It was nine years ago this month that my kid brother Kevin left us way too soon. He was a movie fanatic and studied film at Montana State. He eventually made Missoula his home and one day found out that a caravan was coming through to start filming A River Runs Through It. Director Robert Redford couldn't find his vision of the scenes he wanted in Missoula so they traveled and eventually filmed in Livingston, Bozeman and on the nearby upper Yellowstone, Gallatin and Boulder rivers.

So Kevin jumped in his broken down beater and followed them all the way until they set up camp. He quickly found the person he needed to talk to about a movie job. He wanted ANYTHING just to be involved. Grip, grunt, go-fer, anything.

I never liked Kevin's beard because he was so handsome with out it, but he was a Spielberg fan and wanted to be a director and you have to emulate your hero, right?  The casting director however, loved his look and thought he would be perfect as an extra. Kev's passion was behind the camera, but it was this or nothing. So they dressed him in period clothing and he got his major film debut in the train station scene where the jackass brother shows up. He was pushing a baby carriage with his movie wife in the background as the family greeted the jackass brother.

Kevin saw himself several times when the movie hit Montana theaters on the first cut.

I wasn't living in Montana at the time and when it came out on video...I couldn't find him anywhere! The second cut, edited a little tighter for time, cut the short scene and it's never to be seen again.

But every time I watch A River Runs Through It and see the train station, I know he was there on that day of filming and smile. And miss him so.

Steve Woods
Steve Woods
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Steve Woods
Steve Woods
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Me and Kevin...way back.

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