The Sun Sets on an Iconic Westerner

Writer, journalist, novelist, champion of the Western, Texan, voice of Vardis Fisher in Soul of a People, Elmer Kelton wore many hats. But his most iconic role was being himself, a man who lived the life he wrote about. It was in fact Elmer's life and life's work about cowboys, settlers, and the pioneering men and women who survived and thrived through grit, will and ingenuity in the rough and rugged landscape of the frontier, that drew Spark to seek him out for the role. The idea from the beginning of the voice overs was always to match up the character in the movie with a kindred literary spirit in America today. And Elmer was a perfect fit for the part of Vardis Fisher. People have commented that Elmer has a Texan accent, and that Vardis wouldn't have had such a thick drawl, but capturing the spirit of the character rather than a spitting audio image was much more important. And Elmer nailed it. And Elmer nailed it without even trying. Because he wasn't acting. Elmer was just being himself, and that's exactly why we wanted him to do Vardis. Andrea said he was a joy to work with, that he was a consummate gentleman, and full of wisdom and a plainspoken genius. Luckily Andrea had the foresight to do a little interview with Elmer at the end of the voice over session, and it is exactly the rift between Western authors and the Eastern literary establishment that Elmer addressed. It is a riveting listen. Elmer passed away in August, at the age of 83, in Texas. He died with his literary boots on, at work on his next novel. We send his family our condolences, and hope you pick up one of his books. Happy trails, cowboy.