Getting even with Chandler
While visiting longtime artist friend Frank Hagel last week, the name of an old-time buddy of ours came up. I first met Al Chandler when he came here with his TV associate, Bob Empee, to run the new television station, KCFW.
Al was the smooth talking advertising director and soon convinced my brother Ritchey to sponsor a half-hour show promoting his Bell Campers and Trailers. They came up with the idea of doing an outdoor program where I would show slides and tell about hunting, fishing and hiking.
In those days, it was live broadcasting with no rehearsals. Big carousels projected slides and worked quite well except when an occasional slide would hang up. The cameras were huge and used 2-inch video tape. The show turned into a lot of fun, with Al playing straight man for my "mostly true" yarns. We soon talked a sporting goods store into co-sponsoring, along with Bell Campers.
Lot of crazy things happened, but the wildest event came during an advertising segment featuring new easy-pack canvas containers for loading on mule and horse sawbuck saddles. Al said it was a lot easier than "mantying" up stuff and then roping it on with the old "diamond hitch."
When it came time to demonstrate how much one would hold, Al said, "Hey folks! Just watch this. George is going to climb inside a bag to illustrate the capacity." This was certainly news to me, but I wriggled in and curled up. "Now," Al said, "I'll just close this ‘Sure-Loc' zipper and George will be snug as a bug in a rug."
After a few more laudatory remarks about this wonderful new backcountry packhorse invention, Al said he was going to let George out of the bag. Surprise and alas! He absolutely could not get the zipper unlocked. There was still 10 minutes left on the show, so he went back to the slides. Al would tell roughly what it showed, then hold the microphone next to the bag so I could yell muffled information about it. This effort was not helped by two TV guys giggling in the background.
The last couple of minutes were used by Al explaining to the TV audience that he had not actually read the manual on how to unlock the zipper; however, he assured them he'd probably get George out by supper time.
Took several years for me to get revenge, and it happened in the wilderness at Sunburst Lake. The TV station sponsored a fishing trip for advertisers. Don't remember all who went but do recall the group included Chuck Mercord from First Federal and Sterling Rygg, the Ford dealer.
A beautiful saddle horse ride got us to outfitter Cecil Noble's well-prepared camp, where we all tossed a $10 bill in a can for the guy who caught the biggest fish. Then Al and I pumped up a small raft and went to test the waters. He is a supreme fly rod operator and soon hooked a fighting cutthroat while I did the rowing.
When the trout was up to the boat, I grasped it behind the gills and held it up for Al to see. Told him it was a dandy 16-incher, then removed the fly and released the fish. He almost fell out of the raft. "Why did you do that, George?" I casually replied, "This is a pristine lake with bigger ones out there. Besides, it's unlucky to keep the first fish."
Our party was up there three days and had a cold rain with wind most of the time. Very few fish caught, and Chuck won the money with a 13-incher he got in the outlet creek.
One other thing - we got up a poker game in our wall tent. Sterling hadn't played before but was a fast learner. By afternoon the second day, he and I had won all the available cash and the kindly Sterling wanted to give everyone their money back "so we could play some more." Al thought that was "a swell idea," but I talked to Sterling out of it. Assured him, "These guys wouldn't give us our money back if they'd won."
Al currently has a successful manufacturing plant in Seattle and doesn't miss what he lost at Sunburst Lake 40 years ago; however, it sure gives me a warm feeling to recall ... the way I got even.
G. George Ostrom is a national award-winning Hungry Horse News columnist. He lives in Kalispell.