By Jim Stanford on July 13, 2009
Byron Thames
It appears there was a transcription error in Grand Teton National Park’s account of Friday night’s rescue on the Snake River.
The man pulled off a logjam with his son was not Byron Phames but Byron Thames, an actor and composer from Los Angeles.
Thames is the son-in-law of Connie Stevens, the actress and singer with longstanding ties to Jackson Hole. Stevens owns several properties in the valley and for years hosted the Celebrity Ski Extravaganza at Teton Village, a fund-raiser for a community nonprofit.
A cursory search with the Google turned up no results for such an unusual name as Phames, but yielded a profile for Thames matching the park’s description. A shuttle driver who spoke with Thames at the Deadman’s Bar river launch site confirmed Thames’ identity from the photo above.
Thames and his son attempted to navigate the braided channels of the Snake from Deadman’s Bar to Wilson in a swimming-pool-style inflatable raft with no oars or paddles, or life jackets. After asking a commercial boatman to loan or rent them oars and being denied, they grabbed two sticks to help steer the craft. Thames dragged the raft, already underinflated, past a sign reading, “The Snake River is dangerous and demanding. Only a skilled pilot should navigate a vessel.”
Thames was a child actor with cameos in such 1980s hit sitcoms as “Silver Spoons,” “Family Ties” and “21 Jump Street.” More recently he has appeared in obscure titles such as “Spaced Out.”
Friday night he and his son landed starring roles in “The River Wild.”
Posted under Entertainment, Environment, Sports
Picking on C-list actors? How very snarky!
Channel 8 in I.F. has gone as far as to post this A**clown’s web address. Are we all trying to get this moron a gig or what? I can’t believe we’re posting his mug for everyone to see. He’s no dope. We are !!!
have you seen the clip of “Spaced Out?”
http://www.imdb.com/video/wab/vi1546388249/
He could use the help!
Those darn child actors, can’t they stay out of trouble?
Also, you can’t qualify for a Darwin Award unless you actually die.
how about if it’s a career killer?
PUNNEL
His biggest decision seems to have been who to call first: 911, his wife or his publicist.