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| Jonathan KentSmallville |
John Schneider recently completed filming the finale of Smallville for what may be, to date, his most notable role - Jonathan Kent, the adoptive father of Superman. The Superman mythology is no stranger to most people, but Smallville finally shed light on the elusive Man of Steel mystique that makes Superman so irresistible to us all. How could someone so powerful be so good and so human, in the best sense of the word? The answer to that question is a much needed one in today’s world: good parenting, especially the parenting of one father, Jonathan Kent.
Superman is who his parents raised him to be; moreover, the man his father raised him to be - a humble protector to those in need. Smallville’s great writing and production are a spring board for what John Schneider feels is possibly the best father-son relationship that has ever been portrayed on television. After watching John Schneider and Tom Welling deliver incredible performances for 10 years, I have to say that I agree with him. However, the role of Jonathan Kent is just the tip of the iceberg in a career that has included over 100 acting, writing, producing or directing roles for well over 30 years. Not to mention a successful country music career that included 4 No. 1 hits.
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| Bo DukeThe Dukes of Hazzard |
John Schneider’s character as the good looking, lead-footed and good-hearted Bo (Beauregard) Duke on the Dukes of Hazzard is the role that first catapulted him to stardom. The Dukes is still a favorite when it airs on CMT thanks to the family values at its core, an underrated cast of actors and incredible stunt performances that still take my breath away.
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| Daniel SimonDr. Quinn Medicine Woman |
After the Dukes ended, John Schneider went on to many other roles, particularly: Daniel Simon on the last Seasons of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman; a religious father raising a teen aged daughter, Marshal Bowman on The Secret Life of an American Teenager; a construction contractor who loses everything but finds love and trouble on a cross country road trip, Mick Jeremiah in The Gods of Circumstance and now Sam Doonby…
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Mick JeremiahThe Gods of Circumstance Winner, Best Actor, British Film Festival |
Who is Sam Doonby? That is the question. Sam Doonby is a mysterious drifter who steps off a Greyhound bus and into the spotlight of a sleepy, Texas town after becoming a small-town star at a local hot spot, Leroy's Country Blues Bar(Ernie Hudson is Leroy). Sam’s handsome face, musical talent and seductive charm are irresistible to the attractive daughter of the town’s doctor, Laura Reaper (Jenn Gotzon).
Sam always seems to be in the right place at the right time to prevent disasters from befalling the town’s inhabitants but his good deeds eventually lead the townsfolk to look upon him with doubt and suspicion. The townspeople soon realize that they never needed a ‘hero’ before Sam Doonby showed up and eventually he becomes an object of suspicion. The film moves from us and Laura asking who Sam Doonby is to exploring a world where one never existed. Sam’s disappearance has chilling implications for Laura, her family and the entire town.
Director/screenwriter Peter Mackenzie’s basic scenario of the film has always been, “to make people think about the value of life and the effect we all have on each other.”
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| Doonby partial cast |
This film described as a grittier, modern day It’s a Wonderful Life should give us all an opportunity to take a look at ourselves, Sam Doonby and another side of the actor, John Schneider.
Be sure to check back for my review of Doonby after its release September 2011. For more information please go to http://doonbythemovie.com/ and please like Doonby at http://www.facebook.com/doonbythemovie.
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