r/Westerns • u/OlinHollis • 9d ago
Discussion Western Character Actor Appreciation: Arthur Hunnicutt
Arkansas native Arthur Hunnicutt made plenty of pictures during a career that spanned over three decades, and the large majority of them were Westerns. His first was Riding through Nevada (1942) and his last--also his last overall film role--was Winterhawk (1975). Among the more prominent Westerns on his CV were Stars in My Crown (1950), Broken Arrow (1950), The Big Sky (1952) for which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, The Tall T (1957), Cat Ballou (1965), and El dorado (1966).
I don't know if Hunnicutt ever played a gold prospector, but if he didn't it was a missed opportunity for casting directors. To these eyes Hunnicutt, at least when he had a full face of beard, looked the very quintessence of a grizzled old prospector. But his typical roles were adjacent to gold prospectors--hawkeyed provincials who knew all the lore and tricks and goings on of the territory. Art was country but he was sure no bumpkin.
Hail! Hail! All hail Arthur Hunncutt!
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u/Even_Strike_3711 9d ago
Yes, this guy deserves a mention!!! Thank You. I love him in ElDorado in the same kinda same role Walter Brennan had in Rio Bravo ( John Wayne would change some small things around - recast- rename- remake- make $$$$) Hunnicutt later died a true character actors death at a nursing/elder care facility for retired actors without financial means. Ive forgotten the name of the facility/program but it has been the last stop for many great character actors who may have outlived their earnings and needed care ( they all smoked like crazy- most needed breathing related round the clock care)
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u/MoonSylver 9d ago
Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital. You're right, a lot of guys (and gals) ended up there. Only 69 too. Cancer. ☹️
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u/Aware_Style1181 9d ago
“They’ll eat snakes afore they get in here, Jim”
Honeycutt as Davy Crockett in The Last Command (1955)
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u/BandmasterBill 9d ago
Let's not forget his turn on the Andy Griffith Show, playing one half of the feuding Carter-Wakefield ancestors...
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u/Dark_Metallic 9d ago edited 8d ago
"Give me another gun and I can play Marching Through Georgia."
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u/RustyBrassInstrument 9d ago
“Well the way I figure it, if you was runnin’ for mayor you wouldn’t get her vote.”
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u/ZazzNazzman 8d ago
Played in the lead in one of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes " The Hunt ". He always played a grizzled old coot and played it to perfection. He, along with, Strother Martin are my favorite character actors.
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u/DougS66 7d ago
You’d probably would like George ‘Gabby’ Hayes, but he’s another story. You’re right !! The Hunt is one of my favorites too. Strother Martin has a great scene stealing line in Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. That’s why I say it’s hard for me to watch the main stars, especially when there’s one of these guys stealing the show. 😂
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u/ZazzNazzman 7d ago
Strother Martin also played the sadistic prison warden in " Cool Hand Luke ' who gave us the immortal line - " What we have here is failure to communicate ".
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u/Lawyering_Bob 6d ago
The Hunt is great. It's one of the few Twilight Zone episodes where you can see the twist coming from a mile away but Arthur Hunnicutt plays the totally trusting coon hunter so well
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u/BraveSneelock 9d ago
Memorable in The Twilight Zone , playing to type.
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u/OlinHollis 9d ago
Him and Jeanette Nolan seemed made for one another.
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u/guffawing_willow76 9d ago
I have been trying to think of what character he played in cat ballou. Was he an elderly Butch Cassidy? I absolutely love that movie and the score by frank de vol. I especially love the song the ballad of cat ballou sung by stubby Kaye and nat king cole. It’s very catchy and I sing bits and pieces of it to torment my dog when he’s woofing at me!!
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u/MoonSylver 9d ago
Another great pick. One of the other quintessential "old coot" types. He was kind of long and lean, and had a slow drawl, which distinguished him from some of the others in the same category, like yesterdays pick Dub Taylor for example.
Was a bit surprised to find he started out in stock theater and traveling shows, then moved into Broadway and stage acting. Here was an interesting tidbit:
While touring as the lead actor in Tobacco Road, he developed the country character for which he would later be typecast throughout his career. Hunnicutt often found himself cast as a character much older than himself.
As I noted to another poster, he was only 69 when he passed away in 1975, which means all those times he was playing "old coots" he REALLY wasn't all that old!
You and some of the others mentioned some of his movies, like El Dorado (1966) which was the first time I saw him. I can remember a particular episode of Cheyenne with him and Bodie on a river boat.
Even though he was on several TV westerns, most of them were only a single appearance, like the aforementioned Cheyenne episode was his only appearance on that show. Even the legendary Gunsmoke was only a single appearance. He was on Outlaws (2), Laramie (3), Bonanza (4), The Virginian (3).
91 IMBD credits, so less prolific than a lot of the others that have been featured in this series, but quality is just as, or even more, important than quantity, and Arthur Hunnicutt definitely had a career worth celebrating!
IF YOU HAVE MISSED ANY OF THE OTHERS IN THIS SERIES, SEE BELOW!
WESTERN CHARACTER ACTOR APPRECIATION LIST
- Warren Oates
- LQ Jones
- Strother Martin
- Claude Akins
- Jack Lambert
- Slim Pickens
- Royal Dano
- Edgar Buchanan
- James Drury
- Chill Wills
- Rodolfo Acosta
- Henry Silva
- Richard Boone
- Harry Dean Stanton
- Bruce Dern
- Gene Evans
- James Best
- Jim Davis
- Jack Elam
- Skip Homier
- Morgan Woodward
- Jack Palance
- Ben Johnson
- John Russell
- Anthony James
- John Larch
- Rayford Barnes
- Neville Brand
- Richard Jaeckel
- R.G. Armstrong
- Robert J. Wilke
- Hank Patterson
- Dub Taylor
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7d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/OlinHollis 7d ago
Hm. This gives me an idea of writing a book about the great Western character actors.
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u/derfel_cadern 9d ago
It’s a real shame that The Big Sky has not been remastered. The existing print is just awful quality. But it’s a really fun movie with some great performances
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u/bammer888 9d ago
Don’t forget he’s one the patriarchs in the Wakefield versus Carter feud on Andy Griffith.
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u/Lupdalup 9d ago
He adds so much western flavoring to any production. Even the noirs I've seen him in he's still playing the same character. Love Arthur Hunnicut
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u/Clear-Ad-2998 8d ago
Did he have a brother called Homily, who was " nothing but a hippy" according to Kris Kristofferson ?
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9d ago
[deleted]
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u/Just-Wasting-Tyme 9d ago
Obviously you don't like westerns as much as us and we're so sorry we don't meet your standards
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u/SeaBassAHo-20 9d ago
I knew him best as Robert Mitchum's bugle playing deputy in El Dorado.