Hunter Thompson, Day 5

Hunter and the widow Thompson

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My best guess is Anita Thompson, widow of Hunter, has a book, and later a movie, in her recently short-circuited marriage of less than three years. Sort of a "Who's Afraid of Dr. Gonzo?" but with mescaline, acid & magic mushrooms thrown in on top of the Chivas. It'd make the Liz Taylor/Richard Burton drinking bouts in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?" look like afternoon tea time at the Four Seasons.

Consider Anita's interview with The Denver Post. She admits his constant talk of suicide in recent months put a strain on the union. Yup, that beats who's cleanin' the dishes tonight.

I wish I could have been more supportive of his decision. It was a problem for us," said (Anita) Thompson, who retreated to her parents' house in Fort Collins when the two quarreled. There, she said, he would fax her love letters.

There's your necessary dramatic conflict right there.

When Thompson finally did the deed, he apparently was still on the phone with his wife, so there's the big bang Hollywood craves. Who's the lead? Johnny Depp (again) or Paul Giamatti?


[denver post]
Thompson papers and gonzo chair of journalism will form part of legacy.[rocky mtn. news]
A friend remembers when Thompson always was short of money; years later, he stumbled into the writer's "war room" as he was knocking out the first chapters of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.[nyt]
SF Ex. columnist P.J. Corkery reports on Thompson's early days in SF.

But if the last two days are any sign, in death he becomes the focus for a huge cultural battle. Not bad for a guy who once stood on Market Street, trying to get manual work as a day laborer when the editors wouldn't hire him. ...

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