The Wittliff joined Willie Nelson and hundreds of his fans for a screening of a newly restored copy of the 1986 film “Red Headed Stranger” at his Luck ranch outside of Austin. The ranch buildings were constructed for the film, and many of the old-west style buldings are still standing today. The Wittliff helped add context and history to the event by decorating the town with photographs taken during the days of filming. Fans, who came from all over the country, were also treated to a mini-exhibit featuring original scripts, costumes and memorabilia from the making of the film, curated by lead archivist Katie Salzmann and taken from The Wittliff’s permanent archive. The screening was set outdoors among the movie’s buildings and set pieces which made for a perfect backdrop. Then the night was made even better when Willie Nelson joined the crowd afterwards for a Q&A. The good-spirited Nelson was quick with one-liners and jokes for most of the evening, but he was most sincere when the conversation turned to his friend Bill Wittliff. “We had so much fun together. We had a lot of luck together too… he was my buddy and we miss him,” said Nelson. “He was a great writer, and a good friend.”
