Tony Schweikle – One of Durango’s Own And The Filming of “The Durango Kid”
Tony Schweikle, a film producer, actor and writer came to Durango in the early eighties. While working at the Purgatory Mountain Resort doing promotional ski videos he met Tony Corona, also a native of Tony Schweikle’s hometown Chicago and coincidentally a film maker. Tony asked Tony Corona to help him with the filming of “The Durango Kid” and they went on to collaborate on many other films.
“The Durango Kid” is an award winning film about a Rip Van Winkle character who wakes up after a mine accident in the Purgatory area in the early 1980’s. Jack Starrett, a veteran actor known for his performances in”Blazing Saddles” and “Rambo”, plays the lead role.
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Tony Corona later produced and directed Spirit of the San Juans, a history of Durango in the early days. In the movie Tony Schweikle plays a mountain man who finds three lost children, telling them the story of the Durango area in a series of flashbacks. He was joined in this productionby a local resident and actor Harry Carry Jr and other well known stars, Charlie Diercup and Alex Cord.
In recent years Tony Schweikle has written and directed over 20 films and mini series. He now spends half the year producting films in Italy and spending the other half running his production company out of Naples, Florida. His just released the movie Hybrids starring Paul Sorvino, the cast photo shown below. His newest movie “Wedding Dress” will bring Tony back to the Durango area this spring where their paths will once again cross.
