See a Wonderful, Hour-Long, 1995 Interview with Oscar-Winner, Ben “Son” Johnson, Hollywood’s Greatest Horseman, and Harry “Dobe” Carey Jr., Author of the Legendary Work, Company of Heroes: My Life as an Actor in the John Ford Stock Company (1996) (Video)

[“A Celebration of Ben ‘Son’ Johnson, with Peter Bogdanovich and The Last Picture Show Along for the Ride! (Videos, Videos, Videos!).”]

“Son” (1918-1996) and “Dobe” (1921- 2012) were about my favorite Hollywood figures, when the camera wasn’t running. And they were of course great talents, when the camera WAS running.

Johnson, who would eventually be rodeo world champion, was named after his father, a legendary, three-time rodeo world champion and rancher, but for some reason folks took to calling him “Son,” rather than “Junior.” Carey was also a Junior, named after his father, the legendary silent film star, but everyone took to calling him “Dobe,” because of the reddish blonde color of his hair.

Son was close to death at the time of this interview and, as such, his speech wasn’t the clearest, but his brain was working just fine, so you’ll need to listen very closely to him. Dobe was only three years younger than him, but was in much better health, and thus his speech was much clearer.

When I viewed this, I told myself, “There’s no time to watch now, I’ve got to hit the sack,” but I knew what legendary story-tellers these gentlemen were, and just couldn’t resist. And it was worth it!