Back in the early days of westerns, famous cowboy star Lash La Rue was the “King of the Bullwhip” (long before Indiana Jones made it fashionable). Since he also appeared in a handful of the Ormond family’s films, he was able to get Tim Ormond to direct this look back at his life and career.
Let’s face it, this is a fluff piece/vanity project. It’s also just this side of professional looking as it often resembles a public access TV show. However, if you’re a fan of Lash or the Ormonds in general, it will go down a lot smoother. I mean, what kind of a director but a longtime friend of the family would let La Rue read his poetry on camera? It’s that level of oddness that makes this an Ormond joint through and through. (Lash talks a little about God and stuff at the end, which also fits right in with the Ormond’s later religious pictures.)
Throughout the interview, Lash reminisces about Hollywood, his old sidekick Fuzzy St. John, learning how to use his trademark bullwhip, and his trusty horse, Diamond. Of course, there are also plenty of clips from his movies. (Mostly his westerns, but also some of his work for the Ormonds like Please Don’t Touch Me and A Tribute to Houdini.) There’s also a look at his “video comics”, which are kind of ahead of their time. Tim’s mother, June Carr Ormond is also interviewed and appears in clips from the La Rue oater, Son of Billy the Kid, which was written by her husband, Ron. (She even has her own standalone interview segment near the end of the film where she talks about marrying Ron, making dinner for Bela Lugosi, and even some of her movies.)
It has not one, but two subtitles, A Man and His Memories and Friendship Lasts Forever. A real documentarian would’ve probably picked one or the other. Again, it’s oddball touches like that that has made wading through the Ormond family Blu Ray box set so much fun.
AKA: Lash La Rue: A Man and His Memories. AKA: Lash La Rue: Friendship Lasts Forever. AKA: Lash La Rue: Friendship Lasts Forever Vol. 1.
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