12 August 24 - 30, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Pinning Down the Truth Kevin Von Erich talks about his wrestling family, The Iron Claw movie and opening up to his fans on stage. BY DANNY GALLAGHER L egendary wrestler Kevin Von Er- ich is usually the biggest guy in just about any room, but he has a way of making other people feel like the star. He recalls a wrestling match in Wichita Falls where he was invited to be the celeb- rity judge at a Halloween costume contest for kids. Von Erich says he’d lift up each kid to show off their costume and stand them on the top rope so everyone could see and cheer the little ones. “This one little girl dressed as a witch kept backing away from me,” he says. “She was the last little girl, and she was heavy. I didn’t realize how heavy. So I picked her up, and the rope popped.” Von Erich says he worried someone would start to snicker and the crowd would follow and humiliate this cute kid in her cos- tume. He says he continued to champion this brave “witch,” and the crowd didn’t make a sound. “I was so proud of the people of Wichita Falls because it would’ve broken her heart,” Von Erich says. “They didn’t make a sound. That was my greatest moment. It’s so good to have something that gives you some grati- fication rather than just another day, an- other dollar.” Kevin is the second-oldest and last living son of the equally legendary wrestler Fritz Von Erich (real name Jack Adkisson), whose family built a wrestling kingdom in North Texas. The Von Erichs’ story, including all of their successes and struggles, serves as the basis for an upcoming film called The Iron Claw, named for the signature move of Fritz the German Bomber. Zac Efron will star as Kevin alongside The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White as Kevin’s brother Kerry, Harris Dick- inson as David Von Erich and Mindhunter’s Holt McCallany as the family patriarch. Von Erich says when he heard about The Iron Claw movie, he wanted to maintain some control over his family’s story. So he decided to tell his story directly to his fans in a live Q&A show called Stories from the Top Rope on Friday, Sept. 1, at the Majestic The- atre. The event will be hosted by former WFAA sportscaster and commentator Dale Hansen. “I caught wind of this movie coming out, and it’s kind of a shocking thing,” Von Er- ich says. “I don’t know what I’m gonna say or anything.” He’s eager to see how his family’s story plays out on the big screen. Von Erich says he spoke to Sean Durkin, director of The Iron Claw, just as the film went into produc- tion and was invited to the set. He met Mc- Callany on set in his full makeup and costume as Fritz, and Von Erich’s niece Hol- lie “was shocked. She gasped and cried. Hol- lie loved him so much.” “[Durkin] said this was a labor of love,” Von Erich says. “[Durkin] said he al- ways wanted to do this. It’s something he wanted to do in his life and I think it could really be something good.” Von Erich has reason to be concerned. Thanks to the lack of fact checkers, the in- ternet has spread a lot of unfounded rumors about the Von Erichs’ story, even in the midst of very real tragedies in the family’s life. “That’s what was tearing at me,” Kevin says. “If you’re gonna go by what’s on You- Tube, you get a bunch of crap out there. These wrestlers commenting on it hardly knew me, to talk about [how] we were like this or always on drugs. It’s just not true.” He also wants to set the record straight about his father, whom he describes as “a strong man” who “demanded a lot from peo- ple but he gave his best. “All of the great promoters cherished ev- ery word my dad said,” Von Erich says. “My dad’s handshake was considered like a con- tract. If he gave you his word, it wasn’t gonna be broken. He used to tell me a man’s only as good as his word. Never break your word.” Von Erich says he’s ready to talk about his family to put his legacy into perspective and to address a wrestling industry that’s changed and grown in ways no one could’ve predicted. “I don’t mind that a bit,” Von Erich says. “I probably should be, but I’m kind of look- ing forward to it. I’m gonna be talking to people who’ve been my neighbors for so long. We didn’t act like big shots. We knew the fans loved us, and we loved them. We never did have talent agencies or many big media machines pitching us. It was all or- ganic, all word of mouth. The way we saw our fans, they are really our loved ones. It’s just different now. We didn’t consider them like a ticket.” ▼ ARTS VAN GOGHING BROKE THE COMPANY THAT PRESENTED ONE OF THOSE IMMERSIVE VAN GOGH THINGS IS BANKRUPT. BY DANNY GALLAGHER J ust when you thought the whole com- peting Immersive Van Gogh exhibi- tions couldn’t get more confusing, another wrench gets dropped into the gears. Lighthouse Immersive, the Canadian com- pany behind traveling art exhibitions such as The Immersive Van Gogh Experience, which came through Dallas in 2021 and 2022, doesn’t look like it will make a return trip anytime soon. The company filed for Chapter 15 bank- ruptcy on July 27 in Delaware, according to federal bankruptcy court records. In its petition, the company listed over 80 entities “against whom provisional relief is being sought” despite claims on its website that it “sold millions of tickets” for immer- sive exhibitions in cities including Dallas, Denver, Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, Min- neapolis and others. The company also hosts immersive exhibitions for the works of Mexico folk artist Frida Kahlo and French impressionist Claude Monet. These “immersive” experiences presented the most famous works of classic and influen- tial artists projected on walls that moved and changed shape to choreographed music. The Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit Dallas was pre- sented in the former Dallas Masonic Temple on South Harwood Street. A competing expe- rience in Arlington run by a separate entity called Van Gogh The Immersive Experience Dallas ran in Choctaw Stadium around the same time, causing some confusion among visitors and people who spotted advertise- ments for the events in their Facebook and other social media feeds. A hearing regarding Lighthouse Immer- sive’s bankruptcy petition was scheduled a day after its initial filing. The federal Dela- ware court approved an order seeking provi- sional relief from the company’s debtors, according to court records. Wait! It gets even more confusing. Earlier this summer, another immersive art attrac- tion called Immersive Disney Animation, which offered moving images from Walt Disney Studios’ most iconic animated films, suddenly announced that it would close the exhibit two months ahead of the scheduled end date. The company’s URL listed on the recent bankruptcy petition shows Light- house Immersive houses the Disney exhibi- tion under its immersive attraction umbrella, but it’s not 100% clear if the two are connected. If so, it might explain why the Disney exhibition had to pack up and head out of town earlier than expected. This is so confusing. Can someone set up some kind of immersive attraction that ex- plains all the connections and differences between all these different immersive art companies? And if you’re going to do that, just limit it to one single attraction. ▼ Culture Michael Brosilow A scene from Lighthouse Immersive’s Immersive Van Gogh, which rolled through Dallas in 2022. The company is now bankrupt. Kevin Von Erich will talk about his family’s history on Sept. 1 at The Majestic Theatre. Kristen Nikolas
