Introduction
Everyone liked Jack Hunter. The whole world knew him - or thought they did. His movies were marvels of light-hearted heroics, quick wit, and charm, each almost perfect portraits of the dashing star himself. Scandalous shenanigans have been well documented by Hollywood enthusiasts, but there are many Jack Hunter stories that have never been told. Perhaps that task - now that so much time has passed - should fall to me. For once upon a glamorous time, I knew him well. My father and he shared many of Hollywood's best years, and at some point I began asking questions. I found myself stunned by the stories I heard. Finally, with his family's kind permission and with tremendous enthusiasm, I began writing them down.
The best story might be how Jack met Max - Maxine Daniels. Everyone knows they married and shared many decades together. But only a few people today know how they came to meet.
Under most unfortunate and extraordinary circumstances Jack Hunter and Maxine Daniels found themselves on the run from headshrinkers in the Amazon. Hard to believe, I know. And yet, it's true. During the course of this hair-raising adventure, or misadventure, as the old actor might have referred to it, Jack revealed himself to be something quite different from the swashbuckler he had been pretending to be in pictures. Everything changed for the star at that point, never to be the same again. If you had met him, he would have told you that for him what could have ended in unspeakable horror turned out to be, remarkably, the best thing that ever happened.
And so, daunting as the task has been, I have tried to reflect the lightning-fast wit, the debonair voice, and the old-Hollywood charm of Jack Hunter. Here is the first in a series of stories as personally recited to me by the star himself when I was a very young, always eager listener ...
"From the first page to the last, you'll be swept off your feet by hilarious characters, perilous adventures, and witty dialogue. This book will transport you back in time, make you long for the good ole' days of storytelling, when laughs were well-earned, and adventure was well-crafted. I hated for it to end, and can't wait for the next adventure the extremely talented and imaginative Stephen Jared comes up with."
Bernie Van De Yacht, Casting Director and Screenwriter
"A most charming adventure story about the Golden Age of Hollywood. Stephen Jared's love for this period is all present in his fluent writing and has a very catching effect ... I am waiting for more."
Gilles Verschuere, Webmaster of the Webby-nominated TheRaider.Net
"This has been one of my favorite projects I’ve done."
Paul Shipper, Designer, Illustrator, Photographer (LucasFilm, Sports Illustrated)
"Stephen Jared is a wonderfully imaginative writer who brings colorful and comical characters to life. As an actor and writer, he's been on the front lines of Hollywood and many of those hilarious experiences inspire the magic he puts on the page."
Steven Jay Rubin, Movie Producer (Bleacher Bums, Silent Night)
"Stephen Jared has crafted a story as fun, dashing, and cinematic as its hero, Jack Hunter."
Annlee Ellingson, contributing editor, Moving Pictures Magazine
