An Afternoon with Dobe Carey and family
Posted: May 31st, 2009, 1:58 pm
"Picnicking, Mr. Pennell"
Yesterday I drove up to Valencia (where Mr Cutter and I used to live). The freeway traffic as I zoomed up the 5 freeway came to a halt. Being an old hand, I knew where to exit and take surface streets. After driving to what felt like the far side of the moon, (man, has Valencia grown in the five years we've been gone), I arrived at the historic park where they were honoring Harry "Dobe" Carey, Jr. This being the 21st Century with what passes for well paved freeways and streets here in the City of Angels, I was able to do the drive (from my home in Sherman Oaks) in about 45 minutes. I can't even imagine what that drive must have been like (or how long it would have taken) in the 1920s. I'm guessing if you "went to town" you were planning to stay overnight and likewise, if you were going to visit the Carey's, you were staying overnight.
The Tesoro Adobe Historic Park is centered around the Carey family home that Harry Carey, Sr built back in the late twenties after losing his first ranch in the flooding after the San Francis dam collapse in 1928. The Carey family donated the house and out buildings to Los Angeles County a few years back. The County Parks and Rec has done an admirable job of keeping the place up. The various out buildings all have well written and easy to read histories.
To say thank you, they invited Dobe Carey and his family to come for a pot-luck lunch as well as informal question and answer session.
I got there about ten minutes before the Q&A began. There was a nice crowd, many dressed in western garb. Our first SSO guest star, author and film historian Bob Birchard was there with Hollywood Heritage president Marc Wanamaker.
Dobe is now 88 years old and though he uses a wheel chair to get around for long walk, he looks to be in good health and has a great memory. He talked about how he met his wife Marilyn. She was a friend of his sister, Ellen, who he calls Cappy. She was also character actor Paul Fix's daughter. He was about eight years older than her when they first met in the early 1940s. He went off to World War II (ultimately becoming a member of Pappy's WWII Photography unit). He came home on leave in 1944 and fell in love with Marilyn. He married her six weeks later and they are celebrating their 64th wedding anniversary this year.
He talked about his dad's first ranch which was located over in nearby Saugus. It was over 2,000 acres. Harry Carey, Sr had Navajos working on the ranch. (In fact, Dobe grew up speaking Navajo but he says his sister was better at the language than he was.) Carey, sr was getting ready to go back to New York for a film shoot and the Navajos asked if they could return Arizona and the reservation. Carey, sr asked why and they told him that the St. Francis dam (a large earthen dam supported on both sides by concrete supports) had a crack in it and was leaking. They told him the dam was going to break. Carey, sr gave his okay for Navajos to return to Arizona and he packed up his family and went to New York.
The dam broke late at night a short time later. The flood waters tore through the canyon destroying everything in it's path including the Carey Ranchero. In fact, debris from the flooding was found on the shores of Ventura, a coastal city about 50 miles from Saugus.
Harry, sr and Olive moved the family to higher ground and they built a new ranch and home. (Even further from Los Angeles and Hollywood). These folks must have loved the rugged life. The original ranch house at the old homestead had been built out of wood and had caught fire one night and burned down. Though a second house at the old homestead had been built, it too was built out of wood. After losing that home in the flood, Olive Carey wanted a sturdier home. Harry obliged and built her an adobe home.
Dobe talked about working with Ben Johnson and learning to "Roman-ride" while they were making Rio Grande. His story was interrupted when L.Q. Jones stopped by to say "hey". LQ Jones looks just like he has the last twenty some odd years for those who were wondering.
Dobe talked at length about working with Wayne and how much he enjoyed it. His favorite film is The Searchers and like many of us here, he believes it to be Wayne's best role. While making the film in Monument Valley, Wayne wasn't his usual jovial self either on the set or off, leading Dobe to talk about how much the character of Ethan Edwards had gotten under Wayne's skin.
His favorite Ford film is She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and he talked about how primitive the living conditions on location back in 1948 in Monument Valley. Arthur Shields who plays the doctor (and is Barry Fitzgerald's brother) helped Dobe find the character of Ross Pennell. A young girl got up and asked some questions about {b]Yellow Ribbon[/b] and ended with her story of when she and her family go on an outing they say "Picnicking, Mr. Pennell" and the crowd laughed along with her. Dobe then imitated Duke delivering the line!
I got a chance to also tell him how much so many of us here and at TCM City love his work. The Q&A lasted about 45 minutes and Dobe's wife and one of his daughters were great assists! LQ Jones proved to be the gentleman he is by not allowing the spotlight to be taken off of Dobe.
They both talked about working on Tombstone. Dobe talked about wearing knee pads for his big scene so that he could fall to his knees after getting shot. He says it was the dropping to his knees that sold that scene.
Afterwards, I was able to talk with him and Marilyn for a few minutes and he autographed my very old copy "Company of Heroes". He and Marilyn then gave a tour of the main ranch house.
It was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon!
Yesterday I drove up to Valencia (where Mr Cutter and I used to live). The freeway traffic as I zoomed up the 5 freeway came to a halt. Being an old hand, I knew where to exit and take surface streets. After driving to what felt like the far side of the moon, (man, has Valencia grown in the five years we've been gone), I arrived at the historic park where they were honoring Harry "Dobe" Carey, Jr. This being the 21st Century with what passes for well paved freeways and streets here in the City of Angels, I was able to do the drive (from my home in Sherman Oaks) in about 45 minutes. I can't even imagine what that drive must have been like (or how long it would have taken) in the 1920s. I'm guessing if you "went to town" you were planning to stay overnight and likewise, if you were going to visit the Carey's, you were staying overnight.
The Tesoro Adobe Historic Park is centered around the Carey family home that Harry Carey, Sr built back in the late twenties after losing his first ranch in the flooding after the San Francis dam collapse in 1928. The Carey family donated the house and out buildings to Los Angeles County a few years back. The County Parks and Rec has done an admirable job of keeping the place up. The various out buildings all have well written and easy to read histories.
To say thank you, they invited Dobe Carey and his family to come for a pot-luck lunch as well as informal question and answer session.
I got there about ten minutes before the Q&A began. There was a nice crowd, many dressed in western garb. Our first SSO guest star, author and film historian Bob Birchard was there with Hollywood Heritage president Marc Wanamaker.
Dobe is now 88 years old and though he uses a wheel chair to get around for long walk, he looks to be in good health and has a great memory. He talked about how he met his wife Marilyn. She was a friend of his sister, Ellen, who he calls Cappy. She was also character actor Paul Fix's daughter. He was about eight years older than her when they first met in the early 1940s. He went off to World War II (ultimately becoming a member of Pappy's WWII Photography unit). He came home on leave in 1944 and fell in love with Marilyn. He married her six weeks later and they are celebrating their 64th wedding anniversary this year.
He talked about his dad's first ranch which was located over in nearby Saugus. It was over 2,000 acres. Harry Carey, Sr had Navajos working on the ranch. (In fact, Dobe grew up speaking Navajo but he says his sister was better at the language than he was.) Carey, sr was getting ready to go back to New York for a film shoot and the Navajos asked if they could return Arizona and the reservation. Carey, sr asked why and they told him that the St. Francis dam (a large earthen dam supported on both sides by concrete supports) had a crack in it and was leaking. They told him the dam was going to break. Carey, sr gave his okay for Navajos to return to Arizona and he packed up his family and went to New York.
The dam broke late at night a short time later. The flood waters tore through the canyon destroying everything in it's path including the Carey Ranchero. In fact, debris from the flooding was found on the shores of Ventura, a coastal city about 50 miles from Saugus.
Harry, sr and Olive moved the family to higher ground and they built a new ranch and home. (Even further from Los Angeles and Hollywood). These folks must have loved the rugged life. The original ranch house at the old homestead had been built out of wood and had caught fire one night and burned down. Though a second house at the old homestead had been built, it too was built out of wood. After losing that home in the flood, Olive Carey wanted a sturdier home. Harry obliged and built her an adobe home.
Dobe talked about working with Ben Johnson and learning to "Roman-ride" while they were making Rio Grande. His story was interrupted when L.Q. Jones stopped by to say "hey". LQ Jones looks just like he has the last twenty some odd years for those who were wondering.
Dobe talked at length about working with Wayne and how much he enjoyed it. His favorite film is The Searchers and like many of us here, he believes it to be Wayne's best role. While making the film in Monument Valley, Wayne wasn't his usual jovial self either on the set or off, leading Dobe to talk about how much the character of Ethan Edwards had gotten under Wayne's skin.
His favorite Ford film is She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and he talked about how primitive the living conditions on location back in 1948 in Monument Valley. Arthur Shields who plays the doctor (and is Barry Fitzgerald's brother) helped Dobe find the character of Ross Pennell. A young girl got up and asked some questions about {b]Yellow Ribbon[/b] and ended with her story of when she and her family go on an outing they say "Picnicking, Mr. Pennell" and the crowd laughed along with her. Dobe then imitated Duke delivering the line!
I got a chance to also tell him how much so many of us here and at TCM City love his work. The Q&A lasted about 45 minutes and Dobe's wife and one of his daughters were great assists! LQ Jones proved to be the gentleman he is by not allowing the spotlight to be taken off of Dobe.
They both talked about working on Tombstone. Dobe talked about wearing knee pads for his big scene so that he could fall to his knees after getting shot. He says it was the dropping to his knees that sold that scene.
Afterwards, I was able to talk with him and Marilyn for a few minutes and he autographed my very old copy "Company of Heroes". He and Marilyn then gave a tour of the main ranch house.
It was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon!