‘SILVER SPUR’ GLITTERS AT SPORTSMEN’S LODGE

Tommy Cook, Joely Fisher, Connie Stevens,

Jon Voight and Andrew Prine

On Friday night, September 27^th, I had the pleasure of covering the 16^th Annual Silver Spur Awards at the Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City.   The Awards is the big annual celebration of The Reel Cowboys, an event that started when Pat Buttram passed away, and the Golden Boot Awards ceased. 

The event is always run to benefit a deserving charity, and for the second year in a row, that charity was the MVAT, the Military and Veterans Appreciation Trust (learn more at http://www.mvat.org/)

I arrived shortly after the doors opened at six, but a large throng of elegantly western-dressed folks packed the place.  Once inside, I checked out the silent auction.  Spread around the tables were many DVDs of the excellent HEATHENS AND THIEVES (see my review HERE ) . And in addition to the event program, with a cover designed by Spencer Tracy’s artist grandson, at every seat of the twenty-five banquet tables was a T-shirt from the exciting HOT BATH AND A STIFF DRINK (read my story about their rough-cut screening HERE ).

Louis Gossett Jr.

I quickly spotted one of the evening’s honorees, Louis Gossett Jr.  I asked him if he was excited.  “I am very excited.  It’s an honor to get this blessing from cowboys.”  I asked him what his favorite western was.  “My favorite western is LONESOME DOVE.  My favorite western that’s not with me is RED RIVER.”

Just then, Hugh O’Brian entered, dressed in some of his elegant Wyatt Earp finery.  With so many actors portraying that lawman in recent years, I acknowledged him as the best, but asked who the second  beat Earp was.  “The second best?  I guess it was me.  The best was Wyatt himself.  He was a helluvah man.  He died here, by the way, in 1929, on 19^th Street.  He lived here in Los Angeles the last three or four years of his life.  He made money doing appearances and stuff.  The people just west of Newhall, that huge area between there and Las Vegas, like 150 miles by 200, they put up one notice at the upper entrance.  It said ‘This Property Is Guarded by Wyatt Earp.’  Nobody ever came on it again,” he told with a chuckle.

Robert Wagner and Hugh O'Brian

I told him that the day before I’d spoken to Morgan Woodward, who played Shotgun Gibbs on 81 episodes of THE ADVENTURES OF WYATT EARP.  Morgan just turned 88 last week, and Hugh was disappointed that Morgan wasn’t at the Spurs this time, unlike last year.  “The success of the WYATT EARP SHOW gave me the opportunity to put on what is now the largest youth organization in the world.  98% of every public and private high school in the United States lets their 10^th graders know about the program, and each high school selects one or two students to go to the HOBY (Hugh O’Brian Youth) program on the local level.  We get over 200 10^th graders together at a time.  In California, for instance, we have six locations.  We focus on 10^th graders because when I was in 10^th grade, that’s when I had to decide to fish or cut bait.  To go to college or whatever.  It’s a very, very formative year.  You really have to make decisions.  But you also need to know what the opportunities are.:  You can learn more about HOBY by going HERE  http://www.hoby.org/. 

Just a few steps away from Hugh O’Brian I saw Robert ‘R.J.’ Wagner, who was to be one of the evening’s honorees.  I told him I’d just spoken to Hugh O’Brian.  The two, along with Earl Holliman and the late Richard Widmark, played the four sons of Spencer Tracy in the excellent western BROKEN LANCE (1954).  I asked if BROKEN LANCE was his favorite among his westerns.  “Yes, undoubtedly.  I think it’s one of Hugh’s, too.”

Tommy Cook,  Little Beaver from both the original ADVENTURES OF RED RYDER Republic serial with Don ‘Red’ Barry, and on the radio with Reed Hadley, was the evening’s Master of Ceremonies.  He took the stage, and began by thanking the band.  “Ladies and Gentlemen, the Reel Cowboys have an outstanding show for you tonight, paying tribute to world famous stars of film and television who embrace the western traditions.” Then he introduced some guests in the audience, including LAND OF THE GIANTS star Deanna Lund, MAGNUM P.I. regular Larry Manetti, and Silver Spur winner, Republic Western star Donna Martell.  Rhonda Fleming, who could not attend, provided a table for Mvat service members. 

Donna Martell

90 year-old cartoon voice artist Jimmy Weldon led the pledge of allegiance, and actress  Elaine DuPont, widow of Ray ‘Crash’ Corrigan, sang the Star Spangled Banner. 

Elaine DuPont

Tommy Cook made an introduction.  “When I played Little Beaver on the Red Ryder Radio Show, she played Little White Cloud.  We were about twelve years old.  She’s one of our former honorees.  Miss Terry Moore.”  The Oscar nominee for COMEBACK LITTLE SHEBA took the mic and said, “Nobody’s done a better job at this than Tommy.  He’s worked so hard; all he talks about are The Silver Spurs.  It means everything to him.” And she added with a grin, “And now it’s time for him to get an award, and he doesn’t know it – it’s a surprise for him.  I’m sorry Dick Van Patten couldn’t be here, because Tommy and Dick and I all grew up together.  We love each other.  Tommy, this is for you, The Jack Iverson Founders 
Award.”

Terry Moore

Tommy Cook, Terry Moore, Reel Cowboys Pres. Robert Lanthier

The next honoree was one of the stars of THE MIRACLE WORKER, Andrew Prine.  In addition to starring in several feature westerns like CHISUM, TEXAS ACROSS THE RIVER, GETTYSBURG and guesting in many western series, he starred in two of his own, THE WIDE COUNTRY, with Earl Holliman, and THE ROAD WEST, with Barry Sullivan.  His award was presented by his lovely wife of 27 years, actress and producer  Heather Lowe.  After a series of film clips, Andrew Prine took the stage, commenting, “I die good, don’t I?  I died in all those pictures.  Were they trying to tell me something?  This is a great honor.  All I ever did was have a good time as an actor.  I’ve had the most wonderful time of my life doing cowboy work, pretending to be a real cowboy.  Also I married a pretty good-looking woman, so I’m just gonna see what she’s up to later tonight.  Thank you very much.” 

Andrew Prine

Andrew Prine and Heather Lowe

The next presenter was movie and TV villain, and professional drummer for Trini Lopez and Johnny Rivers, Mickey Jones.  He discussed the life and career of stuntman Chuck Hicks, from the Merchant Marines through amateur and then professional athletics, from extra to stunt man to actor.  Chuck was cast as one of THE UNTOUCHABLES, but series star Robert Stack thought he was too good-looking, and had him cut.  He was Clint Walker’s double on CHEYENNE.  He went on to work in nearly all of Clint Eastwood’s films, BONANZA and GUNSMOKE.  They rolled the clips, and in addition to an exhausting-just-to-watch brawl with Hoss Cartwright that TV Guide described as the best fight of the year, there was a scene from BREAKING BAD, demonstrating that he’s still in the game.   Hicks spoke with modesty and humor, acknowledging actors who were athletes, like Michael Landon and Mike Connors, who could have done their own stuntwork if they wanted to, and derided the 400 pound actors who claim straight-faced that they do their own stunts.  This became the running gag of the evening, and almost every actor who later took the stage apologized for taking credit for stunts they didn’t really do. 

Mickey Jones, Chuck Hicks, Nikki Pelley

Next was the musical comedy act of Evans and Rogers, followed by the next presenter, actress Joely Fisher, who introduced her mother, the vivacious Connie Stevens.  Connie, who will always be Cricket from HAWAIIAN EYE to those of us who grew up on it, also acted in one MAVERICK, one CHEYENNE, two SUGARFOOTS (Sugarfeet?) and a TEMPLE HOUSTON, and has directed her first movie, SAVING GRACE B. JONES.  Set in small-town Missouri in the 1950s, it stars Michael Biehn, Tatum O’Neal and Penelope Ann Miller.  She’s next set to direct PRAIRIE BONES, a story about a young couple who must survive an unthinkable tragedy in a hostile wilderness.  The rumor is that it will star Franco Nero.

Connie Stevens, Joely Fisher

Joely recalled travelling with her mother on USO tours, and described her mother as a story-teller.   When Connie came out on stage, the first thing she asked was, “Is Robert Fuller here?”  We wish he was.  “Me, too.    We dated when I was 18 years old.  That film clip (from MAVERICK) was the first thing I did at Warner Brothers when I was 17 years old.  I was doing HAWAIIAN EYE, but they could never find me, because I was always hiding out with the cowboys.  As a crazy kid I went down to some country bar with some stuntmen, and we slit our wrists and mixed our blood, so we would really be related forever.  I think I really am.”  Turning to Joely she added, “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, hon.  I’m really happy to be here.  There’s a lot of testosterone in this room.  It’s hard to come by these days, in the movies.  In Hollywood.  But I’m very happy to be here, with some of my favorite people – Jon Voight, Lou Gossett – holy cow, do I love these guys.  I always wanted to do westerns, so the closest I got was I moved to Wyoming.  We still have a few cowboys there.  I hope to see you again.  I thank you very much for this award.” 

Lucky Ewing

Next to be honored was familiar western henchman Ewing ‘Lucky’ Brown, who now runs a production facility in the San Fernando Valley.  Among his more notable roles were one of the Ryker men in SHANE, and in PONY EXPRESS with Charlton Heston.  “I tried to get into westerns right after World War II.  Monogram, P.R.C., Argosy.  I got to be very good friends with a director who worked all the time.  It was like a stock company.  He was Oliver Drake.  One day I said to Ollie, ‘These western pictures we’re making.  What do they cost?’  He said, ‘Forty-five thousand dollars.’  That included the writer, the director, the horses, and the star!  I thought, wow!  In those days, if you did a fight, that was part of your job – that was not considered a stunt.  That was not until I was on SHANE, and George Stevens asked me if I could fight.  By the way, I was originally hired on SHANE as the gunfighter.  They wanted Jack Palance originally, but Palance was doing a film at 20^th Century Fox. So they screen-tested a bunch of people, and I happened to be picked.  Then this agent calls and says, ‘Jack Palance has just finished his picture.  He’s available, if you still want him.’  Well, I get this arm around the shoulder by the assistant director.  He says, ‘You know, we’ve got a better part for you.  You’ll be one of the brothers.’  I got the same money, because of the contract, as Jack Palance did.  But I can’t see anyone but Jack Palance in that role.  And we became good friends, and I told him so.  But anyway, it’s been one helluvah ride, and it ain’t over yet.  Bless you and thank you.” 

The next presenter, Bob Minor, was stunt coordinator on MAGNUM P.I., and the film GLORY.  He was presenting to Louis Gossett Jr., whom he’d worked with going back to the ‘70s, on films like TO KILL A COP, J.D.’S REVENGE, and THE CHOIRBOYS, into the 1990s and IRON EAGLE III.  Mr. Gossett acknowledged the applause as he took the stage.  “Thank you very much.  Westerns have always been my favorites, even though I come from Brooklyn.  I came to California to film a series called THE YOUNG REBELS.  I was playing a horse expert.  They brought me to a ranch, taught me how to ride horses, how to take care of them, to curry them, to saddle them.  It’s a pleasure to be here with Bobby, who made me look good, who’s been my stuntman.  And it’s really a pleasure to be in the presence of some of the greats at this table. This is my 60^th professional year.  I’m very fortunate.  And I’m very deeply grateful to be here.”  With a grin, he added, “I’m deeply grateful to be anywhere.”           

Mike Connors and R.J. Wagner

Next up was Mike Connors, TV’s MANNIX, to talk about R.J. Wagner, back when they first started in the industry.  “Back then you had to sing, and dance, and fence.  You had to ride horses; ride camels.  R.J. pretty much rode just about everything in Hollywood.”  And when that brought smirking chuckles, he added, “Wait a minute.  And at that time R.J. learned to really ride.  And I remember the stunt men and cowboys saying, ‘That R.J. sits that horse very well.  He sits that saddle.’  And he’s had horses all his life.  When he lived in the Pacific Palisades he had horses and stables on the property.  When he had a ranch out in the Valley he had stables and horses.  And at one time he owned about 184 acres in Simi Valley with some friends, that they bought from Bing Crosby, out northwest of Simi.  In fact the horse Seabiscuit is buried on that property.  He’s one of the few actors that have bridged that gap from old Hollywood to Hollywood today.  He worked with people like Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Henry Fonda, Barbara Stanwyck, Jimmy Stewart, Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck.  (Note: if you read R.J.’s autobiography, you’ll know why Mike Connors is having fun dwelling on Barbara Stanwyck.)  And today he’s working with the young stars of Hollywood; he’s bridged that gap, and still doing great work.”

R.J. said, “I’m very honored to be an honoree with all these other people.  It is indeed a very big privilege to me.  When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a cowboy.  And tonight you made that possible.  And now I am a real cowboy.  I’m going to give this wonderful honor to my grandson.  And when he sees it, I can tell him that I am a real cowboy.  Thank you so much.”

Jon Voight

Tommy Cook introduced Jon Voight, noting that he had starred in MIDNIGHT COWBOY, DELIVERANCE, won his Oscar for COMING HOME, and can currently be seen on Showtime in RAY DONOVAN.  Voight recalled, “I started out in Yonkers, New York.  Grew up with two brothers, and we were always a very rambunctious threesome.  And I remember playing in this park across the street from the house.  We would play cowboys.  And I would always imagine I’m on a white horse.  I had a hat and gun.  I got to play a good guy all the time.  And then the team in my neighborhood said, ‘Jon, you’re always playing the good guy.  You’ve got to play the bad guy.’  I said, ‘Good.  I’ve got a black horse.’  I mean, this all came from movies.  And you know, it’s a wonderful thing, cowboy movies.  We used to go to a place called Bronxville, which was up the road from Yonkers, and we used to see all the trailers, and it was Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers.  And then we would come back in the afternoon, and play cowboys all day.  And then as I grew up, I found myself in the film business.  And my beginnings were as a cowboy.  And I always knew, when I was playing these roles, when I was doing these movies, that there was something about them, a morality in all these pieces.  There was a good guy, and we all knew who the good guy was.  And we knew what the good guy did.  And we knew what the bad guys did.  And there was a rule.  You knew if there was a bully, and he pushed people around, somebody had to stand up to him.  We learned a lot from cowboy movies.  And now I have to say, as I look around today, what we need is good cowboy movies.  And when we face the world situation – not to get political – we want to know who the good guys and bad guys are.  We need to go back and watch SHANE or watch HIGH NOON.  And we’ll figure out what we have to do, because you don’t let the bullies get away with it.  Anyway, I’ve had a wonderful run.  And I’ve done several movies where I’ve played older parts in cowboy films.  I did RETURN TO LONESOME DOVE, worked with Lou Gossett.  I played a sheriff in a movie called JASPER, TEXAS, with Lou Gossett.  And it seems, being here with Connie and Lou, I see them all the time, supporting the troops, as this group does.  And there’s something right about that.  It’s appropriate.  Without this military, these great people, these heroes, we wouldn’t be the country that we are.  We wouldn’t have the peace and freedom that we do.  I feel very honored to have a little piece of it.  And Chuck, I used to say I did a lot of my own stunts; I’ll never say that again.  Anyway, I’m very honored to be among you, in this wonderful group.  And I’ll be very proud to show this to my grandchildren.  And when they ask me what it is, I’ll say, ‘You see, I am a western hero.’”

Earl Holliman

It was a very enjoyable evening.  Coincidentally, on Saturday morning I was at the Actors & Others for Animals banquet, Best in Show, where I ran into Earl Holliman, Hugh O’Brian’s and Robert Wagner’s brother from BROKEN LANCE.  Small world, Hollywood!

LIVE EVENTS IN OCTOBER

We have an unusually busy month of live western and history-related events all over California.  I’m sure there are plenty in other parts of the country, and the planet, and if you’ll let me know, I’ll be very happy to share them. 

RANCHO CAMULOS

Plenty is happening at the ‘Home Of Ramona’, near Piru.  On Sunday, October 6^th, it’s the California Mission Ride, as a 600 mile horseback journey through the past and to the future comes to the Rancho.  At 10:00 a.m. you can greet the horseback riders who are traveling from Mission to Mission “to discover life and land of current communities in their Mission era  context.”  Museum tours will also be available for the usual five bucks, free for kids.

And at 2 p.m., there’s a show featuring Hollywood stuntmen and Silver, from this summer’s LONE RANGER.  The stunt performers in the show are the very talented and experienced Jack and Clint Lilley, and Rod Rondeaux, who I interviewed for the Round-up HERE 

On Saturday, October 12^th, NCIS fans, choked up at the loss of Zeva from the show (I know I’ll miss her), can tour the locations at the Rancho where the season’s premier episode, “Zeva’s Farewell,” were shot.  This is expected to sell out, so reservations are a good idea.

Finally, on October 19^th, Trafalgar Day (so I am told), Camulos welcomes Napoleonic War re-enactors!  From noon ‘til 6pm you can admire period costumes and watch military battles!  To learn more about these events, and everything else happening at the Rancho, go HERE.

COACHELLA VALLEY HISTORICAL MUSEUM

Now through May 31^st, 2014, experience Journey of a People: A History of the Cahuilla and Chemehuevi Tribes in the Coachella Valley, Indio.  Displays of prehistoric Indian artifacts, historic photos and individual histories from the five local tribes.  To learn more, call the museum at 760-342-6651, or visit cvhm.org.

SAN DIMAS WESTERN DAYS OCT. 5-6

There will be food, crafts, a parade, music and entertainment at the San Dimas Civic Center Park, and San Dimas Rodeo Grounds.  Learn more at 909-592-3818, or visit sandimaschamber.com

BIG HORSE CORN MAZE AND HARVEST FESTIVAL, TEMECULA OCT. 5-31

The maze is 11 acres, plus hay rides, pony rides, rig races, pumpkin bowling and more.  It’s at Big Horse Feed and Mercantile.  Call 951-389-4621, or visit bighorsecornmaze.com

GHOST TOUR OF SIMI VALLEY OCT. 11-27

A guided walking tour where historical ghosts tell stories of the Chumash, explorers, pioneers and others who once populated the Valley.  Friday and Saturday nights at Strathearn Historical Park.  805-526-6453  simihistory.com

FIDDLERS’ OLD TIME MUSIC FESTIVAL, SANTA BARBARA  OCT. 13

Celebration of American folk music as performed on fiddle and banjo.  Both competitions and showcase performances, tours of the historic Stow House, music workshops, kids activities, and eats.  805-450-2243  fiddlersconvention.org

HORSE HERITAGE FESTIVAL, SAN MARCOS OCT. 13

Demonstrations, pony rides, frontier games, pumpkin patch, petting zoo, food and raffles at the Walnut Grove Park.   760-744-9128  helpthehorsepark.com

SILVERADO DAYS, BUENA PARK, OCT. 18-20

Enjoy hog calling, pig racing, arts & crafts, a chili cook-off, car show, live music  and more, at William Peak Park.  Silveradodays.com

DUST BOWL FESTIVAL, WEED PATCH, CA., OCT. 19

If you’ve been hankering for a return of the Great Depression, it’s your lucky day!  At Sunset School, at the intersection of Weedpatch Highway and Sunset Boulevard, enjoy musical entertainment, historical displays, square dancing, booths for kid and adults, fried bologna sandwiches and more, from 8 am to 3 pm.  If there’s a phone or website, I don’t have it.

WILD WEST WEEKEND, MOORPARK, OCT. 19-20

Stunt ropers, bullwhippers, flea circus, roping range, and music abound at the Underwood Family Farms.  805-529-3690 underwoodfamilyfarms.com.

THAT’S A WRAP!

Have a great week, pardners!

Happy Trails,

Henry

All Original Contents Copyright September 2013 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved

JOHN WAYNE TRIBUTE PACKS CINERAMA DOME

On Thursday night, November 10^th, more than 800 of Marion Robert Morrison’s closest friends and biggest fans filled the Arclight Cinerama Dome in Hollywood for a tribute to Oscar-winning movie star John Wayne.  Wayne, who died more than thirty years ago, has been in the Harris Poll of Top Ten Movie Stars every year for over fifteen years – and he’s the only deceased actor on the list.  It was a perfect location for the tribute, as so many John Wayne movies, among them, HOW THE WEST WAS WON, had played there over the years.

(Nikki Pelley shows off buckle)

Folks in Western costume and regalia massed outside the theatre, and filled the lobby.  One I spotted was trick-rider and costumer Nikki Pelley, showing off the John Wayne Rodeo buckle she’d won at the Dean Smith Tribute to John Wayne Rodeo, where she and Western actor Ben Cooper were penning partners.  Also spotted were SILVER SPUR AWARD producer Cyndi Tracy and Western film and TV producer Rob Word. 

The orchestra section of the theatre was quickly filling up as the 7:30 start of the program neared, and sizing up the remaining spots, I grabbed the last seat in the first row of the balcony, reasoning that any farther back and I’d be looking through a sea of Stetsons. 

(Tommy Morgan and Clyde Lucas)

Music was provided, at an on-stage campfire set, by harmonica virtuoso Tommy Morgan, accompanied by singer and guitarist Clyde Lucas.  Morgan’s distinctive sound can be heard in John Wayne movies like HOW THE WEST WAS WON, THE WAR WAGON, RIO BRAVO, RIO LOBO, CHISUM, THE COWBOYS, and other Westerns from THE WILD BUNCH to BLAZING SADDLES, DANCES WITH WOLVES, and the current video game RED DEAD REDEMPTION.  He even plays solos on The Hollies’ ‘HE AIN’T HEAVY, HE’S MY BROTHER’, and the Beach Boys’ ‘GOOD VIBRATIONS.’ 

After a well-deserved hand for Morgan and Lucas, and ‘a word from our sponsor’ – in this case Land Rover of Encino -- the program began with Jules Verne Festival co-founders Jean-Christophe Jeuffre and Frederic Dieudonne speaking about their organization and its many good works – their annual Legendaire Award is their principal fund-raiser.  To underline where their inspiration comes from, they showed an original 1871 edition of Verne’s 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, which they’ve carry around for inspiration, from the Arctic to the Amazon when making their documentaries. 

Next onstage was John Wayne’s son Patrick Wayne, who commented, “If you had told me, in 1980 that my father’s popularity and celebrity would be as it is today, I would have said you were crazy.  I am in awe and amazed and humbled – and happy to have you all here – and I’m not alone.”  He asked his siblings, nieces and nephews, and step-mother to stand up, and it was a quite a group – well over a dozen.  He pointed out that the poll that still puts Wayne in the top ten movies stars, is taken with people from eighteen to twenty-six, none of whom were alive when Wayne died. 

Patrick next did an onstage Q&A with Nick Redman, whose WILD BUNCH documentary was Oscar-nominated.  “My dad was driven; he was driven to be successful.  He was focused.  When he was in high school he wanted to go to the Navy Academy, but they didn’t have the political connections to get him in there.  By the way – if he got into the Navy Academy he would have been the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  He was offered a football scholarship to S.C..  He played football his freshman year, and during the summer he broke his shoulder showing off for the girls in Newport Beach.  He couldn’t play football; he lost his scholarship.  But the kids who played football at S.C. worked at the studios for summer jobs, So he started working as a prop man, a stunt man…and went on to become John Wayne.  He was going to be successful wherever he went, and it just turned out by fate that it was to be in films...  He was encouraging.  He never tried to tell any of his children what they should do in their lives, he was always supportive.  But I think he was proud that Ethan and I decided to work with him.” 

Patrick Wayne was just a boy when John Ford offered him a whopping five bucks a day to work along with his dad in movies.  “It was a very special experience for me, because at that time I had four brothers and sisters, and none of (them were) interested in working in film.  So when I’d go on a film with my dad, I had him to myself, and didn’t have to share him.  It was special.”  He talked about how Ford was, “…brilliant, cynical, acerbic,” and how anyone who worked with Ford knew that one day they would become his target.  Patrick actually fared pretty well, outside of playing gin rummy with Ford.  “I thought I was pretty good, so I thought, ‘Well, I’ll let this old man win one.’  He catches on and says, ‘From now on, just play with Ward Bond and young boys.’”

Patrick held up the TRUE GRIT eye patch, which he explained was actually ‘a’ TRUE GRIT eye patch, because Wayne decided, what with dirt and sweat and make-up, to use a new one every day, so there were something like sixty eye patches. 

(Patrick, Marisa, Ethan and Pilar Wayne admire Legendaire Award)

Next to speak, briefly, was Ethan Wayne, and then Duke’s daughter Marisa and former wife Pilar were brought onstage to receive the Jules Verne Legendaire Award.

Next was Robert Mitchum’s son Christopher, who appeared with Duke in BIG JAKE.  “Duke was one of three mentors in my life.  My father of course, and much later Charlton Heston.  But in the middle I did three films with Duke, and he was my mentor.  And he took me from a two-line part in CHISUM, introduced me to Howard Hawks, to a co-starring role in RIO LOBO.  He asked me, ‘How’d you like to play my son?’  How do you say ‘no’ to that?  I love this family.  And I’m delighted and proud to be here.”

(Earl Holliman and Christopher Mitchum)

Next up was Duke’s brother from the SONS OF KATIE ELDER, Earl Holliman.  “It was a thrill for me.  I was a movie usher, and I used to see all these John Wayne movies.  I could never call him ‘Duke.’  It was always ‘John’ and ‘Big John.’  I was never a member of that inner clan.  I was like an orphan on THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER, because John had all these other people he’d worked with all these years – it was like a family.  And there was Dean Martin, who was in a world of his own – who was a great guy, a wonderful guy.  So I just kind of stood aside and watched all these folks, and it was really a great experience.  I think John at first kind of doubted my potential, because he didn’t know me at all.  And when he found out that I could fight and I could shoot and actually act, he was wonderful.”  And turning to Chris Mitchum, he added, “And your father, I played with too, in ANZIO.  It was a great experience.  It’s great fun to be here – thank you for letting me come.” 

Next onstage was John Wayne’s costar from TRUE GRIT, Kim Darby.  “I want to thank the Wayne family for asking me to be here tonight, and always being so supportive of me.  There is one story that sticks out in my mind, and that was at Paramount.  We had been on location, and we were back at the lot shooting.  And there was a big picture being taken of all the stars at Paramount.  They were shooting there (on the lot) all at the same time: Barbra Streisand, Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, Goldie Hawn, and there were some others in there.  There was this big room, and in the middle was (Paramount boss) Bob Evans.  So I was standing on the side watching this, and – I never called him Duke either – Mr. Wayne stepped out of the picture, walked over to me and said, ‘You’re not going to be on the side,’ and put me right in the middle of the picture with him.”

(Ethan and Pilar Wayne, Kim Darby, with Councilman Tom LeBonge presenting a proclamation)

There was one last surprise before the screening of TRUE GRIT on the Dome’s giant screen.  A filmed greeting was shown from Glen Campbell, who looked very well, and showed no signs of the Alzheimer’s Disease he’s been diagnosed with.  He told the story of John Wayne coming backstage after one of his concerts, because one of his daughters thought Campbell had talent, and offering him the part of LeBoeurf in TRUE GRIT.  When Campbell worried that he had no acting experience, Wayne assured him, “…that he could drag me through it alright.”  He had a great time on the film, though he was put out by the fact that, because he had little riding experience, “…what they gave me was a Shetland pony,” and Wayne enjoyed needling him with, “You understand that when we all ride off, you’re supposed to keep up with us!”  Always modest, Campbell claims that it was his own poor performance that helped make Wayne look so good that he got his Oscar.  But as we all saw a little while later, Campbell’s performance is solid, and considering his lack of experience, compares well to Matt Damon’s as the same character in the recent remake.  And yes, Campbell’s horse does appear to be a Shetland pony.        

EX-GOVERNOR ARNOLD BLOODIED BUT UNBOWED

Former California Governor and action movie-star Arnold Schwarznegger Tweeted this picture of himself, direct from the set of THE LAST STAND his modern-day Western directed by the Korean director of the wonderful THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE WEIRD, Jee-Woon Kim. "Got a little banged up on set today. Thanks to the medical staff who got me back in action an hour later!"

The story about a small-town sheriff tracking down drug dealers who escape from court, the picture also stars Oscar Winner (for LAST KING OF SCOTLAND) Forest Whitaker (in the role previously announced for Liam Neeson), Rodrigo Santoro, Johnny “JACKASS” Knoxville, and one of the greatest of all Western villains, Harry Dean Stanton.

RFD-TV UNVEILS ROY ROGERS TOURNAMENT OF ROSES FLOAT

The Annual New Years Day Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena will feature an RFD-TV-sponsored float honoring the 100^th birthday of the King Of The Cowboys, Roy Rogers!  And though they’ve been gone longer than Roy, riding the float will be Trigger, the smartest horse in the movies, and Roy’s wonder-dog, Bullet!  The artfully taxidermied pair has been touring the country, making public appearances, for about a year, since network owner Patrick Gottsch purchased the dynamic duo at the big Roy Rogers Estate Auction.  RFD-TV shows an episode of the Roy Rogers Show every Sunday, and a Roy Rogers movie – this week it’s JESSE JAMES AT BAY – every Tuesday, with repeats.  To get you in a Roy Rogers mood, click HERE to watch him on HEE HAW, singing a song about an auctioneer.

NEW TV TRAILER FOR INSP’S NOV 25^TH ‘WHIPPERSNAPPER FEST’

The Friday after Thanksgiving, when all those dummies are standing on lines to buy gifts they could as easily buy a week later for the same price, many smart characters like myself will be sitting at home watching the Big Valley Young Whippersnapper Marathon on INSP, featuring guest performances by youngsters on the edge of stardom.  Here’s a preview:

 

TV WESTERNS ALL OVER THE DIAL!

More and more, classic TV Westerns are available all over the TV universe, but they tend to be on small networks that are easy to miss. Of course, ENCORE WESTERNS is the best continuous source of such programming, and has been for years. It’s not in my current satellite package, which is why I often forget to mention it, but currently they run CHEYENNE, MAVERICK, LAWMAN, THE VIRGINIAN, WAGON TRAIN, HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL, GUNSMOKE, BRET MAVERICK, CIMMARON STRIP, and HOW THE WEST WAS WON. (I’d get it in a minute, if I didn’t have to buy a huge package of STARZ and ENCORE channels just to get the one!)

But there are several new, or at least new-to-me, channels showing sagebrush fare. GEB, which stands for Golden Eagle Broadcasting, is largely a religious-programming cable outlet that runs at least one Western on Saturdays – the ones I’ve caught have been public domain Roy Rogers and John Wayne pictures – and sometimes have weekday afternoon movies as well.

For those of you who watch TV with an antenna, there are at least a couple of channels that exist between the standard numbers – largely unavailable on cable or satellite systems – that provide Western fare. ANTENNA TV is currently running RIN TIN TIN, CIRCUS BOY, HERE COME THE BRIDES, and IRON HORSE.

Another ‘in between’ outfit, ME-TV, which stands for Memorable Entertainment TV, runs a wide collection: BIG VALLEY, BONANZA, BRANDED, DANIEL BOONE, GUNS OF WILL SONNETT, GUNSMOKE, MARSHALL DILLON (the renamed black and white GUNSMOKE), RAWHIDE, THE RIFLEMAN, and WILD WILD WEST. Some of these channels are hard to track down, but if they show what you’ve been missing, it’s worth the search. 

TCM FANATIC - WESTERN NOW ONLINE!

That's right, the segment I was interviewed for is now viewable here:

THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

Built by cowboy actor, singer, baseball and TV entrepeneur Gene Autry, and designed by the Disney Imagineering team, the Autry is a world-class museum housing a fascinating collection of items related to the fact, fiction, film, history and art of the American West. In addition to their permenant galleries (to which new items are frequently added), they have temporary shows. The Autry has many special programs every week -- sometimes several in a day. To check their daily calendar, CLICK HERE. And they always have gold panning for kids every weekend. For directions, hours, admission prices, and all other information, CLICK HERE.

HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

Across the street from the Hollywood Bowl, this building, once the headquarters of Lasky-Famous Players (later Paramount Pictures) was the original DeMille Barn, where Cecil B. DeMille made the first Hollywood western, The Squaw Man. They have a permanent display of movie props, documents and other items related to early, especially silent, film production. They also have occasional special programs. 2100 Highland Ave., L.A. CA 323-874-2276. Thursday – Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. $5 for adults, $3 for senior, $1 for children.

WELLS FARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

This small but entertaining museum gives a detailed history of Wells Fargo when the name suggested stage-coaches rather than ATMS. There’s a historically accurate reproduction of an agent’s office, an original Concord Coach, and other historical displays. Open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Admission is free. 213-253-7166. 333 S. Grand Street, L.A. CA.


FREE WESTERNS ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HULU

A staggering number of western TV episodes and movies are available, entirely free, for viewing on your computer at HULU. You do have to sit through the commercials, but that seems like a small price to pay. The series available -- often several entire seasons to choose from -- include THE RIFLEMAN, THE CISCO KID, THE LONE RANGER, BAT MASTERSON, THE BIG VALLEY, ALIAS SMITH AND JONES, and one I missed from 2003 called PEACEMAKERS starring Tom Berenger. Because they are linked up with the TV LAND website, you can also see BONANZA and GUNSMOKE episodes, but only the ones that are running on the network that week.

The features include a dozen Zane Grey adaptations, and many or most of the others are public domain features. To visit HULU on their western page, CLICK HERE.

BONANZA and BIG VALLEY

Every weekday, TV LAND airs a three-hour block of BONANZA episodes from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They've stopped running GUNSMOKE.  INSP is showing THE BIG VALLEY every weekday at noon, one p.m. and nine p.m., and Saturdays at 6 p.m., and have just added DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN to their schedule.

NEED YOUR BLACK & WHITE TV FIX?

Check out your cable system for WHT, which stands for World Harvest Television. It's a religious network that runs a lot of good western programming. Your times may vary, depending on where you live, but weekdays in Los Angeles they run DANIEL BOONE at 1:00 p.m., and two episodes of THE RIFLEMAN from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.. On Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. it's THE RIFLEMAN again, followed at 2:30 by BAT MASTERSON. And unlike many stations in the re-run business, they run the shows in the original airing order. There's an afternoon movie on weekdays at noon, often a western, and they show western films on the weekend, but the schedule is sporadic. 

AMC has been airing a block of THE RIFLEMAN episodes early Saturday mornings, usually followed by Western features.

And RFD-TV is currently showing THE ROY ROGERS SHOW at 9:30 Sunday morning, repeated several times a week, and a Roy feature as well -- check your local listings.

Have a great Thanksgiving, and take a minute to think about what you've got to be thankful for -- I mean besides getting the drumstick!

Much obliged,
Henry

All original content copyright November 2011 by Henry C. Parke -- All Rights Reserved

BRONCO LAYNE TALKS!

(picture from a Swedish gum-card)


Ty Hardin interview conducted August 11th 2010

From the late 1950s through the mid 1960s, Warner Brothers Studios dominated much of prime-time American television with a string of hip detective shows – 77 SUNSET STRIP, HAWAIIAN EYE, SURFSIDE SIX, BOURBON STREET BEAT – and string of equally hip westerns – MAVERICK, LAWMAN, SUGARFOOT, CHEYENNE and BRONCO.

From 1958 through 1962, big, handsome, muscular Texan Ty Hardin starred as the title character, roaming cowboy Bronco Layne, in BRONCO, and in addition to playing him 68 times in his own series, played him twice on SUGARFOOT and once on MAVERICK. When I called Ty Hardin to arrange an interview, I asked if Wednesday or Thursday was good. “Make it Wednesday. Thursday’s my poker day.” I thought it was the perfect answer from Bronco Layne, and when I began my interview with this charming, easy-going and self-effacing man, an interview punctuated with a lot of laughter on both sides, I reminded him of his answer to my first question.

TY: (laughs) We’ve got to get our priorities right, don’t we?

H: So you have a regular group you play poker with?

TY: Oh yes. We play every Tuesday and Thursday.

H: Are any of them from the Western days?

TY: Well, yes they are: they’re old fans. So they invited me to play, and I enjoyed it, so I made friends with them all, and they’re just good people. I don’t really buddy with the people in the industry any more, even though I meet them all and talk to them when we go to film festivals and things. The actor has a hard time assimilating into society, because he’s put on a pedestal. It gets impregnated into their system, and suddenly their shit don’t stink. I’ve been too basic all my life – just a country boy that got lucky.

H: That’s a good thing.

TY: I think for me it has been, because I was able to just walk away from the industry with no remorse. I felt I’d served my purpose. The industry was changing drastically, the lines, the stories they were making were not anything that I wanted to be a part of. So I adjusted very easily to the private world. I’m eighty years old. Most of my buddies are dead. And I think a lot of it is stress. We put a lot of internal stress on ourselves; one of the stresses comes from disappointment, and emotional problems. So I don’t have any emotional problems – I don’t try to kid myself that my horse didn’t like me.

H: On your IMDB page, the first thing I see is a great picture of you and Ann-Margaret on a beach.

TY: She was a sweetheart – she was just a wonderful person.

H: I was wondering what show that was from.

TY: You know what it was? We were at Paramount together, and they just wanted us to get paired up for publicity purposes. She was doing something else, and I was doing I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE (1958). I was the monster – don’t ask too many questions.

H: You were also Mac Brody.

TY: I was also Mac Brody – I played two roles in that.

H: So your film career began a lot like that of James Arness; he was The Thing in THE THING (1951) before he got GUNSMOKE.

TY: I didn’t know that. You’re full of information, aren’t you? (Looking back on) all those people, it’s kind of sad what we have today, in comparison to what we had. We used real stock back then. We had real people from all walks of life, and they had all different axes to grind, but I don’t think I met a bad guy in the whole group. I’m sure there were a few of them, but every actor I worked with were just delightful people. People like Jack Elam and Claude Akins. They were fine human beings, and they helped me a lot. I was just a young buck, didn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground, and they just stepped up and said, “Don’t do this, don’t do that,” and so on.

H: Speaking of Jack Elam, he worked with you on BRONCO, and I was just watching you two together in THE LAST REBEL (1971).

TY: Oh, he was such a help to me, he really was. I’ll never forget one time we were doing a close-up (on him), and I could never get one up on him. You know, you’re sitting by the side of the camera, and throw your lines out. Well, I walked way over to the right-hand side, he said, “What the Hell are you doing over there?” I said, “I’m working to the other eye.” He said, “I can’t see outa that eye – get over near the camera!”

H: I understand that you were born in New York City.

TY: I’m not sure exactly where I was born; I wasn’t too cognizant. My mother married a Yankee. He worked for the government for a period of time; I’m not exactly sure what he did. But I spent the first few years of my life in New York, and I remember a little bit about it, that there too many people in a small place. When my brother came along a year or so behind me, (my mother) just had a tough time. It was during the Depression, and it was so much easier for her to just (take us) home to Texas, where our family lived on a farm. We had everything; we raised our own food. And the whole thing (the marriage) fell apart. So much for my Yankee days. Well, I grew up on my grandparents’ farm. My mother had to work. She worked in Huston, and we lived in Austin, and my grandparents virtually raised Dewey and I when we were real young. My mother lived in a little-bitty apartment, we’d go up and visit her on the weekends when she had off, but things were tough during that period, and she was lucky to find a job and have a job and keep a job. My grandparents were not well off, but everything they owned, they owned. They didn’t owe anything. They owned their land, they had twelve or so acres right there on Lake Austin. I worked out in the cornfield, and we grew 90% of our food. It made things pretty easy. That was a very formative period of my life.

H: Did you go to the movies much?

TY: You know, it was kind of a big deal to go to a movie when I was a kid, particularly on Saturday. Johnny Mack Brown and Bob Steele were our big heroes growing up. Then along came Gene Autry and Hopalong Cassidy. I think everybody in those days kind of identified with westerns. I know I did. That’s our heritage, that’s who we were as people, and the other stuff was kind of boring. But I enjoyed watching horses, and seeing the Indians get shot and killed. (laughs) I grew up with a western background.

H: You graduated from high school in 1949. You attended Blinn Junior College on a football scholarship, and did semester at Dallas Bible School before joining the Army. Tell me, what was your military experience?

TY: Well, I went through O.C.S. (Officer Candidate School), became an officer, and I got stationed in Europe. I was in the Signal Corps, and I had top secret clearance – I don’t know what it was for; I didn’t know any secrets. And I was going to be a career officer. Then my C.O. (commanding officer) called me in. He said, ‘Ty, I notice you’ve got quite a bit of college credits. We’ve got a directive, we can send you back, and support you in finishing college. He told me I should get out of the Army – it was a temporary release – and finish my college. So I did. I was playing football for the Army at the time, for Ramstad in Germany. I had that qualification, so I got that football scholarship at the University of Houston, and played football. I was ineligible the first year, so all I did was run what they called suicide squad, which is everybody’s plays but ours. We’d scrimmage the main team twice a week. Got our butts kicked around, doing a good job for Clyde Lee, who was our coach.

H: And you were studying what kind of engineering?

TY: I started with physical education, and that’s boring. I had to challenge myself; it’s just part of my nature. So I (switched to) engineering, and I got work right out of college (as an) acoustical research engineer. I had two courses (to finish), English, and I forget what the other course was. I’d finished all of my engineering courses, and passed with flying colors. Douglas Aircraft came down, they were hiring people right out of college, so I got hired; I left school a week before my finals, and went to work. (laughs) There’s some dumb things I’ve done.

H: I understand that your big break had to do with a Halloween party.

TY: That was funny. (Douglas Aircraft) had a Halloween party, and I decided I’d come as a cowboy, because I’m sitting in California, and nobody knows anything about cowboys. So I went to Western Costume to borrow a costume -- Western Costume was right in front of Paramount Studios -- and a little talent scout came up to me and said, ‘Have you ever considered being an actor?’ (Laughs) ‘Hardly,’ I said. ‘I’ve just got out of college.’ And so he had me walk over to Paramount and talk to Bill Michaeljohn, who was the head of the talent department. And out of a clear blue sky they asked me to sit down and wait a second, went into another office to talk, came back and offered me a seven year contract.

H: Wow!

TY: On a piece of paper they printed out my salary. And for the first six months I was making something like $500 a week. And next it went up a couple of hundred – that was the first year. I was making about $150 as an engineer after five years of college.

H: So you weren’t looking to be an actor when this happened.

TY: Oh no, I had no more interest in being an actor than I do now.

H: How did you like being under contract to Paramount?

TY: I enjoyed it. You know what was good about Paramount, for my schooling and education, was they had a very good program for their young actors, and I filled in in every film they made. I made four or five films at Paramount, I didn’t even get billing, but I was playing bit parts. I was the monster in I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE, made TOO YOUNG FOR LOVE. I made three or four movies there. It was very good experience.

H: You also did your first western at Paramount, LAST TRAIN FROM GUN HILL. I was just watching it –

TY: We’re you? (laughs) Did you miss me?

H: Were you one of the three cowboys on the porch that picks the fight with Kirk Douglas?

TY: That was it! Got my butt kicked all over the place! Kirk Douglas knocks me down and everything – that little shrimp!

H: It’s funny, I was just talking to Earl Holliman, who’s also in the picture, and he was saying that he liked Kirk Douglas, but Kirk would do his fight scenes and never pull his punches. So he got kind of smacked around working with him.

TY: You know what it was? He would just get so enthusiastic about it. You could tell he was being carried away, and he had a little grudge on his shoulder anyway, being a little short guy.

H: You had a seven-year contract with Paramount Pictures. How did you end up at Warner Brothers?

TY: I was over there, looking for a part in RIO BRAVO, and I run into John Wayne. And the Duke simply got on the phone, called over to the casting department and said, ‘We’ve got a kid over here that you need to look at.’ But Ricky Nelson had already got the part on the picture, so there was no need of me. But I went over to see Bill Orr, who was VP of Warner Brothers. And I was traded for Tab Hunter. They wanted me, Paramount said to Warners, ‘You can have Ty if you give us Tab Hunter.’ I don’t tell many people that.

H: Personally I think Warner Brothers came out ahead on the deal.

TY: Well at that time they did because they were having trouble with the CHEYENNE show and (its star) Clint Walker. He’d worked two or three years on that show, and now he wanted to make some pictures. And I don’t blame him. (Note: Ty Hardin was hired to play Bronco Layne on BRONCO, as a successor to Clint Walker’s CHEYENNE, should Walker actually ‘walk,’ but no one but Clint Walker ever played the character Cheyenne Bodie.) He’ll always be CHEYENNE, and it’s very difficult to go in and try and replace him: it’s just not gonna happen. He’d developed a tremendous following, and still he has it today. We go to these film festivals, and he’s got crowds going out the back door. Amazing. Of course he did it for seven or eight years and he’s just a very personable fellah. And when they think of Cheyenne, they think of him – they don’t think of Bronco Layne, of Ty Hardin, the replacement. You should see some of the letters I used to get! ‘Where’d they find that guy?’ ‘What makes you think you can replace Cheyenne Bodie?’ (laughs) Kind of humbling. Clint and I, we’re good friends. He’d come by and I’d say, ‘Would you answer these for me?’ But that was a good career, I had a good start. I ran that show for four years.

H: So is that where your name was changed to Ty Hardin?

TY: Right. I was Orison Whipple Hungerford until then. I had already been called Ty, which was short for typhoon. It was something I just sort of inherited as a little kid. My grandparents gave it to me – they had to put everything out of sight because I’d come running through the house and everything would be in a scramble. So my grandparents named me Ty when I was knee-high to a grasshopper. But Hardin was (Bill Orr’s) idea; they named me after John Wesley Hardin. So they said, ‘We’ll make it Ty Hardin,’ and I’ve been Ty Hardin ever since.

H: It suits you. At the time that you moved over to Warners to play Bronco Layne, they were doing a whole bunch of westerns – MAVERICK and SUGARFOOT in addition to CHEYENNE.

(Wayde Preston, Ty Hardin, Jack Kelly, John Russell, James Garner, Peter Brown, Will Hutchins)

TY: They had six or seven of them going. They had the LAWMAN series going, too, with Peter Brown. It was so funny, we’d get a good actor/stunt man like Jack Elam, he’d go from one show to the next – he’d do two or three shows in a row, while he was out here. And I’ll never forget, one time we’re sitting there talking, and Jack walked in. And he was all dressed up, all ready to go. And the director came and asked, ‘What are you doing here?’ He said, ‘Isn’t this MAVERICK?’ But he was a neat actor to work with.

H: So, the regular guys like James Garner, Jack Kelly, Will Hutchins – what were they like off-camera?

TY: I think actors have a hard time with each other, you know? There’s so much ego floating around. I never felt the need to impress people. I’ve always drawn enough attention, being a good-looking man, you just almost accept it for granted that you’re going to be acceptable. Now, Will Hutchins was never like that. But Peter Brown was, he was a snob. And I don’t mean that facetiously, you know what I mean? Because he’s a good friend of mine today, and he’s mellowed out a lot (laughs). I came from good stock out of Texas, and we just thought differently, you know? We didn’t judge people by their looks or who they were. People are people. I never got to ‘know’ Clint (Walker) in all the years I’ve known him. I never sat down and talked about anything, and he’s kind of a mystery to me. But you can’t make a person be your friend. And he doesn’t have any; he’s a loner. That’s part of his nature. He’s what he is; Clint’s a nice guy, but he’s not friendly. That’s the difference between him and a Texan.

H: That’s why he’s Cheyenne, and not Bronco.

TY: (laughs) That’s it.

H: Warner’s turned out so many good western series, and theirs looked and felt so different from the other good stuff being done, like GUNSMOKE and WAGON TRAIN. What made the Warner Brothers westerns distinctive? Was it the acting, the production, the writing…?

TY: I think there’s a combination here. Warners had been involved in westerns since day one. Warners had stock footage that no one else had. I mean, if you needed four hundred Indians, they’ve got ‘em on film. That added a quality and a production value to the films that was unsurpassed in the industry. And the writers were very familiar with all the movies we stole the stock footage from. People who were working at Universal Pictures would have it to a degree, but not to the magnitude that Warner Brothers had it.

H: How long would it take to shoot an episode?

TY: Well, that would depend. If we’re shooting a lot of Indians and killing a lot of Indians, well, that footage has already been shot. Most of the time it was four to five days shooting to make a show. And then we’d have another day of dubbing, where we’d do all the crossovers and backgrounds and so forth.
H: Now you were not planning to be an actor. Did you have trouble memorizing your lines?

TY: Oh no, that was the easiest part. I fell into it because I was kind of a ham anyway. After having a college degree, you built up certain abilities. So I had no trouble memorizing twelve pages of dialogue. I could read it over once and that was it. So that was a great advantage of having a mind that had been taught to be programmed.

H: Did you only do one episode at a time, or would they do extra scenes from other shows out of order?

TY: Well, that would depend on availabilities. For instance, a lot of times we’d shoot a show, pretty well all of it. But then they wouldn’t have the back-lot available and I’d have to go out in the middle of another show to shoot action shots from the previous show. That was pretty easy to handle. Say, you’ve got six shows going on at one time. They’d shoot and kill the Indians over on MAVERICK, then send ‘em over to me and I’d shoot and kill ‘em -- he’d use the same Indians on three shows at a time. (Laughs) Jack Warner was probably the most ingenious person, and certainly he was frugal, and consequently he was able to put those shows out for almost nothing.

H: A producer who worked out here at the time told me they used to brag at Warners that their shows were so inexpensive to make that they were in profit after the first airing.

TY: And you can see why, because it utilizes their abilities and their ingenuity as well as production value. And as I say they used tons and tons and tons of stock footage. Look up and suddenly that’s Johnny Mack Brown riding along!

H: Was everything shot on the stages and the back lot? Did you ever go out on location?

TY: Oh yeah, quite often. We may be shooting for two or three shows at the same time on a location.

H: I just saw four episodes in a row, and I was wondering, did you take off your shirt in every single episode?

TY: I don’t know, did I? They were big on cheesecake. I didn’t realize that. That didn’t bother me, but you’re right.

H: It sure didn’t bother the ladies watching.

TY: No, I had a ton of them. That was one fun thing I had, I really enjoyed doing my mail, and I’d get a big ego trip, then I’d have to go down to real life. During that period I was married for a while, but marriages are hard to keep. Poor old Andra Martin (his 2nd wife), she was a real sweetheart of a gal. I just never really got to know her. I was married to Miss Universe at one time. (Helen Schmidt, wife #3 was 1961 Miss Universe) I was making PT 109. I was one of the judges for the Miss Universe contest. And of course I voted for her. She was a sweet gal. Looking back I think what an idiot I was. The industry just is so demanding, and I followed it so relentlessly, and I was so damned dedicated to it that I just got my values screwed up, my priorities all messed up. Marriage has always meant something to me. Unfortunately I’ve been good at doing it, but not at keeping it.

H: On BRONCO, some of the episodes were comic, like where you outsmart crooked cattle dealers. Others are more like mysteries, little film noir westerns, and pretty dark. What kind of shows did you enjoy playing the most?

TY: I think the lighter kind of story-line. You know, I’m not big on killing. I really don’t think brutality sells pictures too much. I think people want to identify, they want to see they’re real people. And when everyone is a madman killer, they just say ‘hurrah’ when you shoot and kill the ‘mutha’. I think one of the reasons those shows were so successful at Warners was because they did have (people like) the Shirley Joneses, real nice people that viewers liked, and you got involved with them and their problems. And we were basically more on problems than on crime.

H: That’s interesting. I hadn’t thought of it that way.

TY: We would deal with people’s problems, their inner problems, how they adjusted to a broken family or something like that. It was more of a human interest story, and less on violence.

H: Speaking of Shirley Jones and people like her, you had beautiful gals in every episode. Who were your favorites.

TY: Well, I had quite a few. I liked Shirley. There were some real good actresses I learned a lot from, that did a lot of good work. Names escape me, but a lot of them really catered to that running around with a gun and a horse -- I got a big kick out of some of them! They were in there just as big and tall as you could imagine.

H: And there were also a lot of interesting guys in the show. Some that had been around a long time, like Don ‘Red’ Barry, Denver Pyle and Gerald Mohr –

TY: Oh man, yes, like Gerald Mohr, and Lee Van Cleef – God knows how many times I worked with him.

H: What was he like?

TY: He’s just a neat guy. He’s got a strong character, you don’t upstage him – you just stay out of his scene. But there were so many of them that just had good, good presence. And I learned so much from them, believe me. And they don’t want me to be a character actor – they want me to stay Bronco Layne. Like Jack Elam one time said to me, ‘You’re never gonna be a heavy, so quit playin’ at it.’

H: You also had some guys who were just starting out, like James Coburn, Troy Donahue, Chad Everett. Did they make any impression at that point?

TY: Well, you know what they were doing, they were using shows like mine to kind of break those guys in. Warner had quite a montage of people under contract, and of course a lot of them didn’t have much experience either. He was big on finding new talent. And the best way to break them in was to send them down to our shows, where we’d look after them. (laughs) In other words, if they couldn’t handle a line, we’d cut ‘em out. But it was good experience for them. It was not that I was that good an actor. It was that I knew my person, I knew my character, and they’re going to have to play off of my lines, and they’re going to have to go pretty hard to steal the scene from me.

H: Did you have any particular favorite episodes?

TY: You know, after doing sixty of those boogers, it’s hard to say. Not any particular favorites.

H: After 68 episodes of BRONCO, did you feel the show had reached the point where it jumped the shark, ran out of ideas?

TY: You know what my personal opinion is? I think they had gotten expensive, and they’re always looking to cut money.

Next week, TY HARDIN – THE POST-‘BRONCO’ YEARS. But to keep you in the mood while you wait, here's the BRONCO theme:




DISCOVERY ANNOUNCES ‘GUNSMOKE’ DOCUMENTARY SERIES

Starting in October, the Discovery Channel will present ‘Gunsmoke’, a reality series about one of the oldest gun shops west of the Mississippi, “…where a third generation family of dynamic gunsmiths crafts blocks of steel into beautiful but deadly works of art.” The lead is former police officer Rich Wyatt, a married man with kids. I’m more than a little put off by choosing a series title in an attempt to trick people into watching it by accident, but what the heck, I’ll give it a shot. Oops.

GUNSLINGER JOEY DILLON MAKES THE FRONT PAGE!

Today’s, Monday August 8th’s, Los Angeles Daily News, features a front-page story on the amazing pistol-tosser who’s been covered in the Round-up for his performances at the Republic 75th Anniversary Celebration, the Cowboy Festival at Melody Ranch, and most recently at the Day of the Cowboy celebration at the Autry (GO HERE: http://henryswesternroundup.blogspot.com/2011/07/shadow-hills-pilot-rolls-at-melody.html)

Read the Daily News article HERE.



http://www.dailynews.com/ci_18635677

JOHN FORD TO BE HONORED WITH STAMP NEXT YEAR!

On Friday, the U. S. Postal Service announced that next year director John Ford will be honored with a ‘forever’ stamp featuring an image of himself composited against the closing moments of THE SEARCHERS. Three other directors will likewise be recognized, but their names have not yet been announced. Whom do you suggest?

GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL SATURDAY AT THE AUTRY

Continuing their once-a-month “What is a Western?” series, on Saturday, August 13th, at 1:30 p.m., the Autry will screen John Sturges’ version of one of the most-filmed stories of western history, GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL, in 35 mm. Sturges, though currently neglected, was a master of intelligent, exuberant action films like THE GREAT ESCAPE and MAGNIFICENT 7, and overdue for reappraisal. Here he’s ably assisted by a Leon Uris script from a George Scullin article, with costumes by Edith Head, a score by Dimitri Tiomkin, and the stick-in-your-head theme sung by Frankie Laine. Burt Lancaster is Wyatt Earp, Kirk Douglas is Doc Holliday, and the rest of the cast is filled to the brim with great westerns actors: Rhonda Fleming, Earl Holliman, Dennis Hopper, Lee Van Cleef, John Ireland, Jack Elam… It’s required viewing, and Associate Curator Jeffrey Richardson will lead a discussion on both the film and the actual history. And coming soon, for comparison purposes, is TOMBSTONE!








THURSDAY IS BEN JOHNSON DAY ON TCM

It’s become a tradition at TCM to devote each day in August to the work of a single actor, and Thursday, August 11th, the honor falls to the great Ben Johnson, Oscar winner for THE LAST PICTURE SHOW. And what a line-up! It starts at 3:00 a.m. Pacific Time with 3 GODFATHERS, and is followed by FORT DEFIANCE at 5, WILD STALLION at 6:30, WAR DRUMS at 8, CHEYENNE AUTUMN at 9:30, MAJOR DUNDEE at 12:30 p.m., JUNIOR BONNER at 3, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG at 5, WAGON MASTER at 6:45, SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON at 8:15, THE LAST PICTURE SHOW at 10:15, and ends with THE WILD BUNCH at 12:30 a.m.

Also of interest on TCM this week, on Wednesday, Shirley MacLaine Day, at 5:00 a.m., see THE SHEEPMAN. On Saturday, James Stewart Day, there’s a double-bill of THE NAKED SPUR at 3:15 pm and THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE at five. And on Ralph Bellamy Sunday at 1:45 p.m. it’s THE PROFESSIONALS.

TCM FANATIC - WESTERN NOW ONLINE!

And speaking of TCM, have I mentioned that the segment I was interviewed for is now viewable here?




THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER

Built by cowboy actor, singer, baseball and TV entrepeneur Gene Autry, and designed by the Disney Imagineering team, the Autry is a world-class museum housing a fascinating collection of items related to the fact, fiction, film, history and art of the American West. In addition to their permenant galleries (to which new items are frequently added), they have temporary shows. The Autry has many special programs every week -- sometimes several in a day. To check their daily calendar, CLICK HERE. And they always have gold panning for kids every weekend. For directions, hours, admission prices, and all other information, CLICK HERE.

HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM

Across the street from the Hollywood Bowl, this building, once the headquarters of Lasky-Famous Players (later Paramount Pictures) was the original DeMille Barn, where Cecil B. DeMille made the first Hollywood western, The Squaw Man. They have a permanent display of movie props, documents and other items related to early, especially silent, film production. They also have occasional special programs. 2100 Highland Ave., L.A. CA 323-874-2276. Thursday – Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. $5 for adults, $3 for senior, $1 for children.

WELLS FARGO HISTORY MUSEUM

This small but entertaining museum gives a detailed history of Wells Fargo when the name suggested stage-coaches rather than ATMS. There’s a historically accurate reproduction of an agent’s office, an original Concord Coach, and other historical displays. Open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Admission is free. 213-253-7166. 333 S. Grand Street, L.A. CA.


FREE WESTERNS ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HULU

A staggering number of western TV episodes and movies are available, entirely free, for viewing on your computer at HULU. You do have to sit through the commercials, but that seems like a small price to pay. The series available -- often several entire seasons to choose from -- include THE RIFLEMAN, THE CISCO KID, THE LONE RANGER, BAT MASTERSON, THE BIG VALLEY, ALIAS SMITH AND JONES, and one I missed from 2003 called PEACEMAKERS starring Tom Berenger. Because they are linked up with the TV LAND website, you can also see BONANZA and GUNSMOKE episodes, but only the ones that are running on the network that week.

The features include a dozen Zane Grey adaptations, and many or most of the others are public domain features. To visit HULU on their western page, CLICK HERE.

TV LAND - BONANZA and GUNSMOKE

Every weekday, TV LAND airs a three-hour block of BONANZA episodes from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They run a GUNSMOKE Monday through Thursday at 10:00 a.m., and on Friday they show two, from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m.. They're not currently running either series on weekends, but that could change at any time.

NEED YOUR BLACK & WHITE TV FIX?

Check out your cable system for WHT, which stands for World Harvest Television. It's a religious network that runs a lot of good western programming. Your times may vary, depending on where you live, but weekdays in Los Angeles they run DANIEL BOONE at 1:00 p.m., and two episodes of THE RIFLEMAN from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.. On Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. it's THE RIFLEMAN again, followed at 2:30 by BAT MASTERSON. And unlike many stations in the re-run business, they run the shows in the original airing order. There's an afternoon movie on weekdays at noon, often a western, and they show western films on the weekend, but the schedule is sporadic.

RFD-TV has begun airing THE ROY ROGERS SHOW on Sundays at 9:00 a.m., with repeats the following Thursday and Saturday.

Also, AMC has started showing two episodes of THE RIFLEMAN on Saturday mornings.

On Saturday mornings at 8:00 a.m. Pacific time, TCM is showing two chapters of ZORRO RIDES AGAIN, Republic’s fine western action serial, starring John Carroll, Duncan Renaldo, and featuring action directed by John English and William Whitney.

That's it for now!

Adios amigos!

Henry

All contents copyright August 2011 by Henry C. Parke - All Rights Reserved