Local filmmaker’s western-fantasy hits streaming sites

It’s been an exciting ride for Waverly, N.Y. resident and actor / producer Tim O’Hearn. His feature-length film, Showdown in Yesteryear, was made available to a wider audience via multiple streaming sites as of Sept. 1.

The two-hour western adventure-fantasy film debuted last year, and was inspired by O’Hearn’s previously released short film, The Door. 

“Now the real work starts,” O’Hearn said, referring to the work behind increasing the reach of the film.

O’Hearn invites you to go on the adventure of a lifetime and watch “Showdown in Yesteryear.” The film is now streaming on Amazon, VUDU, Spectrum VOD and Redbox, or you can search for it on other cable / satellite VOD sites.    

So far O’Hearn has received, he stated, “Really positive feedback overall, and viewers were impressed by the story line and performances.”

O’Hearn took on the role of producer, casting director and actor, and teamed up with director, editor and director of photography Aaron Bratcher to create the two-hour film. He then turned to filmmaker and author Greg Lamberson to take on writing the movie script.

The film features a down-on-his luck wannabe cowboy named Daryl Dumwoody.  While at work on a ranch Daryl stumbles upon an antiquated and mysterious-looking old door in the middle of a field. After a struggle turning and tugging on the knob the door thrusts open, whisking Daryl back to the old west era. It’s there he encounters outlaws and scoundrels and finds himself in a quandary or two, along with some outright gunfights to survive. 

Since its release last year, O’Hearn shared that “Showdown in Yesteryear” has received acclaim from several film festivals across the U.S., and has accumulated 17 awards to date. Award categories include best director, best actor and actress, and best score, to name a few.

Filmed at Dogwood Pass, a replica of a classic old-west town located in Beaver, Ohio that is open to the public and for special events, and features the Roy Rogers Museum, the locale features about 30 buildings such as a classic-style saloon, a jail, and an old-time mercantile.

Dogwood Pass proved to be a perfect setting for “Showdown in Yesteryear,” and where the filming, amazingly, was completed in 18 days.

The tight schedule challenged the crew when it came time to shoot and reshoot scenes multiple times, as well as planning for actors to be on set at the same time, and all while working 15 hour days. 

One prominent actor in the film, Vernon Wells, is a recognized name and face in the industry. Wells has acted alongside the likes of Mel Gibson in “The Road Warrior” and Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Commando,” among countless other movie and television roles.

Actor Jeff Grennell, who plays the main character Daryl, had worked with O’Hearn in the past. Incredibly, Grennell performed all of his own stunts, too, and some quite precarious, like rolling down a long hill. That scene, O’Hearn chuckled, had to be shot several times.

O’Hearn grew up in upstate New York near Watertown, and at an early age became fascinated with how movies were made, and especially horror flicks.  A U.S. Air Force veteran, O’Hearn retired after working as a safety flight helicopter inspector at Lockheed Martin in Owego. 

A seasoned drummer for three decades, as well as a photographer, Tim now devotes a majority of his time producing films and acting. A supernatural flick, “Demon Behind the Glass,” in which O’Hearn acts, is a recent project. The award-winning Indie film was shot throughout the southern tier.   

Movies are often remembered for the music that accompanies them. O’Hearn reached out to southern tier favorite, Tim Ruffo, to craft a memorable movie theme song for “Showdown in Yesteryear.” 

Ruffo has been creating original music and entertaining audiences for many years, and explained in a previous story, “Tim O’Hearn sent me a few minutes of the movie and a short paragraph about the film, and just enough of a template to work from. It was a fun process.”

Ruffo’s original song, “Showdown,” has since received a number of awards from various festivals. 

Ruffo also stars in the music video associated with the film. Shot at Dogwood Pass, Ruffo previously shared that the experience fulfilled a career goal. He especially enjoyed a classic western scene where he got to break a bottle over the head of another actor.

Going forward, O’Hearn has an ambitious goal of producing films each year. You can keep up on O’Hearn’s catalog of projects at www.imdb.com/name/nm2567792/.

To view the official movie music video, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=RufpWE1v1OM.