H. Gordon Boos, Assistant Director For Many Movies, 45
DGH
Gordon Boos, formerly of Los Angeles, California, and an award-winning
director, writer and assistant director in Hollywood, died after a
long battle with brain cancer Saturday, April 3, 2004, in his sister's
Oswego, Illinois, home, at the age of 45.
While sitting in a cafe outside Manila in the Philippines, H. Gordon
Boos got the urge to call a buddy back in the States, hoping to share
with him the excitement surrounding his latest film project.
It was 1985 and the Glen Ellyn native was on a short break from
shooting the movie "Platoon," the award-winning Oliver Stone film
about the Vietnam War, for which he was the first assistant director.
According to family members, the movie's production was at times
disrupted by street fighting, brought on by forces challenging the
rule of then-President Ferdinand Marcos.
"That's one call I'll never forget as long as I live," said Don
Willenburg, a childhood friend of Mr. Boos. "There I was listening to
Gordon go on and on about some film I'd never even heard of, and all
the while I'm hearing gunfire and what sounds like a bunch of people
screaming in the background."
For his role with that film, Mr. Boos went on to share with Oliver
Stone the Directors Guild of America Award in 1987.
"The recognition was nice, but really just icing on the cake," said
Willenburg, now a San Francisco attorney. "For Gordon, it was always
about the work itself."
As a teenager he attended Glenbard West High School and was active in
the theater department, where he played the male lead in the musical
"Bye Bye Birdie." He also earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest
achievement in scouting, by the time he graduated high school in 1975.
Mr. Boos later attended the College of DuPage [Illinois], the
University of Chicago [Illinois] and Southern Illinois University in
Carbondale, Illinois, where he majored in theater. He also completed
several improvisational comedy workshops at Second City in Chicago.
"Early on I think Gordon envisioned himself as someday working for a
small community theater in Minnesota, but somewhere along the way his
career really took off," Willenburg said.
After college Mr. Boos moved to Los Angeles, where he quickly became
one of Hollywood's leading assistant directors, family members said.
He worked for many of the industry's top filmmakers, including Francis
Ford Coppola, Oliver Stone, Norman Jewison and Ron Shelton. He listed
among his credits "The Rookie," "Tin Cup," "The Godfather: Part III"
and "Platoon."
Mr. Boos also was an assistant director on more than 100 nationally
aired commercials and music videos.
G.
Jim Beaver
"DGH" <peri...@eudoramail.com> wrote in message
news:d2b22a7d.04041...@posting.google.com...
> .
>
> Gordon Boos, formerly of Los Angeles, California, and an award-winning
> director, writer and assistant director in Hollywood, died after a
> long battle with brain cancer Saturday, April 3, 2004, in his sister's
> Oswego, Illinois, home, at the age of 45.
Damn, damn, and double-damn. Gordo was one of the best first a.d.'s I've
ever worked with. There's probably no harder job in movie making, and an
awful lot of firsts are less than pleasant, due in no small part, I'm sure,
to the massive concentration the job requires and the fact that virtually
everything that happens on a set is their responsibility. Gordo was
excellent at his job, but he was also warm and friendly and in my experience
never even abrupt--a major accomplishment for a first a.d. on a major studio
production! He was the first a.d. on IN COUNTRY, which was my first major
role in a big picture. Norman Jewison was a dream to work with, but I'm
sure that only made Gordo's job slightly easier. I can't imagine how
difficult it must have been on a picture like PLATOON. Although we only saw
each other once or twice after IN COUNTRY, I always remembered him
fondly--again, quite an accomplishment for a first a.d.
Traffic cop in a city with no street signs or signals, school teacher for
rowdy five year olds, manager of the complaint department in Baghdad, Enron
accountant the day before the audit, and referee at a demolition
derby--that's being a first a.d. Gordo was the best.
RIP
Jim Beaver
Hyfler/Rosner
"Jim Beaver" <jumb...@prodigy.spam> wrote in message
> Traffic cop in a city with no street signs or signals,
school teacher for
> rowdy five year olds, manager of the complaint department
in Baghdad, Enron
> accountant the day before the audit, and referee at a
demolition
> derby--that's being a first a.d. Gordo was the best.
>
I didn't know the gentleman, but I second this from the
commercial production end of the business. When they're
doing their jobs well, you barely know they're around.
