Harry Dean Stanton Fest: How the Kentucky actor helped Ed Begley, Jr. in TV, films

Early into a friendship that spanned more than a half century, Ed Begley, Jr. and Harry Dean Stanton palled around so frequently at the same locale that even a single evening’s absence became cause for concern.

The time was the early 1970s. Begley, then in the formative stages of a film, television and stage career that has run steadily to this day, and Stanton, the Kentucky native whose outsider roles made him one of the most beloved character actors of recent generations, would find themselves at the bar of the famed Los Angeles restaurant Dan Tana’s (still in operation). Closing time would shut down the establishment for the evening, but not the two actors’ desire for hanging out. Begley and Stanton would then retire to the Beachwood Drive abode of the latter to watch films on an early pay television prototype called The Z Channel until one or both fell asleep.

The ritual was only interrupted when the working world interceded. In 1974, with little notice, Begley and Stanton found themselves in Georgia making their first movie together, a Monte Hellman-directed, Roger Corman-produced film called “Cockfighter” (which starred another Kentuckian, Warren Oates). After a week, Begley thought it best to, so-to-speak, call home.

“It occurred to me we hadn’t been to Tana’s in a week,” Begley recalled. “I felt I should probably give them a call to tell them we’re alright. So, I called up Tana’s and Michael at the bar answered. I said, ‘Michael, it’s Ed Begley. We’re here in Macon, Georgia shooting a movie.’ He said, ‘Jesus, guys. We thought you fell asleep watching The Z Channel and the gas was on in the stove or something.’ They even sent somebody to the house to look in the windows to see if we were laying there in trouble or worse. They thought we had died. For us to not go to Tana’s for five days was unheard of. They literally thought we had died.”

Such is a snapshot of two actors whose friendship was as deep and long-running as their careers. Begley’s television dossier reaches back to such late ‘60s and early ‘70s programs such as “My Three Sons” and “Adam 12” and has run without interruption up through recent fare that has included “Young Sheldon,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Better Call Saul.” Stanton, of course, is a much-revered film actor, especially in his home state, through work highlighted in movies ranging from big-budget and mainstream (“The Green Mile” and “The Rose”) to indie-minded and cult-friendly (“Paris, Texas” and “The Straight Story”).

From the indie column comes “Lucky,” Stanton’s final movie with Begley and the closing chapter of his career. It opened nationally in late September 2017, a mere two weeks after Stanton’s death at age 91. On Sunday evening, “Lucky” will conclude the 13th annual Harry Stanton Fest with a screening at the Kentucky Theatre that will include a Q and A session with Begley.

“We all knew how special ‘Lucky’ was,” Begley said. “Harry’s friend Logan (Sparks) got the script together. It was really based on a lot of things Harry had said and done in his like. It was somewhat autobiographical, but not truly autobiographical, of course. It’s a lovely piece, a very heartwarming piece. People like David Lynch, me and Beth Grant and so many people wanted to be part of it because we all loved Harry so much. It’s a delightful movie. I was very happy with the way it turned out.”

“Lucky” won’t be the only Stanton/Begley film screened for the festival. A true obscurity will be uncorked Sunday afternoon at the Farish Theater of the Central Library — a 1992 short from director Matt Palmieri titled “Cruise Control.” Sean Penn and Max Perlich round out the cast. (Begley will also be on hand for “Cruise Control” and will sign copies of his memoir, “To the Temple of Tranquility... and Step on It!,” following the film.)

“I hope the festival in Lexington encourages people to sample the films Harry has been in and learn about the ones not a lot of people have seen, like ‘Cruise Control.’ I hope it will allow us to sample his work and see where he stood in the pantheon of great actors in TV and film. I hope people walk away with an appreciation of his talents and contribution to film. It’s something they just need to know because he’s part of film history. He has worked with so many wonderful, wonderful artists, directors, writers and actors, so I want to make sure everybody knows about him. I don’t want his legacy to ever be forgotten.”

When asked if there was a specific quality to Stanton’s work, one that perhaps also underscored the basis of their friendship, Begley quickly summoned a succinct and complete description: honesty.

“Some people would think of Harry as crotchety or thorny,” he said. “It wasn’t that for me at all. It was never that for me. It was just him being honest with people, sometimes in a way they didn’t want to hear. He would just cut to the chase and tell you the truth, in his opinion, about what he felt about something. People would sometimes find that harsh, but he was just being honest. I loved his honesty. I knew I wasn’t going to get any jive from him if I asked him about a film or a play that I’d done or any TV show I was in. I knew he would always give it to me straight.

“I never really thought about it until you asked that question, but Harry helped me be more real in TV, films, stage, whatever I did, because he had a reality to him, an honesty. There was no fooling around with it. It wasn’t to be trifled with. He made me be a more honest artist, a more honest actor.

“And that’s no small feat, to take a kid from the San Fernando Valley who had very limited skills to start with. I didn’t do a lot of training early on. I finally did a few years into it, but not when I first started. My father was Ed Begley, a famous actor (coincidentally, one of the elder Begley’s greatest films, “12 Angry Men,” was featured at the Kentucky in May as part of its Summer Classics series). I just wanted to do what my father did. Harry Dean was a person who really taught me a lot about taking the work seriously, studying, working with good people who were trained actors and to always be in the moment, to always be real. I got that from Harry Dean.”

Harry Dean Stanton Fest

Here is the full lineup of events for the 13th Annual Harry Dean Stanton Fest.

July 11

▪ “The Straight Story” screening at Blue Grass Memorial Gardens (Harry Dean Stanton’s final resting place), 4915 Harrodsburg Rd. in Nicholasville. Gates open at 8 p.m. Screening at dusk. Free.

July 12

▪ “Zandy’s Bride” screening at the Farish Theater, Lexington Public Library (Central Library), 140 E. Main. 12:30 p.m. Free.

▪ “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid” screening at the Farish Theater. 2:45 p.m. Free.

▪ The Call with Movie Jail at The Green Lantern, 497 W. 3rd. Doors at 7 p.m. music at 8. $20.

July 13

▪ “Young Doctors in Love” screening at the Farish Theater. 1:15 p.m. Free.

▪ “Cruise Control” (1992 Short Film) screening at the Farish Theater. 3:00 p.m. Free.

▪ Ed Begley, Jr. book signing for “To the Temple of Tranquility. ... And Step On It!” Lexington Public Library (Central Library), 140 E. Main. 3:30-5:00 p.m.

▪ “Lucky” screening at the Kentucky Theatre, 214 E. Main, preceded by Q&A with Ed Begley, Jr. 7:30 p.m. $15.

This story was originally published July 7, 2025 at 11:59 AM.