 |  | Johnny / John Carpenter Birth name possibilities: Jasper Carpenter Josh/Joshua Carpenter 1914 - 2003 |
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Johnny Carpenter - a true western hero, on or off screen! Born June 25, 1914, in the small Ozark mountain town of Debinsville, AR (just south of Russellville on Hwy 40), Johnny learned to horseback on his Dad's farm. His father also operated a butcher shop. Little else is known about his childhood, but as a member of the University of Arkansas varsity team at 18, he moved up to the Southern League and was set for a first team berth in 1936 with the Chicago White Sox when, during spring practice, he was run over by a car in a hit and run accident, breaking his left leg in seven places, breaking his back and causing internal injuries. In a body cast for 119 days, he lost his chance at a baseball career. During an eight year recuperation, he went back to riding and shooting on his Dad's farm, interests he had prior to baseball. (Census records and Johnny's World War II draft registration have his birth place as Dardanelle, Yell County, Arkansas.) Johnny (and his brother, Frank 'Red' Carpenter) came west to Hollywood in the early '40s, finding work at a stable where he put his riding skills to use. His first part in a film is apparently a bit in THUNDERING TRAILS ('43) with the 3 Mesquiteers at Republic. Working as a stuntman, he was the only stuntman to ride the entire prestigious Grand National horse race on film for Mickey Rooney's NATIONAL VELVET in '44. Johnny's also seen in NAVAJO TRAIL ('45) with Johnny Mack Brown, NORTHWEST TRAIL ('45) with Bob Steele, SANTA FE SADDLEMATES ('45) and EL PASO KID ('46) with Sunset Carson, SONG OF OLD WYOMING ('45) and COLORADO SERENADE ('46) with Eddie Dean, TRAIL OF KIT CARSON ('45) with Allan Lane, SONG OF THE WASTELAND ('47) with Jimmy Wakely, STRANGER FROM PONCA CITY ('47) with Charles Starrett, RELENTLESS ('48) with Robert Young, RED CANYON ('49) with Howard Duff, KID FROM TEXAS ('50) with Audie Murphy and COMANCHE TERRITORY ('50) with Macdonald Carey. In 1950, Johnny hooked up with producer Jack Schwarz (releasing through Eagle-Lion) who gave Johnny bigger and better parts each time in I KILLED GERONIMO ('50) with Jimmy Ellison, BORDER OUTLAWS ('50) with Spade Cooley and Bill Edwards, FIGHTING STALLION ('50) with Bill Edwards, and Johnny's breakthrough film as the Tucson Kid in CATTLE QUEEN ('51) with Maria Hart. Directed by prolific Bob Tansey, this was a remake of Tansey's Trail Blazers title, BLAZING GUNS. Tansey then produced and directed Johnny in what is regarded as Carpenter's best B-western, BADMAN'S GOLD ('51) released again by Eagle-Lion. Tansey's death within the year put an end to any other starring films for Johnny for a couple of years. Meantime, he was riding and stunting at Universal-International in CAVE OF OUTLAWS ('51) with Macdonald Carey, DUEL AT SILVER CREEK ('52) with Audie Murphy, IRON MAN ('51) with Jeff Chandler and LAW AND ORDER ('53) with Ronald Reagan. Johnny also found work in the early '50s on several episodes of TV's WILD BILL HICKOK starring Guy Madison. But Carpenter's main claim to fame were the four B-westerns he self promoted in the '50s - SON OF THE RENEGADE ('53) distributed by Schwarz again through United Artists; LAWLESS RIDER ('54) directed by stunt great Yakima Canutt and produced by longtime Gene Autry associate Alex Gordon - again released by U.A.; OUTLAW TREASURE ('55) directed by B-vet Oliver Drake and distributed independently by Amco; and finally, I KILLED WILD BILL HICKOK ('56) directed by another stunt legend, Richard Talmadge. This one was even shot in Eastman Color. Jack Schwarz was again involved in distribution through his own Equity Studios. For unknown reasons, on the last two, Carpenter listed himself as writer/producer but billed himself while acting as John Forbes. Besides the name directors Johnny associated himself with, he'd also hire two or three name actors --- Douglass Dumbrille, Frankie Darro, Noel Neill (LAWLESS RIDER); Jack Ingram, Henry Wills (SON OF THE RENEGADE); Adele Jergens, Glenn Langan, Michael Whalen (OUTLAW TREASURE), and Tom Brown, Helen Westcott, Denver Pyle (I KILLED WILD BILL HICKOK). To round out the casts in his films, Johnny fell back on friends and a stock company of regulars --- his brother Frank, Kenne Duncan, Whitey Hughes, Bill Coontz (aka Bill Foster), Verne Teters, Lou Roberson (brother of John Wayne stunt double Chuck Roberson), Bill Chaney, Roy Canada, Alyn Lockwood and Bill Ward. Bob Burns, who'd starred in a few silent 2-reelers at Universal and had played character roles all through the '30s and '40s, wound up his career with a part in LAWLESS RIDER. Carpenter went back to stunt work and roles as a heavy after I KILLED WILD BILL HICKOK. In 1956, he appeared on eight episodes of the Russell Hayden produced JUDGE ROY BEAN with Edgar Buchanan, filmed on Hayden's ranch in Pioneertown, CA. Johnny's also seen in RED SUNDOWN ('56) with Rory Calhoun, WILD HERITAGE ('58) with Will Rogers Jr., NO PLACE TO LAND ('58), TOMBOY AND THE CHAMP ('61) and 7TH COMMANDMENT ('61). Johnny never gave up hope on producing another B-western. Leading lady Beatrice Gray, who'd worked opposite Hoot Gibson, Bob Steele, Kirby Grant and Johnny Mack Brown in the '40s, was Carpenter's 'wife' for a small scene in WILD HERITAGE. For our book Westerns Women (McFarland 1999) she told us:
"He talked me into investing $10,000 up front to finance a western script he called 'Johnny Ringo', which he'd direct. Everyone would get paid when it sold. It was shot in Jacksboro, a small town in Texas. One day, the leading lady's (Elaine Walker) husband misunderstandably told them (the cast) that I had money to pay their salaries. He organized a work stoppage only halfway into the film. So, it had to be shut down. I returned to L.A. minus my 10 grand. Johnny kept the film. I'd sure like to see it! What there is of it!"
It's very likely this was some of the footage Johnny showed me, my wife and stuntlady Evelyn Finley one 98 degree day in 1984 in his barn at his "Heaven on Earth" ranch in Lake View Terrace.
Links
California State University has a photo of Carpenter's Heaven On Earth ranch in Lake View Terrace: https://digital-collections.csun.edu/digital/collection/SFVH/id/3469 You can stream or download several of Carpenter's films from the Internet Archive:
SON OF THE RENEGADE (1952) from the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/son_of_the_renegade Boyd Magers Western Clippings website has more on Carpenter's starring films: http://www.westernclippings.com/westernsof/johnnycarpenter_westernsof.shtml Carpenter was a friend of Ed Wood, Jr. (who brought us PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE and other films). Joe Blevins wrote about the Carpenter / Wood relationship on his blog: https://d2rights.blogspot.com/2014/01/ed-wood-wednesdays-week-29-son-of.html
On the trail of Johnny Carpenter ...
(Some tidbits and common threads highlighted below in red) Confusion on his birth location:
Various biographies have Carpenter born in the small town of Debinsville, Arkansas. Over the years, ye Old Corral webmaster received occasional e-mails questioning that Debinsville, Arkansas location. One e-mail noted that Debinsville, Arkansas doesn't exist and Carpenter was born in Dardanelle, Arkansas. That appears to be correct as the family is living in Dardanelle, Yell County, Arkansas at the time of the 1910 and 1920 census. And Johnny's World War II draft registration has his birth place as Dardanelle, Arkansas. Additionally, the search for Debinsville, Arkansas draws a "no such location" in Google Maps. Do a search on your own: The Family Search website (free), Ancestry.com (subscription), Fold3 military records (subscription), California Death Index, and the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) have information on Carpenter and family. Note that he is "Josh L. Carpenter" in the 1920 census and "J. L. Carpenter" in the 1930 census. Before Johnny's birth:
After Johnny's birth:
There are various websites with biographical information on Carpenter. Most all of them re-use information published at the time of his death. And there are a couple errors - the first is that obit biographies spell his name "Johny" (with a single N). The second is that Debinsville, Arkansas birth location (when it should be Dardanelle, Yell County, Arkansas). Obituaries do (correctly) mention that Carpenter was survived by his sister Corinne Bostian of New Mexico (she is listed above in the census for 1930 and 1940):
Find A Grave website has a photo of the marker for John Carpenter who is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills), Los Angeles, California: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10064847/johnny-carpenter It's always interesting to click through newspaper headlines and clippings at newspapers.com and Google newspaper archive. Here's a few articles about Carpenter and his Heaven on Earth ranch which ceased operation in the mid 1990s:
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 (Courtesy of Minard Coons) | ||
 | | Above from L-to-R are Al LaRue (before his days as 'Lash'), Sarah Padden, Jennifer Holt, Lee Bennett, unknown player (possibly Ray Elder), Eddie Dean, and Emmett 'Pappy' Lynn at the desk. From the Cinecolor SONG OF OLD WYOMING (PRC, 1945), singing cowboy Eddie Dean's first starring oater. Carpenter - as ranchhand 'Buck' - is in the upper right corner and was in his early thirties when this oater was made. |
 (Courtesy of Les Adams) Left to right are Clark/Clarke Stevens; John Carpenter; short man in the doorway is Bill Chaney; unidentified guy; and Quentin Sondergaard on the far right. Lobby card from BADMAN'S GOLD (Jack Schwarz Productions, 1951). |
Although some of the data may be incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on Johnny Carpenter: