One of the best aspects of making this documentary is reuniting people through Jim. Here’s a recent email from Ron Cohen, Jim and Max Schwartz’s UCLA roommate, and friend of Liz Buckner, Max’s UCLA-era girlfriend and star of Jim’s first UCLA short film. Ron kindly approved my posting it here:
“Jeff- Funny you sent that e-mail at the same time Liz and I were discussing her going to NY next week to go to a memorial for Max in Woodstock and to hang out with Jules who was very close with Max….The article was very interesting to read…thanks for sending it…The photos of Jim were nice to see….I didn’t know the guy who took them… The best thing for me is that Liz and I are friends once more after 48 years of not seeing each other…We speak often and it all happened because of you…thanks…..This grand myth of Jim is very interesting to both Liz (Lizard) and me…..hope your film is coming along well… Best Ron.”
Incidentally, Jim’s UCLA nickname for Liz was Lizard. 🙂
Here are the links I initially sent to Ron:
http://www.aceross.com/morrison.htm
http://moonlight-driive.tumblr.com/post/26574579240/jim-morrison-before-the-doors-by-robert-freeman
http://www.idafan.com/MaxSchwartz-Melbourne.htm
If anyone has a recent contact for Robert or Robbie Freeman, the photographer who claimed to have taken the UCLA-era photos of Jim, please contact us. Thanks. In the book The Doors: The Illustrated History, three of those same photos are credited to Ray Manzarek.