Screenwriter Charles Newcomb was taking a break at a park when a wild Canada goose separated from its flock, swam through the water, and paddled up to sit at Newcomb’s feet. He wasn’t begging for food or marking his territory. He just came to keep the stressed-out writer company. Before long, Newcomb was visiting the park every day to visit the goose, who sometimes fell asleep with its head in his lap and attempted to follow him home. This was the inspiration for “Get Goosed!,” a family-oriented feature film about an elderly Native American man whose spirit is rekindled by a Canada goose; written, directed, and produced by Newcomb.
The film began shooting in summer, 2000, but was halted when lead actor John Pahe suffered a nearly fatal stroke and lost his speech and ability to walk. Rather than quietly retiring, Pahe fought his way back to a full recovery, and finished the shoot July 25, 2001.
Unfortunately, Owashi, the goose who inspired the film, didn’t get to finish the shoot with him. In a sad case of life imitating art, when the crew went to the lake to finish filming a scene in which a boy is shooting a BB gun at the geese, they found that Owashi had been shot and killed. The film will be dedicated to her memory.
“Get Goosed!” will be released between Thanksgiving and Christmas, 2001. Get more info from the official Get Goosed web site.
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