Goodbye Cheyenne

 

I recently re-watched one of my favorite western movies, “Night of the Grizzly”  I could say the viewing was solely as a way to honor the passing of Clint Walker but the fact of the matter is the movie has long been one of my favorites.

But Walker deserves the honor.

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Clint Walker, born Norman Eugene Walker, overcame a birth name that could have doomed him to a life as a pale, skinny, Harvey Milktoast type accountant. Instead he grew to 6’6” tall and worked hard enough to fill his frame with beef.  At one point he was employed as an armed security guard at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.  There he met many Hollywood stars who encouraged him to try out for the movies.

On his way to meet Cecil B. DeMille to discuss a possible part in “The Ten Commandments,” starring Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner he saw a woman stopped on the side of the road with a flat tire.  True to his heroic spirit Walker pulled over to lend assistance.  The good deed caused the aspiring actor to be late for his meeting with the Hollywood heavyweight.

He thought he’d blown his chance as he walked into the room.  DeMille looked him up and down and said, “You’re late, young man.”

It turned out that the lady-in-distress Walker had helped was Mr. DeMille’s secretary and the good deed that could have slammed the door on the young man’s career instead threw it wide open.  He got the role of a captain of the pharaoh’s guard in “The Ten Commandments,” which debuted in 1956.

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That appearance got Walker some attention and a contract with Warner Bros.  In turn, that contract gave him an advantage when he tried out for perhaps his best known role, the lead in the TV series “Cheyenne”.

For eight years he played wandering adventurer Cheyenne Bodie in the post Civil War era west.  The series showcased the ruggedly handsome, broad-chested actor.  The program was popular from its inception and Walker reprised his title role in several guest appearances over the years, most recently in “Kung Fu: The Legend Continues” in the 1995 episode, “Gunfighter”.

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Although he received a lot of attention for his part as meek but imposing convict Samson Posey in 1967’s “The Dirty Dozen”, my favorite Clint Walker role came out a year earlier.  In “Night of the Grizzly,” Walker played Big Jim Cole, a man trying to move on after a dangerous ten-year job as a sheriff in Uinta County, Utah.

Big Jim has inherited a section (640 acres) of Colorado land from his grand-daddy and moves his family (wife, son, daughter, niece, and friend/former deputy) to hopefully live a life of peace and happiness.

It’s not long before they find that wealthy landowner Jed Curry (Keenan Wynn) wants the land badly enough to resort to unscrupulous methods to get it.

As if that’s not enough, Cole is warned that his ranch is also claimed by Satan, a grizzly bear.  Banker Cotton Benson tells him that Satan is, “Fifteen hundred odd pounds of the meanest wickedest animal this side of Hades.”

When he protests that a grizzly won’t bother you unless you bother it, Cotton says, “Old Satan don’t wait for no invitation; he comes around lookin’ for it.  He kills just for the wicked fun of it.”

It is not long before the furry menace seems determined to destroy everything Cole finds dear, driving him to the brink of losing everything he has invested in the ranch.  The big rancher resolves to protect his family by killing Satan but the bear strikes first, killing Cole’s best friend.

To make matters worse, Cass Dowdy (Leo Gordon), Cole’s disgraced former deputy, shows up to claim the $750 reward ranchers have put on the bruin.  Dowdy holds a grudge for the fact that Cole held him accountable for crimes he committed as deputy.  Destroying Cole would be a welcome bonus to collecting the reward, so Dowdy goes to work.

Showing the kind of grit and determination that men aspire to, Cole takes on all comers, including Tad Curry, played by TV’s future Tarzan – Ron Ely.  In addition, he exhibits behaviors that all fathers can replicate.

In one scene, when his wife, Angela (Martha Hyer), implores him to give up the fight to save the ranch, Big Jim Cole says, “Angie, in every man’s life there’s a Cass or Satan of one kind or another trying to whip him, beat him down, destroy him.  He can’t try to run away from it.  He’s gotta stand strong and fight.  Whatever it is he’s gotta fight it.  That’s how God made a man.”

Amen, brother.

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Although Clint Walker was not known as an actor with a wide range of emotion, during one of the movie’s quieter moments, he does show off his singing talent with a love song to his wife on the show, Angela (Martha Hyer).  He has an impressive singing voice and the song is not out of place so male viewers won’t find the need to fast forward through it.

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Mr. Walker had a long, successful career despite not always always making the best choice of roles, but most of his movies are well-worth checking out.  If you can find “Cheyenne”, watch it.  I’ll bet you enjoy it.

If you want to pass a little time with a good adventure story, watch, “Night of the Grizzly”.

Clint Walker was a good man and a good actor and will be missed.  He leaves behind a wife and daughter and millions of fans all over the world.

And I’m one.

 

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(above) A short tribute to Clint Walker.

(below) Some scenes from “Night of the Grizzly”.

 

(below) Clint Walker shows some of his other talent as he sings “Angela” in the movie, “Night of the Grizzly”.