Ben "Son" Johnson: The Real Cowboy (Jerry Skinner Documentary)

[Music] this is character actor and cowboy star being Johnson ven was born Francis Benjamin Johnson jr. on June 2 13 1918 in the tallgrass country of Osage County Oklahoma being Johnson's Paris was being senior and his wife Ally workman Johnson they always call being junior son therefore family and friends and even cowboys that he worked with knew him as son Johnson sons parents were made May the 5th 1917 in Tulsa Oklahoma and moved to the small town of Forker Oklahoma located on what had been the Osage Indian Reservation now being senior was a working cowboy on the Chapman Bernard range one of the largest ranches in Oklahoma while Ali stayed home and took Caribbean now this is Ali and being junior in 1920 before the birth of their second child Mary Ann in 1921 the next year in 1922 after me and birth being senior will win the first of three steer roping championships in Cheyenne Wyoming considered to be a World Championship he will win the championship again in 1923 and in 1926 staying away from his family for long periods of time on a rodeo circuit and working as a cowboy on the chapman Bernard ranch will put a strain on their seven-year mage ending in a divorce in nineteen and twenty four five years after their divorce in 1929 when being jr. was eleven son goes to work for his father who had been hired as the foreman of the chapman range now this is the headquarters of the range looking much the same as it did in nineteen and twenty nine the extended room on the right was the ranch Foreman's bedroom for being senior lived after his divorce from Molly and the extended room on the left was bunks for the canyons the hundred thousand acre ranch is said to have run through from eighteen to twenty thousand herd of cattle each year the ranch would work from eight to forty Cowboys depending on the time of the year during the Depression years being senior would pay his hands $30 per month where other ranchers were paying only twenty now this is standing in the kitchen looking into the dining room where the Cowboys would eat in shifts the concrete floor had so many grooves cut by the Spurs of the Cowboys that the cooks demanded that they placed tile on the floor so it could be mopped now this is the office for the range were being senior carried on office range business although being junior worked for his dad he was expected to pull his weight and he did son grew up is a working cowboy where he was taught to respect women and his word was his bond this cowboy code will remained with him throughout his entire life and he'll live bite thirteen years after being seniors divorced from son's mother Ollie being senior were married Eileen Venson a registered nurse from Pawhuska on June the 16th 1937 the N senior was 41 and Allie as she was called was 30 then senior will move out of the ranch headquarters and they'll move into a ranch house by on February 22nd 1938 they'll have a daughter Helen Lee Johnson according to Richard D Jensen's in his book the nicest fella son's mother Olli had married a man by the name of Francis Watkins son and Mary moved out temporarily with her dad and Ally because son didn't get along very well with mother's new husband within a year Ali and being senior were expecting another child but it was not to be rather was suffer from his cage and with no antibodies she'll pass away on the 28th of July 1939 at the age of 32 at the Pawhuska Hospital were two years earlier she had been a nurse being senior will not marry again son will continue working for his father at the Chapman Bernard ranch after a Lee's dead baby Helen will be looked after by the wives of the ranch hands until she will have a more permanent home with John and Nora mounts family it's believed that some time dear in 1939 the multi-millionaire and movie producer Howard Hughes was making preparations for his new movie The Outlaw that will star Jane Russell one scene called for four thousand horses and while trying to gather up enough horses for the movie huge about several from the chaplain Bernard reins son was given permission by a being senior to deliver the horses to the movie set in northern Arizona the beautiful Monument Valley that's where son will return to many times during his career after filming ends Ben will be asked to take the horses on to California to the fats Jones stables in San Fernando Valley one of the largest suppliers of horses and cattle to the movie industry as son was unloading horses from the railroad boxcars he meets Carol Elaine Jones daughter of Clarence Jones the owner of the fats Jones stables soon they'll be seeing a lot of each other and in the meantime Howard Hughes who loves horses himself realized that Ben Johnson was an excellent horseman and offered him a job taking care of the horses as a Wrangler and doing some movie stunt work making three times more money than he made on the range being always spoke well of Howard Hughes they liked and respected each other huge was instrumental in hip and Sun to get into the Screen Actors Guild which opened doors for more work his first stunt work was in 1939 on the fighting grain go with George O'Brien and in in September of 1940 son's mother Allie had divorced her second husband and made Freddie Rider they'll move to California to find factory work the next year on August the 31st 1941 being Johnson jr. and Carol Elaine Jones will me it will be a true love affair being was 23 and Carol was 20 they will remain married for 53 years until her death in 1994 they will have no children after marrying Carol being will continued doing stunt work through the early 40s in 1948 Judson got a break when it was hired by a director John Ford to be a stunt double for actor Henry Fonda in the movie Fort Apache that starred John Wayne while shooting a scene that called for three actors to ride in the back of a wagon when horses got spooked which was not supposed to have happened the actors were actually in danger of getting hurt it would have stopped production and cost money being was already sitting on his horse when the accident occurred like a scene out of a movie Johnson caught the runaway wagon and instead of rescuing the lady he rescued three very scared actors director John Ford was so impressed with being Johnson's ability that he promised to do something for him being thought that Ford might give him another job on his next film as a stunt double or maybe a small speaking part instead Ford called him into his office and gave him a seven-year contract as an actor being said I read about three lands where it said five thousand per week that was it I stopped right there and signed it that same year in 1948 Ford gave being his first accredited role in three Godfather's that starred John Wayne Harry Carey jr. and Pedro Armendariz both being and Pedro Arvind Ayres were noted for their ridin skills and being said that this movie was the most physically challenging of his entire career Ford dedicated the three Godfather's movie to Harry Caray senior who had starred in the original version several years earlier under another title this will be the first of eight films that Ben Johnson will appear with John Wayne and his very good friend to be Harry Caray jr. the next year it'll be she wore a yellow ribbon again with John Wayne and Harry Caray jr. being said that while filming there was a fierce thunderstorm that came up and the assistant director thought the Lightning was entirely too dangerous film Ford was so angry he refused to stop filming and the scene won an Oscar for Best Cinematography being said we were all scared and afraid of the lightning but we were more afraid of John Ford also in 1949 Ford will give being his first starring role with Terry Moore in mightyjoyoung he said it showed off his riding and roping skills a year later in 1950 being will have a leading role in wagon master with Ward bond and again Harry Caray jr. also in 1950 Ben will appear with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara and another western Rio Grande II John Ford was a director that was known for browbeating lesser-known actors but when he tried to intimidate being Johnson he was in for shock when being told him flatly to go to hell it took a lot to stir being Johnson up because France said he was a quiet man and an easygoing person it is not like foul language especially around women in children he said I built my entire life around principles of honesty realism and respect and if Hollywood don't like that they can go to hell after the confrontation being head with forward as far as being was concerned it was over and forgotten and it seemed that Ford had also overlooked the incident in 1952 September the 15th being returned to a Husker Oklahoma for the funeral of his father being senior being senior was only 56 years old and was still the foreman of the Chapman Bernard ranch he had not remained after his second wife allene death in 1939 he'll be buried beside her at the Pawhuska City Cemetery to local people being senior was well respected and loved and left his influence on his three children son Mary and Helen being senior was buried with his boots on they say and a lariat in his hand he had been suffering for some time with stomach cancer after being seniors death the next year 1953 Ford was cast in parts for his upcoming movie the Sun shines bright when being Sager got wind that Ford wanted Johnson for one of the parts without beings knowledge his agent asked for too much money for thought that bin was ungrateful for what he had done for him so he didn't use Johnson in any of his films for another 10 years however that same year being will work for another director George Stevens you'll be one of the Riker gangs that gives that and led a hard time in Shayne with that inland and Jean author also dear in 1953 Ben will take some time off from the movie business in order to follow the rodeo circuit yet I always wanted to follow in his father's footsteps by winning a world championship he accomplished his goal by winning the championship title for steer roping in 19 and 53 he said he was prouder of this award than he was the Oscar he said that after winning the championship he ended up barely breaking even money-wise because he was always paying interest fees for cowboys who were down on their luck and several were actually his competitors he said that all he had after one year of row Dylan was a worn-out vehicle and a very mad wife he enjoyed rodeo but actin was where the money was Ben was a screwed businessman and over the years he'll become a multi-millionaire in 1955 he had an uncredited role playing a wrangler in oklahoma that starred Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones in 1956 it was rebel in town with john payne and ruth roman two years later 1958 it was Fort Bowie directed by hired cops and starred in Taylor and Jan Harrison Ben will appear with slim pickings in the 1961 Western one-eyed Jack that starred and directed by Marlon Brando that same year Ben was proud to learn that his father being senior was being inducted posthumously into the Hall of great Westerners at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City and in 1965 Johnson will appear with character actor ilku Jones it'll be another Westerner directed by Sam Peckinpah and starred Charlton Heston called major Dundee Heston actually had to direct part of the film because Peckinpah was sometimes drunk and walk off the set being said he saved Sam's life on several occasions that he would get to drinking and go into a bar and start fights with the biggest and meanest person there everyone he said knew that Sam was crazy in 1967 it was another Western will peeny with Joan Hackett and Charlton Heston the next year in 1968 Johnson will become marshal david bliss that will save Clint Eastwood from a lynch mob and hang them in 1969 it'll be another Sam Peckinpah femme The Wild Bunch was William Holden war notes and Ernest Borgnine in October of 1969 being flew to Durango Mexico to do a film with his friend John Wayne he loved working with a Duke because he was easy to get along with and it was more of a vacation he said than work while feminism been received news that his sister Mary Ann Johnson Miller had suddenly passed away of a brain aneurysm at the age of 48 she was living in Oklahoma with her husband and family John Wayne chartered a private plane for being to fly back to Pawhuska Oklahoma to attend his sister's funeral she'll be buried at the city cemetery where her father being seniors buried in 1971 will be being Johnson's most successful year of his career he was asked to play the part of Sam the lion in the last picture show along with Jeff Bridges and seal both Shepherd everyone remembers when Sam the lion says I've been around this kind of trash behavior all my life that one land sounds as much like Ben Johnson as it does Sam the land when being read the script for the last picture show he turned it down he said they were absolutely too many dirty words and he didn't lack profanity or nudity in movies only when John Ford called him to ask if he would take the part as a favor to him did Johnson change his mind he told Ford I'll do it for you on one account if I can take all the dirty words out of my script they agreed in being Johnson the champion rodeo cowboy won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his part in the last picture show Johnson said everybody in towns a better actor than I am but no one can play being Johnson as well as I do on the 10th of April 1972 actress Sally Kellerman presented being with his Oscar he attended the ceremony with his mother Ali being said I won the Oscar a Golden Globe and the New York Film Critics Award without one dirty word proving it can be done after winning the Oscar Ben's next film was jr. Bunner another Sam Peckinpah a film that starts Steve McQueen and in 1973 Johnson will star in a gangster film Dillinger with warren oates played John Dillinger and being as federal agent Melvin Purvis that same year being son Johnson was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy amuse iam in Oklahoma City three years later in 1976 while visiting Houston Texas someone broke into his automobile and stole his prized buckle that he had one for calf roping and several years later while discussing his prize buckle on Houston radio station keh keh keh someone called into the station and returned his buckle in 1982 Ben Johnson along with Western actor slim pickins was inducted to the Hall of Great Western performers at the cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City that same year being started that Ben Johnson senior Pro celebrity rodeo helped the first time at Pawhuska fairgrounds and then later at the lazy's the arena in Guthrie Oklahoma in Hunter of his father each year the rodeo donates millions to children's medical research it was reported that before the government both the Chapman Bernard range for the tallgrass buffalo reserve being in his friend John Wayne tried to buy the range but the owners refused to sell it was home to being and he helped a lot of early members for him his father was actually still forming there when he passed away in 1952 now this is being senior in the middle well the two owners Chapman and Bernard on each side all through being juniors career he operated a horse breeding ranch in sumar California he will appear in over 300 movies and numerous TV shows mostly westerns being in Carroll will maintain a home at 2466 Leisure World a retirement community in Mesa Arizona he will have his mother Ollie living close by on March the 27th 1994 Carol Elaine Johnson being Johnson's wife and love for 52 years will pass away at the Arizona hospice Center after a long illness of heart trouble she was 73 years old she'll be buried at the Pawhuska City Cemetery in Oklahoma close to the grave of being senior and his wife Annie two months after Carol's death on June 2 2nd 1994 being real receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame it's located at 70 83 Hollywood Boulevard his friend Harry Caray jr. will be there to support him along with western stars Gene Autry and money Montana on the 8th of April 1996 two years after Carol's death being left his home and went only a couple of blocks to visit his 96 year old mother after breakfast he started complaining with chess Payne's Van Johnson was pronounced dead at the Valley Lutheran Hospital in Mesa the champion rodeo cowboy and oscar-winning actor was 77 years old he was taken back to his hometown and buried next to his wife Carol and close to his father at the Pawhuska Cemetery Osage County Oklahoma four years later on the 16th of October 2000 beings mother Allie will pass away at the age of 101 she's buried in the Pawhuska Cemetery [Music]

Channel: Jerry Skinner

Views: 981,367

Keywords: Ben Johnson, Ben Johnson Sr, Rodeo Championship

Id: OCjDMQWpD44

Length: 24min 40sec (1480 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 10 2018