Steam & Excursion > The Passing Of Singer Ben E. King Brings Back Such Memories!

When I received the news yesterday that Singer Ben E. King had passed away I was immediately struck by a number of memories that all arose out of his most famous song.

King was a noted singer with the group "The Drifters" when he penned what would be one of the most famous songs of all time, "Stand By Me".  We all can recognize this tune the fist second that the melody starts.  For me it means even more.

In the fall of 1985 I was called by Fred Kepner to fire McCloud River Railroad #25 for a movie shoot.  At the time Fred had restored the #25 to operating condition.  The filming would take place at the Lake Britton Bridge on the McCloud's Burney Line. 

When I arrived at McCloud to get the #25 ready I met for the first time Malen Johnson.  Malen and I would become good friends after this and we would run #25 many times together in later years.  At the time of the shoot down at Lake Britton, we did not know what the name of the movie was.  We were told that the movie was based on a Stephan King book called "The Body".  That meant nothing to me as I had not (and still have not) read the book. 

Our job on the movie set was to be filmed running the #25 across the bridge as 4 kids try and run to escape the fast approaching train.  The "kids" used in the actual filming scenes were actually dwarf women made to look like teenage boys.  It took an entire week to film the scene as it was shot from the ground, from the air and even from boats on the lake.  Fred spelled me on a couple of takes so I could get some shots myself of the filming.

It was not until the next year that this movie came out and it was several more years until I saw it myself.  The movie has since become a bit of a cult "coming of age" move for many movie fans.  The movie was named "Stand By Me" by it's director Rob Reiner who was making his directing debut with this film.  Ben E. King's famous song lent the movie it's name and was used as the film score.

So there you have it.  When I heard of the passing of Bend E. King these are the memories that came to me.

Martin



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 05/02/15 04:20 by LoggerHogger.

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I can't remember the year, but a friend and I watch the Drifters as part of a show at the San Jose Civic Auditoriaum for fifty cents! It was a long time ago. Ben K. King wasn't the lead singer back then. I think it was Clyde McPhatter. King's "Stand By Me" will always be remembered, but my personal Ben E. King favorite was "Spanish Harlem." RIP Mr. King.

Having participated in several photo charters along the McCloud system and then seeing "Stand By Me" was just a winning
combination.  Hearing the notice that Ben E. King had passed brought back lots of great memories of a very enjoyable
movie, a wonderful singer and a very scenic and enjoyalbe railroad.  Fortunately #25 still lives and is still making new
memories.

Both songs bring back memeorys of a time of my inocence and a much simpler life. That was my time in life growing up and those groups were a great part of it. RIP

What a great account of your involvement with that filming. I still to this day listen to the 60's on Sirius radio in my car. And your third photo shows the film crew man in his shorts and gym shoes on the runing board, probably setting up for a shot and maybe taking light readings. I always laughed when the crews would come around our locomotives and we would chastize them and make them at least wear safe footwear.
Great photos, great account and awesome music.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/02/15 08:41 by Bob3985.

The news put me in a little bit of a funk last night...another piece of my childhood gone. 

Growing up in a town like Burney gave me a perspective on how honestly the movie captured the hopelessness often accompanying being raised in small timber towns, where the options aren't usually there, children are pre-judged by their parents, and it's easy to become trapped early on in life.  I saw many of the storylines in the movie being played out in the lives around me. 

Attached are three pictures of the bridge the movie made famous as it was last summer, including some of the graffiti fans of the movie have left on the concrete blocks emplaced to keep people from driving across the structure. 

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV

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