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| Killgore Productions is General Partner of Quadrangle Films, Ltd., producer of "The Trust" - a feature-length 35mm film described below. If you have funding and a script, but need a producer, director, casting help or crew - or you just want to talk about the process of making a feature, give us a call: 832-868-3166. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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"The Trust" is being released overseas through Liberty Interactive Inc. but we're still looking forward to a U.S. release on broadcast television. A&E - are you listening? U.S. Rights are available through Killgore Productions, Inc. - info@killgore.com
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Set in turn-of-the century New York City and Houston, The Trust tells a true story of loyalty, betrayal, greed and premeditated homicide. Sam Bottoms (The Last Picture Show, Apocalypse Now) plays Captain James Baker, the young attorney of Texas millionaire William Marsh Rice (Harold Suggs). |
| Rice, a childless octogenarian, decides to leave his fortune to the boys and girls of Texas in the form of an institute of higher learning. To bring his dream to life, he names young Baker to be in charge of building this institute -- but only after Rice's death. |
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When Rice's valet, Charlie Jones (Michael Petty, seated), sends word that Mr. Rice has passed away in his Manhattan apartment, Baker journeys north to begin settling his client's estate and start the work with which he has been entrusted. He arrives only to discover New York attorney Albert Patrick (Jon Bruno, left) in charge of the funeral and cremation arrangements and in the possession of a will which leaves the bulk of Rice's estate not to Rice's Institute but to Albert Patrick, the lawyer who drafted the will. |
| Baker joins forces with New York District Attorney Osborne and Maria Vandermeer (Karen Black), whose natural remedies were blamed for the old gentleman's demise, to launch an investigation which takes them to the heart of the Tenderloin (New York's infamous red light district) and the depths of the Tombs Prison as Baker searches for evidence to fight a bogus will and bring Rice's murderers to justice. |
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The film version of The Trust is based on Doug Killgore's stage play of the same name. Originally produced at Houston's Main Street Theater, the play rapidly became the biggest box office hit in the theater's 26-year history. The run was extended twice then moved to a larger theater. The next year the second production was mounted. To date, the stage version of The Trust has been produced nine times at the same theater. |
| Filming The Trust involved a crew of 50, a cast of 40, horses, carriages, turn of the century trains, and hundreds of extras. The film was shot in 32 days in the Houston/Galveston area. Many of the interiors, such as the courtroom scene at right, were shot in buildings on the Rice University campus. |  |
THE STORY -- HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE -- PROFILES -- HOME
WHAT THE CRITICS HAVE SAID
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“captivating…the beautiful,
loving feel of a Merchant/Ivory film – sort of an American Room with
a View or Howard's
End. “Local equity actor Harold Suggs reprises his role of William Rice from the stage production at Main Street Theater, where he played to sold-out audiences for five years. Suggs…portrays Rice with the warmth and depth the character deserves. “Sam Bottoms, of The Last Picture Show and Apocalypse Now fame, skillfully handles the role of Captain Baker. His role requires him to be a friend, confidant, detective and hero, and he plays all roles well. His loyalty throughout the film to “Mr. Rice’s Institute” and the dream that it carried with it is straight from the heart. “His warmth and honesty make a remarkable contrast to Jon Bruno’s portrayal of Albert Patrick, one of the slimiest villains to ever walk the big screen. Watching him loot Rice’s just-dead body for cash is one of the most chilling pieces of film work I have ever seen, and cuts straight to the heart of his character. “Also wonderful are Karen Black as Maria Vandermeer, Rice’s personal friend, and Michael Petty as his valet Charlie Jones. Black is delightful to watch as the flighty “new age nutritionist” who fights to keep Rice healthy and vital with her mineral salts and potions. One of the most touching moments in the film comes when she confesses to Baker that her remedies could have killed him, which is, of course, not the case. “Petty, too, lends some wonderful work to the role of Jones, the innocent young valet who is coerced into committing murder...He is a delight to watch. “…(a) fine piece of entertainment.” -- Amy Hemphill, The Rice Thresher |
| “The Trust generates considerable
suspense, first when the plot builds toward the murder and then during the
pursuit of truth. Both the
basic story and the characters are fascinating…The filmmakers made great
and imaginative use of Rice University locations, as well as Galveston’s
Railroad Museum and other old buildings to stand in for sites in New York
and Houston. “The cast does a lot to make the film work. Bottoms (Apocalypse Now, The Last Picture Show) is excellent as Baker, portraying a man forced by duty to get involved in areas he would rather avoid. Bottoms shows him as quiet but tenacious and underplays scenes that could have been clichés. “Black is amusing in her role as ditzy Mrs. Vandermeer. Michael Petty makes the pathetic valet, Charlie Jones, more goofy than mean, and more dangerous because of it. Jon Bruno is wonderfully smarmy and sinister as Patrick” -- Louis B. Parks, Houston Chronicle |
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THE STORY -- WHAT THE CRITICS HAVE SAID -- PROFILES -- HOME
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
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One Hundred Years ago, it was the O.J. Simpson case of its time. The press had a field day. Papers around the world were filled with news of the murder and the ensuing trial for months. For over five days running, every story on pages one and two of the New York World (the Hearst newspaper of the time) was devoted to the Rice murder case. |
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Reporters leapt on the lurid aspects of the crime -- prostitutes in the Tenderloin with inside information, handwriting experts discovering forgery on checks and Rice's purported will, hypnotism as an arcane means of mind control over the old millionaire, and the coroner's discovery of Mercury bichloride in Rice's internal organs. ""Women Haunt the Tombs Prison" declared one paper describing the allure of catching a glimpse of the darkly attractive murderer Albert Patrick. |
| And when Patrick married his landlady during the trial (so she wouldn't have to testify against him) the Globe covered a third of it's front page with the headline alone. Two lines of four-inch type in red ink. There was no need to explain that Patrick was the defendant in a murder trail or that Mrs. Francis was his landlady and a key witness in the case for the same reason that it wasn't necessary to identify Cato or Marcia Clark in a headline during the OJ trail: everyone in the nation was following the case. |
PATRICK WEDS |
Rice's Legacy
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Rice University, "the Princeton of the South," is Texas' foremost private university with the highest proportion of National Merit Scholars of any university in the world. It has numbered among its faculty Nobel Prize-winning scientists, renown authors (Max Apple and Larry McMurtry), and George H.W. Bush, who taught in Rice's Jones Business School before making a bid for the presidency. For the past several years it has been rated the number one private university in the country by Money Magazine and Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine for the value vs. cost of its education. This statistic is due in large part to the strong endowment left by Mr. Rice and increased by the fine fiscal management of Captain Baker and subsequent Trustees of Mr. Rice's Institute and by the generous gifts of its outstanding alumni. |
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Captain James Baker's Legacy
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The son of the first Baker of Baker and Botts, one of America's most prestigious law firms, was a driving force in the development of Houston. One of the founders of the Commercial Bank (now Chase Texas) and a board member of many Houston institutions, Baker became a true Texas hero with his almost single-handed triumph over Rice's murderers and the saving of the old gentleman's fortune for the Institute he had envisioned. In the late twentieth century the name of James Baker rose to world prominence through his grandson and namesake, James A. Baker, III, who served as Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of State under President George Bush. |
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Today, this James Baker is on the faculty of Rice University and has his own major building there -- the Baker Institute of Public Policy, and (after a change in nepotism rules to exempt anyone who has been Secretary of State) he has joined his grandfather's law firm, Baker and Botts, as a Senior Partner. Writer/Director Douglas Killgore and Secretary Baker
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THE
STORY -- WHAT THE CRITICS HAVE
SAID -- HISTORICAL
PERSPECTIVE -- HOME
PROFILES
Sam Bottoms
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The ultimate individualist, actor Sam Bottoms infuses each role with an intriguing and unique perspective. Since making his professional debut at age 15 as the deaf-mute Billy in the highly acclaimed The Last Picture Show, Bottoms has given shape to a repertory of varied and unforgettable characters. As he has never looked the same twice, he has emerged as one of Hollywood's most versatile actors, lending support to such luminaries as Clint Eastwood, James Caan, Gene Hackman, Robert Duvall and Martin Sheen. |
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A laconic actor with leading man looks, Bottoms attributes some of his best work to directors Clint Eastwood and Francis Fort Coppola. Barely twenty, he starred in the Post Civil War drama The Outlaw Josey Wales, playing an unreconstructed Southerner who joins forces with Eastwood. He segued into Apocalypse Now, spending 18 months in the Philippines portraying Lance Johnson, a drugged-out surfer who proves to be the real casualty of the war. Describing himself as a man of tremendous patience and endurance, Bottoms enjoys both his life and his work. "Acting has proved to be an evolutionary process for me, both painful and joyous. I feel more alive today than ever and look forward to what "mission" awaits me." |
| Selected Feature
Films Sunny Side Up Harlem Hearts of Darkness, The Making of Apocalypse Now North of Chiang Mai Dolly Dearest Gardens of Stone Hunter's Blood Bronco Billy Apocalypse Now Zandy's Bride |
Class
of '44 The Last Picture Show Selected Television - MOW's Island Sons East of Eden Savages Cage Without a Key Desperate Lives Soldier Home/No Earthly Reason |
Episodic
Television Murder She Wrote - Guest Star 21 Jump Street - Guest Star Eddie Capra, P.I .Marcus Welby Lucas Tanner Doc Elliot
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Karen Black
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A true legend of the silver screen, Karen Black has starred in over a hundred films and television movies. The winner of Golden Globe Awards for her roles in Five Easy Pieces (also Academy Award nomination) and The Great Gatsby and a Golden Globe nomination for her role in Day of the Locust, Karen has worked with such directors as Robert Altman and Alfred Hitchock and leading men from Jack Nicholson to Robert Redford. She has starred on Broadway (The Playroom; Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (also the film) and Happily Never After), been guest star on television (Columbo, et al) and been honored for films which she has written and produced. |
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Films The Chosen Ones Karen Black: Actress at Work New York Crossing The Player Final Judgment Growing Pains The Little Mermaid Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean |
In Praise of Older Women Capricorn One Family Plot Burnt Offerings Nashville Day of the Locust Airport '75 The Great Gatsby Rhinoceros |
Portnoy's Complaint Cisco Pike Drive, He Said Born to Win A Gunfight Five Easy Pieces Easy Rider Hard Contact You're a Big Boy Now |
Harold Suggs
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A fixture of the Houston Theater scene, Harold has performed at the Alley Theater, Country Playhouse, Theatre Suburbia and at Main Street Theater where he delighted audiences as William Marsh Rice in the first four productions of the stage version of The Trust. Harold came into acting late in life when a hand injury forced him to give up playing the clarinet. Since taking to the stage, he has also worked extensively in film, television and radio |
Jon Bruno
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Before coming to California, Jon performed in New York and Houston where he starred in many theatrical productions as well as film and video projects. More recently has had featured roles in Apollo 13 and several television movies and series including Trial: The Price of Passion, Bed of Lies, Jailbirds, Melrose Place and Beverly Hills 90210. He was a Guest Star on NBC's Pretender, spent six months on DAYS OF OUR LIVES, and played the role of horror-writer Stephen King in Monkeybone. |
Michael Petty
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Producer Gary Chason found Michael at the Dallas Theater Center while he was on a casting expedition. Other television and film roles have included My Boyfriend's Back, Necessary Roughness, Dream Date and Johnny Be Good. |
Doug Killgore (Writer/Director)
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Killgore first heard about the murder of William Marsh Rice as a student at Rice University. It was many years later, after earning a masters in film at the University of Texas and starting his own production company in Houston, that Killgore discovered the details of the story and decided it needed to be made into a feature film. He wrote the script first as a stageplay to try out the material on an audience. The overwhelming success (a third of the run was sold out the morning after the show opened) helped immensely in raising the funds to mount the film production. |
| Feature
Film Grigsby, G. -- Co-Producer/Director Short Subjects/Documentaries Living in the Stars -- Writer/Director Rice Today -- Writer/Director Last of the Little Breweries (Academy Award - Best Student Documentary) -- Director of Photography Lunch in the Park -- Writer/Director/Producer Rat Race -- Writer/Director/Producer The Skater -- Writer/Director/Producer The Great Dogfight -- Director/Co-Writer |
Theatre
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Gary Chason (Producer)
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Writer, director, actor, teacher, producer Gary Chason has a wide and varied background in film and theater. His most well known work has been as a casting director, beginning with Robert Altman's Brewster McCloud, which was shot in Houston. |
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Feature
Film |
Student Bodies Paramount – Head of Casting Liar’s Moon – Head of Casting The Island Universal – Location Casting Pretty Baby Support and Location Casting Semi-Tough U.A. – Location Casting Future world A.I.P. – Location Casting Rolling Thunder A.I.P. – Location Casting Drive-In Columbia – Head of Casting Logan’s Run MGM – Location Casting Race with the Devil 20th Fox – Location Casting Paper Moon Paramount – Head of Casting The Thief Who Came to Dinner WB – Location Casting The Getaway First Artists – Support and Location Casting The Last Picture Show Columbia – Support and Location Casting Brewster McCloud MGM – Asst. Head of Casting |
Claudia Raschke (Director of Photography)
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After graduating from Hamburg University with a degree in fine arts (painting and sculpture), German-Born Raschke came to the U.S. and studied filmmaking at New York University. The glorious look of The Trust is due in no small measure to Claudia's painting background and superb control of light. "When I read the script," as she is quoted saying in In Motion magazine. "I knew that the look of the film I was going for would be influenced by the Dutch classic masters, Vermeer and Rembrandt." |
| Feature
Film Kiss Me Guido No Way Home His and Hers The Last Good Time Notes for My Daughter Charlie’s Ear |
Television Francis America's Most Wanted Truly Yours
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For a DVD of The Trust, send $20
(ppd. in USA) to
Killgore Productions, Inc.
4437 Mt. Vernon St.
Houston, TX 77006
or contact killgore@rice.edu