Pam, The O'riginal Chainsaw Gal
Flower Child 🌸💐💃🏼🌺🌼🐝
March 1971 - when I was a free-spirited little hippie gal, all of 19. My boyfriend of 8 months, George Richard Wright Bush Jr., was taking my picture in front of the house he shared with Gunnar Hansen. It was on Avenue G in Central Austin, near the UT campus. Gunnar and I were sworn enemies. He was relentless in making sure I was left out while he and George went out to hunt chicks, drink beer, and smoke pot. George was quite easily encouraged in all three cases. After 13 months with philandering George, the incessant liar, I’d had my fill. I got out the back, Jack didn’t look in the rearview and happily lost track of both of them. George would try to talk to me on campus, but I was done. I’d taken the cure. Ah, love. Good riddance I said. I hoped.
This was two years and four months before Gunnar’s and my paths would cross again. It was on July 18, 1973, the first day on the set where we were beginning filming what would become the cult horror classic, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," 1974. The TCM cast, crew, producers, et all were gathered in Quick Hill, just outside Austin, Texas, at what would be called, “The Sawyer house”. It was located across a dirt road from what we came to think of as “the old Hardesty house”.
I was in for a big surprise that morning. Unbeknownst to either Gunnar, or myself, we'd both been cast in this little non-union (aka ’scab’) local horror film, "HEADCHEESE”, a working title. I was standing outside the Sawyer house on that muggy, hot Texas morning, chit-chatting with my acting colleagues, ‘Sally’, ‘Kirk’, ‘Jerry’, and ‘Franklin’ (you know them). We were getting to know one another. We were all dressed in our costumes, all our own clothes that they’d picked out from different outfits we’d brought from home for them to choose from, for us to wear in the film, a strictly low-budget affair. Nearby, parked in the yard of the Sawyer house, was the Vortex RV/trailer/office, a no frills, no AC job, where we were soon to sign our first contracts. Everyone was pretty excited and a bit lost.
Producer-writer, Kim Henkel, stuck his head out the open RV door and excitedly called over to me, “Hey, Teri!! Come over here! I want to introduce you to 'Leatherface!” OK, I’m ready. Kim seemed thrilled, proud as punch for us to meet. As I stepped inside, I made my way down the narrow aisle, walking toward a very large figure, a man with a head full of brown curly hair, who was sitting with his back to me. He took up one of the two banquette seats. Someone was seated across from him, but I can’t remember who. As I got even with him, I noted he was almost as tall sitting down as I was standing up. This guy was big. I was feeling an eery sense of deja vu. Kim said, “Leatherface, meet Pam!” Ta-da! He turned toward me and cocked his head to look at me, both of us prepared to say, “Hey, nice to meet ya!!” Instead, we both looked at one another in sheer horror. We each jerked back with our mouths wide open. Simultaneously, we both blurted out, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE??!!!” They call them "excited utterances."
It would be grossly unfair to posterity not to list GRWB’s many good qualities. Gunnar would want me to do that. Over the years, they managed to reconcile. In 2012 Gunn invited me to meet him at El Mercado in South Austin, to interview me for his book. At the end, he asked if I ever talked to George, and had a few choice tidbits to tell me… but that’s a whole other story!
GB and I moved back in together after he moved from Ave G, however he never told me why he left Ave G and Gunn, or even that they’d had a falling out. He could be sneaky! All I knew was that I didn’t have to ever see my sworn mortal enemy, Gunnar Dang Hansen, ever again! Pretty sure GB moved out at the end of the spring semester of ’71, (after that picture above taken of me at their house). Then, we moved back in together (again!) to a cool house in Tarrytown in Austin.
GRWB was charming, imaginative, smart, witty, spontaneous, creative, LOVED good music, laughing, good fabric, cashmere sweaters, had style, panache, exquisite taste, was thoughtful, kind, crazy/wild, sweet, positive, complimentary, expert at apologizing, remorseful, loving, adventurous, and a true dreamer. We had tremendous chemistry and loads and loads of fun times together. We went everywhere together, went to Willie’s first picnic together in ’71. I believe we broke up 13 times in 12 months, usually getting back together within 48 hours. He was talented, witty, and, he had an absolute genius for finding new places for us live.(~_*).
As for Gunnar and I, we kicked heels, and fortunately, had a great time filming our scenes together. We buried the tired old proverbial hatchet, and the rest, my friends, is history.
Thanks for reading.
Sending love to all.
🥀🌹🥀
Gunnar Hansen 1947-2015
George R.W. Bush Jr. 1945-2017
xoxo, Pammie
**Thanks to my friend Eric Goode for the cleanup and colorization on these 50-year-old B&W photos
Saturday, 6 PM, January 22, 2022
Fair to Midland, partly cloudy, clear skies ahead.
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