Rio Grande (1950)

Hi

And now in full flow doing what they are good at.

Regards

Arthur

Hi

A fine study of Duke as Kirby Yorke'

Regard

Arthur

Hi

After receiving an arrow wound in the shoulder Jeff removes the arrow. Father and son are reconciled.


Regards

Arthur

Hi

Photo of the young Claude Jarman.


Regards

Arthur

Hi

Nice study of Duke


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Arthur

Hi

John & Patrick Wayne.


Regards

Arthur

Hi Bill

Great link. Shame Rio Grande was not in colour.

Does anyone know who did the roman gladiator riding on two horses performed by Harry Carey in the movie? Too stand on two horses while galloping I would assume must be dangerous beyond belief. Was the stunt man strapped on somehow?

Mike

Mike

Hi William

I forgot about Ben Johnston when I posted originally.

I cant see any of the today's film stars doing that sort of stunt these days.

Thanks for info

Mike

Hi Mike and William

In the CD of Rio Grande Harry Carey jr tells the story of how he and Ben Johnson and Claude Jarman got do do the Roman ride.


Regards

Arthur

Hi


Reading back trhough this thread I saw the reference to the Sons of the Pioneers who sang some great sonfs in the picture.

I have couple of photos of the Pioneers the first one shows them with Rex Allen, thanks to Chuck Anderson for identifying them for me, the members are:

Front Row: from left to right

George 'Shug' Fisher (guitar): Ken Curtis:
Rex Allen (in suit standing in front of microphone) Karl Farr (guitar)

Back Row left to right

Hugh Farr (shirt with large Checkerboard Tommy Doss (centre rear directly behind Rex Allen): & Lloyd Perryman (behind Rex Allen and Karl Farr).

The second postcard a picturegoer card I'm not sure if its earlier or later Ken Curtis isn't there I there and I'm not one hundred per cent sure of the others. Perhaps someone can help out.


Regards

Arthur

Hi


I thought that I had already put the extract about the Roman Riding on but I
can't find it so I'll do it now.

The piece is entitled exerpts from a conversation with Harry Carey Jr

'The most adventurous part of 'Rio Grande' was the Roman Riding scene. before you made a picture with Ford he never wanted your agent around, he just wanted you to come over yourself. So Ben and I got together and went over alone on day to see him, over at Republic. The old man sat there for a while, and finally said, "You Guy's know how to Roman Ride?" I said "No sir," and Ben said "No sir" and Ford said "You're going to have to learn it; we're going to have Roman Riding!" We knew what it was and Ben being real careful said, "Well, Mr Ford, how long before we have to know who to do it?" And he said "A month." So Ben looked at me and I looked at him and we both thought, "Oh S**t!.

A wrangler named Kenny Lee broke two teams for us. One was barely broke, so that was the team that Ben rode - they were nuts, but he liked them..... .

Now in Roman Riding you start out on the left hand horse, but we both found out in a hell of a hurry that the minute you get up on him and grab the withers they both take off - you can't hold them and get up at the same time, and the minute they take off down you go. I think Ben sat down a couple of times but pretty soon he made it up, and then I got shamed into it and then I made it up. We were learning it in an exercise arena, a small track going along at a lope. Old man Ford came out about the third day and he watched us and he seemed pleased, even tough we weren't standing up straight yet. Finally this old guy named Hank Potts that I'd known from the time I was a kid came along, he was just back from a location himself. He's raced Roman riding in his youth, and after watching us for a while he said. "You guy's aren't getting anywhere and your'e never going to get better than you are, all squatted down like that. You've got to get out on a straight road and let the b******s run for a good half mile where they can really take off." Well he got us out on a long straightway. It was on Sherman Way, the old Fat Jones stables,and the just flew. It's the getting up that was scary so I started sitting down again - Ben's team threw him off a couple of times too and finally Hank Potts said, "The next time you sit down on that inside horse I'm going to hit you with this rock." So I got up and stayed there, and then I lost my fear - it was amazing, it went away completely, just like that. Then Ford was really happy, cause now wer'e barreling ass around there. He was ecstatic, I'd never seen the old b******d so happy. Finally he said, "I think I'll get Claude to doing it" Claude was 6'2" and weighed about 160 pounds - a big lanky kid, a hell of an athlete. he looked like he was awkward but he wasn't . Now he looked like he barely rode at all, but he came out croupered those horses, jumped up on my team and went down the road no practice. Ben said "Well Jesus Christ" - we wanted to crawl under a board- and Old man Ford said, "Well Jesus it took you guys three weeks for Christ's sake." Ben said "He's never been hurt before Mr Ford." Ford said, "What?" he made you repeat everything. "Well his never been mashed up or hurt, he's not afraid." You're goddam right he's not afraid!" So Claude rode too - he used my team since we only had two. It was unusual for people who had critical parts in a movie to do that kind of stunt, but Ford would do it. We shot that Roman riding sequence right in the middle of the picture and we were even out Roman riding every morning on location.

Harry Carey jr then goes on to say that the next morning both he and Ben Johnsone could barely walk and had to go to a nearby town to visit a physiotherapist while Jarman felt no ill effects whatever.


Regards

Arthur

Arthur,

Thanks for sharing that - truly a great story! It has always amazed me how those guys just jumped up on those horses and started riding that way. It hadn't dawned on me how much practice they had done to accomplish that.

Chester

Great information William & Arthur.

It must have been an amazing sight to witness. I cant think of any other western that repeated such a stunt.

Mike

One thing that has always surprised me about this movie is that many find this to be the strongest of the trilogy, I myself feel that Yellow Ribbon is the best of the trilogy. Maureen O'Hara is the only reason why this film would rank higher than Ribbon, but beyond that I am at a loss.

I just watch Rio Grande, what a great John Wayne/John Ford Classic. Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr. Victor McLaglen and of course the woman that could handle the Duke, Maureen O'Hara. I have seen this movie at least 30 times. When it comes on TV I will stop and watch it all over again.

The chemistry between Wayne and O'Hara is electric. Ben Johnson and Harry Carey Jr. worked so well off one another. Victor McLauglen is just the best at what he does in any Wayne movie. A time of really good, decent films and some top notch actors. Not the HollyWeirds we have today. These people had class.

I have loved John Wayne all my life. What's not to love and admire about a man with character, love of family, friends and country? He is the AMERICAN ICON. You think of America, patriotism, strength the 6' 4" image of John Wayne has to pop into your mind's eye. I love em and I still miss him. The day he died I felt as if I lost a member of my family.

Quote from RedRiver-J

. The day he died I felt as if I lost a member of my family.

Amen brother. . .

Harry Carey Jr. was great in Rio Grande! The horse riding scene where Victor McLaglen was going to make them into 'horsemen' was wonderful! That was one of many memorable, great moments for those two in that film. Thank God for film, classic moments frozen in time, embedded in our minds and hearts forever.

Good, solid, clean Americana, something to hinge your morals, patriotism upon and someone to look up too. A man you could only hope your son's would emulate when they became men, that was what the Duke was and still is to this day. That is why he, even in death is so very popular. Larger than life........and one of the best part of mine.