Ben Johnson

Paula, I may be mistaken, but I think Harry Carey Jr. is still alive.
Hopefully he may still finish it.

Chester

P.S. Yeah, I just checked, he's 91

Chester, yes, I know that Harry Carey Jr. is still alive. But from what I've heard, he's in bad health and cannot finish the second book he had been planning to write.

Quote from Paula

Chester, yes, I know that Harry Carey Jr. is still alive. But from what I've heard, he's in bad health and cannot finish the second book he had been planning to write.

Bad health will certainly slow one down. And at 91, not many are still moving around at all. Thanks for the correction.

Chester

Hey all! Today is the second birthday of my Ben Johnson Screencaps Page. Er... yay! It all began on August 11, 2010 when I uploaded Wagon Master screencaps, so it seems only fitting today to post at the page more Wagon Master -- this time it's a 1992 Turner Entertainment reprint of a Wagon Master publicity photo.

Quote from Paula

Hey all! Today is the second birthday of my Ben Johnson Screencaps Page. Er... yay! It all began on August 11, 2010 when I uploaded Wagon Master screencaps, so it seems only fitting today to post at the page more Wagon Master -- this time it's a 1992 Turner Entertainment reprint of a Wagon Master publicity photo.

Hi Paula,
Congratulations on your anniversary! Just to let you know it's all worthwhile as it's because of your posts that I bought Wagon Master and have looked at Ben Johnson more closely ever since. All the best,
Dooley (Peter)

Well, happy second anniversary! See if you have these. I think I am learning, but there is still something that makes it easier. At least these came out pretty good! I was looking for the funeral one for you and Bill sent these as a little slide show. Let us know whether or not you have them....He looks so cute! Keith

I don't have the first one but I do the second, which you can find here:

http://benjohnsonscreencaps.shutterfly.com/memorabilia/778 (Sign into Shutterfly and download for the big size scan.)

Well, if you want the first, let us know. Guess I will stop looking for the funeral one. Thought you might be excited to find a new one.
I will look at the Shutterfly for fun, thanks. Keith

Oh, I love seeing new pics I haven't seen before!

What funeral one though? (I'm losing my train of thought...)

Quote from Paula

Oh, I love seeing new pics I haven't seen before!

What funeral one though? (I'm losing my train of thought...)

I thought you posted that you had all the pictures from Yellow Ribbon except the funeral one. No, it is a much better chance that I am losing MY mind....I am an old lady, LOL!'''

Check out the Group watch...the guys really want to hear your thoughts and there is only a day or so left before they close it. I loved what you said about it, LOL. Once I got past looking at "John Wayne" and just looked at a guy named Duke, I actually enjoyed the dialogue.....took four watchings though, LOL! And yes, that Tartar woman part was one of my favorites. If you don't think of John Wayne, and you think back to those times, it is a great line and Duke delivered it very well! Make the guys happy and comment please.......tell me if there IS a funeral picture, and I will keep looking for it for you. Keith

Paula, OK, just watched Yellow Ribbon and now I know the funeral picture you were talking about. It MUST be when Ben bent down and put the handsewn Confederate flag on his Rebel General's (who was just a Union Trooper), coffin! And when Duke "said words over him" he called him a Brigadier General in the Rebel Army. Anyway, ran into this little one of Ben older and didn't know if you had it.


Ben Johnson and Walter Reed at the Sonora, CA, Film Festival in 1990.
This is from Boyd's pictures.
Keith

Quote from Hawkswill

I thought you posted that you had all the pictures from Yellow Ribbon except the funeral one. No, it is a much better chance that I am losing MY mind....I am an old lady, LOL!'''

Check out the Group watch...the guys really want to hear your thoughts and there is only a day or so left before they close it. I loved what you said about it, LOL. Once I got past looking at "John Wayne" and just looked at a guy named Duke, I actually enjoyed the dialogue.....took four watchings though, LOL! And yes, that Tartar woman part was one of my favorites. If you don't think of John Wayne, and you think back to those times, it is a great line and Duke delivered it very well! Make the guys happy and comment please.......tell me if there IS a funeral picture, and I will keep looking for it for you. Keith

Thanks for posting that lovely picture of Ben and Walter Reed. I don't have that in my personal collection. There are a lot of pictures of Ben (and many other screen cowboys) at various film festivals at Boyd Magers' site and I'm sure Boyd (who I don't know but certainly admire!) wouldn't particularly like it if I started borrowing his photos.

But that doesn't mean I don't have my own unique photos. In fact, if you go over to my Ben Johnson page today, you'll see some pictures of Ben from a 1976 film festival in Florida which were given to me by a local lady and enthusiastic westerns fan named Beverly Moore who met him at several festivals over the years.

In a day or two I will be posting another fan story about Ben from an elderly gentleman who lives in our area who has been acting in bit parts in films, TV and commercials for 30 years and met Ben at a film festival and became good friends with him. He also gave me a great picture of him and Ben... I should have that up by Thursday (I hope).

Boyd's site is a fabulous resource. Although I won't use his pictures, I rely a lot on the information posted there for my own webpage.

Also, Ben was a huge booster of the Sonora/Tuolomne County film festival from the beginning and was guest of honor one year. It's sad they don't hold it any longer.

-- Paula

Hi Paula,

Well, I will be glad to ask Boyd. I don't think he would mind at all if you put where it came from.....but I am not sure, so I'll let you know. Never would have sent it I even imagined he would mind. It was posted out on an open site. I need to get back with him anyway. Bob Horton's wife was in a wreck, and I haven't found out how she and he are doing. He played Ward's scout in Wagon Train....Flint McCullough.....you might not remember him. He was my very first TV heart throb, LOL. Then Came David Janssen of the Fugitive whom I came to know well, and even give golf lessons to in Palm Springs. I think there is a pic of us in one of my albums here. Then, I grew up and Ward captured my heart, LOL! I wasn't in The Springs in time to meet Ward as he died in 1960....I didn't get out there until the early mid 70s. But i am almost positive I saw.....right there near me....Duke with 3 or 4 other tuxedoed dudes who came across from another studio to The Tonight Show where Gibbons and I were waiting from Ed McMahon to get finished. There were drop ins, and that is what they were. It kept a budding young comedian from getting to go on with Johnny for the first time, (now THERE was one very, very NICE man), and her boyfriend was madder than a wet hen!! I have been trying to go through all of Johhny's show around that time to see who showed up like that. But, it isn't easy. Then I just got in touch with a really old friend of mine and Gibbons, (writing a book called MY GIBBONS). I emailed and after 35 years of no contact, he called me the next day. You probably won't know him, but here is a hint.....depends on how old you are as he still entertains, and is NINETY! He asked if It was Keith and I said it was. He said, "HELLO DERE"! We talked for over an hour catching up and he gave me a most fantastic quote for my book, (he and his well known wife Frenchy had just LOVED Gibbons. It was at their house that Robert Walker, Jr. (Billy, explosives expert in War Wagon), picked us up in a limo and took us around to a bunch of studios ending at The Tonight Show as usual....Gibbons loved ED....I wasn't that fond of him, LOL. Anyway, Robert was our chauffeur. When I told Marty, he told me actors had to eat like regular people and actually Robert had a most lucrative job including the tips! Well, OT, sorry...I always do that. Dang one thing reminds me of another. So, do you know who the guy who called was? He is going to get me in touch with someone who can access the Tonight Show archives.....so I may find out yet if it was Duke. Because it will coincide with the lady, Jo Ann Pflug's first scheduled date! I KNOW one was Dino Martin because he came over and talked to us. I knew HIM better than Gibbons did because he played my golf course a lot, and I had joined him a few times for the back nine. We also had sat together at a couple of Celebrity pro-am golf tournament dinners when Gibbons was out of town.....I don't remember him ever bringing anyone.....strange. Anyway, they dashed in were ushered out onto the stage, we went up to Ed's dressing room, (lot smaller than you would EVER imagine), next thing I knew Ed was up there, so the show was over. If we had stayed out near the Green Room Dino would probably have introduced us as they came off....well, never happen now, but at least I MAY find out. I am pretty sure Bob Newhart was one of them. We will see. Let you know what Boyd says....he usually answers my email in a day or so if not the same. Keith

Wow, those are some stories! I'm sure Boyd wouldn't mind at all you posting a pic from his site here.

Quote from Paula

Wow, those are some stories! I'm sure Boyd wouldn't mind at all you posting a pic from his site here.

Well, that is the only reason I sent it for you. However, if he does for some reason, I won't do it again.

Will let you know. Save it, just don't put it on your site until he emails me back. Keith Yep on the stories. That is why a lot of the guys email me....once I get started, it is hard to stop. And I jump topics way too much for this. They will all be in the book one day. Look him up Harold Joseph Gibbons Teamster. You can't believe everything you read. But Wikipedia has a nice one on him. He was a SUPER man. Forty years older than me and I in my 20s just could NOT keep up with the man. He might speak in one city at a breakfast, another at lunch and another at dinner, LOL. He had a private jet. But, when we went places, we always flew the airlines. And I always paid for my ticket.....he paid for everything else though! Long story....will be a great book...lots of things about celebrities that no one knows...or very few people! Think there is a pic of him in an album with Jimmy Hoffa. Not sure, might be on FB. Keith

Hi Paula, going through a friend's site and blogs and found this....do you have it? Anyway, I asked if you could use it and she said yes. Also, she has a bit on BEN and would like to see your site about him. I will put yall in touch if you would email me at [email protected]. She wrote a fantastic piece on Ward, (how we met), and I add to it here and there as do others. She was most appreciative on the piece I wrote about Ward's Death and what I shared and gave credit to JWMB about the movies he and Duke were
in. Even if you have the pic, email me. I think you will like her stuff, and she is interested in yours on Ben. You can use anyone of her writing if you want...she will tell you how to credit her, Keith

I don't have an original photo of this but I have seen it reproduced in several places, including one of the John Wayne biographies. That sure is a great picture from the set of Rio Grande!

Chisum. This movie has finally made me a real fan of Ben Johnson. I was unfortunate enough to see a movie very long ago where he gave what has been termed by reviewers as a wooden performance....and it was. Since then, little by little, I have been subjected to his acting because of this board. And, little by little, he has crept into my heart. I had become a pretty bonafide fan until I saw this movie Chisum. Now, I am caught....totally, hook, line, and sinker! His devotion as a long time friend to "Mr. Chisum" or "Mr. John Simpson Chisum", as he calls him when he is not happy with him or plain "John" when he is, plus his inane mumbling throughout the movie, has done it. Here is a pic of the two of them mumbling and accusing each other of doing it. That mumbling thing dang near steals the whole show, LOL! If you haven't seen this little movie, you sure need to. Aside for the serious part, it is a real hoot! Keith

BOTH OF THEM MUMBLING TO EACH OTHER AND BLAMING THE OTHER ONE!

Quote from Hawkswill

Chisum. This movie has finally made me a real fan of Ben Johnson. I was unfortunate enough to see a movie very long ago where he gave what has been termed by reviewers as a wooden performance....and it was. Since then, little by little, I have been subjected to his acting because of this board. And, little by little, he has crept into my heart. I had become a pretty bonafide fan until I saw this movie Chisum. Now, I am caught....totally, hook, line, and sinker! His devotion as a long time friend to "Mr. Chisum" or "Mr. John Simpson Chisum", as he calls him when he is not happy with him or plain "John" when he is, plus his inane mumbling throughout the movie, has done it. Here is a pic of the two of them mumbling and accusing each other of doing it. That mumbling thing dang near steals the whole show, LOL! If you haven't seen this little movie, you sure need to. Aside for the serious part, it is a real hoot! Keith

One of my favorite Ben Johnson roles. The other is as Cap Rountree in the made for television "The Sacketts" with Sam Elliot and Tom Selleck. Honorable mention to Tyree in the cavalry movies.