"RIVER MONSTERS" The FINAL TAKE -

We leave our "RIVER MONSTERS" saga with a few final photo's taken by Laura during filming - - and with some fun memories and stories that will stay with many of us for some time to come.  As a result of this, new friends were made and some "true" mystery's have been uncovered.  Mike Gillespie has been doing research (still on going) which has uncovered some very interesting "facts" surrounding the incident on Memorial Day weekend of 1954, when a Lake of the Ozarks excursion boat capsized during a storm and as many as 8 persons were drowned.  This was the largest number of fatalities, resulting from a single boating accident on record for the lake so far. (SEE MIKE'S ARTICLE IN THE "POINTE" PAPER HERE).  We look forward to seeing the "final cut" of the RM story next season and hope that maybe one or more of our folks will be recognizable in the 2 seconds of blurred action, followed by brief flashes of underwater bubbles, thrashing arms and legs - - - - ahhh well - thats showbiz.

"VICTIMS" Pose with Host of RM, before their big "take"

FILM CREW CHECKS OUT "LOCATION"

APPREHENSIVE "VICTIMS" (Ryan Dubinski, left, and Jonah Dubinski)
Air Temp = 46 deg, Water Temp = 58 deg

VICTIMS GETTING THEIR INSTRUCTIONS FROM FILM CREW

CAMERA "TESTING" They were only going to do this ONCE

2ND THOUGHTS?

Our job with the boat was to provide some waves and lots of 'white water" around the area where the "victims" would be in the water.  They would "fall" in (fully clothed) one at a time and thrash about and were to quickly come out on to the swim platform. Because we were busy "making waves", Laura was unable to get a shot of them going in to the water - - Jonah (below) was able to get back out on to the swim platform.  When RYAN went in, the wash from the boat jet produced such a hard current, he was unable to get on the swim platform and had to go to shore - -

NOT TO BAD - -  BRRRRR!

FINAL TAKE

THE FINAL TAKE - - As we got the boys dried off and wrapped up the filming, we had one final shot to make - - the film crew hopped back aboard the boat and we headed for open water with the State Park in the back ground, we stopped and the "Director" pointed to the "Life Ring" we carry aboard and asked if he could use it, I said "of course".  Shutting the engine down, they set the lonely "Ring" adrift behind us - - -, using some small underwater camera's on pole's, they rolled several different shots and angles from above and underwater of the drifting Life Ring - - - after all the "commotion" and the "excitement" of filming  - watching that Life Ring drifting alone in the water was a sobering reminder of what really took place 57 years ago when 8 souls were lost and "Reality" came rushing back to me - - - - - BOAT SAFE - -   WEAR A PFD