Ben Johnson
Re: Ben Johnson
Paula, just got my copy of Company of Heroes, and I'm already hooked! Dobe was such an easy to read story teller. I can hear his slightly gravelly voice...
"Life is not the way it's supposed to be.. It's the way it is..
The way we cope with it, is what makes the difference." ~ Virginia Satir
""Most people pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it." ~ Soren Kierkegaard
The way we cope with it, is what makes the difference." ~ Virginia Satir
""Most people pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it." ~ Soren Kierkegaard
Re: Ben Johnson
I love eBay. :) Look what I found -- a Ben Johnson Pro-Celebrity rodeo jacket! Even more amazing, it FITS. But I'm not going to wear it. It's going to live in the closet in a protective garment bag. ;)
Re: Ben Johnson
Y'all remember that photo from a few years ago with Ben showing Mamie Van Doren the ropes (literally)... right? (In case you don't, you can see it here: https://benjohnsonfanpage.shutterfly.co ... allery/369
Ben was the uncredited technical advisor for the rodeo sequences in Mamie's modern-day rodeo movie Born Reckless (which supposedly the Warner Archive Collection is remastering for eventual release on DVD). Born Reckless was directed by Howard W. Koch, who also produced and/or directed a number of films with Ben in the mid to late 1950s (Rebel in Town, War Drums, Fort Bowie) which basically kick-started his career again after his rupture with Ford and then taking more than a year off from the movies for family matters and pursuing his rodeo championship.
Apparently someone in the publicity department thought it would be a good idea to put Ben and Mamie together for a photo session, even though he's not in the movie. :)
So... here's another shot from that shoot with the lovely Mamie. ;) (I think she is adorable!)
Ben was the uncredited technical advisor for the rodeo sequences in Mamie's modern-day rodeo movie Born Reckless (which supposedly the Warner Archive Collection is remastering for eventual release on DVD). Born Reckless was directed by Howard W. Koch, who also produced and/or directed a number of films with Ben in the mid to late 1950s (Rebel in Town, War Drums, Fort Bowie) which basically kick-started his career again after his rupture with Ford and then taking more than a year off from the movies for family matters and pursuing his rodeo championship.
Apparently someone in the publicity department thought it would be a good idea to put Ben and Mamie together for a photo session, even though he's not in the movie. :)
So... here's another shot from that shoot with the lovely Mamie. ;) (I think she is adorable!)
Re: Ben Johnson
Here's a One-Eyed Jacks publicity still of a scene cut from the movie. The idea of Ben being in the same scene as a bit of kung fu makes me happy ALL OVER. The young lady delivering the kick is Lisa Lu, whom some of you may know better as the leading lady of The Mountain Road (which starred James Stewart), or "Hey Girl" in Have Gun--Will Travel, or as Ann-Mei, one of the mothers in The Joy Luck Club.
Re: Ben Johnson
Larry Carriere, the Texas fan who sent me some photos of himself with Ben, included in his package this wonderful matted picture from Wagon Master plus autograph. I had it framed and I think it looks very nice indeed. I am really blown away that Larry sent me such a nice gift! (Sorry for the reflections in the glass -- I couldn't figure out how to get a photo without them.) :(
Re: Ben Johnson
Here's a framed print of a painting of Ben by his friend Jimmy Don Cox. Cox was an artist, sculptor (he both painted and sculpted portraits of Ben), singer/musician and actor. ;) And he also participated in Ben's pro-celebrity rodeos. I got this from eBay and the guy who sold it to me rolled it up, stuck it loose in a USPS shipping box and mailed it. Of course it got bent and crumpled. I was so mad! Especially when after I e-mailed him about it, he didn't seem particularly concerned. "I've always sent prints that way and it's never been a problem before." Surrrrrre, right. He offered to take it back and refund my money, but I wanted the print, not my money back. Fortunately my framer did a great job undoing the crumples and making it look new.
Re: Ben Johnson
Last Wednesday I posted on the Ben page about a wonderful new book by author Max Evans (The Hi-Lo Country, The Rounders) about his friendship with Sam Peckinpah -- the title is Goin' Crazy with Sam Peckinpah and All Our Friends, and, well, all I can say is... yep, Sam could drive people crazy! Of course he was a little crazy himself. ;) Ben gets two brief mentions.
Page 76: "Now Sam had a little ranch outside Ely, Nevada, where the so-called River Walker Gang -- Sam, Denver [Peckinpah], Walter [Peter, Sam's brother-in-law], sometimes Ben Johnson and Warren Oates, and a few others -- often gathered."
And on pages 176-77: "Sam insisted on Ben Johnson [to play stockman Buck Roan in Junior Bonner]. Sam told Steve [McQueen], 'I just saw The Last Picture Show. Ben's going to win an Oscar!' Sometime later, on the set, Steve said to everyone, 'I just saw The Last Picture Show. Ben's going to win an Oscar.' "
Also just added to the Fanpage Memorabilia Archive, this little pin I found on eBay. It's a replica of Ben's Hollywood Walk of Fame star and according to the info on the back, it's a licensed product of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce -- and manufactured in Taiwan.:)
Page 76: "Now Sam had a little ranch outside Ely, Nevada, where the so-called River Walker Gang -- Sam, Denver [Peckinpah], Walter [Peter, Sam's brother-in-law], sometimes Ben Johnson and Warren Oates, and a few others -- often gathered."
And on pages 176-77: "Sam insisted on Ben Johnson [to play stockman Buck Roan in Junior Bonner]. Sam told Steve [McQueen], 'I just saw The Last Picture Show. Ben's going to win an Oscar!' Sometime later, on the set, Steve said to everyone, 'I just saw The Last Picture Show. Ben's going to win an Oscar.' "
Also just added to the Fanpage Memorabilia Archive, this little pin I found on eBay. It's a replica of Ben's Hollywood Walk of Fame star and according to the info on the back, it's a licensed product of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce -- and manufactured in Taiwan.:)
Re: Ben Johnson
Today would have been Carol Johnson's 94th birthday, so here is a picture of Carol with Ben and little cousin Doug O'Neal. ;) Doug kindly sent me this picture. It's actually from August 1967 (per Doug) rather than July 1968.
Re: Ben Johnson
The Sugarland Express is now available on Blu-ray, but only as part of the "Steven Spielberg Director's Collection" Blu-ray box set. Maybe they'll issue it as a single disc eventually. It's a big improvement over the standard DVD. Anyway, I made some screencaps and posted them to the Ben webpage (not as many as the standard DVD, though). Here's a sampling. :)
The blonde man on the right playing a reporter is stuntman extraordinaire Dean Smith, appropriate a Texas native (he still lives there). :)
The blonde man on the right playing a reporter is stuntman extraordinaire Dean Smith, appropriate a Texas native (he still lives there). :)
Re: Ben Johnson
Robert Armstrong and Ben Johnson are putting on their Hallowe'en faces in Mighty Joe Young. :)
Re: Ben Johnson
Things are getting very Hallowe'en-ish at the Ben page -- it's turned orange for the week! ;) And there's a Terror Train Blu-ray screencap as the new banner photo. :)
Also, here's a publicity still from Terror Train.
Also, here's a publicity still from Terror Train.
Re: Ben Johnson
Warner Archive Collection just released Corky, starring Robert Blake, on DVD. Ben has a very small role as a Nascar track owner and racer. I did some screencaps from a terrible bootleg of this some time back -- I look forward to re-doing those screencaps from this newly remastered transfer. http://shop.warnerarchive.com/product/c ... e=&from=fn
Back to our Hallowe'en week... this is from The Town That Dreaded Sundown.
Back to our Hallowe'en week... this is from The Town That Dreaded Sundown.
Re: Ben Johnson
Another one from The Town That Dreaded Sundown. That's Andrew Prine fingerpointing up. ;)
Re: Ben Johnson
Somehow I totally forgot to post last Friday that I had just added an inteview to the Ben page with Dave Tribble, who back in the 1970s was the publicity man for AIP, and thus had the responsibility (and fun) of escorting Ben and other cast members, as well as director Charles B. Pierce, on the press tour for The Town That Dreaded Sundown. Dave lives here in the Atlanta area and is now the director of communications for the Metro Atlanta Automobile Dealers Association, a trade organization that puts on the ginormous Atlanta International Auto Show every year. You can also find him on Facebook as "The Old Movie Guy."
Dave had nice things to say about Ben and also talked about Dawn Wells, Charles Pierce, Sam Arkoff (president of AIP) and other interesting folks. ;)
Here's the link: http://benjohnsonfanpage.shutterfly.com. Scroll down to October 31 for the interview, because today I posted a pic from Breakheart Pass, signed by Ben in silver ink.
He's looking kind of mean. :)
Dave had nice things to say about Ben and also talked about Dawn Wells, Charles Pierce, Sam Arkoff (president of AIP) and other interesting folks. ;)
Here's the link: http://benjohnsonfanpage.shutterfly.com. Scroll down to October 31 for the interview, because today I posted a pic from Breakheart Pass, signed by Ben in silver ink.
He's looking kind of mean. :)
