March 6, 2025 • 40 mins
Full transcription available on Substack
Cee-Cee Deslaurier-Tate about her incredible Girl Scout Gold Award project, which honors the legacy of Amanda Blake, best known as Miss Kitty from Gunsmoke. Cee-Cee dedicated over 1,000 hours to creating a documentary highlighting Amanda’s conservation work, including her efforts to save endangered cheetahs and launch the first no-kill animal shelter in Arizona.
Through extensive research, interviews, and a fundraising initiative, Cee-Cee has helped preserve Amanda’s impact on wildlife conservation. She shares how her passion for the Old West and storytelling led her to this project, the challenges she faced along the way, and how Amanda’s legacy continues to inspire her.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
✨ How Cee-Cee discovered her passion for the Old West and Amanda Blake
✨ The process of making a documentary as part of a Gold Award project
✨ The importance of preserving history and conservation efforts
✨ Insights into the Girl Scout Gold Award journey
🔗 Follow Cee-Cee’s journey: https://www.facebook.com/KittyARussell/
💛 Don’t forget to follow or subscribe and leave a review!
More from Cee-Cee
I am currently a Freshman in college, studying theater and entrepreneurship. As a 12-year Girl Scout, I was honored to receive my Gold Award last year after dedicating over 1,000 hours to creating a Created a 2.5 hour documentary as well as designing several physical memorials in honor of actress and animal advocate Amanda Blake ("Miss Kitty Russell on the TV Western "Gunsmoke"). As a "Miss Kitty" Tribute Artist/Impersonator, during the Summer I make appearances at New Jersey's Wild West City theme park, appearing in theatrical skits. From time to time I can also be found at Goldfield Ghost Town in Apache Junction, AZ. In the future, I plan to continue work as a tribute artist, expanding my work of preserving the legacy of past generations. Eventually I plan on opening my own Old West-themed dinner theater.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Walter (00:00):
The hearts of gold podcast is brought to you by the grow and share network produced by off the Walter media.
Sheryl (00:00):
Welcome to hearts of gold. Today we have Cee-Cee with us. Hi, Cee-Cee.
Cee-Cee (00:00):
Hello.
Sheryl (00:00):
Can you tell us about your Girl Scout Gold Award project?
Cee-Cee (00:00):
I dedicated over 1000 hours. There are multiple facets to this project, but I ended up making a documentary and it was honoring.
Some of you may know her better as Miss Kitty on the Western Gunsmoke, but I, I made a documentary about the work that she did to save animals and she was a big conservationist. She actually. With her husband, Frank Gilbert, she helped to start the first captive cheetah breeding program and the cheetahs were very endangered at the time that she did this and through her work with her husband and all the, the research they did and work they did with the animals, I'd actually helped to save the cheetahs in the zoological world.
So with that and, you know, just overall wanting to save endangered species starting the first. Anti euthanasia movement for dogs and cats. She did a lot for animals. And my goal was really to honor that work and to share it with people. So I, I did that through the documentary. And I also, through a fundraising project Amanda did a lot with the Phoenix Zoo.
And she actually helped the zoo get started with their cheetah breeding program. So I did a project called Amanda's Angels. I made little corn husk angel dolls. And I raised funds to install a paving stone at the Phoenix Zoo that commemorated the work she did for the cheetahs and the time she spent helping out there.
And I also wrote an article for the Zoo's Wild Times, which was an international newsletter. Basically sharing the story about her work with the cheetahs and the animals. And that was distributed to conservationists, members around the globe who follow the Phoenix Zoo. I also had the privilege of working with The Phoenix Zoo Auxiliary, and Amanda was a member of the Auxiliary for many years.
And, and they put her name up on the Auxiliary Armada plaque. It was a plaque that had other members names who worked with the Auxiliary, and that was a big thrill to finally see her name up there after all those years. And then I also as I said, there were many facets to the project, but I worked with the Arizona Animal Welfare League, and that was an organization Amanda co founded in 1971, the state's oldest and largest no kill shelter, first one.
And they put up a plaque with her picture and some writing talking about, you know, all she did for the shelter. So between all these methods with the documentary and the plaques, I, I really tried to get the word out there of everything she did.
Sheryl (00:02):
What was your initial connection with Amanda Blake that prompted the project to start with?
Cee-Cee (00:03):
It started in seventh grade when I took a family trip to Tombstone, Arizona. And I don't know if you've ever been to Tombstone, but It's an authentic Old West town, I think one of the most authentic still out there. With a strip of all the old buildings and the saloons and hotels. And as soon as I stepped onto the main street and I saw the reenactors all dressed up with their guns and the ladies with their hats and dresses, I immediately fell in love with the Old West.
And I went back home to Massachusetts and I started reading all these books and watching these. These TV westerns, these movies, I'm really enthralled with that time period. And my, my uncle introduced me to the Gunsmoke radio show, which was on before the TV series. And I became hooked on that. And I didn't really, I hadn't seen the TV show yet, but I was listening to the radio show.
And one night, I was flipping through channels, and I came across Gunsmoke on TV, and I wasn't really planning to watch it, but I started, and it was an episode starring Miss Kitty it was an episode called Goldmine, I believe, and as soon as I saw her, I was I was hooked. And like, it's a strong female character on a TV western.
You know, you didn't see many of those back then. I just started watching it. And that episode finished and another came on. And I said, I just, I want to keep watching this show. And it wasn't long before I got my parents into it. And they had raised me on the old television shows from the 50s and 60s, but I was the one to really get them into Gunsmoke.
And it just started from there, and I, I loved Miss Kitty, and I said, you know, I, I wonder who the actress was who was behind this character. And I started researching Amanda Blake and, you know, all the work she did for animals. And I just, I wanted to share her story. And I've been in Girl Scouts for 12 years and it was coming time for my Gold Award.
And I thought, you know, there are other celebrities, Betty White, you know, people like her who were really in the spotlight. And You know, everyone knows what they did to help animals and Amanda was really more behind the scenes. So a lot of people didn't know all the work she did. And there had been a book written about her, Perfectly Amanda by Becky Burgoyne.
And so her, her story was out there, but I thought, well, you know, it would be really great. With all the interview clips and the, you know, on Gunsmoke and the stuff she did with Betty White and all those TV appearances. If someone made a documentary or a movie about her, and so that started the whole idea of sharing her story.
Sheryl (00:05):
You mentioned that you've put over a thousand hours into your project. And that there was many, many components. Can you take us back to when you wrote the proposal? What was the core part of your project? And how did it continue and expand and grow to what it became?
Cee-Cee (00:06):
I remember the initial proposal. I don't know how many pages it was.
I know the final report was like 52, I think but the initial one, it started out with wanting to share her work with the cheetahs. Amanda loved Africa. She loved the animals over there. And so I had actually won a book from, they were doing an Amanda Blake auction at the time with the Performing Animal Welfare Society or PAWS.
They had a number of her things and they were selling them and the money they made was going to help the animals because Amanda had lived there for several years, you know, she, she was friends with the. People in charge. And so I had found out about the option and I had won a book and it was called Serengeti Home.
And there's a little note in the front of the book from the author, Kay Turner, to Amanda. And Amanda went on many a safari in Africa. She, she loved it. And I read the book. And it was all about the endangered species and the poaching and the trophy hunting. And it caught my interest and, you know, at first I was very overwhelmed with all the things Amanda did, like, where do I start?
You know, she did this, she did that. How do I bring it all together? And so that was really my reference point, that okay, I'm going to make it about the cheetahs and about the conservation and what people can do today. To continue on with that work and it just sort of grew over time and adapted and my gold award mentor would say, okay, remember, you know, you, you got to stay on track and make sure you don't go and tell her whole life story.
And two and a half hours later in the documentary there was a lot of stuff I couldn't include, but I, I did eventually encompass not just Africa, but you know, her work with the. Arizona animal shelter Phoenix Zoo, some other areas of her life. But it really was mainly the conservation of African species and particularly the cheetah.
Sheryl (00:07):
Who was on your team and how did they help you?
Cee-Cee (00:07):
A lot of the people were interviewees, people who knew Amanda personally, were friends with her or who worked with her in some capacity, or people who knew of her work. And people at the Phoenix Zoo, some current auxiliary members. People at other organizations she worked with.
I did a lot of the editing for the documentary at the TV studio in my town. So the staff there who helped me with, you know, learning the equipment and using cameras and editing. And of course my parents who were, were always there to help me with, with setting up, you know, interviews and figuring out things.
So it was really quite an extensive team, but you know, I, I couldn't have done it without them.
Sheryl (00:08):
How did you pick what went into the documentary?
Cee-Cee (00:08):
That was very difficult because I had several versions of the film when it came time to write the script. It was a long process because I had gone through books and newspaper articles, and I had all my notes of all the information of everything she had done over the years.
It was a process trying to figure out, okay, what really needs to be in here and what doesn't. And, you know, I, I, I covered some of her early days with film, how she got into being an actress and what she did for domestic animals and then the African animals. I even talked about her battle with cancer a little bit and everything she did to inspire other people who were going through similar challenges.
So it, it really, it did cover the span of her life just in a condensed manner. You know, it was initially just going to be about the animals, and the more I read about her it was like, she did so much to help so many people that I, I had to include it. But there were many things that I couldn't put. It was sad because there's, there's so much you can include, but when it came down to it, it was really trying to keep focus on what my message was and how I wanted it to reach people with everything people can do to carry on her work with conservation.
Sheryl (00:10):
Have you ever made a film before this?
Cee-Cee (00:10):
Well, I had made a 10 minute documentary in ninth grade about the gunfight at the O. K. Corral in Tombstone. And that was, that was a challenge trying to condense everything into 10 minutes, but certainly not the extent of this documentary. And I think that was one of the biggest challenges I had was I'm not in any way a technological person and trying to figure out how to make a film and all the layers that go into creating a documentary.
you know, with the voiceovers and putting in photos and music and all those things that you really don't think about until you make a film. So that was, it was quite a hurdle overcoming that, but I'm, I'm, I'm so glad I was able to.
Sheryl (00:10):
You talked about all the people that helped you and you talked about reaching out to people who had known Amanda to be in the documentary.
That seems like a lot of communication with people that you don't know. How did you go about connecting with all of those people?
Cee-Cee (00:11):
The first person I reached out to was the author, Becky Burgoyne, who wrote her autobiography. And I explained to her what I wanted to do. And That I wanted to be in touch with some people who had known her and Becky had spent, I think it was three years traveling and interviewing people.
And so she was able to refer me to a couple of people that she had spoken with who were still around and able to share some stories. And it really just kept growing. I'd speak with one person and they'd say, Oh, you know, why don't you reach out to this person and that person? And it just kept. Developing and, you know, it was, it was really amazing.
All the people I, I got to speak to and all the doors that open that I never would have imagined before.
Sheryl (00:11):
What was the most surprising connection you made?
Cee-Cee (00:11):
It was probably with the people who were quite close with Amanda. There were only a couple of them. I, I got to talk to, but being able to hear all the personal stories and some of the stories that I read about in Becky's book, but then actually getting to hear them in person was, really amazing. And getting to, to understand the side of her that wasn't just Miss Kitty and the side that the whole world knew on television was very special. And you know, those stories, I still think of them on a regular basis and I'll still think of something that someone referenced or I'll hear a song that someone was talking about.
And like, I remember that story. So it was just, it was surprising the level that. People were willing to share, hearing that they really wanted to get it out there and let people know what she was like as Amanda Blake and not just Miss Kitty.
Sheryl (00:12):
Do you have a special memory from your project?
Cee-Cee (00:12):
Taking a trip down to Pennsylvania to visit one of Amanda's friends.
And we, we went over to the woman's house, the woman we were interviewing, and my mom was there and she helped us set up the cameras and I had my clipboard with my questions. And it was funny how, it sounds strange, but how, how normal these people were. And what I mean by that is, you know, you think some of these people did amazing.
Things with their careers. And, you know, they were friends with Amanda Blake and they went to all these, they knew all these celebrities and you think, oh, well, you know, they're, they're, they're up here and they've done all these things and then you talk to them and it's like, you know, they're just like everybody else.
And from what I've heard, Amanda was like that too. And, you know, you can just. And by the end of the visit, it was like we had known her for ages. I mean, it was, I was nervous going into the interview, but by the end we were all sitting around the patio eating hamburgers and it, it was a great time. And I have many special memories like that from this project, but I'll, I'll always treasure.
Sheryl (00:13):
What did you learn about the Gold Award process itself that could be helpful for future Gold Award Girl Scouts?
Cee-Cee (00:14):
Find something you're really passionate about, because from what I learned with the amount of hours and the commitment and the research and, you know, obviously it depends on what project you're doing, but it has to be something that you really have some attachment to.
Or else it's, it's going to be really hard to get it done. And even then it was challenging to get it done, but if you have something that means a lot to you and you, you know, you, you want to get the word out and you're passionate about it. You can, you can push forward and make it happen. And you know, someone said to me, if you do it right and it's something that really means a lot to you, then it's life changing.
And I, I can say a hundred percent that that's been the case for me. So I, I would just say, you know, if you find something like that or someone whose story you want to share or something you want to put out there definitely follow that and follow your heart because it makes a big difference.
Sheryl (00:14):
How has your project impacted your life?
Cee-Cee (00:15):
I feel like I found who I am through this project. And I feel like Amanda has led me that way. And there have been so many things. Making the documentary and meeting these people, many who are very good friends now, it just seems like there's been a path and one thing after another has led to something else and unfolded.
And, you know, someone said there's no such thing as a coincidence. I kind of feel like it's true because so many things have lined up in a certain way. Amanda is really, you know, I've, I've always, I've loved animals. I love theater, but hearing her story has. Inspired me even more to follow that path. And I've actually been doing some work as a Kitty Russell tribute artist, what other people call an impersonator.
I guess you could say, and I go to some Western towns and I, I dress up as Miss Kitty and I portray her character. And so, you know, that's, that's helped me have more courage with theater and getting out there and keeping her legacy alive, not just with animals, but with the character of Miss Kitty. So, so many ways it's changed my life with you know, what I want to do.
And because of this project, I've, I've found what I want to do with the rest of my life. With the, the tribute artist and keeping alive her legacy and, and not just the legacy of Gunsmoke, but other shows from that time as well. And the values and, you know, the, the, the friendships that come from that, bringing people together with that nostalgia and that comfort is something that's really important to me.
Sheryl (00:16):
You are clearly a very busy young lady. And as we've mentioned, you've put a lot of hours more than a lot of projects into time into your project. How do you balance that and keep up with school and continue moving the project forward and then all your other activities?
Cee-Cee (00:16):
So I'm a freshman in college now, I should start with, and right before I left, I had a viewing for the Gold Award Committee of my project so I, I did complete the Gold Award now I did earn it.
I'm still working on the documentary a bit because, you know, I had it ready for the committee, but With all the fan clubs I've been in touch with, Amanda Blake, Gunsmoke, there are a lot of people at an international level waiting for the film to be released. So I am still working on polishing it and getting it ready for the big unveiling.
But leading up to it, It was a big challenge because I was doing virtual school and so it was really self taught. A lot of it. I was taking some advanced placement classes and figuring out how to prepare for the exams without a teacher. And in addition to that, of course, working on the project and being in the TV studio.
Nearly every day toward the end editing and getting everything ready working on the final report and of course, getting ready for college and for many months. It was even okay. What college do I go to? You know, I'm between 2. I'm writing out all the pros and cons list and everything. So it was very stressful.
Trying to balance that and at the time I, so I was doing some, some theatrical shows aside from that, and I had just gotten a part in a production at Stadium Theater, which is in Socket, Rhode Island, and it was a radio show. And so I was, it was a small cast and I was playing all the women in the show.
So I had 11 different parts and 11 different voices I needed to come up with. So I remember being very, very stressed and like, you know, how am I going to come up with these voices and do APs in college and the documentary? So it was a lot, it really was, but I managed to get it done. You know, I wrote out schedules and.
tried to set aside time and figure out how to do it. And I got it done. I still don't quite know how, but I did.
Sheryl (00:19):
If someone wants to follow you and get notified when the documentary is released or go see you doing one of your performances, whether It's in a play or as Miss Kitty, how can they follow you?
Cee-Cee (00:19):
Well, I have a Facebook profile. It's under the name of Kitty Russell, and I've been doing posts. I started it for the Goldward project. I'm not on social media otherwise, but I do updates on the post on the, on the Facebook profile of the progress of the documentary. And when the various memorials have come out pictures of those.
So if anyone is interested you can find me on Facebook under Kitty Russell. There's a little picture of me in a purple saloon dress as Miss Kitty. And in terms of the Miss Kitty portrayals during the summer on select weekends, I appear at Wild West City in New Jersey. It's a 1950s Old West theme park.
It's family owned. It's still around. And I go there with my parents and we dress up and. I've been writing some skits working with the people in charge and, and writing some skits to work Miss Kitty into the, the shows. And one of the, one of the shows is a, a can can dance. So I get up and I introduce that and I give a little history behind the can can.
So, you know, if anyone's interested in that, I, I put up on my Facebook page when I'll be at Wild West City. Cause it's not, it's not every weekend. But, you know, you can always, you can find me there, or I've been making some appearances at Goldfield Ghost Town out here in Arizona and Apache Junction.
And that, I also put that on Facebook and the, the many photos that I, I have from that with the, the actors there, the reenactors so I, you know, you can definitely find me if that's something that, you know, people want to see.
Sheryl (00:20):
And that is how I found you, is through your Facebook page. And you have Posted a lot like you do post very regularly.
How did you integrate that and how did you incorporate that into your everyday life?
Cee-Cee (00:21):
Well, I started it because one of the big components of a gold award is measurability. And you know. Figuring out how many people are following your project and how many people are interested. And so I knew that there were a lot of Gunsmoke and Amanda Blake fan clubs out there, and a lot of them are on Facebook.
So that's how I started it and got in touch with some wonderful people. And so what I had started and I still do is every Monday I'll do a weekly post. And you know, with everything else going on, it's, it's hard to do more often than that. But I try and reserve Mondays for whether it's an announcement on the gold award or the documentary or, you know, something else that I'm doing.
That's, that's usually when you can be on the lookout for, for something.
Sheryl (00:22):
What other Girl Scout experiences have you had that you'd like to share?
Cee-Cee (00:22):
I mentioned I've been in it for 12 years and my mom was my Girl Scout leader. So I, I have many memories with her and A lot of them had to do with selling Girl Scout cookies.
We were known as the, the cookie girls and we'd go around with a little red wagon and we'd have our bells that we'd ring. And when I was really little, we'd sing a song about Girl Scout cookies. And so I have many fond memories of, you know, doing Kohl's cookie booths and, and being in parking lots and there'd be snow and there'd be sleet and there'd be wind and sometimes I'd be sick or one of us would have a cold or something and we'd be out there selling them.
So I, I think that's my biggest memory from Girl Scouts but, you know, we do a lot with community service and different trips and one of the organizations we worked with, which I think, i, I think of Amanda every time I think of it because it's Koko, children of Kilimanjaro Orphanage in Tanzania, in Africa.
And we worked with a gentleman who was actually in my documentary, who co founded this orphanage and helps these children who don't have homes or, you know, they, they couldn't be cared for by their parents. And he provides some education and a place to live and a place to play. And so we've worked with him in donating some school supplies and we did some FaceTimes with the kids there and they'd get up and sing in Swahili and be smiling and clapping.
Very sweet experience and very touching to see how other people live with, you know, very differently from what we have here with the limited things they do have out there.
Sheryl (00:23):
What else would you like to share with the audience?
Cee-Cee (00:23):
You know, one of the things I'd like to say for the fans who'll be watching this is a big thank you to everyone.
People who were involved, the interviewees, but also all the fans through Facebook and on the internet and people who reached out to me and just the massive support system that I've had. And there have been a lot of setbacks and, you know, I'd go into the studio and all the hours of work would be erased or something would happen.
And I want to give up, or, you know, I'd say, I don't know if I can finish this before I go to college. And just having that network of. People who were so supportive and so encouraging and so appreciative of what I was doing to honor Amanda, I, I, I just want to say a big thank you to them because it made all the difference with getting this project done.
And, you know, being motivated, you know, I'd, I'd also like to say if she were here, a big thank you to Amanda, because the manner of ways which she's changed my life has been. monumental. And, you know, I think a lot of people, as I said, they knew her as Miss Kitty. And from some of the people I've talked to who were friends with her, they said she knew what she did for people as Miss Kitty, but not as Amanda Blake.
And so I, I'd really want to tell her, you know, as you, as Amanda, you, you made such a big difference. They're still remembered here every day, all the fans and, you know, especially me. And not a day goes by that I don't think about this project or Amanda this or Amanda that. So I want her to know. You know, not the, not just the big impact she had on all these people's lives, but especially for this young woman, really, really shaping my career path and opening all those doors that I never thought would open.
She's truly changed my life and I'll always be grateful to her for that.
Sheryl (00:25):
That's beautiful. How do you make your s'mores?
Cee-Cee (00:25):
I'm not a big s'mores person, but I went to a Girl Scout camp once where, and it was years ago, so I don't know if I'm remembering this correctly, but we had aluminum foil and we put like the graham cracker and then the chocolate and then the marshmallow and the sandwich and we wrapped it in the foil and then we put it on hot coals in the fire and it made the marshmallow melty.
So that's how I remember. making it. I mean, other than that, I just stick a marshmallow on a stick and roast it and then plop it in between the graham cracker. But yeah, I, you know, I haven't had a good s'mores in years, but maybe I'll, I'll have to, I'll have to make some now that you mentioned that.
Sheryl (00:26):
S'mores are always good. Well, thank you so much for joining us and telling your story today and Amanda's story.
Cee-Cee (00:26):
Of course. Well, thank you for having me. I'm honored to be part of this.
Sheryl (00:26):
Make sure to click follow or subscribe. So you always know when new episodes are released. Power your passion and conquer your challenges.
Walter (00:26):
Thank you for listening. If you'd like to be on the show to share your story of how you earned your gold award, reach out and send an email to growandshare@outlook.com. Be sure to catch up on our previous shows on any of your favorite podcasting platforms, as well as view the full video versions at youtube.com/SherylMrobinson.
Thanks again for listening and we'll see you next time.
The hearts of gold podcast is brought to you by the grow and share network produced by off the Walter media.
Sheryl (00:00):
Welcome to hearts of gold. Today we have Cee-Cee with us. Hi, Cee-Cee.
Cee-Cee (00:00):
Hello.
Sheryl (00:00):
Can you tell us about your Girl Scout Gold Award project?
Cee-Cee (00:00):
I dedicated over 1000 hours. There are multiple facets to this project, but I ended up making a documentary and it was honoring.
Some of you may know her better as Miss Kitty on the Western Gunsmoke, but I, I made a documentary about the work that she did to save animals and she was a big conservationist. She actually. With her husband, Frank Gilbert, she helped to start the first captive cheetah breeding program and the cheetahs were very endangered at the time that she did this and through her work with her husband and all the, the research they did and work they did with the animals, I'd actually helped to save the cheetahs in the zoological world.
So with that and, you know, just overall wanting to save endangered species starting the first. Anti euthanasia movement for dogs and cats. She did a lot for animals. And my goal was really to honor that work and to share it with people. So I, I did that through the documentary. And I also, through a fundraising project Amanda did a lot with the Phoenix Zoo.
And she actually helped the zoo get started with their cheetah breeding program. So I did a project called Amanda's Angels. I made little corn husk angel dolls. And I raised funds to install a paving stone at the Phoenix Zoo that commemorated the work she did for the cheetahs and the time she spent helping out there.
And I also wrote an article for the Zoo's Wild Times, which was an international newsletter. Basically sharing the story about her work with the cheetahs and the animals. And that was distributed to conservationists, members around the globe who follow the Phoenix Zoo. I also had the privilege of working with The Phoenix Zoo Auxiliary, and Amanda was a member of the Auxiliary for many years.
And, and they put her name up on the Auxiliary Armada plaque. It was a plaque that had other members names who worked with the Auxiliary, and that was a big thrill to finally see her name up there after all those years. And then I also as I said, there were many facets to the project, but I worked with the Arizona Animal Welfare League, and that was an organization Amanda co founded in 1971, the state's oldest and largest no kill shelter, first one.
And they put up a plaque with her picture and some writing talking about, you know, all she did for the shelter. So between all these methods with the documentary and the plaques, I, I really tried to get the word out there of everything she did.
Sheryl (00:02):
What was your initial connection with Amanda Blake that prompted the project to start with?
Cee-Cee (00:03):
It started in seventh grade when I took a family trip to Tombstone, Arizona. And I don't know if you've ever been to Tombstone, but It's an authentic Old West town, I think one of the most authentic still out there. With a strip of all the old buildings and the saloons and hotels. And as soon as I stepped onto the main street and I saw the reenactors all dressed up with their guns and the ladies with their hats and dresses, I immediately fell in love with the Old West.
And I went back home to Massachusetts and I started reading all these books and watching these. These TV westerns, these movies, I'm really enthralled with that time period. And my, my uncle introduced me to the Gunsmoke radio show, which was on before the TV series. And I became hooked on that. And I didn't really, I hadn't seen the TV show yet, but I was listening to the radio show.
And one night, I was flipping through channels, and I came across Gunsmoke on TV, and I wasn't really planning to watch it, but I started, and it was an episode starring Miss Kitty it was an episode called Goldmine, I believe, and as soon as I saw her, I was I was hooked. And like, it's a strong female character on a TV western.
You know, you didn't see many of those back then. I just started watching it. And that episode finished and another came on. And I said, I just, I want to keep watching this show. And it wasn't long before I got my parents into it. And they had raised me on the old television shows from the 50s and 60s, but I was the one to really get them into Gunsmoke.
And it just started from there, and I, I loved Miss Kitty, and I said, you know, I, I wonder who the actress was who was behind this character. And I started researching Amanda Blake and, you know, all the work she did for animals. And I just, I wanted to share her story. And I've been in Girl Scouts for 12 years and it was coming time for my Gold Award.
And I thought, you know, there are other celebrities, Betty White, you know, people like her who were really in the spotlight. And You know, everyone knows what they did to help animals and Amanda was really more behind the scenes. So a lot of people didn't know all the work she did. And there had been a book written about her, Perfectly Amanda by Becky Burgoyne.
And so her, her story was out there, but I thought, well, you know, it would be really great. With all the interview clips and the, you know, on Gunsmoke and the stuff she did with Betty White and all those TV appearances. If someone made a documentary or a movie about her, and so that started the whole idea of sharing her story.
Sheryl (00:05):
You mentioned that you've put over a thousand hours into your project. And that there was many, many components. Can you take us back to when you wrote the proposal? What was the core part of your project? And how did it continue and expand and grow to what it became?
Cee-Cee (00:06):
I remember the initial proposal. I don't know how many pages it was.
I know the final report was like 52, I think but the initial one, it started out with wanting to share her work with the cheetahs. Amanda loved Africa. She loved the animals over there. And so I had actually won a book from, they were doing an Amanda Blake auction at the time with the Performing Animal Welfare Society or PAWS.
They had a number of her things and they were selling them and the money they made was going to help the animals because Amanda had lived there for several years, you know, she, she was friends with the. People in charge. And so I had found out about the option and I had won a book and it was called Serengeti Home.
And there's a little note in the front of the book from the author, Kay Turner, to Amanda. And Amanda went on many a safari in Africa. She, she loved it. And I read the book. And it was all about the endangered species and the poaching and the trophy hunting. And it caught my interest and, you know, at first I was very overwhelmed with all the things Amanda did, like, where do I start?
You know, she did this, she did that. How do I bring it all together? And so that was really my reference point, that okay, I'm going to make it about the cheetahs and about the conservation and what people can do today. To continue on with that work and it just sort of grew over time and adapted and my gold award mentor would say, okay, remember, you know, you, you got to stay on track and make sure you don't go and tell her whole life story.
And two and a half hours later in the documentary there was a lot of stuff I couldn't include, but I, I did eventually encompass not just Africa, but you know, her work with the. Arizona animal shelter Phoenix Zoo, some other areas of her life. But it really was mainly the conservation of African species and particularly the cheetah.
Sheryl (00:07):
Who was on your team and how did they help you?
Cee-Cee (00:07):
A lot of the people were interviewees, people who knew Amanda personally, were friends with her or who worked with her in some capacity, or people who knew of her work. And people at the Phoenix Zoo, some current auxiliary members. People at other organizations she worked with.
I did a lot of the editing for the documentary at the TV studio in my town. So the staff there who helped me with, you know, learning the equipment and using cameras and editing. And of course my parents who were, were always there to help me with, with setting up, you know, interviews and figuring out things.
So it was really quite an extensive team, but you know, I, I couldn't have done it without them.
Sheryl (00:08):
How did you pick what went into the documentary?
Cee-Cee (00:08):
That was very difficult because I had several versions of the film when it came time to write the script. It was a long process because I had gone through books and newspaper articles, and I had all my notes of all the information of everything she had done over the years.
It was a process trying to figure out, okay, what really needs to be in here and what doesn't. And, you know, I, I, I covered some of her early days with film, how she got into being an actress and what she did for domestic animals and then the African animals. I even talked about her battle with cancer a little bit and everything she did to inspire other people who were going through similar challenges.
So it, it really, it did cover the span of her life just in a condensed manner. You know, it was initially just going to be about the animals, and the more I read about her it was like, she did so much to help so many people that I, I had to include it. But there were many things that I couldn't put. It was sad because there's, there's so much you can include, but when it came down to it, it was really trying to keep focus on what my message was and how I wanted it to reach people with everything people can do to carry on her work with conservation.
Sheryl (00:10):
Have you ever made a film before this?
Cee-Cee (00:10):
Well, I had made a 10 minute documentary in ninth grade about the gunfight at the O. K. Corral in Tombstone. And that was, that was a challenge trying to condense everything into 10 minutes, but certainly not the extent of this documentary. And I think that was one of the biggest challenges I had was I'm not in any way a technological person and trying to figure out how to make a film and all the layers that go into creating a documentary.
you know, with the voiceovers and putting in photos and music and all those things that you really don't think about until you make a film. So that was, it was quite a hurdle overcoming that, but I'm, I'm, I'm so glad I was able to.
Sheryl (00:10):
You talked about all the people that helped you and you talked about reaching out to people who had known Amanda to be in the documentary.
That seems like a lot of communication with people that you don't know. How did you go about connecting with all of those people?
Cee-Cee (00:11):
The first person I reached out to was the author, Becky Burgoyne, who wrote her autobiography. And I explained to her what I wanted to do. And That I wanted to be in touch with some people who had known her and Becky had spent, I think it was three years traveling and interviewing people.
And so she was able to refer me to a couple of people that she had spoken with who were still around and able to share some stories. And it really just kept growing. I'd speak with one person and they'd say, Oh, you know, why don't you reach out to this person and that person? And it just kept. Developing and, you know, it was, it was really amazing.
All the people I, I got to speak to and all the doors that open that I never would have imagined before.
Sheryl (00:11):
What was the most surprising connection you made?
Cee-Cee (00:11):
It was probably with the people who were quite close with Amanda. There were only a couple of them. I, I got to talk to, but being able to hear all the personal stories and some of the stories that I read about in Becky's book, but then actually getting to hear them in person was, really amazing. And getting to, to understand the side of her that wasn't just Miss Kitty and the side that the whole world knew on television was very special. And you know, those stories, I still think of them on a regular basis and I'll still think of something that someone referenced or I'll hear a song that someone was talking about.
And like, I remember that story. So it was just, it was surprising the level that. People were willing to share, hearing that they really wanted to get it out there and let people know what she was like as Amanda Blake and not just Miss Kitty.
Sheryl (00:12):
Do you have a special memory from your project?
Cee-Cee (00:12):
Taking a trip down to Pennsylvania to visit one of Amanda's friends.
And we, we went over to the woman's house, the woman we were interviewing, and my mom was there and she helped us set up the cameras and I had my clipboard with my questions. And it was funny how, it sounds strange, but how, how normal these people were. And what I mean by that is, you know, you think some of these people did amazing.
Things with their careers. And, you know, they were friends with Amanda Blake and they went to all these, they knew all these celebrities and you think, oh, well, you know, they're, they're, they're up here and they've done all these things and then you talk to them and it's like, you know, they're just like everybody else.
And from what I've heard, Amanda was like that too. And, you know, you can just. And by the end of the visit, it was like we had known her for ages. I mean, it was, I was nervous going into the interview, but by the end we were all sitting around the patio eating hamburgers and it, it was a great time. And I have many special memories like that from this project, but I'll, I'll always treasure.
Sheryl (00:13):
What did you learn about the Gold Award process itself that could be helpful for future Gold Award Girl Scouts?
Cee-Cee (00:14):
Find something you're really passionate about, because from what I learned with the amount of hours and the commitment and the research and, you know, obviously it depends on what project you're doing, but it has to be something that you really have some attachment to.
Or else it's, it's going to be really hard to get it done. And even then it was challenging to get it done, but if you have something that means a lot to you and you, you know, you, you want to get the word out and you're passionate about it. You can, you can push forward and make it happen. And you know, someone said to me, if you do it right and it's something that really means a lot to you, then it's life changing.
And I, I can say a hundred percent that that's been the case for me. So I, I would just say, you know, if you find something like that or someone whose story you want to share or something you want to put out there definitely follow that and follow your heart because it makes a big difference.
Sheryl (00:14):
How has your project impacted your life?
Cee-Cee (00:15):
I feel like I found who I am through this project. And I feel like Amanda has led me that way. And there have been so many things. Making the documentary and meeting these people, many who are very good friends now, it just seems like there's been a path and one thing after another has led to something else and unfolded.
And, you know, someone said there's no such thing as a coincidence. I kind of feel like it's true because so many things have lined up in a certain way. Amanda is really, you know, I've, I've always, I've loved animals. I love theater, but hearing her story has. Inspired me even more to follow that path. And I've actually been doing some work as a Kitty Russell tribute artist, what other people call an impersonator.
I guess you could say, and I go to some Western towns and I, I dress up as Miss Kitty and I portray her character. And so, you know, that's, that's helped me have more courage with theater and getting out there and keeping her legacy alive, not just with animals, but with the character of Miss Kitty. So, so many ways it's changed my life with you know, what I want to do.
And because of this project, I've, I've found what I want to do with the rest of my life. With the, the tribute artist and keeping alive her legacy and, and not just the legacy of Gunsmoke, but other shows from that time as well. And the values and, you know, the, the, the friendships that come from that, bringing people together with that nostalgia and that comfort is something that's really important to me.
Sheryl (00:16):
You are clearly a very busy young lady. And as we've mentioned, you've put a lot of hours more than a lot of projects into time into your project. How do you balance that and keep up with school and continue moving the project forward and then all your other activities?
Cee-Cee (00:16):
So I'm a freshman in college now, I should start with, and right before I left, I had a viewing for the Gold Award Committee of my project so I, I did complete the Gold Award now I did earn it.
I'm still working on the documentary a bit because, you know, I had it ready for the committee, but With all the fan clubs I've been in touch with, Amanda Blake, Gunsmoke, there are a lot of people at an international level waiting for the film to be released. So I am still working on polishing it and getting it ready for the big unveiling.
But leading up to it, It was a big challenge because I was doing virtual school and so it was really self taught. A lot of it. I was taking some advanced placement classes and figuring out how to prepare for the exams without a teacher. And in addition to that, of course, working on the project and being in the TV studio.
Nearly every day toward the end editing and getting everything ready working on the final report and of course, getting ready for college and for many months. It was even okay. What college do I go to? You know, I'm between 2. I'm writing out all the pros and cons list and everything. So it was very stressful.
Trying to balance that and at the time I, so I was doing some, some theatrical shows aside from that, and I had just gotten a part in a production at Stadium Theater, which is in Socket, Rhode Island, and it was a radio show. And so I was, it was a small cast and I was playing all the women in the show.
So I had 11 different parts and 11 different voices I needed to come up with. So I remember being very, very stressed and like, you know, how am I going to come up with these voices and do APs in college and the documentary? So it was a lot, it really was, but I managed to get it done. You know, I wrote out schedules and.
tried to set aside time and figure out how to do it. And I got it done. I still don't quite know how, but I did.
Sheryl (00:19):
If someone wants to follow you and get notified when the documentary is released or go see you doing one of your performances, whether It's in a play or as Miss Kitty, how can they follow you?
Cee-Cee (00:19):
Well, I have a Facebook profile. It's under the name of Kitty Russell, and I've been doing posts. I started it for the Goldward project. I'm not on social media otherwise, but I do updates on the post on the, on the Facebook profile of the progress of the documentary. And when the various memorials have come out pictures of those.
So if anyone is interested you can find me on Facebook under Kitty Russell. There's a little picture of me in a purple saloon dress as Miss Kitty. And in terms of the Miss Kitty portrayals during the summer on select weekends, I appear at Wild West City in New Jersey. It's a 1950s Old West theme park.
It's family owned. It's still around. And I go there with my parents and we dress up and. I've been writing some skits working with the people in charge and, and writing some skits to work Miss Kitty into the, the shows. And one of the, one of the shows is a, a can can dance. So I get up and I introduce that and I give a little history behind the can can.
So, you know, if anyone's interested in that, I, I put up on my Facebook page when I'll be at Wild West City. Cause it's not, it's not every weekend. But, you know, you can always, you can find me there, or I've been making some appearances at Goldfield Ghost Town out here in Arizona and Apache Junction.
And that, I also put that on Facebook and the, the many photos that I, I have from that with the, the actors there, the reenactors so I, you know, you can definitely find me if that's something that, you know, people want to see.
Sheryl (00:20):
And that is how I found you, is through your Facebook page. And you have Posted a lot like you do post very regularly.
How did you integrate that and how did you incorporate that into your everyday life?
Cee-Cee (00:21):
Well, I started it because one of the big components of a gold award is measurability. And you know. Figuring out how many people are following your project and how many people are interested. And so I knew that there were a lot of Gunsmoke and Amanda Blake fan clubs out there, and a lot of them are on Facebook.
So that's how I started it and got in touch with some wonderful people. And so what I had started and I still do is every Monday I'll do a weekly post. And you know, with everything else going on, it's, it's hard to do more often than that. But I try and reserve Mondays for whether it's an announcement on the gold award or the documentary or, you know, something else that I'm doing.
That's, that's usually when you can be on the lookout for, for something.
Sheryl (00:22):
What other Girl Scout experiences have you had that you'd like to share?
Cee-Cee (00:22):
I mentioned I've been in it for 12 years and my mom was my Girl Scout leader. So I, I have many memories with her and A lot of them had to do with selling Girl Scout cookies.
We were known as the, the cookie girls and we'd go around with a little red wagon and we'd have our bells that we'd ring. And when I was really little, we'd sing a song about Girl Scout cookies. And so I have many fond memories of, you know, doing Kohl's cookie booths and, and being in parking lots and there'd be snow and there'd be sleet and there'd be wind and sometimes I'd be sick or one of us would have a cold or something and we'd be out there selling them.
So I, I think that's my biggest memory from Girl Scouts but, you know, we do a lot with community service and different trips and one of the organizations we worked with, which I think, i, I think of Amanda every time I think of it because it's Koko, children of Kilimanjaro Orphanage in Tanzania, in Africa.
And we worked with a gentleman who was actually in my documentary, who co founded this orphanage and helps these children who don't have homes or, you know, they, they couldn't be cared for by their parents. And he provides some education and a place to live and a place to play. And so we've worked with him in donating some school supplies and we did some FaceTimes with the kids there and they'd get up and sing in Swahili and be smiling and clapping.
Very sweet experience and very touching to see how other people live with, you know, very differently from what we have here with the limited things they do have out there.
Sheryl (00:23):
What else would you like to share with the audience?
Cee-Cee (00:23):
You know, one of the things I'd like to say for the fans who'll be watching this is a big thank you to everyone.
People who were involved, the interviewees, but also all the fans through Facebook and on the internet and people who reached out to me and just the massive support system that I've had. And there have been a lot of setbacks and, you know, I'd go into the studio and all the hours of work would be erased or something would happen.
And I want to give up, or, you know, I'd say, I don't know if I can finish this before I go to college. And just having that network of. People who were so supportive and so encouraging and so appreciative of what I was doing to honor Amanda, I, I, I just want to say a big thank you to them because it made all the difference with getting this project done.
And, you know, being motivated, you know, I'd, I'd also like to say if she were here, a big thank you to Amanda, because the manner of ways which she's changed my life has been. monumental. And, you know, I think a lot of people, as I said, they knew her as Miss Kitty. And from some of the people I've talked to who were friends with her, they said she knew what she did for people as Miss Kitty, but not as Amanda Blake.
And so I, I'd really want to tell her, you know, as you, as Amanda, you, you made such a big difference. They're still remembered here every day, all the fans and, you know, especially me. And not a day goes by that I don't think about this project or Amanda this or Amanda that. So I want her to know. You know, not the, not just the big impact she had on all these people's lives, but especially for this young woman, really, really shaping my career path and opening all those doors that I never thought would open.
She's truly changed my life and I'll always be grateful to her for that.
Sheryl (00:25):
That's beautiful. How do you make your s'mores?
Cee-Cee (00:25):
I'm not a big s'mores person, but I went to a Girl Scout camp once where, and it was years ago, so I don't know if I'm remembering this correctly, but we had aluminum foil and we put like the graham cracker and then the chocolate and then the marshmallow and the sandwich and we wrapped it in the foil and then we put it on hot coals in the fire and it made the marshmallow melty.
So that's how I remember. making it. I mean, other than that, I just stick a marshmallow on a stick and roast it and then plop it in between the graham cracker. But yeah, I, you know, I haven't had a good s'mores in years, but maybe I'll, I'll have to, I'll have to make some now that you mentioned that.
Sheryl (00:26):
S'mores are always good. Well, thank you so much for joining us and telling your story today and Amanda's story.
Cee-Cee (00:26):
Of course. Well, thank you for having me. I'm honored to be part of this.
Sheryl (00:26):
Make sure to click follow or subscribe. So you always know when new episodes are released. Power your passion and conquer your challenges.
Walter (00:26):
Thank you for listening. If you'd like to be on the show to share your story of how you earned your gold award, reach out and send an email to growandshare@outlook.com. Be sure to catch up on our previous shows on any of your favorite podcasting platforms, as well as view the full video versions at youtube.com/SherylMrobinson.
Thanks again for listening and we'll see you next time.
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