James Dickey's first novel was Deliverance.

He didn't do well with critics, who may have been jealous of his solid income and his artististry.

Before Deliverance he was a noted poet, earning a fat salary in an important NY advertising agency. An alcoholic and self- identified macho guy.

Here's a first-hand account about his archery and competitiveness and a long bio, including the reputation he sought for bowhunting.

Cut and paste.

http://www.smokymountainnews.com/archives/it em/3415-archery-lessons-with-james-dickey

https://books.google.com/books? id=jTQmNNdRjnsC&pg=PT538&lpg=PT538&dq=james+ dickey+archer&source=bl&ots=v6WulCD5LD&sig=T is_yDpeOPBFiBNIpnuna8W5Lak&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0a hUKEwil- P2R6pvRAhUHxlQKHdP7C4AQ6AEIHzAC#v=onepage&q= james%20dickey%20archer&f=false

I actually knew Dickey pretty well. Shot with him a number of times. He was a strange guy. Brilliant as a writer but his personal life was a mess. Some of the things he said and did , did not go over real well with others. He was a pretty good archer. He did not do the archery instruction for the movie Deliverance. That was Hugh Blackburn a regional sales rep for Bear archery. He did go to Bear archery numerous time to talk to Fred about bows. Mr. Bear had an early Jennings compound that his company was looking at and Fred showed it to Dickey on one of his visits. Dickey pulled it back and said he would order two of them right now, he really liked it. That was a major factor in Bears production of a compound. Mr. Bear was convinced they would only be a fad but Dickeys enthusiastic comments changed that. Burt Reynolds in his recent auto bio said Freddy Bear taught them to shoot on the set but it was Blackburn who did that. Mr. Bear did come to the set a time or two and became a little upset at them shooting off arrows into the woods. They also shaved down many Bear hunters to get "Eds" bow to break like they wanted it to.They lost quite a few bows to the river as well in the filming. One last thing,Jim Dickey could play only one song and that was on a guitar,dueling Banjos.

Great story, thank you for sharing

Interesting Bear/Dickey info from Darryl, above. FB's anger about lost arrows apparently involved Bear magnesiums, as mentioned deep in my second above. Didn't know Bear made magnesium arrows!

Good stuff...and yes I had read about his "messy" life. It seems he had an inflated sense of self-importance even before the success of "Deliverance". Many said he only got worse afterwards.

Maybe he wanted to follow in the footsteps of Hemmingway, but???

All I know is that he was great as the sheriff. Chilling performance.

The man could act.

I met Hugh Blackburn while completing my degree at UGA from 1970-72. While there I worked full time at the Gibson store in Athens as the sporting goods manager. Hugh visited me on a regular schedule as he handled several lines along with Bear Archery and I was the buyer. I regret not having recorded all the stuff he shared with me about his activities working as archery rep on the movie. I was only off on Sundays and would trout fish the Warwoman WMA and Chatooga for redeye bass. I believe the cast and all rested Sunday as their equipment vehicles and stuff were always parked at the local motel when I passed through Clayton.

Three years ago I made a trip back up there, spent the night in Clayton, drove across the Chatooga and accessed Woodall Shoals from the SC side. Woodall Shoals is where they shot lots of the water footage. I was unable to fly fish for the native redeye bass as the water was a little high for wading but did spend several hours poking around wondering what the place would have looked like while they were filming. Photo of a kayaking lining up to run the shoals.

I Must have been at the camp when this thread ran.

If anyone has the DVD of deliverance, you can access a special behind-the-scenes section, with Burt & James shooting, and some " how movie was filmed " info and scenes.

Many moons ago, I wrote an in-depth piece on my June 1990 one-on-one meeting with Burt Reynolds in his dressing room at CBS Studios-- in which we spoke in length about "Deliverance". The meeting did not end well. Leatherwall erased my post the following day. Sad. There was some good inside info there...

I remember that post RBreed and it did have a lot of interesting info in it that kinda got me intrigued too !! Shaftcaster.

I'm a real Deliverance fan, have the movie on VCR and have always been captivated by the bows John Voight and Burt Reynolds used in the movie. As stated above they were outfitted with circa 1970 or 1971 Bear Archery equipment because I believe the movie was released in 1971. I'm pretty sure Voight used a Bear Kodiak Hunter because I had one just like it. The quiver was either a hoodless clap on Kwikee Kwiver or a version of it Bear Archery made. Burt Reynolds bow looks like a Bear Custom Kodiak B mag riser takedown with No. 3 limbs (making a 62" bow) with cloth camo limb covers. In the bowfishing scene it looks like his bow had chrome limb latches (which were an option for the bow at the time. It also looks like he's using the Bear spring type quiver. And what a great picture of the Bear broadhead protruding through the chest of Randal Ginner (Billy McKiney).

There have been many posts here, and several articles about what they used. The bows and arrows were provided by Bear Archery. Interesting that Bert's bow had a hunting stabilizer on it. I'm sure that drives some people crazy nowadays...since they aren't traditional. Sarcasm intended.

Lets talk about James just in a Southern 1980's atmosphere, without reference to Deliverance.

I was in college 1986-90, and our campus, alot like USC, was a small southern rural town. All them old Live oaks on campus. Quiet. A group of us getting together for an eve hunt.

James often referenced mans destruction of nature. He had some quote like " we're never gonna have a place to get away from this man world if we ......

I can't remember the rest. It's on the Deliverance dvd. But its just something about our quiet southern rural atmosphere back in the 70's and 80's.

James' quote

" we never gonna be able to get away from this man world if we don't have any place to go from this man world "

Craig...brilliant link and comment, thanks. Jazz musicians call that "trading licks" ...

Have you ever saw in person, a gas pump that dinged a bell per gallon ?

Classic scenes Craig. And yes, I remember those pumps well.

Guess it's hard to talk about James Dickey without discussing the screen play he wrote for the movie "Deliverance, Mr. Hutton.

There's a poster on one of these trad archery sites that claimed he was 18 yrs. old before he figured out it wasn't a documentary! Another went to see it on a date and his girlfriend got up and walked out...I don't recall he got a second one.

I was 7 when I went with my Dad and Uncle to see it. They had no clue what it was going to be like. My Dad walked me to the bathroom when the squealing was about to start. Shawn

Just something about the 80's on a rural southern campus

I had the good fortune to meet him in 1970, two years before Deliverance, at an Atlanta Braves baseball game. He was a true Southern gentleman, deflective, genuinely interested in the person with whom he was talking. I remember him as a big, hulking man, somewhat shy, sort of shuffling. And quiet of speech; you had to listen carefully to what he said. That night when I met him, I already knew him as a major American poet, and I was in awe.

Yeah...I took my future Wife to see Deliverance on our first date. Everything seemed to be going pretty good, and then when that "squeal like a pig" scene started, my date got up, walked backed to what I thought was to use the facilities, or maybe more popcorn. Anyway, I sat there and watched the movie for a half hour before I went to look for her. She was sitting by the concession stand, and I said "why are you out here?" She replied, " I'm not going to watch that kind of movie"... oh well, I didn't give it another thought. On our next date we went to see the movie was "Kelly's Hero's...and that she liked as much as I did. That all took place in 1972. In '73, we got married. I know, too much info.

Cant imagine seeing back then what they have on the screen today..lol

I was a kid when the Professionals came out, we thought that was kind of rough back then.

What a great novel that was, and is.

I tried to cut and paste the URL but did not work.

FYI - Deliverance is about to start on the Outdoor Channel at 9:30 CST. "Ed...you're losing glass...makes me smh every time.

Hell, it'll hold...

Doctor: "Explain this to me again. I didn't know somebody could shoot themself with their own arrow."

This here river don't go to Antri. You done taken a wrong turn. See this here river don't go no wheres near Antri.

Well' where does it go then. It goes somewhere. Thats where we're going.

No, said something bout making whiskey. Thats right, ain't none of your dang business.

Hell, we'll buy some!

The man himself

" don't never do nothing like this again "

Oh...he'll probably come in drunk...

Stumbled across this. Buncha' old coots :

www.maxim.com/entertainment/secrets-deliverance

If you have already registered, please

sign in now

For new registrations

Click Here