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Bob Ross is used to painting
a landscape in 26 minutes,
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slightly less than
the length of an episode
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in his popular television series.
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The series is The Joy of Painting.
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Hello, I'm Bob Ross.
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If this is your first time with us,
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then let me extend a personal invitation
for you to get brushes and paint along
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and spend a relaxing half hour
enjoying some of nature's masterpieces.
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I think each of us,
sometime during our life,
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has wanted to paint a picture.
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I think there's an artist hidden
in the bottom of every single one of us.
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Here, we will try to show you
how to bring that artist out.
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When you paint like this
for any length of time,
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you begin seeing things in your painting.
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When you see these things,
take advantage of 'em.
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Take advantage of 'em, use 'em.
They're like... they're like gifts.
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Use 'em.
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That's why I paint.
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It's because I can create
the kind of world that I want,
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and I can make this world
as happy as I want it.
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Shoot, if you want bad stuff,
watch the news.
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Who's this?
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- Bob Ross!
- This is Bob Ross!
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This is the most famous painter
in the history of the universe.
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Here's the man who does so much magic
in one half hour on PBS every week.
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Bob Ross painted this.
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Is that fabulous?
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Yeah.
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I'd like to introduce you today
to my son, Steve.
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- Steve, glad to have you with us.
- Well, thanks, Dad.
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I've been wantin' to get
this story out for all of these years.
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Yeah, long time.
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There have been some hard days
in the past, no doubt about that.
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I tell you, the best
mountain painter in this technique
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is probably my son, Steve.
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Boy, that rascal. Whew.
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He can paint some mountains.
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Maybe we'll get him on here
before the series is over.
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Of course, he never could tell anybody...
anything about it.
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He was always...
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pretty quiet... about the whole thing.
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It's gonna be difficult to get people
to do interviews for this film.
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There's no doubt in my mind.
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What they did was shameful.
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And people should know that.
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They should know.
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On this canvas,
I have absolute and total power.
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I can always escape
to this piece of canvas
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and create any illusion that I want.
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And now, here's Regis Philbin
and Kathie Lee Gifford.
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Hi, everybody.
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Hi, Reeg.
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Hi, everybody. Nice to see ya.
Tuesday, December 3rd, 1991.
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I'm just looking over here
at, uh, Bob Ross.
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I thought, for a minute,
Bob was gonna do our portrait.
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Bob is looking at us,
and he's painting a mountain. I dunno...
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He does... He's famous
for his landscapes, mostly, Reeg.
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- Bob, do you do portraits?
- Not very well.
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I... I do mostly trees and bushes.
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Yeah, you do a great bush and tree.
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Just out of memory, huh, Bob?
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Yeah, I lived in Alaska about 12 years,
so a lot of my scenes come out of Alaska.
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Whew.
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How you feelin'?
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Uh... tired.
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Yeah, this all happened so long ago.
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Really havin' to pry
the memories outta my head.
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My father started out
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painting the old metal
gold miners' pans with my mother.
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When we met, he loved to paint.
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He would paint sometimes
till two in the morning,
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and he had to be at work at eight.
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Bob was in the Air Force.
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He got orders for Alaska.
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We got married.
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And then, a few months later,
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I got pregnant with Steve.
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Bob loved the forest,
the animals, the trees.
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I mean, he loved it.
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I look at a lot of nature.
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And if painting teaches you nothing else,
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it'll teach you to look at nature
with different eyes.
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Bob believed in
doing something worthwhile,
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something he enjoyed.
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The biggest thing was his painting.
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What is he doing now?
He's starting a new painting?
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He's gonna finish it...
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Within 30 minutes,
he'll finish a painting.
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Is that the background?
You do background first?
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Yeah, we're gonna use
this tiny two-inch brush
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- to put in a happy little background.
- Yeah.
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He's a happy guy,
that Bob, isn't he?
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I'll show you how to fix it.
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Just a happy guy. Hey, Bob.
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We'll give you double scale
if you let us cut your hair in February.
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The world is wondering if that's a perm.
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- No? That's natural?
- Well, you gonna tell my secret?
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A lot of people spend
an awful lot to get hair like that, and...
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God gave that to you, right?
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00:06:04,864 --> 00:06:06,949
Well, God and my hairdresser did.
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He was always a hair guy.
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He loved messing around
with different hairstyles,
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as we can all see
with his Afro on television.
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The Afro was not real.
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It was... a perm... a perm,
and Bob liked to call that
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"having his springs tightened"
every few months.
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And, of course, I remember him painting.
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Every day, I would just have
my jaw dropping open, you know,
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looking at these beautiful works of art
that just came outta nowhere.
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Hi. Um... Do you wanna...
Let's... let's start in the back.
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- Yeah, sure.
- We'll walk to the back.
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Uh, show us the... old studio.
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We'll go see where the joy really began.
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Let's check it out.
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My first meeting of Bob
was 42 years ago.
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He decided
to take a painting class from me.
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For the first assignment,
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I just asked them to paint a picture
of the thing that you love most.
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Instantly, I knew
he was an accomplished painter.
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So, one thing
that I definitely don't want to do
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is... put forth the idea
that I was Bob's teacher.
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Many of the class
would lay down their brushes
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and come over to see what Bob was doing.
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And you know, he loved an audience.
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Always did.
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My dad started off
with traditional-style painting,
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00:08:06,777 --> 00:08:08,863
but he got tired of that.
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My father was the type of man that,
he would be on one project,
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and in his mind,
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he would be
halfway through the next project
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at the same time.
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He had so many different plans
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that those are the things
he filled his head with,
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rather than... uh, anything
that was happening at the current time.
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00:08:35,890 --> 00:08:38,601
My parents,
they had a pretty shaky relationship.
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Eventually divorced.
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00:08:44,023 --> 00:08:47,193
We were livin'
in Spokane, Washington, at that time.
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Then he met Jane Zanardelli.
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She had been base commander's secretary
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00:08:56,452 --> 00:08:58,871
on Air Force bases we lived on.
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She was just head over heels
for my father.
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And he absolutely loved her to death.
143
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But my father was always thinking
about the next painting.
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Hooray! That's what we have to do.
145
00:09:26,357 --> 00:09:29,485
I have to put myself
in that almighty bubble.
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Bob saw a video
done by William Alexander,
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and he was very taken with
what William was doing.
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It almost made me angry
the first time I saw Alexander on TV,
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that he could do in a matter of minutes
what took me days to do.
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It got to be fast.
Don't fiddle around for hours.
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Too many details there.
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People what don't paint,
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00:09:54,552 --> 00:09:57,555
they would think that guy
works a whole year on that painting.
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00:09:57,638 --> 00:10:01,517
An oil painting can take days,
months, even years to paint.
155
00:10:01,601 --> 00:10:05,813
Bill Alexander accelerates everything
with this wet-on-wet technique.
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00:10:05,896 --> 00:10:08,274
First, I put my almighty Magic White on.
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00:10:08,774 --> 00:10:12,570
He'll usually pre-prime a canvas
with gesso, white, gray, or black.
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Touch of Prussian blue.
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00:10:15,740 --> 00:10:17,366
See? Not too much paint.
160
00:10:18,743 --> 00:10:21,370
And then he's putting oil paint
on top of that.
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The proper name for it is
"alla prima," the first attempt.
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00:10:25,416 --> 00:10:30,004
It allows for certain things
that you cannot achieve with dry paint.
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In the mid-15th century,
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it was used for hair
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00:10:36,594 --> 00:10:37,887
and certain fabrics,
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00:10:38,763 --> 00:10:42,016
just to give the effect
of textures and movement.
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00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:47,355
The most famous instance,
perhaps, of alla prima is Impressionism.
168
00:10:48,189 --> 00:10:52,151
So, alla prima is
a very, very, very old invention.
169
00:10:55,196 --> 00:10:58,616
Bob said,
"I really would like to meet this man."
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00:10:59,241 --> 00:11:02,203
He'd pretty much
had enough of military life.
171
00:11:02,953 --> 00:11:04,664
He just wanted to paint.
172
00:11:05,373 --> 00:11:09,377
I knew a woman
that would invite William Alexander
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00:11:09,460 --> 00:11:12,129
down to her studio for a workshop.
174
00:11:13,464 --> 00:11:17,426
Bob and William hit it off nicely.
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00:11:17,510 --> 00:11:19,178
I saw Alexander on television,
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00:11:19,261 --> 00:11:21,889
and like millions of other people,
I fell in love with him.
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00:11:22,390 --> 00:11:24,392
And it took me about a year to find him.
178
00:11:24,475 --> 00:11:28,646
I studied with Bill,
and when I retired from the military,
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00:11:28,729 --> 00:11:30,940
they offered me a position
with Magic Art Company
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00:11:31,023 --> 00:11:32,650
as a traveling art instructor.
181
00:11:34,318 --> 00:11:38,280
He was teaching classes
up and down the East Coast,
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00:11:38,364 --> 00:11:41,492
selling paint
and selling canvases and brushes,
183
00:11:41,575 --> 00:11:45,871
which were always a big part
of these programs.
184
00:11:55,339 --> 00:11:59,552
I met Bob Ross at the Muncie Mall in 1982,
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00:12:00,052 --> 00:12:03,097
and he was in there
doin' a painting demonstration.
186
00:12:03,848 --> 00:12:06,767
I was fascinated by him
'cause I already painted.
187
00:12:07,351 --> 00:12:10,813
We had so much in common
that... we just became friends.
188
00:12:16,569 --> 00:12:18,571
There was a white-haired lady
there with him.
189
00:12:19,822 --> 00:12:22,533
She was there to help sell paintings.
190
00:12:23,367 --> 00:12:26,787
Later, I found out
that that was Annette Kowalski.
191
00:12:27,788 --> 00:12:31,667
I'd like to introduce you to my partner
and longtime friend, Annette Kowalski.
192
00:12:31,751 --> 00:12:33,878
- Annette, welcome to the show.
- Thanks, Bob.
193
00:12:35,045 --> 00:12:37,715
My father met the Kowalskis
through Annette,
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00:12:37,798 --> 00:12:41,635
who came to take a painting class
from Bill Alexander.
195
00:12:42,094 --> 00:12:44,430
Annette had already been a good artist.
196
00:12:44,513 --> 00:12:47,266
There was no classes available from him,
197
00:12:47,767 --> 00:12:51,228
but she found out
there was a protégé of Bill Alexander
198
00:12:51,312 --> 00:12:52,605
named Bob Ross.
199
00:12:58,778 --> 00:13:01,363
She was... looking for something,
200
00:13:01,447 --> 00:13:04,408
and, uh, she found it in... in Bob Ross.
201
00:13:04,492 --> 00:13:07,953
And it wasn't just the painting.
It was something bigger than that.
202
00:13:09,622 --> 00:13:13,459
She felt renewed, inspired by Bob.
203
00:13:16,504 --> 00:13:21,425
I had lost a son,
and I was desperately grieving.
204
00:13:24,595 --> 00:13:27,014
I was so devastated,
205
00:13:27,515 --> 00:13:32,812
all I could do was lay on the couch
and watch television.
206
00:13:35,189 --> 00:13:39,026
She was changed forever,
I think, by the death of her son.
207
00:13:40,653 --> 00:13:45,282
Annette needed something
to work her out of her depression.
208
00:13:45,825 --> 00:13:49,453
I called Bob, and I said,
"I don't know what you've got,
209
00:13:49,537 --> 00:13:52,122
but I think
we ought to bottle it and sell it."
210
00:13:53,833 --> 00:13:56,418
She took him back home
to Walt and said,
211
00:13:56,502 --> 00:13:58,504
"Hey, you know, this guy's magical."
212
00:13:58,587 --> 00:14:01,298
"We should try to do some kind
of business with this guy."
213
00:14:02,758 --> 00:14:08,639
I don't think Bob really understood
what the future held for him at that time.
214
00:14:09,431 --> 00:14:12,101
He was just not into it for the money.
215
00:14:13,477 --> 00:14:16,355
But the Kowalskis certainly were.
216
00:14:18,732 --> 00:14:22,027
The Kowalskis encouraged Bob
to go out on his own
217
00:14:22,111 --> 00:14:25,823
and that they were willing to invest
in his own enterprise,
218
00:14:25,906 --> 00:14:29,368
that, in many ways, were modeled
on what he was doing with Bill Alexander,
219
00:14:29,451 --> 00:14:31,036
teaching workshops.
220
00:14:34,206 --> 00:14:36,041
They gave him his new career.
221
00:14:36,125 --> 00:14:37,585
His new life, really.
222
00:14:39,503 --> 00:14:42,256
That was
before anybody even knew Bob Ross.
223
00:14:42,339 --> 00:14:43,966
They'd say, "Who's Bob Ross?"
224
00:14:45,467 --> 00:14:48,387
One day, he said,
"Do you want to go to Chicago with me?"
225
00:14:48,470 --> 00:14:51,181
"I think I'm gonna have a big class
and I need help."
226
00:14:52,224 --> 00:14:55,436
We get to Chicago.
Guess how many people shows up.
227
00:14:57,688 --> 00:15:01,567
To save money
and to keep the business all in one place,
228
00:15:01,650 --> 00:15:05,905
and everybody there to work,
we moved in with the Kowalskis
229
00:15:05,988 --> 00:15:08,574
for, I don't know,
a year and a half, two years.
230
00:15:09,825 --> 00:15:12,286
Which was, uh... very interesting.
231
00:15:15,122 --> 00:15:18,709
Walt and Jane,
they handled all the administrative work.
232
00:15:19,627 --> 00:15:21,045
It's two married couples,
233
00:15:21,128 --> 00:15:23,923
but one husband workin'
with the other wife,
234
00:15:24,006 --> 00:15:25,591
and then, you know, vice versa.
235
00:15:26,967 --> 00:15:30,012
We got to know them more and more.
236
00:15:31,305 --> 00:15:33,766
If there was something
to be said within the family,
237
00:15:33,849 --> 00:15:35,768
they would go to a separate room
238
00:15:35,851 --> 00:15:40,147
and do their talking
outside of the ears of other people.
239
00:15:42,733 --> 00:15:47,571
Walter, at that time,
had just retired from the CIA.
240
00:15:48,948 --> 00:15:51,533
Like a lot of people
who retire from the government,
241
00:15:51,617 --> 00:15:53,869
he would use
previous government connections
242
00:15:53,953 --> 00:15:57,581
and ties in order to have
success in business.
243
00:16:00,417 --> 00:16:03,921
The Kowalskis always
recorded their business phone calls
244
00:16:05,005 --> 00:16:08,509
with a suction cup
on the back of a telephone.
245
00:16:08,592 --> 00:16:11,929
Which I always thought was pretty weird.
246
00:16:17,476 --> 00:16:21,397
I just wonder sometimes
how things would've worked out
247
00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:27,027
if... if he had not hooked up
with Annette and Walter.
248
00:16:30,280 --> 00:16:32,992
That could've been better for him, and...
I don't know.
249
00:16:33,075 --> 00:16:38,038
It's... it's one of those
unanswered questions.
250
00:16:44,628 --> 00:16:46,964
At the tone, please record your message.
251
00:16:47,047 --> 00:16:49,299
When you've finished recording,
you may hang up.
252
00:16:49,383 --> 00:16:51,802
Yeah, this is Dana Jester,
returning your call.
253
00:16:51,885 --> 00:16:53,595
Just give me a call back later.
254
00:16:54,096 --> 00:16:55,514
Uh, thanks. Bye.
255
00:16:57,391 --> 00:17:01,311
A lot of people are backin' out
that agreed to do an interview for this
256
00:17:01,395 --> 00:17:03,439
because they're scared of the Kowalskis.
257
00:17:03,522 --> 00:17:05,941
The Kowalskis
are really known for suing people,
258
00:17:06,025 --> 00:17:07,776
so that's what they're afraid of.
259
00:17:16,035 --> 00:17:18,620
Okay. In five, four...
260
00:17:19,455 --> 00:17:23,292
I hand over that almighty brush
to our mighty man, Bob.
261
00:17:23,375 --> 00:17:24,585
Thank you very much, Bill.
262
00:17:24,668 --> 00:17:27,129
We've had so many cards
requesting classes in this area
263
00:17:27,212 --> 00:17:29,089
that we've decided to set one up here,
264
00:17:29,173 --> 00:17:31,508
and we will have a class going
in the near future.
265
00:17:31,592 --> 00:17:33,927
We'll produce some almighty painters.
266
00:17:34,511 --> 00:17:37,723
My parents decided to do a little ad spot.
267
00:17:37,806 --> 00:17:40,267
And while Bob was painting,
268
00:17:40,350 --> 00:17:42,978
the station manager walked by,
and he said,
269
00:17:43,062 --> 00:17:48,108
"What that guy is doing is remarkable.
Let's do a series with him."
270
00:17:49,651 --> 00:17:52,321
Knowing what Bill Alexander
was able to achieve
271
00:17:52,404 --> 00:17:53,530
through his broadcasts,
272
00:17:53,614 --> 00:17:56,158
the Kowalskis thought
that that could be a way
273
00:17:56,241 --> 00:17:58,911
to create a... a newer audience,
274
00:17:58,994 --> 00:18:03,582
which would, in turn,
drive people to the workshops.
275
00:18:04,083 --> 00:18:08,545
It was a very humble beginning,
one that was not economically sustainable,
276
00:18:08,629 --> 00:18:12,174
to one that became
very economically sustainable.
277
00:18:12,674 --> 00:18:15,594
We were in an old house,
and... and we filmed in a living room.
278
00:18:15,677 --> 00:18:19,431
That's the reason there's a black curtain,
Because we were covering up the fireplace.
279
00:18:19,515 --> 00:18:21,892
And the switcher, it was in the kitchen.
280
00:18:22,518 --> 00:18:26,855
We start with a vision in our heart,
and we put it on canvas,
281
00:18:26,939 --> 00:18:29,942
and we're here to teach you
to be able to do this too.
282
00:18:30,442 --> 00:18:33,487
So, let's do it.
Let's paint a picture, right here.
283
00:18:33,987 --> 00:18:36,490
He filmed three shows in one day,
284
00:18:37,074 --> 00:18:39,618
which was really a lot of work.
285
00:18:40,119 --> 00:18:42,204
Painting in 28 minutes
286
00:18:42,287 --> 00:18:46,208
and finishing an entire landscape
was hard enough,
287
00:18:46,291 --> 00:18:48,168
but that was just the beginning.
288
00:18:48,252 --> 00:18:51,296
It was all the,
"Turn the palette this direction,"
289
00:18:51,380 --> 00:18:53,549
or "You've only got this much time left,"
290
00:18:53,632 --> 00:18:57,761
or "Whoops. The example painting fell
off the easel right in the middle of it."
291
00:18:57,845 --> 00:18:59,721
"I don't know what to do. It's facedown."
292
00:18:59,805 --> 00:19:01,390
And, "Where do I go from here?"
293
00:19:01,473 --> 00:19:05,060
This is your creation. You can do
anything here that you wanna do.
294
00:19:05,144 --> 00:19:06,770
But he got better at it.
295
00:19:07,271 --> 00:19:09,857
You gettin' excited yet?
Are you ready to paint with us?
296
00:19:10,524 --> 00:19:11,650
You can do it.
297
00:19:17,322 --> 00:19:19,283
I don't even remember it
from this angle.
298
00:19:19,366 --> 00:19:20,909
It's been so many years.
299
00:19:21,493 --> 00:19:25,497
This might be the very first place
they filmed, and, uh, the place I was at
300
00:19:25,581 --> 00:19:27,833
looked a little bit different
than this one though.
301
00:19:27,916 --> 00:19:28,750
Oh, lookie there.
302
00:19:28,834 --> 00:19:32,254
Yep. They got all kinds
of Bob Ross stuff right here.
303
00:19:33,463 --> 00:19:35,299
This was the studio space.
304
00:19:35,382 --> 00:19:37,759
So, we want to invite people
to come in and celebrate Bob.
305
00:19:37,843 --> 00:19:38,677
Mm-hmm.
306
00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:41,013
Um, so, over here,
we've got our X on the floor
307
00:19:41,096 --> 00:19:43,056
where we're pretty sure the easel was.
308
00:19:43,140 --> 00:19:46,185
Uh, we know it moved back and forth
different times throughout the room.
309
00:19:46,268 --> 00:19:49,438
People continually say,
"I can't draw a straight line."
310
00:19:49,521 --> 00:19:52,191
"I don't have the talent,
Bob, to do what you're doing."
311
00:19:52,691 --> 00:19:53,691
That's baloney.
312
00:19:54,193 --> 00:19:56,153
Talent is a pursued interest.
313
00:19:56,904 --> 00:20:00,490
In other words, anything
you're willing to practice, you can do.
314
00:20:00,991 --> 00:20:02,451
And this is no exception.
315
00:20:03,118 --> 00:20:06,079
By the second series,
he got rid of the glasses,
316
00:20:06,163 --> 00:20:08,749
and he was pretty darn confident
317
00:20:09,249 --> 00:20:12,586
that it was gonna go
maybe even better than he thought.
318
00:20:13,962 --> 00:20:16,381
I worked on Joy of Painting
from the start.
319
00:20:16,465 --> 00:20:18,884
I thought,
"Wow. This is gonna be so much fun,"
320
00:20:18,967 --> 00:20:21,762
'cause that was my favorite thing
in... in production, directing.
321
00:20:21,845 --> 00:20:23,388
I like tellin' people what to do.
322
00:20:24,890 --> 00:20:27,517
At first,
he'd have a painting off to the side,
323
00:20:27,601 --> 00:20:30,187
so we kinda knew
what it was gonna look like.
324
00:20:32,189 --> 00:20:35,400
But eventually, he kinda just did away
with that and had it in his head.
325
00:20:35,484 --> 00:20:37,736
We got a minute or so left here.
326
00:20:37,819 --> 00:20:40,447
But every time
I gave him a two-minute cue,
327
00:20:40,530 --> 00:20:42,950
"Oh, it's time for a big ol' tree!"
328
00:20:43,033 --> 00:20:45,160
And I tell you, from the very last taping,
329
00:20:45,244 --> 00:20:49,581
I always got nervous
'cause I wasn't sure if he'd get her done.
330
00:20:50,165 --> 00:20:52,793
Okay, you ready?
This is your bravery test, big-time.
331
00:20:53,293 --> 00:20:54,293
Right here.
332
00:20:54,336 --> 00:20:56,755
Pew.
333
00:20:56,838 --> 00:21:00,467
But that's what makes it fun.
Be brave. Take a chance.
334
00:21:00,968 --> 00:21:03,053
All right. Here's your bravery test.
335
00:21:06,139 --> 00:21:07,057
Pew.
336
00:21:07,140 --> 00:21:09,059
There ought to be a big tree
right here, though.
337
00:21:09,142 --> 00:21:12,062
And by putting this tree in,
it does two things.
338
00:21:12,145 --> 00:21:15,190
It drives my director crazy,
that's the first.
339
00:21:15,691 --> 00:21:17,776
But the second thing
is it pushes everything back.
340
00:21:17,859 --> 00:21:20,028
It gives much more perspective.
341
00:21:20,529 --> 00:21:22,197
It was like it was magic.
342
00:21:24,283 --> 00:21:26,785
With Bob Ross,
when something doesn't work out,
343
00:21:26,868 --> 00:21:29,621
for the most part,
he does what a good teacher would do.
344
00:21:30,455 --> 00:21:32,082
You take it in stride.
345
00:21:32,833 --> 00:21:35,043
Your next step is correction.
346
00:21:36,586 --> 00:21:38,338
Hi.
Glad you could join me today.
347
00:21:38,422 --> 00:21:40,590
You sorta caught me
piddlin' around here a little bit.
348
00:21:40,674 --> 00:21:44,219
I get so many cards and letters
from people all over the country saying,
349
00:21:44,303 --> 00:21:46,638
"Bob, what should I do
if I'm in the middle of a painting
350
00:21:46,722 --> 00:21:47,848
and decide I don't like it?"
351
00:21:47,931 --> 00:21:49,516
Over and over again, I say,
352
00:21:49,599 --> 00:21:52,269
"We don't make mistakes.
We have happy accidents."
353
00:21:53,854 --> 00:21:55,397
And he's overcome this notion
354
00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:58,108
that you have to have talent,
born with talent,
355
00:21:58,191 --> 00:21:59,985
blessed by the hand of God...
356
00:22:00,652 --> 00:22:03,155
uh, to be able to paint,
and it's absolutely false.
357
00:22:04,698 --> 00:22:07,743
He believed
that anybody can create things.
358
00:22:07,826 --> 00:22:10,704
You know, just recently
I was doing a demonstration in a mall,
359
00:22:10,787 --> 00:22:12,664
and I had a man come to me, and he said,
360
00:22:12,748 --> 00:22:15,834
"Bob, I could never paint,
because I'm colorblind."
361
00:22:15,917 --> 00:22:18,045
"All I can see is gray tones."
362
00:22:18,128 --> 00:22:22,382
I thought today we'd do a picture in gray
just to show you that anyone can paint.
363
00:22:23,425 --> 00:22:27,637
It really spoke to Bob's heart
that he was willing to do that.
364
00:22:28,472 --> 00:22:30,766
Didn't know
you had so much power, did you?
365
00:22:31,350 --> 00:22:33,185
You really can do this.
366
00:22:33,935 --> 00:22:37,189
Can move mountains, trees, mighty rivers.
367
00:22:37,773 --> 00:22:40,359
We're gonna start off
with a bit of the midnight black.
368
00:22:40,442 --> 00:22:43,070
Maybe in our world,
there's just a happy little cloud
369
00:22:43,153 --> 00:22:44,404
that lives up here.
370
00:22:44,488 --> 00:22:47,783
Shoot, when we were kids,
my brother Jim and I, we used to...
371
00:22:47,866 --> 00:22:50,786
we used to sorta lay on our back
out in the field and
372
00:22:50,869 --> 00:22:54,247
look up at clouds and see
all kinds of crazy shapes in 'em.
373
00:22:54,331 --> 00:22:56,958
I bet you've done that too,
whether you'll admit it or not.
374
00:22:57,793 --> 00:23:03,840
The Bob you see on TV
is pretty darn close to his real attitude
375
00:23:03,924 --> 00:23:07,719
about nature and about everything, really.
376
00:23:07,803 --> 00:23:10,889
Today I have a couple of guests
that I want to introduce you to.
377
00:23:11,014 --> 00:23:15,018
These are two little baby robins.
They're some of the cutest little rascals.
378
00:23:15,102 --> 00:23:17,479
Hey. Ooh, what you gonna do? Huh?
379
00:23:17,562 --> 00:23:19,481
He loved nature.
380
00:23:22,609 --> 00:23:25,821
He had a canoe and would go out on a lake.
381
00:23:26,947 --> 00:23:28,448
He would catch a few fish,
382
00:23:28,532 --> 00:23:31,118
but he would always throw the fish back.
383
00:23:31,201 --> 00:23:33,495
He wouldn't keep any of those fish.
384
00:23:36,123 --> 00:23:38,166
He used to say he hunted with a camera.
385
00:23:40,710 --> 00:23:42,921
This is Peapod.
Peapod the pocket squirrel.
386
00:23:43,004 --> 00:23:46,550
It fell out of a tree,
and a very nice lady brought him to me
387
00:23:46,633 --> 00:23:50,095
and asked me if I would take care of it
till he got big enough to release.
388
00:23:50,804 --> 00:23:53,056
You know,
if he saw an injured animal,
389
00:23:53,140 --> 00:23:55,642
he'd do whatever he could do to help.
390
00:23:56,184 --> 00:23:58,812
One thing I've noticed
as I travel across the country,
391
00:23:58,895 --> 00:24:01,189
doing demonstrations and teaching classes...
392
00:24:02,315 --> 00:24:04,025
only nice people paint.
393
00:24:04,818 --> 00:24:08,029
Everybody I've ever met that's a painter,
they're super people.
394
00:24:08,613 --> 00:24:11,783
After the show started,
every workshop was just blasted full.
395
00:24:13,660 --> 00:24:17,289
'Cause there were so many people
wanting to instruct, themselves.
396
00:24:17,873 --> 00:24:20,375
So, he decided to do the teacher training.
397
00:24:21,751 --> 00:24:24,296
I see most of you already have done it.
398
00:24:24,379 --> 00:24:27,090
Like, the real thin coat
of Liquid White on your canvas.
399
00:24:28,592 --> 00:24:31,511
You guys been watching Bob so much,
you already know all that.
400
00:24:32,721 --> 00:24:35,515
Today, it's my privilege,
as well as my pleasure,
401
00:24:35,599 --> 00:24:36,808
to present to you
402
00:24:36,892 --> 00:24:40,520
one of the finest teachers in the country,
as well as one of my closest friends.
403
00:24:40,604 --> 00:24:43,064
I'd like to present to you,
today, Mr. Dana Jester.
404
00:24:43,148 --> 00:24:44,566
Dana travels all over the country,
405
00:24:44,649 --> 00:24:46,485
and he teaches
literally thousands of people
406
00:24:46,568 --> 00:24:48,195
The Joy of Painting.
407
00:24:48,945 --> 00:24:50,322
We were the originate...
408
00:24:50,405 --> 00:24:52,725
- We were there from the very beginning.
- We were day one.
409
00:24:54,659 --> 00:24:58,914
My son Steve, boy, he...
he's a dynamite painter, and he just...
410
00:24:59,456 --> 00:25:02,042
He's so young,
and he gets so excited over this.
411
00:25:02,125 --> 00:25:06,296
It's nice to see young people
get excited over something like this.
412
00:25:06,379 --> 00:25:07,839
We send Steve all over the country,
413
00:25:07,923 --> 00:25:10,800
and he teaches hundreds of people
The Joy of Painting.
414
00:25:10,884 --> 00:25:13,178
Tap down into the paint.
415
00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:19,226
And then, you know, these little areas
that you have that are in between,
416
00:25:19,309 --> 00:25:22,062
that are dark, you can just touch.
417
00:25:22,145 --> 00:25:27,400
Bob liked the thrill
of watching a new student smile
418
00:25:27,901 --> 00:25:30,779
with a fresh, new, beautiful painting.
419
00:25:32,948 --> 00:25:35,867
Bob would just make 'em so happy,
it's... it's unreal.
420
00:25:38,203 --> 00:25:41,331
It's like,
"Man, did I do this? I couldn't have."
421
00:25:42,332 --> 00:25:43,458
Yes, you did.
422
00:25:44,793 --> 00:25:49,130
There's a lot going on besides painting,
and I think people are aware of that,
423
00:25:49,214 --> 00:25:50,757
and they enjoy that.
424
00:25:52,050 --> 00:25:56,680
Despite Ross's success,
he was not completely unique.
425
00:25:57,764 --> 00:26:02,352
In the early '80s, other artists
were also teaching on television.
426
00:26:04,729 --> 00:26:07,649
We started on TV in '83,
427
00:26:07,732 --> 00:26:10,026
the same year as Bob Ross.
428
00:26:10,819 --> 00:26:14,364
Ross was doing his thing, his landscapes,
429
00:26:14,990 --> 00:26:16,908
and we were doing flowers.
430
00:26:17,993 --> 00:26:20,954
Bob would say,
"I'm a mountain and tree guy."
431
00:26:21,955 --> 00:26:23,039
He also said,
432
00:26:23,123 --> 00:26:25,875
"If you wanna learn to paint flowers,
go to the Jenkins."
433
00:26:28,169 --> 00:26:33,049
At trade shows, Bob and I, uh,
many times would have dinner together.
434
00:26:34,884 --> 00:26:37,012
And after dinner,
435
00:26:37,095 --> 00:26:42,225
we would walk around
to see who got recognized the most.
436
00:26:43,393 --> 00:26:45,478
'Course, Bob always won that.
437
00:26:50,317 --> 00:26:53,695
Talk to me about
what Bob was like away from the camera.
438
00:26:53,778 --> 00:26:55,113
Oh, yeah, he's fun.
439
00:26:55,614 --> 00:26:57,616
Well, I just wanna share a little secret.
440
00:26:57,699 --> 00:26:59,492
He could be ornery.
441
00:26:59,576 --> 00:27:02,287
He would tell us ornery jokes
right before we started taping.
442
00:27:02,370 --> 00:27:06,916
I think, just to loose... loosen us all up.
But yeah, he was like he was on camera.
443
00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:12,672
He was fun, and he had charisma
like you've never seen before.
444
00:27:14,966 --> 00:27:18,219
He was more energetic in life,
445
00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:21,348
and he really liked fast cars.
446
00:27:21,973 --> 00:27:25,352
The competition
has nothing to match this car.
447
00:27:25,852 --> 00:27:29,230
Chevrolet's incomparable Corvette.
448
00:27:29,731 --> 00:27:31,816
He had a '69 Stingray,
449
00:27:31,900 --> 00:27:34,569
all hand-molded fiberglass,
450
00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:38,448
350 motor, built to the hilt.
451
00:27:38,948 --> 00:27:42,410
Took me out one day in the Corvette.
I said, "What are you doin'?"
452
00:27:42,494 --> 00:27:44,704
He said,
"Gonna take you on a thrill ride, dude."
453
00:27:50,168 --> 00:27:54,005
It's not that he liked to scare people.
He liked to thrill people.
454
00:27:54,089 --> 00:27:55,840
Yeah, he was really into that.
455
00:28:02,138 --> 00:28:06,768
The Kowalskis took care
of the business aspects of the enterprise,
456
00:28:06,851 --> 00:28:10,063
and they freed up Bob
to do what he did best,
457
00:28:10,146 --> 00:28:12,023
which was to connect with people.
458
00:28:14,401 --> 00:28:17,237
Everybody just tried to work
and do their job.
459
00:28:18,488 --> 00:28:21,825
Jane, I mean,
she was highly intelligent, you know,
460
00:28:21,908 --> 00:28:24,869
and incredible at administrative work.
461
00:28:26,371 --> 00:28:31,334
She taught me if you're gonna do a job,
do it right, don't do it halfway.
462
00:28:33,169 --> 00:28:35,088
And so, with Walt and Annette,
463
00:28:35,171 --> 00:28:38,758
the two families,
they had a really good thing going.
464
00:28:39,384 --> 00:28:43,888
Within five years, everything
seemed to be workin' pretty well.
465
00:28:46,057 --> 00:28:49,686
His joy and his love
just illuminated a room.
466
00:28:50,353 --> 00:28:53,690
I just remember him
making me feel like family.
467
00:28:53,773 --> 00:28:56,651
Every morning
that he got there for his show,
468
00:28:56,735 --> 00:29:01,406
he would come into my office
with his cup of coffee and tell jokes
469
00:29:01,489 --> 00:29:03,533
and put his arms around us
470
00:29:03,616 --> 00:29:07,495
and... and just tease us
like a big brother.
471
00:29:09,748 --> 00:29:11,833
He did have a heart of gold,
472
00:29:13,084 --> 00:29:15,879
but he was also a showman.
473
00:29:16,588 --> 00:29:19,883
I'm gonna get our little...
our little soft blender brush,
474
00:29:20,467 --> 00:29:22,510
very gentle, soft, little brush,
475
00:29:22,594 --> 00:29:25,805
and just blend the base of that
out a little bit.
476
00:29:26,347 --> 00:29:27,974
Gentle, gentle, gentle.
477
00:29:28,558 --> 00:29:29,684
Barely touching.
478
00:29:30,185 --> 00:29:32,520
Just caress the canvas a little.
479
00:29:33,521 --> 00:29:34,689
There we go.
480
00:29:35,690 --> 00:29:38,735
I asked him,
"Why do you talk this way on TV?"
481
00:29:38,818 --> 00:29:44,157
And he said, "Well, you know,
Bill Alexander was always kind of harsh."
482
00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:48,495
You know, I use the other color already
in my... in my brush here for the clouds.
483
00:29:48,578 --> 00:29:53,082
They already have so much yellow.
So, I like to have a change.
484
00:29:53,166 --> 00:29:55,293
You know, his voice was harsh.
485
00:29:55,376 --> 00:29:58,171
He was very hyper and energetic.
486
00:29:58,254 --> 00:29:59,589
So, my father said,
487
00:29:59,672 --> 00:30:03,676
"Well, uh, it seems to me
that most of our audience is female."
488
00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:06,179
"A lot of the audience is female,
489
00:30:06,262 --> 00:30:09,140
so maybe I'll try to whisper."
490
00:30:09,641 --> 00:30:11,434
In other words, he tried to create
491
00:30:11,518 --> 00:30:16,105
almost exactly the opposite
of what Bill Alexander was like.
492
00:30:16,815 --> 00:30:18,733
Grab it and lift it.
493
00:30:18,817 --> 00:30:21,611
Fluff it, tease it, pull it.
494
00:30:22,237 --> 00:30:23,947
Mmm. There.
495
00:30:24,948 --> 00:30:26,199
Make love to it here.
496
00:30:26,282 --> 00:30:29,327
Very gentle. Very gentle.
497
00:30:30,453 --> 00:30:33,373
The fact that he calls his show
"The Joy of Painting,"
498
00:30:33,456 --> 00:30:34,874
of course, is not coincidental
499
00:30:34,958 --> 00:30:38,711
because that feeds into
this whole tradition of how-to things
500
00:30:38,795 --> 00:30:40,421
in the early '70s.
501
00:30:40,505 --> 00:30:42,215
There's The Joy of Cooking,
502
00:30:42,298 --> 00:30:43,842
but then The Joy of Sex.
503
00:30:43,925 --> 00:30:46,469
That was a watershed publication.
504
00:30:46,970 --> 00:30:51,182
It really makes sense that
Bob Ross adopted a very similar title.
505
00:30:51,683 --> 00:30:54,936
He's speaking
with this liquid tranquilizer of a voice,
506
00:30:55,019 --> 00:30:56,521
which is very sensual.
507
00:30:56,604 --> 00:31:01,276
He pretends like he's talking
to one woman, in bed.
508
00:31:02,318 --> 00:31:04,571
It's true. He practiced.
509
00:31:04,654 --> 00:31:06,865
He was trying to be a little sexy.
510
00:31:06,948 --> 00:31:09,534
I talk to only one person
when I'm filming,
511
00:31:09,617 --> 00:31:12,245
and I'm really crazy about that person.
512
00:31:12,328 --> 00:31:14,122
It's a one-on-one situation.
513
00:31:14,205 --> 00:31:15,874
And I think people realize that,
514
00:31:15,957 --> 00:31:18,668
and they... they do feel that they know me,
and I feel I know them.
515
00:31:19,669 --> 00:31:21,004
Barely touching.
516
00:31:21,504 --> 00:31:22,964
Just caress it.
517
00:31:23,464 --> 00:31:25,300
Graze it. Caress it.
518
00:31:25,383 --> 00:31:27,093
Shake off the excess.
519
00:31:29,596 --> 00:31:31,806
And just beat the devil out of it.
520
00:31:31,890 --> 00:31:34,767
Now also, if there's any questions
we don't answer during the show,
521
00:31:34,851 --> 00:31:35,727
drop us a line.
522
00:31:35,810 --> 00:31:39,689
We'll be glad to try to answer
almost any question you can come up with,
523
00:31:39,772 --> 00:31:41,399
long as it's not too personal.
524
00:31:41,482 --> 00:31:42,817
Let's see here. What's...
525
00:31:42,901 --> 00:31:47,155
Oh. We're not gonna read that one on TV.
We'll just... we'll set it aside and go on.
526
00:31:48,156 --> 00:31:50,491
Bob was doin'
a painting demonstration.
527
00:31:50,575 --> 00:31:52,619
After he finished his painting, he goes,
528
00:31:52,702 --> 00:31:54,329
"Steve, Dana, come here."
529
00:31:54,412 --> 00:31:57,665
"Protect me. All these ladies are wantin'
my autograph and followin' me."
530
00:31:57,749 --> 00:32:01,085
- "I'm tryin' to go to the restroom."
- They were rippin' his shirt off.
531
00:32:01,169 --> 00:32:02,170
It's crazy.
532
00:32:02,253 --> 00:32:04,881
Tryin' to get a piece of chest hair,
even, or anything.
533
00:32:07,050 --> 00:32:10,428
Bob was charismatic,
but he was a little bit of a flirt.
534
00:32:11,095 --> 00:32:14,807
He flirted with me,
flirted with any female staff member.
535
00:32:14,891 --> 00:32:17,477
That's just the way he was.
He was just charming.
536
00:32:18,019 --> 00:32:20,939
But I think he also did it
to make people feel good.
537
00:32:25,234 --> 00:32:28,529
Annette, uh, became
quite enchanted with Bob.
538
00:32:28,613 --> 00:32:32,992
I remember
Bob Ross get-together in Daytona.
539
00:32:33,076 --> 00:32:36,704
And everybody wanted
to have their picture taken with Bob.
540
00:32:36,788 --> 00:32:41,125
Annette was just jealous
about relationships
541
00:32:41,209 --> 00:32:44,379
that Bob had with others besides herself.
542
00:32:47,382 --> 00:32:49,592
Bob would pay attention
to someone else,
543
00:32:49,676 --> 00:32:51,594
and Annette didn't like that.
544
00:32:51,678 --> 00:32:55,181
That might've been a little...
I'd say, little jealousy streak.
545
00:32:55,264 --> 00:32:56,099
- I dunno.
- Yep.
546
00:32:56,182 --> 00:32:58,184
- Anybody that got close to Bob.
- Yeah.
547
00:32:58,267 --> 00:33:00,067
- She was like that.
- Exactly.
548
00:33:02,730 --> 00:33:05,108
Tell me a little bit about your impression
549
00:33:05,191 --> 00:33:08,236
of what the relationship
between Bob and Annette was.
550
00:33:09,946 --> 00:33:10,946
Mmm.
551
00:33:14,117 --> 00:33:16,285
I don't know. Do I go there?
552
00:33:18,663 --> 00:33:20,665
Was Bob and Annette a thing?
553
00:33:21,374 --> 00:33:23,418
Everybody always asks that question.
554
00:33:24,627 --> 00:33:25,670
And the answer is...
555
00:33:27,338 --> 00:33:28,631
Steve might know.
556
00:33:31,134 --> 00:33:32,260
Mmm.
557
00:33:36,597 --> 00:33:41,477
There was an affair
between my father and Annette, yes.
558
00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:46,149
When we were
at the early trade shows in the '80s,
559
00:33:46,232 --> 00:33:47,817
we'd go pick them up for dinner,
560
00:33:47,900 --> 00:33:50,862
and they'd come out of
the same little hotel room and all that.
561
00:33:51,696 --> 00:33:54,490
We knew there was
funny things goin' on there.
562
00:33:55,324 --> 00:33:57,201
This was back in the '70s, I think.
563
00:33:57,285 --> 00:33:59,704
No, '80s, honey.
We weren't with Weber till '80.
564
00:33:59,787 --> 00:34:02,999
It was... Everybody was
sleeping with everybody else.
565
00:34:03,082 --> 00:34:05,126
- Yeah, but okay. Let's get back to...
- Okay?
566
00:34:05,209 --> 00:34:08,546
You know, you can cut that out,
but that's the way it was.
567
00:34:10,590 --> 00:34:13,259
I remember it was Christmas night.
568
00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:16,596
I heard some arguing in the bedroom.
569
00:34:17,096 --> 00:34:19,557
Jane was asking him, uh,
570
00:34:20,349 --> 00:34:23,227
"Are you having relations
with that woman?"
571
00:34:24,395 --> 00:34:25,980
The truth came out.
572
00:34:37,950 --> 00:34:40,453
Bob and Jane, they worked it out.
573
00:34:42,038 --> 00:34:46,584
But there was a rift
that came between everybody.
574
00:34:52,840 --> 00:34:54,467
Several months later,
575
00:34:55,760 --> 00:35:00,264
when I was walkin' down the hallway,
Annette was in the bathroom.
576
00:35:01,974 --> 00:35:04,393
I walked by, and the door was open,
577
00:35:04,477 --> 00:35:07,897
and she was in the dark, on the commode.
578
00:35:08,981 --> 00:35:10,983
She had one cigarette in her mouth,
579
00:35:11,067 --> 00:35:15,279
and, I think, two lit,
sitting in the ashtray, just smoking away.
580
00:35:16,739 --> 00:35:18,324
She said, "Steve,
581
00:35:19,450 --> 00:35:21,911
you're the only one that loves me."
582
00:35:26,874 --> 00:35:28,626
And I was like, "Wow."
583
00:35:29,418 --> 00:35:30,503
Yeah.
584
00:35:35,007 --> 00:35:37,760
There was infighting
that started to happen.
585
00:35:41,305 --> 00:35:45,017
When I first met Annette Kowalski,
they seemed to be close friends.
586
00:35:45,101 --> 00:35:47,478
But eventually, she stopped coming.
587
00:35:47,562 --> 00:35:51,107
So, I don't know
if that was kinda the beginning of the end
588
00:35:51,190 --> 00:35:52,733
as far as their relationship.
589
00:35:52,817 --> 00:35:55,611
I can just tell you
that a lot of us relaxed.
590
00:35:55,695 --> 00:35:58,906
We just... You...
I just couldn't relax around her.
591
00:35:59,115 --> 00:36:04,453
Um, and it just made it easier
to interact with Bob with no filters.
592
00:36:10,376 --> 00:36:13,671
Hi. Today marks
a sort of an anniversary for us.
593
00:36:13,754 --> 00:36:17,633
With this painting,
we will have 100 Joy of Painting shows.
594
00:36:17,717 --> 00:36:18,885
Isn't that fantastic?
595
00:36:19,635 --> 00:36:22,805
I'd like to welcome you
to the 10th Joy of Painting series.
596
00:36:22,889 --> 00:36:24,348
- The 12th.
- The 13th.
597
00:36:24,432 --> 00:36:25,892
- The 15th.
- The 17th.
598
00:36:25,975 --> 00:36:27,935
...the 18th Joy of Painting series.
599
00:36:28,686 --> 00:36:30,313
With the completion of this series,
600
00:36:30,396 --> 00:36:33,608
there'll be
over 230 Joy of Painting shows. Phew.
601
00:36:34,650 --> 00:36:37,737
MTV. It's all just fluffy white clouds.
602
00:36:39,113 --> 00:36:43,409
My next guest has been creating his magic
for the past ten years on his own show,
603
00:36:43,492 --> 00:36:46,162
The Joy of Painting,
which I watch all the time.
604
00:36:46,245 --> 00:36:48,080
Author of several books on the subject.
605
00:36:48,164 --> 00:36:50,791
His latest is called
The Best of The Joy of Painting.
606
00:36:50,875 --> 00:36:54,337
Please welcome America's
favorite art instructor, Bob Ross.
607
00:36:55,588 --> 00:36:58,257
- Hi, Bob. Pleasure to have you on.
- Thank you very, very much.
608
00:36:58,341 --> 00:36:59,634
How did they find you?
609
00:36:59,717 --> 00:37:02,678
We wanted to do a painting show.
We went to a PBS station,
610
00:37:02,762 --> 00:37:05,473
and, uh, they agreed to do one,
and off we went.
611
00:37:06,307 --> 00:37:09,602
Most people can't paint,
yet I find myself fascinated.
612
00:37:09,685 --> 00:37:11,270
I sit and watch you paint.
613
00:37:11,354 --> 00:37:14,273
I think it's because that magic
really does happen in 30 minutes.
614
00:37:14,357 --> 00:37:17,318
There's no editing to these shows.
What... what happens really happens.
615
00:37:17,401 --> 00:37:19,779
The sense people have
is that as they watch you,
616
00:37:19,862 --> 00:37:22,657
they really can learn
how to do this themselves.
617
00:37:22,740 --> 00:37:24,242
They really can do this.
618
00:37:24,325 --> 00:37:26,118
We're getting 200 to 300 letters a day now
619
00:37:26,244 --> 00:37:29,247
from people all over the United States
and in foreign countries,
620
00:37:29,330 --> 00:37:30,414
and they're doing this.
621
00:37:30,498 --> 00:37:33,668
We had one lady that was 93
when she took her first class with us.
622
00:37:34,168 --> 00:37:36,504
I got a letter from her when she was 94.
623
00:37:36,587 --> 00:37:39,799
She just had her first one-man art show
and started a whole new career.
624
00:37:50,017 --> 00:37:53,562
Made it look easy. Just took
a few minutes, really, and there it is.
625
00:37:53,646 --> 00:37:55,606
Think you can teach anybody how to paint?
626
00:37:55,690 --> 00:37:57,775
If I can get you to pick up your palettes,
627
00:37:57,858 --> 00:38:00,027
and pull it through the dark color
in one direction.
628
00:38:01,153 --> 00:38:02,446
Make it thin.
629
00:38:03,322 --> 00:38:06,117
All you do is just touch
and give it a little push.
630
00:38:07,451 --> 00:38:08,619
Good.
631
00:38:08,703 --> 00:38:09,537
Very good.
632
00:38:09,620 --> 00:38:12,474
- Hey, Bob. Check this out.
- That's great. You're doing wonderful.
633
00:38:12,498 --> 00:38:14,917
Hey, look what I'm doing here!
I'm painting.
634
00:38:15,001 --> 00:38:17,044
All right!
635
00:38:22,341 --> 00:38:25,678
Recently, I had the opportunity
to travel to New York City.
636
00:38:25,761 --> 00:38:28,055
They have what they call
Kids Day in the park,
637
00:38:28,139 --> 00:38:29,932
and we were invited to come there
638
00:38:30,016 --> 00:38:34,228
and participate and meet
all the fantastic people from New York.
639
00:38:38,274 --> 00:38:42,069
I was 12 years old
at the time, and I had heard
640
00:38:42,153 --> 00:38:44,655
that Bob Ross was going to appear
in Central Park.
641
00:38:44,739 --> 00:38:47,074
We ended up hopping on a train
and going into Manhattan.
642
00:38:47,825 --> 00:38:49,160
We didn't even know where he was.
643
00:38:49,243 --> 00:38:52,038
We just started following crowds
around Central Park, seeing,
644
00:38:52,121 --> 00:38:53,956
carrying paintings that we had brought.
645
00:38:54,874 --> 00:38:58,544
People came from all over
to bring their paintings and show us
646
00:38:58,627 --> 00:39:01,255
and to share a day with us
that was spectacular.
647
00:39:01,339 --> 00:39:03,382
Absolutely spectacular.
648
00:39:07,762 --> 00:39:10,097
He took the time
to come meet me.
649
00:39:10,181 --> 00:39:11,766
I showed him some of my work.
650
00:39:12,975 --> 00:39:15,728
He signed the back of my painting.
651
00:39:17,646 --> 00:39:20,983
Everything you think Bob Ross would be
is what he was when I met him.
652
00:39:26,405 --> 00:39:28,532
Central Park
was eye-opening for me.
653
00:39:30,618 --> 00:39:33,245
And I was like,
"Wow, this guy's really popular."
654
00:39:34,497 --> 00:39:37,333
I couldn't believe it,
how many people knew Bob Ross.
655
00:39:37,833 --> 00:39:40,878
And no one ever would think
he would be famous.
656
00:39:42,338 --> 00:39:45,174
C'mon.
It's the man who does the painting.
657
00:39:45,257 --> 00:39:46,842
On the TV!
658
00:39:47,635 --> 00:39:50,304
The Joy of Painting
has become the most successful art show
659
00:39:50,388 --> 00:39:52,473
in the history of television,
660
00:39:52,973 --> 00:39:57,478
and I'd like to thank you
very, very much for your support.
661
00:39:59,021 --> 00:40:01,399
You've made an old man's dream come true.
662
00:40:03,651 --> 00:40:06,278
People love to have heroes,
663
00:40:07,905 --> 00:40:10,116
and that's what Bob became.
664
00:40:17,498 --> 00:40:20,918
There's no doubt,
on the commercial side of it,
665
00:40:21,001 --> 00:40:24,296
Bob wanted to become bigger
and more popular.
666
00:40:24,797 --> 00:40:26,924
He was interested in success,
667
00:40:27,508 --> 00:40:31,053
but, uh, not the way,
the same way, the Kowalskis were.
668
00:40:32,555 --> 00:40:35,724
The whole Bob Ross Corporation thing
669
00:40:36,267 --> 00:40:41,480
was more about selling paint,
canvas, and brushes
670
00:40:41,564 --> 00:40:46,235
than it was instructing people
how to become painters.
671
00:40:46,944 --> 00:40:51,282
If you were to ask Bob Ross
what was the price of a tube of paint
672
00:40:51,365 --> 00:40:55,119
or, you know,
"How many kits are you selling?"
673
00:40:55,202 --> 00:40:57,663
he wouldn't know... not known any of that.
674
00:40:58,873 --> 00:41:01,792
Welcome back. We're gonna run
the colors across the screen,
675
00:41:01,876 --> 00:41:03,627
in case you didn't get 'em last week,
676
00:41:03,711 --> 00:41:07,173
and just let you see all the colors
that we use on each series here.
677
00:41:07,673 --> 00:41:12,553
When Bob got on TV,
he had to find a paint distributor.
678
00:41:13,804 --> 00:41:17,308
Ross and the Kowalskis knew
that our sponsor was Weber.
679
00:41:18,851 --> 00:41:21,312
Weber was a paint manufacturer,
680
00:41:21,812 --> 00:41:26,108
so they thought, "Okay. Let's go to Weber
and have them make our products."
681
00:41:28,861 --> 00:41:30,529
He was really picky
682
00:41:30,613 --> 00:41:34,950
and wanted a product that was exact
to what his qualifications were.
683
00:41:37,161 --> 00:41:41,165
The composition of the paint
had to be just right
684
00:41:41,248 --> 00:41:43,542
for this technique to work well.
685
00:41:45,085 --> 00:41:47,505
But Walt wanted to make good money.
686
00:41:49,507 --> 00:41:51,842
More profit is what it's all about.
687
00:41:55,888 --> 00:41:58,807
He couldn't cut any corners
'cause Bob wouldn't let him.
688
00:41:59,725 --> 00:42:02,728
Bob said, "I'm not havin' products
out there that are bad
689
00:42:02,811 --> 00:42:06,232
and, you know,
have my reputation ruined for it."
690
00:42:06,732 --> 00:42:11,070
The material end of things
really was quite important,
691
00:42:11,153 --> 00:42:14,698
but he wasn't into it for the money.
692
00:42:16,283 --> 00:42:20,538
There was many, many arguments
about this over the phone.
693
00:42:21,413 --> 00:42:23,874
He wanted to teach people how to paint,
694
00:42:25,084 --> 00:42:27,419
but through the selling of products,
695
00:42:27,503 --> 00:42:32,049
they wanted to exploit that... for profit.
696
00:42:32,758 --> 00:42:35,177
This is your world
on this piece of canvas,
697
00:42:35,261 --> 00:42:37,972
and you could do anything
that your heart desires here.
698
00:42:38,055 --> 00:42:40,849
You have absolute and total power.
699
00:42:41,767 --> 00:42:44,186
This is the only place in the world
I have any power.
700
00:42:44,270 --> 00:42:46,689
Here, I'm the dictator.
Boy, I can do anything here.
701
00:42:46,772 --> 00:42:49,358
It's what's so fantastic
about painting like this.
702
00:42:49,441 --> 00:42:51,026
You have freedom here.
703
00:42:53,028 --> 00:42:54,697
He called me and complained,
704
00:42:54,780 --> 00:43:00,703
and he really, uh, was not happy
with... with the way things were going.
705
00:43:03,289 --> 00:43:06,000
Things just kinda
went downhill from there.
706
00:43:10,337 --> 00:43:12,298
Hey, there's my wife, Jane.
707
00:43:12,381 --> 00:43:14,174
- Hi, Jane.
- Hi.
708
00:43:14,258 --> 00:43:16,135
And that's Annette with her,
my partner.
709
00:43:16,844 --> 00:43:18,929
And I would like to...
710
00:43:19,013 --> 00:43:20,514
I'd like to dedicate this painting
711
00:43:20,598 --> 00:43:25,394
to a couple of people that have
really made The Joy of Painting possible.
712
00:43:26,687 --> 00:43:31,150
There's been several that I'd...
I'd really like to... to mention by name.
713
00:43:31,900 --> 00:43:34,278
First of all, uh, my wife, Jane.
714
00:43:34,361 --> 00:43:38,574
She's stood behind us
and... and kept this thing going.
715
00:43:39,617 --> 00:43:42,745
And it takes a special lady
to live with a crazy man.
716
00:43:51,086 --> 00:43:54,089
I remember walking
into the back bedroom,
717
00:43:54,590 --> 00:43:59,845
and, uh, for probably
only the second time in my life,
718
00:43:59,928 --> 00:44:01,263
I saw my dad crying.
719
00:44:03,807 --> 00:44:05,434
And, uh...
720
00:44:07,478 --> 00:44:08,478
uh...
721
00:44:09,396 --> 00:44:12,399
in the fetal position on the ground.
722
00:44:18,864 --> 00:44:21,533
Jane found out that she had cancer.
723
00:44:24,912 --> 00:44:29,124
It wasn't long
after that that Jane was gone.
724
00:44:30,084 --> 00:44:32,920
I would like to take
just a second and thank you.
725
00:44:33,003 --> 00:44:36,799
I happened to mention
that I had lost my wife.
726
00:44:36,882 --> 00:44:40,302
I have received
hundreds and hundreds of cards
727
00:44:40,386 --> 00:44:45,432
from people all over the country,
expressing their sympathy and support.
728
00:44:45,933 --> 00:44:49,603
From the bottom of my heart,
thank you for sharing my grief
729
00:44:50,104 --> 00:44:54,692
and... for making my wife
a very special person in your life too.
730
00:45:02,199 --> 00:45:04,910
Jane's death hit him really hard.
731
00:45:06,161 --> 00:45:08,163
I can remember him sayin', um,
732
00:45:08,831 --> 00:45:11,625
"My whole life
went to hell in a handbasket."
733
00:45:14,586 --> 00:45:16,626
Sometimes when
you're not in such a good mood,
734
00:45:16,672 --> 00:45:18,590
paintings have a tendency
to get a little darker
735
00:45:19,800 --> 00:45:21,969
because paintings reflect your mood.
736
00:45:22,970 --> 00:45:26,014
Sometimes you're not even
conscious of it. It happens.
737
00:45:31,061 --> 00:45:33,313
You have light on light, you have nothing.
738
00:45:33,397 --> 00:45:36,775
If you have dark on dark,
you basically have nothing.
739
00:45:37,901 --> 00:45:40,654
There we are.
You know, it's like in life. If...
740
00:45:40,738 --> 00:45:44,658
You gotta have sadness once in a while,
so you know when the good times come.
741
00:45:45,367 --> 00:45:46,869
I'm waitin' on the good times now.
742
00:46:02,926 --> 00:46:05,512
Two or three weeks
after Jane died,
743
00:46:05,596 --> 00:46:11,226
the doctor said
my dad had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
744
00:46:22,112 --> 00:46:25,365
And then we wash our brushes,
as you know, with odorless thinner.
745
00:46:26,158 --> 00:46:27,534
Shake it off.
746
00:46:27,618 --> 00:46:29,787
Beat the devil out of it.
747
00:46:29,870 --> 00:46:34,833
That wet-on-wet technique
does require quite a bit of paint thinner.
748
00:46:36,752 --> 00:46:41,089
Almost every episode,
he'd be smackin' that brush around.
749
00:46:41,173 --> 00:46:42,257
Shake him off.
750
00:46:43,258 --> 00:46:47,054
All the effervescence
of the paint thinner
751
00:46:47,137 --> 00:46:49,556
would float up right into his nostrils.
752
00:46:50,682 --> 00:46:52,518
And cover the whole room.
753
00:46:52,601 --> 00:46:56,939
Even while he was doing it,
I had reservations about it.
754
00:46:57,898 --> 00:47:00,442
Add the least little touch
of paint thinner to your brush
755
00:47:00,526 --> 00:47:02,027
and then go through the paint.
756
00:47:02,110 --> 00:47:03,612
Now, I always wondered
757
00:47:03,695 --> 00:47:07,616
if maybe that didn't have
something to do with the lymphoma.
758
00:47:08,367 --> 00:47:13,330
Uh, I'm not a doctor,
but it's... it's speculation.
759
00:47:14,081 --> 00:47:16,625
We'll wash 'em both while we got it goin'.
760
00:47:18,418 --> 00:47:19,503
There.
761
00:47:20,420 --> 00:47:23,465
He decided,
"Well, if I don't have long left to live,
762
00:47:23,549 --> 00:47:26,093
I'm going to do as much as I can."
763
00:47:27,636 --> 00:47:29,346
It was "the show must go on."
764
00:47:30,639 --> 00:47:34,393
Hello. I'm Bob Ross,
and I'd like to welcome you to the 26th...
765
00:47:34,476 --> 00:47:37,271
- To the 28th.
- To the 30th Joy of Painting series.
766
00:47:37,354 --> 00:47:40,315
And we just work
all the way across the canvas.
767
00:47:40,399 --> 00:47:41,859
Maybe in our world...
768
00:47:41,942 --> 00:47:44,820
There live some little trees,
far back here in the distance.
769
00:47:45,946 --> 00:47:49,700
When I look back on it,
Bob was really in a work mode.
770
00:47:50,742 --> 00:47:53,328
He wanted to get
at least three shows a day in.
771
00:47:53,829 --> 00:47:56,123
And, uh, some days,
he got a lot more than that.
772
00:47:56,206 --> 00:47:57,666
Just have some fun.
773
00:47:58,166 --> 00:48:01,712
This is a day you can just be crazy.
Just spin things around.
774
00:48:03,672 --> 00:48:06,049
When you see
all those later series,
775
00:48:06,133 --> 00:48:09,761
he was literally suffering from cancer.
776
00:48:11,305 --> 00:48:14,308
He was very private about everything.
777
00:48:14,933 --> 00:48:17,144
That was just what Bob wanted.
778
00:48:17,227 --> 00:48:19,438
A little practice with this,
and you'll be amazed
779
00:48:19,521 --> 00:48:21,189
at what you can accomplish.
780
00:48:21,273 --> 00:48:23,775
Every day is like a gift.
781
00:48:23,859 --> 00:48:26,320
Something new happens on the canvas.
782
00:48:27,070 --> 00:48:28,572
Here's a happy little tree.
783
00:48:28,655 --> 00:48:31,116
Maybe there's a happy little cloud
floatin' around.
784
00:48:31,199 --> 00:48:32,618
Just little happy duders.
785
00:48:33,368 --> 00:48:36,455
This show is playing
in numerous foreign countries now.
786
00:48:36,538 --> 00:48:38,957
Often wonder how they translate "duders."
787
00:48:47,883 --> 00:48:51,219
The people all over the world,
there's a common denominator.
788
00:48:51,720 --> 00:48:54,014
Everyone loves to paint.
789
00:49:00,479 --> 00:49:04,358
We knew that right at the moment
when he was becoming
790
00:49:04,441 --> 00:49:06,193
the best he ever could,
791
00:49:06,276 --> 00:49:08,862
he was kinda being shut down.
792
00:49:10,614 --> 00:49:12,824
All right, let's wash the old brush.
793
00:49:13,909 --> 00:49:17,704
I think, partially, he used
the work to keep his mind off of it.
794
00:49:19,498 --> 00:49:22,042
Every day, I get letters
from people all over the country
795
00:49:22,125 --> 00:49:25,212
who have never picked up
a paintbrush in their life,
796
00:49:25,295 --> 00:49:27,756
and they've tried this, and it works,
797
00:49:27,839 --> 00:49:30,092
and they've experienced a whole new world.
798
00:49:30,926 --> 00:49:32,219
A whole new world.
799
00:49:33,053 --> 00:49:35,222
I've known
so many depressed people
800
00:49:35,305 --> 00:49:39,059
that came out of their depression
through painting and drawing.
801
00:49:40,227 --> 00:49:45,357
It's important to express yourself
through that kind of symbolism
802
00:49:45,440 --> 00:49:47,359
and get out those emotions.
803
00:49:56,576 --> 00:49:59,788
I'll never forget
when I got the news that Bob had cancer.
804
00:49:59,871 --> 00:50:03,500
My program manager called me
into his office, and he closed the door,
805
00:50:03,583 --> 00:50:06,044
and I believe he told me before the crew.
806
00:50:09,256 --> 00:50:10,674
And he said Bob had cancer,
807
00:50:10,757 --> 00:50:14,302
and I was, like, shocked because
he hadn't shared that he was sick.
808
00:50:16,722 --> 00:50:19,474
He didn't want me thinkin' about that
while doing the show.
809
00:50:19,975 --> 00:50:20,975
There.
810
00:50:23,061 --> 00:50:25,439
This is really the highlight
of my whole life,
811
00:50:25,522 --> 00:50:29,359
is to make these shows and to join you
in your home or wherever you happen to be
812
00:50:29,443 --> 00:50:30,902
and paint along with you.
813
00:50:34,489 --> 00:50:37,826
I really enjoyed being with you
for the past 13 shows.
814
00:50:37,909 --> 00:50:41,663
The old clock on the wall tells me
it's about time to bring this show
815
00:50:41,747 --> 00:50:43,540
and this series to a close.
816
00:50:55,427 --> 00:50:59,556
During that time,
I think the Kowalskis became worried.
817
00:51:00,140 --> 00:51:02,726
If Bob dies, their business dies.
818
00:51:08,607 --> 00:51:11,068
Hi, I'm Annette Kowalski,
819
00:51:11,151 --> 00:51:16,782
and Bob Ross has invited me to share
with you The Joy of Painting Flowers.
820
00:51:17,741 --> 00:51:20,243
At our art retreat
in Florida one day,
821
00:51:20,327 --> 00:51:22,954
a lady throws a book on my table,
822
00:51:23,455 --> 00:51:25,874
and it's Annette Kowalski's flower book.
823
00:51:27,042 --> 00:51:29,711
And it says Annette has worked so hard
824
00:51:29,795 --> 00:51:35,217
for so many years
developing this new style of painting.
825
00:51:36,218 --> 00:51:37,969
I just about had a heart attack.
826
00:51:39,221 --> 00:51:42,224
Annette took my same diagrams
827
00:51:42,307 --> 00:51:45,477
and almost copied 'em completely.
828
00:51:51,650 --> 00:51:57,572
She uses almost
the exact wording that we use.
829
00:51:58,865 --> 00:52:03,245
In Kathwren's book,
she's sitting in this peacock chair.
830
00:52:03,745 --> 00:52:07,249
Annette is sitting
in the same peacock chair
831
00:52:07,332 --> 00:52:09,209
in the same pose.
832
00:52:09,292 --> 00:52:11,837
Are you ready to start painting?
I hope so.
833
00:52:11,920 --> 00:52:15,090
We're going to angle strokes back.
834
00:52:15,173 --> 00:52:17,551
You wiggle your color
down the middle.
835
00:52:17,634 --> 00:52:19,761
Angle the stroke towards the back.
836
00:52:19,845 --> 00:52:22,597
Annette was doin'
those floral paintings.
837
00:52:22,681 --> 00:52:25,142
I said,
"Those look like Jenkins paintings."
838
00:52:26,101 --> 00:52:28,395
They're so eerily close,
839
00:52:28,478 --> 00:52:31,857
and it's kind of funny that
the brushes all look about the same.
840
00:52:32,858 --> 00:52:36,027
Since the early '80s,
we had designed badger hair brushes
841
00:52:36,111 --> 00:52:38,280
for our signature line,
842
00:52:38,363 --> 00:52:41,950
and then the vice president of Weber says,
843
00:52:42,033 --> 00:52:44,911
"I'm sorry. You can't have
these badger hair brushes anymore."
844
00:52:44,995 --> 00:52:47,289
"They're on the endangered species list."
845
00:52:47,372 --> 00:52:51,960
The big excitement around here
is Bob's new floral brushes.
846
00:52:52,919 --> 00:52:54,588
But guess what?
847
00:52:54,671 --> 00:52:57,340
When Annette
came out with her product line,
848
00:52:57,424 --> 00:53:00,760
they had a beautiful line
of badger hair brushes.
849
00:53:01,761 --> 00:53:05,599
Bob was around Annette... uh, so much.
850
00:53:05,682 --> 00:53:07,100
How could he not know?
851
00:53:07,184 --> 00:53:10,061
We're gonna have Annette
paint a little flower for you,
852
00:53:10,145 --> 00:53:12,981
and I'm just gonna turn the show
over to her and I'll see you later.
853
00:53:13,064 --> 00:53:14,065
Thank you.
854
00:53:14,149 --> 00:53:16,109
But what is he gonna do about it?
855
00:53:16,193 --> 00:53:20,822
She just wanted to control
the whole art market.
856
00:53:21,448 --> 00:53:23,200
Our sales went down,
857
00:53:23,283 --> 00:53:26,703
and the stations stopped our shows.
858
00:53:27,204 --> 00:53:30,498
She did it so that there would be
no competition from us.
859
00:53:31,499 --> 00:53:33,293
She wanted us gone.
860
00:53:47,766 --> 00:53:50,143
Dad was getting
a little bit sicker,
861
00:53:50,227 --> 00:53:53,730
and we all knew that
we were gonna have to take care of him.
862
00:53:54,231 --> 00:53:57,150
That really changed a lot of my thinking.
863
00:53:57,234 --> 00:53:59,694
You know,
"Why is he doing the things he did?"
864
00:53:59,778 --> 00:54:02,906
"Why did he want what he did for me?"
865
00:54:02,989 --> 00:54:06,618
Uh, "Why was he pushing me so hard?"
866
00:54:07,118 --> 00:54:09,746
It's a great, great privilege to me
867
00:54:09,829 --> 00:54:12,624
to be able to introduce
the pride and joy of my life.
868
00:54:12,707 --> 00:54:14,334
This is my son, Steve.
869
00:54:14,834 --> 00:54:16,795
Steve, certainly glad
to have you with us, my son.
870
00:54:16,878 --> 00:54:19,005
- Thanks, Dad.
- Tell you what. Do a super painting,
871
00:54:19,089 --> 00:54:20,924
- and I'll see you later.
- Okay.
872
00:54:21,591 --> 00:54:24,636
My dad wanted me to do
a lot of shows,
873
00:54:25,512 --> 00:54:27,472
and I didn't want to.
874
00:54:29,266 --> 00:54:31,935
Told me,
"I'm tryin' to do the best for you."
875
00:54:32,435 --> 00:54:35,355
He wanted me to be
more successful than him.
876
00:54:35,438 --> 00:54:39,067
Heck, one time, he even told me
that on the painting show,
877
00:54:39,150 --> 00:54:43,947
he didn't paint as well as he could
because he wanted to make it easier for me
878
00:54:44,030 --> 00:54:46,658
in the future when I took over.
879
00:54:47,784 --> 00:54:49,369
And I thought, "What?"
880
00:54:49,452 --> 00:54:52,706
Got one young feller that out-paints me
when it comes to mountains.
881
00:54:52,789 --> 00:54:57,252
That's my son, Steve. You might have
saw him on some of the other shows.
882
00:54:57,335 --> 00:55:00,338
He's just one
of the most dynamite mountain painters
883
00:55:00,839 --> 00:55:01,965
I've ever seen.
884
00:55:02,048 --> 00:55:03,758
We didn't get him on this series.
885
00:55:03,842 --> 00:55:07,137
Maybe next series,
I'll get him back in here.
886
00:55:07,637 --> 00:55:10,932
There was a power struggle
between us, I guess you would say.
887
00:55:13,018 --> 00:55:17,022
There was a little bit of a fight
that broke out between us.
888
00:55:18,898 --> 00:55:24,654
I wanted to go off and do my own thing,
and he wanted me to do what he did.
889
00:55:27,741 --> 00:55:32,329
It was probably a few years
that we didn't talk much at all.
890
00:55:32,412 --> 00:55:37,292
I'm still a little bit angry inside
with myself over that.
891
00:55:39,502 --> 00:55:42,047
If your parents
are tellin' you to do something,
892
00:55:42,130 --> 00:55:44,799
it's not 'cause they're trying to be mean.
893
00:55:44,883 --> 00:55:46,509
It's because they care.
894
00:55:47,177 --> 00:55:51,431
You know, they love you,
and they want the best for you.
895
00:55:57,187 --> 00:55:59,856
When he was getting weaker and weaker,
896
00:56:01,149 --> 00:56:04,861
we started to do a lot more talking again.
897
00:56:08,823 --> 00:56:11,993
We sat down
and had a whole lot of discussions
898
00:56:12,077 --> 00:56:15,538
about stuff that
he'd never told me before.
899
00:56:18,166 --> 00:56:19,542
In the beginning...
900
00:56:21,586 --> 00:56:23,755
there was a voting system set up.
901
00:56:26,758 --> 00:56:28,176
When Jane died,
902
00:56:29,094 --> 00:56:31,137
he lost a vote.
903
00:56:33,723 --> 00:56:37,435
Suddenly, Bob's opinion
didn't really matter anymore.
904
00:56:37,936 --> 00:56:42,023
It was more or less like,
"We're gonna do what we wanna do,
905
00:56:42,107 --> 00:56:44,984
and you're gonna do
what we tell you to do."
906
00:56:47,362 --> 00:56:49,781
After Jane had passed away,
907
00:56:49,864 --> 00:56:53,284
I know that there were many hard feelings
908
00:56:53,368 --> 00:56:57,997
from not giving Bob
the latitude to be Bob.
909
00:56:58,873 --> 00:57:01,918
He'd decided
he was definitely not going to do
910
00:57:02,001 --> 00:57:05,296
another series with the Kowalskis.
911
00:57:10,218 --> 00:57:13,304
♪ So step right in
This is where it begins ♪
912
00:57:13,388 --> 00:57:15,849
♪ The Adventures of Elmer and Friends ♪
913
00:57:16,891 --> 00:57:17,725
Hi, kids.
914
00:57:17,809 --> 00:57:19,602
Bob!
915
00:57:19,686 --> 00:57:21,146
How is everyone today?
916
00:57:21,229 --> 00:57:22,480
- I'm all right.
- Okay.
917
00:57:22,981 --> 00:57:27,110
My father had always wanted
to do a TV show for children.
918
00:57:27,610 --> 00:57:31,781
He wanted to bring
the art world even to the young.
919
00:57:34,409 --> 00:57:37,954
By the time a kid
gets to be 11 or 12 years old,
920
00:57:38,037 --> 00:57:42,709
if he gets some negativity
concerning his artistic endeavors,
921
00:57:43,418 --> 00:57:46,254
uh, oftentimes, he gives it up.
922
00:57:47,046 --> 00:57:52,594
Bob felt that there was
a built-in audience for children.
923
00:57:53,595 --> 00:57:56,806
I was just reading
a good old-fashioned storybook.
924
00:57:56,890 --> 00:57:59,225
I know he was
excited about doin' it
925
00:57:59,309 --> 00:58:00,768
and wanted to do it so bad,
926
00:58:00,852 --> 00:58:02,687
but then that's when he became really ill.
927
00:58:05,982 --> 00:58:07,734
He was wearin' a wig.
928
00:58:09,486 --> 00:58:13,114
The Kowalskis got angry
that Bob looked sick.
929
00:58:13,615 --> 00:58:15,575
But he insisted, you know,
930
00:58:15,658 --> 00:58:18,578
that he would
be able to do the television show.
931
00:58:19,496 --> 00:58:22,081
Walt and Annette were totally against it.
932
00:58:24,000 --> 00:58:27,253
They both thought of Bob
as something that they had packaged
933
00:58:27,337 --> 00:58:30,089
and that they had made from the beginning.
934
00:58:31,591 --> 00:58:34,344
They didn't want people
to know he was sick.
935
00:58:46,397 --> 00:58:50,360
When my dad was, uh,
just about on his deathbed,
936
00:58:51,069 --> 00:58:54,906
my dad and I went over
to the Kowalskis' house.
937
00:58:57,951 --> 00:59:00,870
We went back to the back bedroom,
938
00:59:01,371 --> 00:59:03,748
and I laid Bob down in bed.
939
00:59:06,167 --> 00:59:08,461
Annette started talking to me
940
00:59:08,545 --> 00:59:11,798
while the door was closed,
so Bob couldn't hear.
941
00:59:14,092 --> 00:59:18,555
And she said, "You need to go in there
and get Bob to sign this."
942
00:59:21,724 --> 00:59:26,896
She said, "It's a contract for a memorial
that we wanna build to Bob."
943
00:59:29,774 --> 00:59:35,238
It looked to me like they were trying
to get Bob to sign his name over to them.
944
00:59:37,657 --> 00:59:42,328
I refused, and Annette
became very angry and frustrated.
945
00:59:44,998 --> 00:59:48,501
He didn't want to sign away
the full rights to his name.
946
00:59:49,877 --> 00:59:52,714
But that didn't stop them
from trying to get it.
947
00:59:55,341 --> 00:59:57,594
They knew he was gettin' closer to death,
948
00:59:59,554 --> 01:00:01,598
and as he did, they got more desperate.
949
01:00:03,141 --> 01:00:04,934
They were having big arguments
950
01:00:05,018 --> 01:00:08,605
over who's going to possess
his name after he died.
951
01:00:10,607 --> 01:00:13,443
This went on daily for weeks.
952
01:00:15,987 --> 01:00:18,740
I like painting
because it gives me total freedom,
953
01:00:19,324 --> 01:00:22,952
and it's the only place in my whole life
that I've had total freedom.
954
01:00:23,703 --> 01:00:28,249
Bob had decided that the way
he was gonna circumvent problems
955
01:00:28,333 --> 01:00:29,792
with the Kowalskis
956
01:00:30,543 --> 01:00:35,089
was by marrying a nurse
that he had known for a few months
957
01:00:35,173 --> 01:00:37,008
while he was in the hospital.
958
01:00:38,718 --> 01:00:42,597
He was trying to make some
preparations for his half brother
959
01:00:42,680 --> 01:00:47,393
and his son, Steve, to continue on.
960
01:00:50,063 --> 01:00:53,608
For him to yell,
he had to be extremely angry.
961
01:00:54,400 --> 01:00:56,653
That's the most fun part
of this technique.
962
01:00:56,736 --> 01:00:59,364
Take out all your frustrations
and hostilities.
963
01:01:01,157 --> 01:01:02,909
You could hear him screaming,
964
01:01:02,992 --> 01:01:04,827
"I'm not giving you my name."
965
01:01:04,911 --> 01:01:07,121
"You're not getting my name."
966
01:01:21,469 --> 01:01:27,433
The last phone conversation
I had with Bob was in June of 1995.
967
01:01:29,227 --> 01:01:30,812
He knew what was happenin'.
968
01:01:31,312 --> 01:01:36,734
He said he wanted nothing to do
with BRI or The Joy of Painting.
969
01:01:37,610 --> 01:01:42,657
He said, "They're trying
to steal my name on my deathbed."
970
01:01:44,367 --> 01:01:46,536
And then I talked to him
a bit longer and said,
971
01:01:46,619 --> 01:01:48,746
"Well, I'll come down and visit you."
972
01:01:49,247 --> 01:01:52,667
And he said, "No, I don't want you
to come down and see me like this."
973
01:01:52,750 --> 01:01:55,420
"I weigh a whole 85 pounds."
974
01:01:55,920 --> 01:01:59,006
"I just want you to remember me
as you saw me last."
975
01:02:19,277 --> 01:02:20,987
He...
976
01:02:22,613 --> 01:02:24,282
He didn't have any hair.
977
01:02:30,371 --> 01:02:34,208
And he was skinny, so skinny.
978
01:02:35,084 --> 01:02:37,545
And we had to wet his lips.
979
01:02:38,045 --> 01:02:39,422
He couldn't drink.
980
01:02:39,505 --> 01:02:42,842
His throat was... locked up.
981
01:02:51,851 --> 01:02:54,729
I was watching my hero disintegrate.
982
01:02:59,108 --> 01:03:02,236
We tried so hard to keep him comfortable...
983
01:03:04,447 --> 01:03:07,283
...but, he was in so much pain.
984
01:03:12,997 --> 01:03:14,540
I had to hold him up.
985
01:03:20,797 --> 01:03:21,964
And he said,
986
01:03:23,341 --> 01:03:24,801
"You're so strong."
987
01:04:13,307 --> 01:04:17,645
After my dad passed, Annette said
something to me I'll never forget.
988
01:04:17,728 --> 01:04:20,773
She said, uh, "Aren't you glad it's over?"
989
01:04:23,317 --> 01:04:27,822
And I thought, "What do you mean?
Am I glad my dad is dead?"
990
01:04:28,948 --> 01:04:32,827
I... I didn't understand
what she was talkin' about
991
01:04:33,327 --> 01:04:36,247
because every second that I could've had...
992
01:04:37,915 --> 01:04:40,167
Every second...
993
01:04:42,295 --> 01:04:43,462
would've been...
994
01:04:44,797 --> 01:04:46,674
I mean, I would've given everything.
995
01:04:52,388 --> 01:04:57,476
The Kowalskis did not show up
at his funeral, at Bob's funeral.
996
01:04:57,560 --> 01:05:00,563
Even worse,
they tried to keep the fact
997
01:05:00,646 --> 01:05:03,733
that the funeral
was even happening a secret.
998
01:05:06,193 --> 01:05:08,362
I can't even remember
who called me.
999
01:05:09,030 --> 01:05:13,784
They said, "Bob passed,"
and "Don't tell anybody,"
1000
01:05:13,868 --> 01:05:16,370
and "Get on the next flight to Florida."
1001
01:05:18,706 --> 01:05:19,874
It was crazy.
1002
01:05:21,250 --> 01:05:24,211
There was only, like,
30 or 40 people there, total.
1003
01:05:26,839 --> 01:05:31,928
I found out that he'd passed away
by reading it in Newsweek.
1004
01:05:32,428 --> 01:05:35,556
I was always a little bitter
towards the company
1005
01:05:35,640 --> 01:05:38,517
for not having gotten in touch with me.
1006
01:05:38,601 --> 01:05:41,395
I would've loved
to have attended his funeral.
1007
01:05:43,898 --> 01:05:46,484
Uh, but that... that didn't happen.
1008
01:05:48,736 --> 01:05:52,198
They wanted people, I think,
to believe that he was still alive.
1009
01:05:52,281 --> 01:05:53,824
And many people did.
1010
01:05:53,908 --> 01:05:57,787
Even to this day,
I've had to tell people, you know,
1011
01:05:57,870 --> 01:05:59,622
that he's... he's gone.
1012
01:06:16,097 --> 01:06:21,018
After he died,
things changed permanently for me
1013
01:06:21,644 --> 01:06:24,105
in the way I thought about everything.
1014
01:06:24,188 --> 01:06:26,816
The way I thought about life and death
1015
01:06:26,899 --> 01:06:29,527
and, uh, pretty much
everything in between.
1016
01:06:33,698 --> 01:06:37,451
I think I had a small nervous breakdown.
1017
01:06:42,623 --> 01:06:44,625
After Bob's passing,
1018
01:06:45,459 --> 01:06:47,044
I kinda wondered,
1019
01:06:47,586 --> 01:06:49,005
"Now what?"
1020
01:06:59,640 --> 01:07:04,145
I started working
for Bob Ross Inc. in 1995.
1021
01:07:04,645 --> 01:07:09,817
After he died, they asked me
if I could introduce Bob Ross in Europe.
1022
01:07:11,027 --> 01:07:15,239
I was able to sell it
in the public television of Germany.
1023
01:07:15,823 --> 01:07:20,578
I would collect the orders
for paints and brushes, books.
1024
01:07:21,746 --> 01:07:24,832
Walt Kowalski was my prime contact,
1025
01:07:25,541 --> 01:07:30,963
but when we talked about the business,
it was only very limited to my department.
1026
01:07:32,256 --> 01:07:34,759
In the beginning,
I thought that, you know,
1027
01:07:34,842 --> 01:07:39,305
Bob died, and the Kowalskis were very,
you know, sad about this.
1028
01:07:40,056 --> 01:07:44,935
But I started to notice, uh, changes
at the Bob Ross Company.
1029
01:07:46,187 --> 01:07:51,567
They were becoming much more demanding
on the Certified Ross Instructors.
1030
01:07:52,151 --> 01:07:53,778
Ross students told me
1031
01:07:53,861 --> 01:07:58,407
it was like walking on eggs
in those certification classes.
1032
01:07:59,575 --> 01:08:04,163
The first day, their management
shoots a contract in front of 'em.
1033
01:08:04,789 --> 01:08:10,586
The students were all asked to sign
what were called "guidelines,"
1034
01:08:10,669 --> 01:08:13,756
which really were a contract.
1035
01:08:15,633 --> 01:08:19,011
You cannot promote
any other artist.
1036
01:08:19,512 --> 01:08:24,600
You cannot use any other products
except for the Ross products.
1037
01:08:27,061 --> 01:08:29,438
They had a suggestion box.
1038
01:08:29,522 --> 01:08:31,357
I called it the spy box.
1039
01:08:32,566 --> 01:08:38,906
You were supposed to call
if any of your students or other teachers
1040
01:08:38,989 --> 01:08:44,078
had, uh, gone against
the guidelines in some regard.
1041
01:08:45,454 --> 01:08:48,541
One particular
friend of ours, the first day,
1042
01:08:48,624 --> 01:08:50,709
she gets tapped on the shoulder.
1043
01:08:51,210 --> 01:08:53,754
They said, "We want you
to pack your paints and brushes."
1044
01:08:53,838 --> 01:08:56,173
"Don't say a word to anyone and leave."
1045
01:08:58,717 --> 01:09:01,554
She was mentioning to the other students,
1046
01:09:01,637 --> 01:09:03,556
"I really want to go to Jenkins's class."
1047
01:09:05,724 --> 01:09:09,270
Now, this was reported
in that little suggestion box.
1048
01:09:22,199 --> 01:09:23,909
They were in complete control,
1049
01:09:23,993 --> 01:09:27,329
and they could act
in the name of Bob Ross,
1050
01:09:27,413 --> 01:09:29,915
where Bob Ross never was involved.
1051
01:09:40,176 --> 01:09:43,554
One time,
I was walking around in the warehouse.
1052
01:09:44,597 --> 01:09:47,850
There was a big table with a lot
of paintings all over the place.
1053
01:09:48,559 --> 01:09:54,106
And I saw a guy painting, uh,
with a script liner brush,
1054
01:09:54,607 --> 01:09:58,068
signing the signature
of Bob Ross on the painting.
1055
01:09:58,694 --> 01:10:00,070
I thought, "Hey, wait a minute."
1056
01:10:00,154 --> 01:10:03,365
"This guy died, and now
somebody's signing a Bob Ross painting."
1057
01:10:03,449 --> 01:10:04,491
"What's going on here?"
1058
01:10:06,035 --> 01:10:08,078
A lot of people are able to paint
1059
01:10:08,162 --> 01:10:12,333
almost exact copies of Bob Ross,
and you don't see the difference.
1060
01:10:12,416 --> 01:10:15,211
I don't see the difference.
Nobody can see the difference.
1061
01:10:16,253 --> 01:10:18,589
The difference,
probably, is the signature,
1062
01:10:19,089 --> 01:10:22,718
but even then,
you don't know if it is, uh, valid.
1063
01:10:25,054 --> 01:10:26,972
Walt, is that a Bob Ross over there?
1064
01:10:27,056 --> 01:10:28,974
That is a Bob Ross painting.
1065
01:10:29,642 --> 01:10:31,518
Because somebody told me that it was.
1066
01:10:32,394 --> 01:10:36,190
I can pretty much recognize
a Bob Ross painting.
1067
01:10:36,273 --> 01:10:38,275
What do you think about the idea
1068
01:10:38,359 --> 01:10:40,236
that the only person that is qualified
1069
01:10:40,319 --> 01:10:43,948
to authenticate a Bob Ross painting is,
in fact, Annette Kowalski?
1070
01:10:44,031 --> 01:10:45,658
It's bullshit, BS.
1071
01:10:45,741 --> 01:10:47,493
Sorry, baloney.
1072
01:10:47,993 --> 01:10:51,997
When I saw that guy, that was,
for me, one of the triggers to say,
1073
01:10:52,081 --> 01:10:54,124
"There's something very wrong here."
1074
01:11:01,757 --> 01:11:03,592
The Bob Ross Company knew
1075
01:11:03,676 --> 01:11:06,720
that they were the largest client
of Weber company.
1076
01:11:08,347 --> 01:11:14,019
Walt told me, "We have the right
to audit the Martin F. Weber company."
1077
01:11:14,770 --> 01:11:17,398
And they audited the books
of Martin F. Weber,
1078
01:11:17,481 --> 01:11:19,984
and they found some stuff
which was not correct.
1079
01:11:20,776 --> 01:11:22,861
The management of BRI said,
1080
01:11:22,945 --> 01:11:26,115
"The only thing you have to do
is kick out Jenkins."
1081
01:11:26,198 --> 01:11:28,117
"Destroy his line of painting,
1082
01:11:28,200 --> 01:11:30,577
don't support his TV show anymore,
1083
01:11:31,078 --> 01:11:33,205
and basically kick him out."
1084
01:11:34,248 --> 01:11:37,042
We were under contract
with Weber, 16 years.
1085
01:11:37,126 --> 01:11:39,628
Super loyal to Dennis Kapp,
1086
01:11:39,712 --> 01:11:42,423
even though
they stopped booking our workshops.
1087
01:11:42,506 --> 01:11:46,427
We finally said to Dennis,
"We know what the Kowalskis are doing."
1088
01:11:47,511 --> 01:11:50,055
He said, "You know, it's just business."
1089
01:11:50,139 --> 01:11:52,016
"It's nothing personal."
1090
01:11:53,017 --> 01:11:55,227
It sure was personal to us.
1091
01:11:56,562 --> 01:11:59,857
We were such pioneers
in the hobby craft industry.
1092
01:11:59,940 --> 01:12:06,238
We live, breathe, eat, sleep art 24/7.
1093
01:12:06,905 --> 01:12:09,992
We woke up one morning,
and we were out of a job.
1094
01:12:12,745 --> 01:12:15,497
Being under contract with Weber
1095
01:12:15,998 --> 01:12:20,627
was the biggest, worst thing
that could've happened to us.
1096
01:12:23,964 --> 01:12:27,509
The Kowalskis had
no desire whatsoever
1097
01:12:28,093 --> 01:12:30,262
to spread happiness and feel-goods.
1098
01:12:32,056 --> 01:12:34,183
They only were interested in money.
1099
01:12:36,435 --> 01:12:40,773
There's so many Bob Ross products
that are made now.
1100
01:12:41,523 --> 01:12:42,941
Coffee cups,
1101
01:12:43,442 --> 01:12:45,736
T-shirts, pajamas,
1102
01:12:45,819 --> 01:12:48,113
blankets, lunch boxes,
1103
01:12:48,197 --> 01:12:49,740
jigsaw puzzles,
1104
01:12:49,823 --> 01:12:51,492
ink pens.
1105
01:12:51,575 --> 01:12:52,951
Do you want me to keep goin'?
1106
01:12:53,035 --> 01:12:55,371
Your favorite painter, Bob Ross, Chia Pet.
1107
01:12:55,454 --> 01:12:57,206
- Fantastic.
- Just spread the seeds.
1108
01:12:57,289 --> 01:12:59,541
As the interest has risen,
1109
01:12:59,666 --> 01:13:02,795
we've been very happy
to supply people with Bob Ross products.
1110
01:13:02,878 --> 01:13:07,132
Like, so that they can smile every day
as they drink out of their Bob Ross mug.
1111
01:13:07,633 --> 01:13:12,971
Everything what the Bob Ross Company
communicated to the world was,
1112
01:13:13,055 --> 01:13:14,765
"Bob Ross this, Bob Ross that."
1113
01:13:15,557 --> 01:13:17,643
Bob died. Bob was not involved at all.
1114
01:13:22,731 --> 01:13:24,650
They care about control.
1115
01:13:24,733 --> 01:13:27,778
They wanna own
the whole dang kit and caboodle.
1116
01:13:28,904 --> 01:13:31,990
I mean, I've had enough of it,
to be honest with you.
1117
01:13:35,828 --> 01:13:37,579
Good morning. We're on the record
1118
01:13:37,663 --> 01:13:42,626
in the matter
of RSR Art, LLC v. Bob Ross Inc.
1119
01:13:42,709 --> 01:13:45,421
This is the video deposition
of Robert Steven Ross.
1120
01:13:45,504 --> 01:13:48,465
This is the video deposition
of Dana Jester.
1121
01:13:48,966 --> 01:13:53,345
I'd had decided to put my name
on paint and brushes,
1122
01:13:53,846 --> 01:13:58,100
but even using my own name
was scary for me
1123
01:13:58,684 --> 01:14:03,230
because they believe they are
the full owners of the name Ross.
1124
01:14:03,939 --> 01:14:06,984
I knew I would immediately be sued.
1125
01:14:08,193 --> 01:14:10,529
Our lawyer told us
it's better to sue them.
1126
01:14:10,612 --> 01:14:14,241
It's cheaper than
to have them sue you later
1127
01:14:14,741 --> 01:14:16,452
because they like to sue people.
1128
01:14:17,661 --> 01:14:22,082
Okay, let's, um, talk about
um, my client, Bob Ross Inc.,
1129
01:14:22,166 --> 01:14:24,042
which I will refer to as BRI.
1130
01:14:24,126 --> 01:14:27,796
- An abbreviation you're familiar with?
- That's fine. That's fine.
1131
01:14:27,880 --> 01:14:31,717
Was there more than one person
who came up with the idea of creating RSR?
1132
01:14:31,800 --> 01:14:34,678
- It's a group effort.
- M'kay. And who was the group?
1133
01:14:34,761 --> 01:14:38,807
That would be Lawrence, Steve, and myself.
1134
01:14:38,891 --> 01:14:41,143
- And Lawrence is Lawrence Kapp?
- Yes.
1135
01:14:47,566 --> 01:14:50,861
My father owned
Martin F. Weber Company,
1136
01:14:51,361 --> 01:14:55,199
oldest manufacturer of fine artist
materials in the United States.
1137
01:14:55,282 --> 01:14:59,244
This is a video-recorded
deposition of Mr. Lawrence Kapp.
1138
01:15:00,245 --> 01:15:03,999
For how long
after you joined Martin F. Weber in 2001
1139
01:15:04,082 --> 01:15:10,672
did Martin F. Weber continue to produce
Bob Ross licensed products for BRI?
1140
01:15:11,256 --> 01:15:15,302
Till... 2016.
1141
01:15:16,261 --> 01:15:19,556
Did you, uh, have any,
uh, emotions or feelings...
1142
01:15:19,640 --> 01:15:21,225
- Well, uh...
- ...about the decision
1143
01:15:21,308 --> 01:15:23,727
to let the contract expire
when you learned about it?
1144
01:15:24,228 --> 01:15:26,772
I was very concerned.
1145
01:15:27,814 --> 01:15:31,985
Uh, I came up with
the possibility of doing
1146
01:15:32,069 --> 01:15:35,822
Robert Stephen Ross brushes and paint.
1147
01:15:36,406 --> 01:15:39,576
Steve and I talked in July of 2016.
1148
01:15:40,661 --> 01:15:45,457
Lawrence approached him and said
they could produce the paints, so...
1149
01:15:45,541 --> 01:15:49,378
I was told that, uh... uh,
1150
01:15:49,461 --> 01:15:52,047
you can't do something like that,
1151
01:15:52,548 --> 01:15:55,008
you know, because of his last name,
1152
01:15:55,092 --> 01:15:58,345
unless he owns
the rights to his dad's name
1153
01:15:58,428 --> 01:16:00,556
and the rights to publicity.
1154
01:16:01,056 --> 01:16:04,685
The Bob Ross Company,
the year after Bob passed,
1155
01:16:05,310 --> 01:16:10,691
sued both Bob's third wife,
Lynda Ross, and Jimmie Cox,
1156
01:16:11,733 --> 01:16:15,696
going after, primarily, the paintings
and physical objects.
1157
01:16:17,239 --> 01:16:19,408
Brushes that Bob Ross used,
1158
01:16:19,491 --> 01:16:22,035
palette that Bob used on TV.
1159
01:16:22,953 --> 01:16:25,789
They wanted all the paintings
hanging in his house.
1160
01:16:26,915 --> 01:16:29,676
How would you describe
your relationship with your uncle Jim?
1161
01:16:31,336 --> 01:16:32,337
Shaky.
1162
01:16:35,674 --> 01:16:37,259
Has it always been that way?
1163
01:16:40,470 --> 01:16:44,182
Yes, I'd say it has, come to think of it.
1164
01:16:45,309 --> 01:16:48,228
Never really thought about it
before now, but yeah.
1165
01:16:54,985 --> 01:16:57,487
Steve was trying to figure out
1166
01:16:57,571 --> 01:17:01,241
if he owned the rights to his dad's name.
1167
01:17:01,742 --> 01:17:04,453
And in digging, he said,
1168
01:17:04,536 --> 01:17:07,998
"Oh my gosh. You're not gonna
believe what I just found."
1169
01:17:10,751 --> 01:17:15,505
It was the first amendment
to the Bob Ross non-revocable trust.
1170
01:17:16,757 --> 01:17:23,305
It literally said that Uncle Jim and I
owned almost all the IP rights.
1171
01:17:24,681 --> 01:17:28,101
Everything my father
didn't sign over to BRI.
1172
01:17:28,935 --> 01:17:32,689
He set up the trust that way
because I was young,
1173
01:17:32,773 --> 01:17:37,235
and he knew that Jim was probably
more responsible than I was
1174
01:17:37,319 --> 01:17:41,406
and it would be smart
for him to control things.
1175
01:17:43,200 --> 01:17:48,997
Did your uncle Jim ever tell you
about the settlement that he entered into
1176
01:17:49,081 --> 01:17:53,877
with BRI to... to settle this dispute?
1177
01:17:53,960 --> 01:17:56,588
Absolutely not. No.
1178
01:17:57,923 --> 01:18:00,634
It's correct, is it not,
that in the settlement agreement
1179
01:18:00,717 --> 01:18:03,220
from 1997 that we just reviewed,
1180
01:18:03,303 --> 01:18:05,263
Jimmie Cox, on behalf of the trust,
1181
01:18:05,347 --> 01:18:08,934
assigns all rights
of incidents and ownership,
1182
01:18:09,017 --> 01:18:15,273
creative works, or other assets of BRI
of any kind of character to BRI, correct?
1183
01:18:16,066 --> 01:18:19,945
That is what this document purports.
1184
01:18:20,028 --> 01:18:21,863
What is... what is all this?
1185
01:18:22,948 --> 01:18:26,660
My own uncle
had signed over those rights to them,
1186
01:18:27,786 --> 01:18:31,748
totally against my father's wishes.
1187
01:18:47,848 --> 01:18:51,727
When the Bob Ross company, in '96,
1188
01:18:52,519 --> 01:18:56,231
sued both the estate as well as the trust,
1189
01:18:56,732 --> 01:19:02,738
Jimmie, to make the lawsuit go away,
signs the papers BRI put in front of him.
1190
01:19:02,821 --> 01:19:05,282
Lynda does the same, apparently,
1191
01:19:06,074 --> 01:19:10,078
signing over all rights to BRI.
1192
01:19:11,496 --> 01:19:15,292
In this settlement agreement
was also mentioned some tapes.
1193
01:19:15,792 --> 01:19:19,296
My father didn't discuss
a lot of business things
1194
01:19:19,379 --> 01:19:23,508
with us because, you know,
the Kowalskis didn't want that,
1195
01:19:24,926 --> 01:19:28,054
but he was recording them on the phone.
1196
01:19:28,889 --> 01:19:31,933
They literally taught him how to do this,
1197
01:19:32,517 --> 01:19:34,144
and he knew that, in the future,
1198
01:19:34,227 --> 01:19:37,689
there was going to be a war
with the Kowalskis.
1199
01:19:40,567 --> 01:19:44,654
All of those tapes
were part of what they sued his wife
1200
01:19:44,738 --> 01:19:48,116
that married him
two months before he died.
1201
01:19:49,284 --> 01:19:51,495
They probably disposed of those
1202
01:19:51,578 --> 01:19:53,705
so that nobody could discover
1203
01:19:53,789 --> 01:19:56,291
exactly what was said.
1204
01:20:24,653 --> 01:20:28,323
They literally wanted to steal Dad's name.
1205
01:20:29,324 --> 01:20:30,324
And did.
1206
01:20:37,791 --> 01:20:40,794
I was still hopeful
I could file appeal.
1207
01:20:42,629 --> 01:20:45,715
What we ran into was a lack of funding.
1208
01:20:47,175 --> 01:20:49,511
My attorney said 90 grand
1209
01:20:49,594 --> 01:20:53,098
should get us through the appeal
and win the case.
1210
01:20:53,181 --> 01:20:57,394
I was unable to come up with
the 90 grand in funding,
1211
01:20:57,477 --> 01:21:00,397
and it did not go the way I expected.
1212
01:21:01,565 --> 01:21:05,151
The appeal portion really added
a dollar figure onto it
1213
01:21:05,235 --> 01:21:07,320
we weren't capable of handling.
1214
01:21:20,208 --> 01:21:23,879
Steve went back to Florida
and went into seclusion
1215
01:21:24,379 --> 01:21:27,591
and didn't respond to phone calls.
1216
01:21:31,094 --> 01:21:34,306
But finally, I called him and woke him up.
1217
01:21:34,806 --> 01:21:36,308
Just shook him a little bit.
1218
01:21:38,602 --> 01:21:40,186
I said, "Don't waste your life."
1219
01:21:40,687 --> 01:21:43,857
"I know that's not
what your dad would want you to do."
1220
01:22:00,540 --> 01:22:02,584
Once I started to paint again...
1221
01:22:07,964 --> 01:22:12,093
...I realized I can take
these emotions that I had
1222
01:22:12,594 --> 01:22:14,596
and turn them into something.
1223
01:22:19,017 --> 01:22:22,103
The Kowalskis made millions of dollars
1224
01:22:22,187 --> 01:22:26,650
from, I would say,
exploiting his name and image.
1225
01:22:31,529 --> 01:22:35,492
But he brought
so much happiness to people.
1226
01:22:38,745 --> 01:22:41,081
And that's what's important.
1227
01:22:44,709 --> 01:22:47,921
It's unbelievable what you can do
with a big ol' two-inch brush
1228
01:22:48,004 --> 01:22:50,632
if you'll devote
just a little bit of time to practice.
1229
01:22:52,550 --> 01:22:54,469
And it doesn't take a great deal.
1230
01:22:54,970 --> 01:22:58,056
We get letters from people every day
that have never painted,
1231
01:22:58,765 --> 01:23:01,226
who are doing
some of the most beautiful things.
1232
01:23:04,020 --> 01:23:07,357
They've learnt
to create their own masterpieces.
1233
01:23:09,317 --> 01:23:11,444
It's what makes all this worthwhile.
1234
01:23:12,487 --> 01:23:14,239
The fact that people are doing this
1235
01:23:14,322 --> 01:23:17,158
and enjoying
a tremendous amount of success.
1236
01:23:21,329 --> 01:23:22,329
All right.
1237
01:23:24,749 --> 01:23:27,419
To me, the first step
of accomplishing anything
1238
01:23:27,502 --> 01:23:30,797
is to believe that you can do it,
and I know you can do it.
1239
01:23:38,972 --> 01:23:42,225
I was in a deep depression
which brewed for about ten years.
1240
01:23:43,935 --> 01:23:46,187
I tried to commit suicide,
like, three or four times.
1241
01:23:46,271 --> 01:23:48,440
I tried to... I tried to commit suicide.
1242
01:23:50,025 --> 01:23:54,487
I was sitting in my living room one day,
actually debating a way
1243
01:23:54,571 --> 01:23:58,742
that I could get through this and do this,
and Bob Ross appeared on TV.
1244
01:23:59,993 --> 01:24:04,164
All you have to do
is create a vision in your mind
1245
01:24:04,664 --> 01:24:06,750
and believe that you can do it.
1246
01:24:08,168 --> 01:24:11,838
Because we can do anything in this life
that we believe we can do.
1247
01:24:11,921 --> 01:24:16,134
If you believe strong enough,
anything is possible.
1248
01:24:16,217 --> 01:24:17,844
Anything is possible.
1249
01:24:19,262 --> 01:24:22,098
For somebody like Bob Ross to come on
1250
01:24:22,599 --> 01:24:25,060
and make that
personal connection with you.
1251
01:24:25,560 --> 01:24:26,560
He cares.
1252
01:24:28,646 --> 01:24:30,732
He saved my life. He really did.
1253
01:24:34,986 --> 01:24:37,614
I had to go to the emergency room
1254
01:24:37,697 --> 01:24:42,285
because I was havin' problems
with my pregnancy.
1255
01:24:43,620 --> 01:24:46,081
My kidneys had stopped functioning.
1256
01:24:46,164 --> 01:24:48,416
My liver had stopped functioning.
1257
01:24:50,001 --> 01:24:53,755
And the only thing that they could do
1258
01:24:54,255 --> 01:24:57,675
was to terminate my pregnancy.
1259
01:24:58,635 --> 01:25:01,971
And... that was a hard...
1260
01:25:02,597 --> 01:25:04,974
It was hard to accept.
1261
01:25:07,143 --> 01:25:11,689
The first time I turned on the television,
there was Bob Ross.
1262
01:25:12,190 --> 01:25:15,819
When doing the painting, you look at it
and you decide what makes you happy.
1263
01:25:15,902 --> 01:25:17,320
This is your world right here.
1264
01:25:17,403 --> 01:25:18,988
And there's no right or wrong
1265
01:25:19,072 --> 01:25:21,407
as long as it makes you happy
and doesn't hurt anybody.
1266
01:25:23,201 --> 01:25:27,080
Bob brought the life back into my mind
1267
01:25:27,163 --> 01:25:28,665
and my heart,
1268
01:25:29,582 --> 01:25:33,878
and the joy that I never knew
I could feel by painting.
1269
01:25:37,924 --> 01:25:41,761
That was the whole idea
behind Bob Ross and his painting
1270
01:25:41,845 --> 01:25:47,058
is that he was going to teach people
that they could be valuable.
1271
01:25:47,559 --> 01:25:50,937
They could be important... in this world.
1272
01:25:53,022 --> 01:25:55,608
Beautiful, Steve.
Absolutely beautiful.
1273
01:25:56,609 --> 01:25:58,945
Why, this son of a gun is quite a painter.
1274
01:25:59,445 --> 01:26:03,366
I better watch out, or he'll be on TV,
and I'll be home by myself.
1275
01:26:05,285 --> 01:26:09,914
I don't think my father ever knew
the impact that he was having,
1276
01:26:09,998 --> 01:26:14,294
uh, even towards the end,
even once it got huge.
1277
01:26:14,794 --> 01:26:19,549
He never really absorbed
how much he was loved.
1278
01:26:31,019 --> 01:26:36,107
It's hard to describe
exactly what Bob's appeal was.
1279
01:26:36,691 --> 01:26:40,278
It had to do with his painting abilities,
1280
01:26:40,778 --> 01:26:43,406
it had to do with his voice
1281
01:26:43,907 --> 01:26:47,994
and his personal way of talking to people.
1282
01:26:48,786 --> 01:26:55,335
He just had a tremendous effect
on everybody that got to know him.
1283
01:27:08,014 --> 01:27:11,684
The memory of Bob
lives on through all of us,
1284
01:27:11,768 --> 01:27:13,228
and his legacy lives on
1285
01:27:13,311 --> 01:27:15,605
through all of his fans.
1286
01:27:16,397 --> 01:27:17,982
He told me before he died
1287
01:27:18,066 --> 01:27:23,154
that, uh, he actually wanted people
to remember him
1288
01:27:23,238 --> 01:27:25,281
but not to be sad.
1289
01:27:31,996 --> 01:27:33,790
We all miss you, Dad.
1290
01:27:34,457 --> 01:27:36,000
We all miss you.
1291
01:27:38,169 --> 01:27:40,171
I asked him one time,
1292
01:27:40,255 --> 01:27:42,799
"What are you trying
to prove to the world?"
1293
01:27:42,882 --> 01:27:44,300
And he said,
1294
01:27:44,384 --> 01:27:49,806
"What we do here and now,
people will remember forever."
1295
01:27:49,889 --> 01:27:53,226
Libraries across the country
are filling each week
1296
01:27:53,309 --> 01:27:55,186
with folks yearning to create.
1297
01:27:55,311 --> 01:27:56,854
We painted like Bob Ross
1298
01:27:56,938 --> 01:28:00,275
while watching Bob Ross,
dressed as Bob Ross.
1299
01:28:00,358 --> 01:28:02,777
- Do you guys know Bob Ross?
- Yeah!
1300
01:28:02,860 --> 01:28:05,363
He's almost like a... like a friend.
1301
01:28:05,780 --> 01:28:07,573
Okay, watch this.
1302
01:28:07,657 --> 01:28:08,700
Just like him.
1303
01:28:08,783 --> 01:28:11,202
Is Bob Ross an art therapist?
1304
01:28:11,286 --> 01:28:14,414
Because watching him
is incredibly relaxing.
1305
01:28:14,497 --> 01:28:17,125
Hello there. Welcome back.
I'm glad you could join me today.
1306
01:28:17,709 --> 01:28:20,253
And we're gonna put
a happy little bush right down over here.
1307
01:28:22,005 --> 01:28:23,256
I'm Bob Ross.
1308
01:28:26,634 --> 01:28:29,971
Just stickin' with the same old colors
that we used before.
1309
01:28:30,555 --> 01:28:34,892
Instead of lifting the knife off
the canvas, jiggle it as you go down.
1310
01:28:34,976 --> 01:28:37,562
And then tilt it as you go.
1311
01:28:38,563 --> 01:28:40,940
It's hard to tell people their faults
1312
01:28:41,524 --> 01:28:43,568
and maybe even harder to accept
1313
01:28:43,651 --> 01:28:46,404
that you have made a happy accident.
1314
01:28:49,198 --> 01:28:54,329
A lot of times, I've wondered
if it's not your mistakes
1315
01:28:54,412 --> 01:28:57,123
that teach you
a lot more than your successes.
1316
01:28:57,206 --> 01:28:59,667
A success,
you just move on to the next thing.
1317
01:28:59,751 --> 01:29:01,753
But when you make a mistake
1318
01:29:01,836 --> 01:29:04,464
or have a "happy accident,"
as Bob called it,
1319
01:29:04,547 --> 01:29:10,595
uh, suddenly you learn
all kinds of new ways to correct it,
1320
01:29:10,678 --> 01:29:15,892
and through that learning process,
you really start developing in new ways.
1321
01:29:18,102 --> 01:29:20,229
Well Steve,
what do you think of this painting?
1322
01:29:20,313 --> 01:29:22,065
Well, I think it's pretty good.
1323
01:29:22,148 --> 01:29:23,274
That's very nice.
1324
01:29:23,358 --> 01:29:25,943
And I hope that everyone has enjoyed
1325
01:29:26,027 --> 01:29:28,446
watching you do
a beautiful little painting here.
1326
01:29:29,155 --> 01:29:31,449
So on behalf of all of us
here at the station,
1327
01:29:31,949 --> 01:29:35,578
we'd like to wish
each and every one of you happy painting.
1328
01:29:36,079 --> 01:29:37,121
God bless.
1329
01:29:37,205 --> 01:29:40,750
On behalf of my son Steve,
thanks for watchin'.
1330
01:29:41,250 --> 01:29:42,585
See you next time.
111087
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