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Red West interview featured in new RSVP magazine: The interview about Red West's film work features some nice comments:
Robert West, better known as "Red" has long exceeded the average entertainer's 15 minutes of fame with a resume that boasts acting. stuntwork, songwriting, and even a gig as Elvis' bodyguard. However his most recent role in the movie Goodbye Solo has taken his star power to new heights at the ripe old age of 73. West says the director, Ramin Bahrani, definitely got the best performance of his career. As West puts it, “I like characters that are a little different than I am, to see what I can do with them.”
Red West: I remember going every Saturday to the movies and seeing Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, and saying, "Oh boy. I want to do that." I never dreamed I would make movies, but fortunately I grew up with Elvis here in Memphis. He opened up the first door for me out there with Nick Adams, who starred in "The Rebel" TV series, and many other things. Nick helped me go further, then Robert Conrad didn't just open the door, he kicked it open for me in 'Black Sheep Squadron'. That show opened up bigger parts that have been corning ever since, so I owe a lot of people a lot.

Red West: One of my fondest memories with Elvis - well we had a lot of fun! We'd go down to the Gulf Coast and go fishing. We almost burned the golf course down there one night. He loved to buy fireworks, and his cousin had a few too many and was smoking over this big box of fireworks and he dropped a cigarette in it. We were all behind trees and in sand traps while all these rockets were going off. Those were the fun days, but later on, it ceased to be fun when Elvis wasn't able to go out as much and do things.
Red West; We were going to do Follow That Dream down in Florida. I came to Memphis to prepare for that role and met Pat who was Vernon's secretary, and we got married two weeks later, then we went on our honeymoon during that movie. Gordon Douglas, the director. knew I was on my honeymoon, and I think I ended up playing seven different parts, plus doubled Elvis in that movie. Gordon would throw things in just for me to do.
RSVP: Did Elvis ever give you any acting tips?
Red West: No, I learned a lot by being on sets and watching people in Elvis' movies like Walter Matthau, Dean Jagger and Carolyn Jones. That was an education in itself. I just worked my way up gradually. I actually started out as a stuntman and still suffer from that.
RSVP: So, you incurred a few injuries doing stuntwork?
Red West: I was a stuntman on "The Wild Wild West," and I joked that I was the only guy in Hollywood who had his own parking space for an ambulance. My wife definitely showed up at the hospital a few times. One time she rushed out to the hospital and walked in the waiting room, and there was Lee Majors–he was a friend of mine. He was working on "Big Valley" when I was working on "The Wild Wild West," so he saw the ambulance and saw me. Then, he left his set to see if I was ok.
For the full interview see RSVP magazine.
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