STAGE SCENARIOS

Stage One – Fort Apache – This is a 1948 Western film starring John Wayne and Henry Fonda. Director John Ford hired Ben Johnson as a riding double for Henry Fonda. During the shooting, three horses pulling a wagon with three men in it stampeded. Ben Johnson, who happened to be nearby sitting on his horse, gave chase, stopped the runaway wagon and saved the three men.

Shooting Line: “Whoa Boys!”

Stage Two - She Wore A Yellow Ribbon – This 1949 John Ford movie won an Academy Award for its color cinematography and painted a memorable portrait of the honor, duty and courage in the finest tradition of the cavalry. The movie starred John Wayne, Joanne Dru, John Agar, Ben Johnson and Harry Carey, Jr. In one scene, Sergeant Tyree played by Ben Johnson, escorts the stage coach to the Fort with the paymaster who has been killed by Indians. Sergeant Tyree says to Captain Nathan Cutting Brittles, played by John Wayne, “Gunshot sir. Dead when I found him.”

Shooting Line: “Gunshot sir. Dead when I found him.” Or, “Dead when I found him.”

Stage Three – Wagon Master – This is a 1950 Western film about a Mormon pioneer wagon train heading to the San Juan River in Utah. John Ford turned Ben Johnson from a stuntman into an actor in this movie. In one scene, Travis played by Ben Johnson, rides up to Miss Denver, an entertainer and apparently a prostitute played by Joanne Dru. As Miss Denver is leaving the wagon train, Travis tries to propose. Travis says, “Sure hope I see you again Miss Denver.” Miss Denver turns around and walks away and says, “Thanks. Don’t bank on it.”

Shooting Line: “Don’t bank on it.”

State Four – Shane – This 1953 Western film classic was based on the book by Jack Schaefer who also wrote Monte Walsh. As we all know, this memorable movie starred Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur and Van Heflin and featured Brandon de Wilde, Jack Palance and Ben Johnson. In one scene Shane comes into Grafton’s General Store and is confronted by Ben Johnson playing Chris Calloway who says to Shane, “I guess you don’t hear very well sodbuster. I thought I told you if you wanted to stay healthy, to stay out of here. Now git going.”

Shooting Line: “Now git going.” Stage Five – Will Penny – Hollywood legend Charlton Heston starred in this 1968 movie as Will Penny, an aging cowboy who gets a line camp job on the Flat Iron Ranch, a large cattle spread. He soon finds out that his isolated cabin is already inhabited by a husbandless woman and her young son. The movie co-starred Bruce Dern, Ben Johnson and Slim Pickens. Will Penny is about to get into a fight in the bunk house with some of the other hands when the foreman Alex (Ben Johnson) comes in. Alex says, “Any eyeballing done around here, I’m gonna do it.”

Shooting Line: “Any eyeballing done around here, I’m gonna do it.”

Stage Six – The Wild Bunch - This 1969 movie was directed by the one and only Sam Peckinpah. This is a powerful tale of hangdog desperados bound by a code of honor and rates as one of the all-time greatest Westerns. The movie starred William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Edmond O’Brien, Warren Oates, Jaime Sanchez and Ben Johnson. In one scene, the Wild bunch has a chance to leave with their lives but they could not leave without their compadre Angel. In a prelude to one of the greatest gunfights in movie history, General Fernandez asks, “What do you want?” The Wild Bunch says, “We want Angel.” From there, all hell breaks loose.

Shooting Line: “We want Angel.”

Stage Seven – The Last Picture Show – Ben Johnson won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in this 1971 movie based on the semi-biographical book of the same name written by Lonesome Dove author Larry McMurtry. Ben Johnson originally turned down the role of Sam the Lion because he did not think that swearing and nudity belonged in motion pictures. The only reason Ben played the role is because Director Peter Bogdanovich agreed to let Ben rewrite his role with the offensive words removed. There will never be another Ben Johnson. When Ben Johnson received his Academy Award he said, “Boy, ain’t that purty.”

Shooting Line: “Boy, ain’t that purty.” Stage Eight – Bite the Bullet – This 1975 Western was written and directed by Richard Brooks and starred Gene Hackman, James Coburn, Candice Bergen, Ben Johnson and others. It is based on actual events of the early 20th century. The story concerns a grueling 700 mile cross country horse race in 1906. Mister, played by Ben Johnson, is in poor health with a bad heart. He is being helped into camp by Sam Clayton played by Gene Hackman and he says, “Don’t let them see me like this. I ain’t run out my string yet.”

Shooting Line: “I ain’t run out my string yet.”

Stage Nine – The Sacketts – This is a 1979 television Western movie adapted from Louis L’Amour’s third novel in the Sacketts series. The movie starred Sam Elliott, Tom Selleck, Jeff Osterhage and Glenn Ford. Ben Johnson was featured as Cap Roundtree. In the scene called Broken Pride, a young gunslinger named Kid Newton starts giving Cap Roundtree and Tell Sackett played by Sam Elliott, a hard time in a saloon while they are trying to enjoy a steak dinner. Cap says to Kid Newton, “Don’t crowd him son. You won’t be the first one he’s buried. You wouldn’t even get a chance to clear leather with those hog legs. You’d better get some air. I said, you’d better get some air.”

Shooting Line: “I said, you’d better get some air.”

Stage Ten – My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys – This is a 1991 Western drama starring Scott Glenn as H.D., an aging rodeo cowboy and Kate Capshaw as his girlfriend Julie. H.D. rescues his father, Jesse Dalton played by Ben Johnson, from a nursing home and takes him home to his ranch.

Shooting Line: “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys.”