Western actor and Saugus native Harry Carey Jr. died Friday at 91. He lived most recently in Santa Barbara with his wife, Marilyn.
Carey, who earned the nickname “Dobe” as a child for the adobe color of his hair, was born May 16, 1921, to Harry Carey Sr. and Olive Carey at their ranch in Saugus, which is now the Tesoro Del Valle housing development.
Dobe Carey’s birthplace is now the Los Angeles County-run Tesoro Adobe Park. He participated in its 2005 dedication and appeared on SCVTV’s “Newsmaker of the Week” program at that time. It can be viewed above.
Some of his biggest film appearances were opposite John Wayne in nine John Ford including “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon,” “The Searchers” and “3 Godfathers,” in which he sings.
He appeared in numerous Western television series filmed in Placerita Canyon at Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch and Walt Disney’s Golden Oak Ranch. Fans of more recent Western films might remember Dobe Carey as Marshal Fred White, who gets gunned down in the street in 1993′s “Tombstone” starring Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer.
Publicity photo: Dobe Carey in John Ford’s “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon”
(The following is adapted from Carey’s website, HarryCareyJr.com):
Carey and his younger sister, Ella, nicknamed “Cappy,” attended Newhall School when it was on Lyons Avenue near Newhall Avenue. As children they got to know some of the regular visitors to the Saugus ranch, such as actor William S. Hart, humorist-actor Will Rogers, painter Charles Russell and their parents’ good friend, director John Ford.
Dobe went to high school at Black Foxe Military Institute in Hollywood with the sons of other Hollywood personalities. As a young man he yearned to be a singer. While taking voice lessons in New York City in 1939 he got his first paying job at the New York World’s Fair in the show, “Railroads on Parade” — not as a singer, but as a horseback rider, something he learned to do with great skill on the Saugus ranch.
In 1941 he was hired by NBC as a page boy and then entered in the Navy. He shipped out but was quickly recalled to Washington by John Ford, who was working for the OSS — the predecessor to the CIA. Under Ford’s “direction,” Dobe developed Allied and captured German spy film for the war effort. In 1944, while still in the Navy, Dobe married Marilyn Fix, the daughter of actor Paul Fix. She would remain his lifelong companion and gave him four children.
In 1946, Dobe followed his father into the motion picture business, landing a role in a “B” movie, “Rolling Home.” Next came a featured role in Raoul Walsh’s “Pursued,” and he was on his way. In 1947 he made his first of 11 films with John Wayne, appearing in the Howard Hawks classic, “Red River.” Harry Sr. appeared in the film, as well, although they did not appear on camera together. Senior never saw it; it was released posthumously in 1948.
In that year Ford remade “3 Godfathers,” which he had made in 1919 with Harry Sr. This time Junior shared the lead (and sang) with Duke Wayne and Mexican box-office sensation Pedro Armendariz. It was his first of nine films as a member of the John Ford Stock Company — the others being “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon,” “Wagonmaster,” “Rio Grande” (in which he did some Roman riding, standing on two horses while galloping through Monument Valley), “The Searchers,” “Two Rode Together,” “The Long Gray Line,” “Mister Roberts” and “Cheyenne Autumn.”
Harry Carey Jr. appeared in nearly 100 films and hundreds of television episodes, including numerous appearances in the Mickey Mouse Club series “The Adventures of Spin and Marty” (shot on the Walt Disney Co.’s Golden Oak Ranch in Placerita Canyon), “Gunsmoke” (early episodes shot on Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch in Placerita Canyon), “Rawhide” (ditto) and others. He has made two documentaries, “Legends of the American West” and “John Ford’s America” and is the author of the book, “Company of Heroes: My Life As an Actor in the John Ford Stock Company,” available in hard- and softcover editions.
FILMOGRAPHY (from harrycareyjr.com):
Last Stand at Saber River (1997) (TV) … James Sanford
Ben Johnson: Third Cowboy on the Right (1996) … Himself
Sunchaser, The (1996) … Cashier
Wyatt Earp: Return to Tombstone (1994)
Tombstone (1993) … Tombstone Marshall Fred White
Exorcist III, The (1990) … Father Kanavan
Back to the Future Part III (1990) … Saloon Old Timer #2
Bad Jim (1990) … J.C. Lee
John Ford (1990) (TV) … Himself
Breaking In (1989) (as Harry Carey) … Shoes
Once Upon a Texas Train (1988) (TV) (as Harry Carey) … Herald Pitch
Illegally Yours (1988) … Wally Finnegan
Cherry 2000 (1987) … Snappy Tom
Whales of August, The (1987) … Joshua Brackett
Crossroads (1986) … Bartender
Adventures of William Tell (1986) (TV) … Mutino
Mask (1985) … Red
Gremlins (1984) … Mr. Anderson
Princess Daisy (1983) (TV)
Shadow Riders, The (1982) (TV) … Pa Traven
Endangered Species (1982) … Dr. Emmer
Long Riders, The (1980) … George Arthur
Wild Times (1980) (TV) … Fitz Bragg
UFOria (1980) … George Martin
Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid (1978) (TV) … Deputy Luke
“Black Beauty” (1978) (mini) (TV Series) … Mr. Bond
Nickelodeon (1976) … Dobe
Take a Hard Ride (1975) … Dumper
Challenge to White Fang (1974) … Tarwater
Cahill U.S. Marshal (1973) … Hank
Man From The East (1972) (Italy)
Run, Cougar, Run (1972)
Trinity Is STILL My Name! (1972) (USA/Italy)
Big Jake (1971) (as Harry Cary Jr.) … Pop Dawson
One More Train to Rob (1971) … Red
Something Big (1971) … Joe Pickins
Moonshine War, The (1970) … Arley Stamper
Dirty Dingus Magee (1970) … Charles Stuart
One More Time (1970)
Undefeated, The (1969) … Soloman Webster, Thomas Rider
Death of a Gunfighter (1969) … Reverend Rork
Bandolero! (1968) (as Harry Carey) … Cort Hayjack
Devil’s Brigade, The (1968) … Captain Rose
Way West, The (1967) … Mr. McBee
Ballad of Josie, The (1967) … Mooney, Meredith’s Foreman
Rare Breed, The (1966) … Ed Mabry
Alvarez Kelly (1966) … Corporal Peterson
Billy the Kid versus Dracula (1966) … Ben Dooley, wagonmaster
Cyborg 2087 (1966) … Jay C
Shenandoah (1965) … Rebel Soldier
Taggart (1965) … Lt. Hudson
Cheyenne Autumn (1964) (uncredited) … Trooper Smith
Raiders, The (1963) … Jellicoe Flashing
Spikes (1962) (TV) … Player in dugout
Public Affair, A (1962) … Bill Martin
Two Rode Together (1961) … Ortho Clegg
Noose for a Gunman (1960) … Jim Ferguson
Great Impostor, The (1960) … Dr. Joseph Mornay
Rio Bravo (1959) … Harold (Final scene was cut but Screen Credit remained on print)
Gundown at Sandoval (1959)
Escort West (1958) … Travis
“Texas John Slaughter” (1958) (TV Series) … Ben Jenkins
From Hell to Texas (1958) … Trueblood
“New Adventures of Spin and Marty, The” (1958) (TV Series) … Bill Burnett
River’s Edge, The (1957) … Chet
“Further Adventures of Spin and Marty, The” (1957) (TV Series) … Bill Burnett
Kiss Them for Me (1957) (uncredited)
Gun the Man Down (1956) … Deputy Lee
Great Locomotive Chase, The (1956) … William Bensinger
Searchers, The (1956) … Brad Jorgensen
7th Cavalry (1956) … Corporal Morrison
House of Bamboo (1955) (uncredited) … John
Mister Roberts (1955) … Stefanowski
Long Gray Line, The (1955) … Dwight Eisenhower
“Spin and Marty” (1955) (TV Series) … Bill Burnett
Spin and Marty: The Movie (1955) … Bill Burnett
Outcast, The (1954) … Bert
Silver Lode (1954) … Johnson
Island in the Sky (1953) … Hunt
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) (uncredited) … Sims
Sweethearts on Parade (1953) … Jim Riley
San Antone (1953) … Dobe Frakus
Niagara (1953) (uncredited) … Taxi Driver
Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (1953) … Griff
Monkey Business (1952) (uncredited) … Reporter
Wild Blue Yonder, The (1951) … Sergeant Shaker Schuker
Warpath (1951) … Captain Gregson
Rio Grande (1950) … Trooper Daniel ‘Sandy’ Boone
Wagon Master (1950) … Sandy
Copper Canyon (1950) … Lt. Ord
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) … Lt. Ross Pennell
3 Godfathers (1948) … William Kearney, ‘The Abilene Kid’
Moonrise (1948) … Jimmy Biff
Red River (1948) … Dan Latimer
Blood on the Moon (1948) (uncredited) … Cowboy
Pursued (1947) … Prentice McComber
Rolling Home (1946) (uncredited)
———Notable TV guest appearances———
“B.L. Stryker” (1989) … in episode: “Auntie Sue” (episode #1.4) 4/17/1989
“Knight Rider” (1982) playing “Josh Morgan” … in episode: “Not a Drop to Drink” (episode #1.7) 11/5/1982
“CHiPs” (1977) playing “Grandfather Criss” … in episode: “Flare Up” (episode #5.20) 3/7/1982
“Little House on the Prairie” (1974) playing “sheriff Pike” … in episode: “New Beginning, A” (episode #7.3) 10/6/1980
“B.J. and the Bear” (1979) … in episode: “Fire In The Hole”
“Gunsmoke” (1955) playing “Amos Brody” … in episode: “Trail of Bloodshed” (episode #19.21) 3/4/1974
“Doc Elliot” (1973) … in episode: “Runner, The” (episode #1.6) 2/13/1974
“Banacek” (1972) playing “Dean Barrett” … in episode: “Horse of a Slightly Different Color” (episode #2.5) 1/22/1974
“Gunsmoke” (1955) playing “Kelliher” … in episode: “Gold Train: The Bullet: Part 3″ (episode #17.14) 12/13/1971
“Gunsmoke” (1955) playing “Kelliher” … in episode: “Gold Train: The Bullet: Part 2″ (episode #17.13) 12/6/1971
“Gunsmoke” (1955) playing “Kelliher” … in episode: “Gold Train: The Bullet: Part 1″ (episode #17.12) 11/29/1971
“Gunsmoke” (1955) playing “Will Roniger” … in episode: “Lost, The” (episode #17.1) 9/13/1971
“Virginian, The” (1962) playing “Thad” … in episode: “Follow the Leader” (episode #9.11) 12/2/1970
“Mannix” (1967) … in episode: “Missing: Sun and Sky” (episode #3.12) 12/20/1969
“Outcasts, The” (1968) … in episode: “Thin Edge, The” (episode #1.17) 2/17/1969
“Gunsmoke” (1955) playing “Nathan Cade” … in episode: “Waco” (episode #14.11) 12/9/1968
“Cimarron Strip” (1967) … in episode: “Sound of a Drum” (episode #1.19) 2/1/1968
“Gunsmoke” (1955) playing “Will Roniger” … in episode: “Baker’s Dozen” (episode #13.15) 12/25/1967
“Bonanza” (1959) … in episode: “Judgment at Red Creek” (episode #8.24) 2/26/1967
“Rounders, The” (1966) … in episode: “Horse On Jim Ed Love, A” (episode #1.1) 9/6/1966
“Legend of Jesse James, The” (1965) … in episode: “Celebrity, The” (episode #1.12) 12/6/1965
“Gunsmoke” (1955) … in episode: “Bank Baby” (episode #10.26) 3/20/1965
“Branded” (1965) … in episode: “Vindicator, The” (episode #1.2) 1/31/1965
“Redigo” (1963) … in episode: “Man in a Blackout” (episode #1.7) 11/5/1963
“Wagon Train” (1957) playing “John Jay Burroughs” … in episode: “Sam Pulaski Story, The” (episode #7.8) 11/4/1963
“Wagon Train” (1957) playing “Charlie Hankins” … in episode: “Molly Kincaid Story, The” (episode #7.1) 9/16/1963
“Stoney Burke” (1962) … in episode: “Tigress by the Tail” (episode #1.30) 5/6/1963
“Laramie” (1959) … in episode: “Time of the Traitor” (episode #4.11) 12/11/1962
“Gunsmoke” (1955) playing “Jake” … in episode: “Abe Blocker” (episode #8.11) 11/24/1962
“Laramie” (1959) … in episode: “Lost Allegiance” (episode #4.6) 10/30/1962
“Gunsmoke” (1955) playing “Jim Grant” … in episode: “Quint Asper Comes Home” (episode #8.3) 9/29/1962
“Checkmate” (1960) playing “Phil Cassidy” … in episode: “Bold and the Tough, The” (episode #2.32) 5/16/1962
“Frontier Circus” (1961) … in episode: “Race, The” (episode #1.24) 5/3/1962
“Lawman” (1958) playing “Mitch Evers” … in episode: “Cort” (episode #4.33) 4/29/1962
“Wagon Train” (1957) … in episode: “George B. Hanrahan Story, The” (episode #5.26) 3/28/1962
“Rawhide” (1959) … in episode: “Deserter’s Patrol” (episode #4.18) 2/9/1962
“Laramie” (1959) … in episode: “Barefoot Kid, The” (episode #3.15) 1/9/1962
“Perry Mason” (1957) playing “Frank Deane” … in episode: “Case of the Roving River, The” (episode #5.15) 12/30/1961
“Rifleman, The” (1958) playing “Lt. Bond” … in episode: “Journey Back, The” (episode #4.5) 10/30/1961
“Whispering Smith” (1961) … in episode: “Safety Value” (episode #1.5) 6/5/1961
“Laramie” (1959) playing “Harry Markle” … in episode: “Debt, The” (episode #2.25) 4/18/1961
“Gunsmoke” (1955) playing “Turloe” … in episode: “Bad Sheriff” (episode #6.17) 1/7/1961
“Tall Man, The” (1960) … in episode: “One of One Thousand” (episode #1.16) 12/31/1960
“Bonanza” (1959) … in episode: “Mission, The” (episode #2.2) 9/17/1960
“Overland Trail” (1960) … in episode: “Sour Annie” (episode #1.13) 5/8/1960
“Hotel de Paree” (1959) … in episode: “Sundance and the Long Trek” (episode #1.26) 4/22/1960
“Rifleman, The” (1958) playing “Lt. Paul Rolfe” … in episode: “Deserter, The” (episode #2.25) 3/15/1960
“Tombstone Territory” (1957) … in episode: “Holcomb Brothers” (episode #3.22) 3/4/1960
“Rawhide” (1959) … in episode: “Incident of the Shambling Man” (episode #2.3) 10/9/1959
“Gunsmoke” (1955) playing “Deesha” … in episode: “Horse Deal” (episode #5.3) 9/26/1959
“Wagon Train” (1957) … in episode: “Chuck Wooster, Wagonmaster” (episode #2.33) 5/20/1959
“Have Gun Will Travel” (1957) … in episode: “Road to Wickenberg, The” (episode #2.7) 10/25/1958
“Have Gun Will Travel” (1957) … in episode: “Gentleman, The” (episode #2.3) 9/27/1958
“Broken Arrow” (1956) … in episode: “Blood Brothers” (episode #2.33) 5/13/1958
“Lone Ranger, The” (1949) playing “Dice Dawson, alias Jay Thomason” … in episode: “Return of Dice Dawson” (episode #4.44) 7/14/1955
Actor, Saugus Native Harry Carey Jr. Dies at 91
