"Letters from a Killer" was filmed in 1997 but never made it into theatrical release in the United States. The film was plagued by accidents, including one which almost resulted in the demise of Patrick himself. Nevertheless, the film was completed and had it been left to the vision of David Carson could have been amazingly successful. This webmaster strongly recommends Swayze fans purchase the dvd and listen to what Carson has to say about his vision for "Letters" on his audio soundtrack. Even with the changes forced upon him, "Letters from a Killer" thrills. It's a true shame that a distribution deal for theatrical release was never won.

"Letters from a Killer" ended up debuting in Europe, the second of a new program there to launch films on television, rather than in movie houses. This occurred in January 1999. It had eventual releases in various European countries, and finally, almost a year after that made its way to pay per view cable release in the U.S. It is now widely available on video and dvd.

Sonja Dyer is flanked onstage by sisters Elsa, left, and Linda during a 1997 at Cowboy Palace in Chatsworth.

The soundtrack to "Letters from a Killer" was never released, but there were definitely two outstanding songs which need to be mentioned. The first is "Daddy Tried" and the second is the very alluring "Desire" which virtually serves as the theme for the suspenseful flick. Both songs are song by a Northern California trio known as Mr. Dyer's Daughters (see photo above). Listen to their original cd or to two newer singles at Yahoo and On the Row.

In a 1997 interview feature in the Los Angeles Times with Robyn Loewenthal, Dennis McCarthy (LFAK music director) stated, "Musically they were great and had the perfect country look without being hokey. It was a country-urban feel. Not only did they look and sound right, but they had great songs that absolutely fit the bill. And we wanted to have something that was fresh and new."

Added film choreographer Patsy Swayze, "They're wonderful entertainers. For the big dance scene in the movie, we're only using a couple of them... 'Desire' was perfect for our version of a line dance called 'The Black Velvet,' which we adapted to make it more sensuous."

Linda Dyer talked about the background of the group: "We're Mr. Dyer's Daughters. Actually, dad doesn't have a musical bone in his body, but it doesn't stop him from singing. Mom whipped us into shape musically because she understands the discipline it takes to become a successful musician. And Dad taught us to dream."

Meet One of the Co-Writers of "Desire" and "Daddy Tried"

Cathy “CC” Carlson is a professional songwriter who started writing country /rock songs because her strength is in lyric writing. Writing runs in her family. CC’s mother, Louise Ducharme is a book author (“Aces High”, a fictional suspense novel and her brother Craig Carlson is an award-winning screenplay writer (Chicago Film Festival and Lucille Ball Awards) for a comedy film “Wheel of Torture” which shows Craig winning on “The Wheel of Fortune Game Show” which actually happened and all of the funny and dramatic things that happen afterwards. Craig also won “Best Screenplay” at the Burbank Children’s Festival. Her twin sister Colleen’s non-fiction novel “Devil’s Jaws” was featured as a PBS Special.

After listening to her songs you will see that she is able to express her life experiences in a fun and original way. She enjoys when people identify with her music because it lifts their spirits and she can make an artistic contribution as well. In addition to country songs, she has also written pop/rock songs and big band music with jazz overtones. She performs as a solo and back-up vocal artist and has toured internationally.

Cathy has won four California Country Music Awards for Song of the Year from for her works, "Dear John", "From Where I Stand", "Whoop-De-Do" and "Do Roses Come in Blue", and she herself was nominated in 1996 for Female Country Entertainer and Singer of the Year. She's done radio and tv, and toured extensively. As time permits, look for more on Cathy here on this site!

In the meantime, here's another excerpt from Cathy's biography that discusses how she came to be involved with LFAK musically!

“CC” met Mr. Dyer’s Daughters when she was performing a song she wrote “Whoop-De-Do” at a club in Los Angeles. The “Dyers” heard the song and asked if they could perform it live in the country-dance clubs. A choreographer designed a “Whoop-De-Do” line dance and it became a hit in the L.A. clubs including “The Cowboy Palace” where the dance scene that included the song “Desire” was filmed with Patrick Swayze in “Letters From A Killer”. “CC” went on to write another song “Daddy Tried” with Mr. Dyer’s Daughters that was also featured in the movie.

More on Cathy and her music to come soon! If you have any questions you would like to ask her about the movie music, or her other works (which, by the way, have been a part of the soap operas "All My Children" and "Passions"), drop me an email and I'll see if I can get the answers for you!

Various News Reports re: Patrick's near fatal horse accident:

The Detroit News carried a story on May 11, 1997 that movie actor Patrick Swayze broke a leg when his horse ran into a tree during filming of an escape scene in "Letters from a Killer." "He was in some serious pain, but he was joking a little," said a movie extra. Swayze fell off the horse Friday and broke his right leg. He was taken by helicopter from the town of Ione, California to the University of California, Davis, Medical Center. It was not immediately known if the injury would delay filming. (Source) DAVIS, Calif. (May 10, 1997 08:31 a.m. EDT) -- Actor Patrick Swayze broke his right leg after he fell off a horse while filming an escape scene for the movie "Letters from a Killer." The actor fell from his horse and hit a tree Friday, according to a statement from the movie production company. Swayze was airlifted by helicopter from Ione to UC Davis Medical Center, about 50 miles away. "He was in some serious pain but he was joking a little," extra Glenn Neasham told KTXL-TV of Sacramento. It was not immediately known if his injury would delay the filming. Last weekend, KXTV in Sacramento reported that Swayze sustained a minor scratch in a car accident during filming. However, sheriff's deputies later disputed that the actor was involved in the accident.(Source)

-- Actor Patrick Swayze underwent surgery at the University of California Medical Center Friday night after breaking his leg in a fall from a horse while filming in the Ione area.

Swayze fell about 6 p.m. and hit a tree during a scene for the film "Letters From A Killer," according to Gabriela Gutentag and Annett Wolf, spokeswomen for the film and actor, respectively.

Co-stars Gia Carides and Roger E. Mosley also were on horseback but suffered no injuries. Swayze, an accomplished horseman, had ridden the horse in similar scenes days ago without incident, the spokeswomen said.

Swayze was treated by paramedics, then airlifted to UCD for surgery to the femur of his right leg.

Hospital spokeswoman Bonnie Hyatt declined comment, citing state privacy laws.

Source and copyright: Metro Staff, Sacramento Bee, Metro section)

-- The Fair Oaks bridge is back to normal this week after being used for location shooting of the feature film "Letters From a Killer."

Production was suspended after the movie's star, Patrick Swayze, broke both legs during filming in Ione on Friday.

However, enough footage was taken of Swayze on May 8 in Fair Oaks to complete that segment of the movie, said Lucy Steffens, director of media relations for the Sacramento Convention and Tourist Bureau.

A stunt double was used Friday night to finish the sequence that involved Swayze's character being trapped on the bridge and diving into the river.

For several days, Fair Oaks residents found security guards at both ends of the popular pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the American River. Riders were asked to walk their bikes across the span. It was closed at night to accommodate filming.

The bridge was altered to look like a bridge in Louisiana with the wire mesh removed and replaced with white fence railings.

"They took this beautiful new wood and then they painted it to look old," said a security guard who watched the process.

A string of street lights was installed down the center of the bridge to illuminate the area for filming.

Steffens, who doubles as the Sacramento area's film industry liaison, noted that the permits production companies obtain to shoot in Sacramento County require them to restore any site that they may alter to fit their needs. The county continues to lure film companies.

"People do not realize the diversity we have as far as locations," Steffens said.

And when film companies depart, they leave lots of money behind. Restaurants and hotels may be the most obvious beneficiaries. But area workers may also be hired, along with residents needed to serve as extras in crowd scenes.

"Last year, it was $2.6 million of direct spending in the Sacramento area," Steffens said.

Although the production company moved into the area quietly, word was out by Friday about the activity near the bridge. Victoria Scott of Carmichael said that her daughter knew what was going on even earlier.

The Scotts joined a small crowd watching the filming. The sequence they were observing featured Swayze on a bus, traveling down a country road.

The road near the American River Bike Trail substituted for a Southern location. Although the Scott's view of Swayze was limited, they learned that movie-making can also be monotonous.

"They ran it maybe five times and they were going to keep on doing it," Scott said.

Source and copyright: David Richie of the Sacramento Bee, Neighbors section)

-- * Then: Actor Patrick Swayze broke a leg when his horse ran into a tree during filming in the Sacramento area of "Letters from a Killer" in May.

In an escape scene, Swayze was knocked off the horse and was taken by helicopter from the town of Ione to UC Davis Medical Center.

Both Ione and the Fair Oaks bridge, which was altered to look like a bridge in Louisiana, were used in the location shooting of the feature film.

* Now: In mid-September, Swayze was able to complete Sacramento area filming of the movie, which may be released early next year, said Lucy Steffens, director of media relations for the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"He was walking a bit gingerly," but wasn't visibly limping, Steffens said.

Work is still being done on the film in Los Angeles, with the hope that it will be completed for showing in February's American Film Market, she said.

(Source and copyright: Sacramento Bee, Metro Section)

Patrick Swayze, slim, trim and jazzed about his explosive new action film Black Dog, strides into Planet Hollywood like Dirty Dancing's Johnny Castle. For fans lined up outside, it's a heartwarming sight. After all, this is the guy who last spring broke both legs and suffered four detached shoulder tendons in a horseback accident that should have killed him on the set of Letters From a Killer.

"It's been a year about my ability to deal with pain," the affable actor says matter-of-factly. "I let myself only be down for three months and then I was back on the movie. I finished Letters From a Killer and then three days off and straight into Black Dog."

The accident broke his right femur in half (there's a titanium rod in the bone), broke the left fibula and detached all four rotator cuff tendons. "But I knew if they put casts on me I'd never come back. I'd never dance again. If you have the ability to at least straighten your leg and lock it, no matter how much it hurts, you can still keep some kind of tone."

Now he's waiting to see what he calls "that blessed white all around the rod" on his next X-ray. "The last X-ray showed black gaps on either side of the rod, which meant the bone wasn't healing fast enough."

But something happened to him when he hit that tree, he says. "Not to be Mary Poppins, but it changed my life. I should be dead and I'm not. So I kind of feel like I'm on borrowed time. Any fear I had about putting myself on the line and having the courage to direct and produce and get my own projects done isn't gone. I don't know if you ever get rid of fear, but it doesn't matter anymore. I realize I have a lot I want to accomplish before I'm out of here."

(Source and copyright: Jane Summer,The Dallas Morning News)

In "Letters from a Killer", Patrick plays "Race Darnell", condemned to die for the murder of his wife. While incarcerated, "Race" pens the book "Waiting to Die: A Death Row Diary", which becomes a best seller. He also carries on relationships with four females, all of whom visit him when possible, send photographs of themselves, and exchange audiocassette tapes with him. Needless to say, when the tapes get sent to the wrong women, the action picks up, especially after new evidence frees the one time condemned author.

"Race begins to promote his book when suddenly he begins receiving alarming communications. First, there's the harrassing phone call made during a radio program. Then, there's the cassette tape left in his car. It becomes clear, "Race" must try and find out who is playing games with him. However, deciding which of his four prison romances has a vengeful personality is not as easy as he thinks. Who could it be?

The talented cast of "Letters from a Killer" includes Patrick Swayze, Roger E. Mosley (of "Magnum, P.I. fame), Gia Carides, Kim Myers, Elizabeth Ruscio, Olivia Birkelund, Tina Lifford, and Bruce McGill (a "MacGyver" alum).

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• J&M Website - not completed but includes the trailer
• Synopsis
• Discusses problems and rumors
• DVD Review with photos
• DVD Authority review
• Mr. Showbiz Report re: accident

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Page Last Updated 03/26/03

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