Ben Johnson

[pvitari]

BZZZZZZ.... It's the Savage Bees -- two lobby cards, to be precise.



Ben is in the background, behind the man in the blue shirt.

[pvitari]

Sorry I haven't posted much lately, I just haven't had the time. Some additional DVD news -- Virginian season 7 will be out Feb. 5, with Ben's fourth and final episode for the show, "A Vision of Blindness." He plays another bad guy.

I posted screencaps today from something big, the comedy western starring Dean Martin. (The movie title does not have caps.) This is a pretty bad movie, alas, but it's a nice looking DVD, and I do love Ben doing comedy. :) This will be my last post for a week or so as I will be taking time off for the Thanksgiving holiday. That is, my last post to my Ben page. I'll be checking in at SSO! ;)

Here are screencaps from something big.

Batch 1





































---->

[pvitari]

something big, batch 2







































----->

[pvitari]

something big, batch 3























I had a little room left at the end of the album, so I made screencaps of other actors in the movie

Denver Pyle


Brian Keith


Dean Martin


Shirleena Manchur. I don't know who she is, but she's so luscious I just had to include her.


Dean Martin and Harry Carey, Jr.


Honor Blackman


Paul Fix


Harry Carey Jr. again. He looks like a leprechaun in this movie! ;)


Carol White


The end. :)

[JackFavell]

I like those nice juicy closeups! The one where he's got the fork in his hand looks so foxy!

[pvitari]

JackFavell, he's got sly bemused look on his face in that shot because Brian Keith's character is spouting off an inanity about how to treat "these people" --although of course he doesn't have a clue and he gets no information at all. Ben's character Jesse just sits there and lets Morgan pontificate, enjoying the spectacle. He's no fan of the colonel and he's happy to let him make a fool of himself. The scene is mildly amusing, which I could say about quite a few scenes in the movie, although overall I'd have to rate something big a D at best.

[JackFavell]

It's a shame, I like both Ben and Brian Keith.

[pvitari]

Brian Keith steals the movie, he's really very funny, and Ben's fine too. In fact the cast saves this movie with the exception of Dean Martin, who's just phoning it in, but I can't say I blame him ,because his role is so I'll-conceived.

[pvitari]

I'm back and here is Ben in Movie Life Yearbook 1950, Vol. 1, No. 10. :) Wonder how long they fussed over his hair to get it JUST SO. :) I jumped for joy when this magazine arrived as I had never seen this picture before. :) The article is entitled "E for Everything" with the following introduction: "The Race is On! These are Today's Fastest Comers, Rarin' to Go with All the Equipment for Stardom, Ready to Make 1950 Their Banner Year." The other actors profiled are Ruth Roman, Jeff Chandler, Valentina Cortesa, Keefe Brasselle, Sally Forrest, Betty Lynn, Anthony Curtis [soon to be more widely known as Tony Curtis], Pedro Armendariz, Corinne Calvet, Denise Darcel and Jerry Lewis & Dean Martin.

[JackFavell]

That's so exciting, Paula! Congrats!

[tinker]

Thank you for all the pictures Paula. Brian Keith is one of my favourite western actors.

dee

(I can finally post. Thank you Lynn)

[pvitari]

Dee, there you are! So glad you finally made it.

Ben and Brian Keith worked together three times (that I can think of) -- the Disney movie Ten Who Dared (1960), the Virginian episode "Duel at Shiloh" (1963), and something big. They were also both in The Rare Breed (1966) but did not have any scenes together. (Screencaps from all at my Ben page.) If only Ben had made a guest appearance on The Westerner or Family Affair!

[tinker]

Paula

I always think that Brian Keith made almost every character he played better than it was written. And Duel at Shiloh is one of my favourite Virginian episodes but Ben sort of disappears in it.

The screen caps are fantastic


dee

[pvitari]

Ben doesn't just "kind of disappear" in Duel at Shiloh, he totally disappears. :( He quits the ranch and that's the last we see of him. Four appearances on The Virginian and not once does he have the principal guest role...*sigh.* At least they knew what do with him in Have Gun, Will Travel!

Speaking of Ben and television, two DVDs just came out -- the TV miniseries Dream West and the Perry Mason eighth season episodes "The Case of the Reckless Rockhound." I've done some super-quickie screencaps -- hope to do a proper screencapping very soon.

Ben plays a mine superintendant in the Perry Mason episode and gets a nice big scene on the witness stand. This was the same year as Fort Bowie... that mustache alters his appearance a lot. He looks a lot older with it.



With Elisha J. Cook (they worked together not too longer thereafter in One-Eyed Jacks -- Cook is the teller in the scene where Bob Amory tries to rob the bank)













Ben plays mountain man Jim Bridger in Dream West. It's just a three-minute cameo. Nice outfit! ;) These screencaps are a little soft -- the DVD looks a lot better on my television.



With Rip Torn as Kit Carson and Richard Chamberlain as John Charles Fremont

[JackFavell]

That last cap is beautiful.

I really like the moustache on Ben. He's one of the few who can carry off anything, beard, moustache, clean shaven, and no matter what he looks good. Nice to hear about the Perry Mason ep coming out. I just got ME TV and discovered Perry on at 8 or 9 in the evening. The theme song and opening titles still scare me!