Battle for Boomer Jack
“I didn’t mind it so much here, but that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. He tried to make it so I can’t get a movie, and that’s not going to happen. Nobody’s going to get rich off of this. We’re going to make a movie and we’ll be lucky if it’s a feature film — it’s probably going to be a direct-to-video or a television movie.”
Kilian claims he never threatened to sue, and that he never spoke to Martin’s producer either. If he really was attempting to strong-arm the production, Kilian picked the wrong member of the production team — he called the writer. “I just called the screenwriter and told him I had written a historical pamphlet on the subject of Boomer Jack,” Kilian says. While he admits he used the term “legal cloud,” he just meant to say that lawyers were involved in the proceedings.
Kilian has consulted an intellectual property lawyer who told him although historical facts are not subject to protection, he didn’t know of a case where a movie or work of fiction was based on one work by one author. The lawyer also said that several years ago he himself registered a title and screenplay treatment that included several of the historical plot points shared by both his and Martin’s version of the story with the Screen Writer’s Guild.
“I’ve always doubted our spat need end in litigation,” Kilian says. “But if he really wants to sue me, so be it.”
The story of Boomer Jack is far from over.
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on the cover
Railroad!
Proposed lines ‘set rich blood a-tingling’ in early 1900s
Some Other Proposed North Coast Railroads
Choo-choo Fantasies
Exposing this east-west rail nonsense
seven-o-heaven
Undeterred Will
Will chides Andrew for lack of attention to detail and makes plans for his inevitable victory.
Recent on the cover
May 17
Ring of Fire
Sun and moon will perform a rare pas de deux in Humboldt skies on Sunday
May 10
District Soup
Racing for the top county seat in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd districts
May 3
A Place in the Woods
As park closure deadline nears, a scramble to save what we can
Today
44th Annual Kinetic Grand Championship Race
STAFF PICK / events, art, outdoors, sports, for kids, free / 9 a.m.-6 p.m. A 3-day, 42-mile kinetic sculpture race over land, sand, mud and water! LeMans start at the Noon Whistle on the Arcata Plaza. Follow the race through Manila, Eureka and into Ferndale on Memorial Day for the Glorious Finish. kineticgrandchampionship.com. 889-3024.
Flow 2012 Fashion Show
STAFF PICK / events / 8 p.m. Arcata Theatre Lounge, 1036 G St. Student designed and produced clothing. Fundraiser for Arcata Arts Institute. $35/$25 students. artsinstitute.net. 822-1220.
Woodside Preschool's Rummage/Bake Sale
events / 8 a.m.-noon. Woodside Preschool, 900 Hodgson St, Eureka. www.woodsidepreschool.com. 445-9132.
Lanphere Dunes Restoration
STAFF PICK / outdoors / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Meet at Pacific Union School. Help remove non-native invasives at the Lanphere Dunes Unit of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Tools and gloves provided, wear work clothes and bring water. Carpool to the protected site. 444-1397.
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ONE Comments
Comment / By Sherry Ables-privette / June 26, 10:17 a.m.
Boomer Jack. What a story! I first heard this story in 1998 on the 4th day of July. An old news paper pinned to a wall on 1st and C streets in Eureka. It had me in tears so bad that literally I could not talk. Friends are asking,”what is wrong?” I found the book written by Lincoln Kilian in the Discovery Shop in Eureka. on June 25,2010. As soon as I seen it I knew I had found something very special. This story brings me to tears and I have no reason why other than it gets me in the heart. Seeing Jacks pictures and hearing more of his lifes stories truly brings this dogs life back to life. Thank you Mr. Kilian for all the work that you put into Boomer Jack and keeping his story alive for more generations to learn about this very extraordinary dog and his vagabond lifestyle. You cannot imagine the enjoyment that I have gotten form your book. To see the old pictures of Eureka and the alley that is just down the street from where I grew up is fasinating because it still looks the same today as it did in the 1920’s. Thank you for this unforgetable story. Sherry Ables