"C. Thomas Howell Ideally Suited to Star in Hallmark Western"

From a P.R. firm comes this subject line which reads to me like the start of a Richard Brautigan poem, only substituting the name of the once-promising star of The Outsiders and Soul Man (one of the worst movies ever made) for, say, Rommel:

C. Thomas Howell Ideally Suited to Star in Hallmark Western

Few actors are more qualified to star in a Western than C. Thomas Howell.  Given his background as a former rodeo champion, C. THOMAS HOWELL is ideally suited to star in a Western. The former "E.T" star plays a land-grabbing town boss, opposite good-guy Luke Perry, in "A Gunfighter's Pledge," which premieres Saturday, July 5, on Hallmark Channel.  After all these years, C. Thomas Howell is still in the saddle

Tommy, as his friends know him, was practically born in a saddle.  He is the son of a bull rider-turned-movie stuntman. He grew up on his father's horse ranch. As a teenager in the early 1980s, he was a California junior rodeo champion.  "I don't think it's a stretch to say that I was riding before I was walking," Howell says. "I pretty much know what being a cowboy is all about."  Funny thing, though: Despite his expertise, he spends almost no time on horseback in the role of a land-grabbing town boss in "A Gunfighter's Pledge."

"I play a bit of a dandy in this movie," Howell notes. "That's happened to me before, where I'll be  in  a Western, but I'm sort of the city folk in the Western. So I'm either in a buggy or behind a desk....

More on the show here.

In that shot, Howell looks sort of like Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, the great poker player who sliced and diced carrots with playing cards for a Reason DC HQ audience a while back. Check that out here:

Comments

MP | June 20, 2008, 11:44am | #

former "E.T" star

"Star" is a bit of a stretch there. Former The Hitcher star is more accurate.

Michael | June 20, 2008, 11:55am | #

Former [QUOTE]Soul Man[/QUOTE] star.

Mister DNA | June 20, 2008, 11:58am | #

I thought this was going to be a link to an Onion article.

Does anyone remember when Rob Lowe hosted SNL, and during his monologue, he read from his diary? His bit about The Outsiders and C. Thomas Howell was great.

joe | June 20, 2008, 12:00pm | #

Aw, I had just about managed to blot out Soul Man from my memory.

Thanks.

Episiarch | June 20, 2008, 12:04pm | #

Let's not forget Red Dawn and Secret Admirer.

SugarFree | June 20, 2008, 12:04pm | #

Soul Man -> movie where Rae Dawn Chong doesn't get naked -> who cares

Besides, a much better movie about affirmative action is Trading Places.

SugarFree | June 20, 2008, 12:05pm | #

"Wow, you are one tough virgin!"

Episiarch | June 20, 2008, 12:09pm | #

And a much better Rae Dawn Chong movie is...Commando.

UCrawford | June 20, 2008, 12:10pm | #

"Star" is a bit of a stretch there.

Ummm, yeah...except for the puppet, Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore and Teri Garr were the stars of "E.T.". At first I thought his agent was just making stuff up because I didn't even remember Howell being in that movie. Did he even have a line?

Former The Hitcher star is more accurate.

And former "Red Dawn" star. Let's not forget his iconic scene where he tried to take down a Russian assault helicopter with an AK-47 while screaming "Wolverines!!!"

UCrawford | June 20, 2008, 12:12pm | #

He was good in "The Outsiders", though. Got to give him credit there.

JW | June 20, 2008, 12:12pm | #

I had the good sense to never subject myself to Soul Man. Ye gads, the trailer and premise alone were enough to tell me much it sucked donkey balls.

That said, I was glad when Howell faded from the film scene. I couldn't stand him, or at least the characters he played. I suspect it was a little of both.

JW | June 20, 2008, 12:14pm | #

Epi--C'mon...Quest for Fire. 'nuf said.

Episiarch | June 20, 2008, 12:23pm | #

Oh shit, she was in The Principal too. I forgot that.

JW, I hated that movie.

JW | June 20, 2008, 12:28pm | #

JW, I hated that movie.

Oh, I wasn't to crazy about it either, but, if you're going have to watch RDC, she should at least be nekid and inventing the missionary position.

And Commando sucked. All hail Predator!

P Brooks | June 20, 2008, 12:31pm | #

C Thomas Howell seems to me to be ideally suited to a starring role in a reality show about a washed-up Hollywood "sorta-was" currently supporting himself as a freegan antiquities dealer*.

*bum who lives out of dumpsters, and sells stuff put on the sidewalk for the trashman

Episiarch | June 20, 2008, 12:34pm | #

Oh, I wasn't to crazy about it either, but, if you're going have to watch RDC, she should at least be nekid and inventing the missionary position.

I was nine. No dice.

C. Jane Runn | June 20, 2008, 1:12pm | #

I gotta sue this motherfucker. I thought he was dead.

Gorgonzola's Brautigan fanclub | June 20, 2008, 1:28pm | #

Love Poem
It's so nice
To wake up in the morning
all alone
and not to have to tell somebody
you love them
when you don't love them
any more

Expressing a basic human need, Richard Brautigan always wanted to end a book with the word mayonnaise. The Mayonnaise chaper from Trout Fishing in America:

Feb 3-1952

Dearest Florence and Harv.

I just heard from Edith about the passing of Mr. Good. Our heart goes out to you in deepest sympathy Gods will be done. He has lived a good long life and he has gone to a better place. You were expecting it and it was nice you could see him yesterday even if he did not know you. You have our prayers and love and we will see you soon.

God bless you both.

Love Mother and Nancy.

P.S.
Sorry I forgot to give you the mayonaise.

Kwix | June 20, 2008, 1:35pm | #

But Commando had one of the best Arnie line exchanges evar:

Remember, Sully, when I promised to kill you last? ... I lied.

IMDB | June 21, 2008, 1:11pm | #

Terri Garr?? Must be a different ET...

Art-P.O.G. | June 21, 2008, 2:37pm | #

IMDB, I could see how someone would get "E.T." mixed up with "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" or Dee Wallace with Teri Garr.