Virland Stan Harris passed away this past Friday May 4 in a motorcycle accident near Rose Valley, California.
I worked with Stan on Fat Rose and Squeaky, a small indie film he wrote and produced in San Jose. The film is a touching portrait of two elderly women and their struggle for dignity and independence.
That was the kind of story Stan loved to tell: small human tales of hope and decency, family fare with cross-generational appeal.
He went on to focus on writing and producing more positively valued family films over the past few years:
- Seeker and Fetch, the wonderful adventure of how a goggle wearing pig and his best friend, a very proud Border Collie, adopt a lonely retired school teacher to help them find the owners for all the lost pets in the city.
- Harley’s Hill, the story of a 10 year old girl on a cattle ranch who rescues what she thinks is a wild horse.
- The Stray, a hilariously unique summer school session where a group of 5th graders adopt a stray puppy and try to hide it from their parents, and the school authorities.
This is the loss a good guy, who was really just hitting his stride as a filmmaker. On the upside, he was able to leave behind at least a few of his stories. Something we all need to find a way to do, while we can.
I was working with Stan and his eKidsFilms production company to bring Rocket Summer to the screen. I was touched by his love and dedication to the story and his desire to share it; whether that project gets completed in his absence remains to be seen, but I’ll always appreciate his support, and respectful collaborative nature. He got what it was I was trying to do, and he championed my vision.
That’s what I’ll remember.
Thanks, Stan. You’ll be missed.
I loved to hear Stan talk about his movies, the stories of things that happened during the shoot and his fascination of the history of Hollywood. You captured him exactly in your article. Thank you. He participated in so many community organizations and gave of his time and knowledge to each one. Stan impacted so many with his charisma and gentle presence. Such a huge loss to so many of us.
Stan was an awesome human being. We talked about his film making, his family, spirituality and so much more. He spoke with kindness, love and care. I would see him almost every morning walking up the street to his office carrying his morning coffee and always with a smile. His commitment to films for children was unwavering. I will miss him so much. Take you for honoring Stan.