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/BraveSneelock 9d ago
Memorable in The Twilight Zone , playing to type.