r/Westerns • u/OlinHollis • Sep 12 '26
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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Sep 14 '26
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u/OlinHollis Sep 14 '26
Hm. This gives me an idea of writing a book about the great Western character actors.
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u/ZazzNazzman Sep 14 '26
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/Lawyering_Bob Sep 16 '26
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/DougS66 Sep 14 '26
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 Sep 14 '26
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/Clear-Ad-2998 Sep 13 '26
Did he have a brother called Homily, who was " nothing but a hippy" according to Kris Kristofferson ?
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u/Ezlle71 Sep 13 '26
He was great as uncle Jesse in Moonrunners, the movie they based dukes of hazzard show on. What a great actor!
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Sep 13 '26
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u/Just-Wasting-Tyme Sep 13 '26
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/bammer888 Sep 13 '26
Don’t forget he’s one the patriarchs in the Wakefield versus Carter feud on Andy Griffith.
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u/derfel_cadern Sep 13 '26
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/RustyBrassInstrument Sep 13 '26
“Well the way I figure it, if you was runnin’ for mayor you wouldn’t get her vote.”
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u/MoonSylver Sep 13 '26
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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u/Dark_Metallic Sep 12 '26 edited Sep 13 '26
"Give me another gun and I can play Marching Through Georgia."
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u/Lupdalup Sep 12 '26
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/Aware_Style1181 Sep 12 '26
“They’ll eat snakes afore they get in here, Jim”
Honeycutt as Davy Crockett in The Last Command (1955)
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u/guffawing_willow76 Sep 12 '26
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/Even_Strike_3711 Sep 12 '26
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 Sep 12 '26
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/BandmasterBill Sep 12 '26
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/SeaBassAHo-20 Sep 12 '26
I knew him best as Robert Mitchum's bugle playing deputy in El Dorado.
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u/BraveSneelock Sep 12 '26
Memorable in The Twilight Zone , playing to type.
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u/OlinHollis Sep 12 '26
Him and Jeanette Nolan seemed made for one another.
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u/overthinking_writer 21d ago
He played a prospector on an episode of bonanza titled " any friend of Walter's "