Article: Obituary: Ben Johnson

Some Hollywood actors are so naturally saddle-happy that it's odd to see them wearing a suit. Ben Johnson was pre-eminent among these; he had been a cowboy and all but a few of his films were westerns. One that wasn't was The Last Picture Show (1971), in which he was Sam the Lion, who ran the town's movie house, its pool hall, garage and cafe. It was a tank town deep in the heart of Texas in the early 1950s, ironically enough allowing Johnson to wear the cowboy duds of that era. He brought to the role his customary understated benevolence, a quality needed as he advised the young bloods - Jeff Bridges, Timothy Bottoms - on that prime concern of all movie youth, sex.

Johnson had originally ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!