter) and Billy
(Dennis), “What you represent
to them is freedom.”

“Whar the hell’s wrong,
with freedom, man?” Billy
asks. “That's what it’s all
about.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right — 7

that’s what it’s all about all
right... but talking about it

and being it — that's two dit

. ferent things. I mean, it’s real ~
hard ts be free when you are -

bought aiid sold in the mari
place. Course, don’t ever tell
anybody that they’re nox free,
"cause then they’re gonna get

real busy killin? and maimin’ to .

prove to you that they are. Ok
yeah — they're gonna talk to

- you and talk to you about, .-

individual freedom, but they
see a free individual, it’s
scare “cm, it makes "em

as jac!

pe :
“And, I‘recall his complaining

aftey the victure’s release that

he would have liked to hav
more me to pre to”

farther devel the vances ¢

call oux' mecting at his hom
(to deliver the reading). Upar
arrival, there he was, like'a fi
tle boy, gleeful'as he unfurled

‘the poster of Easy Riser (for:
- the first time) svith that image

of himself “looking off in

~ the distance for America,

stars.and stripes sew

“back of his jacket.

ing Jack

1 found him articulate,

_ extremely intelligent, very ~

much inte the liberating J.
Krishnamurti whom we dis- °

~ cussed ar great length: He

wanted to sail around the
world and was making plans.
He had no idea that Easy

’ Rider would change

Hollywood... open so many -
doors t filmmakers offering
similar raw clarity and vigor:
ous, unoblitcrated vision. He
was not yet 30-at-che time, -
and now we sce him maturing
and developing even further; - :

* what with U%e’s Gold (798)

and this year’s The Limey, Hi

is receiving miach-deserved

accolades galore. :
Jack Nicholson,

Hopper and; Peter Fonda a:

_ Rot celebrated for nothin