Harry Carey Jr brings an unforced decency to westerns and the riding skills to make their hard work convincing. We value his quiet contribution to John Ford’s ensembles, though the later cameos give him little to do.
Fi1m perspective
In Rio Grande (1950), Harry Carey Jr does his own Roman-style riding, with a physical ease that makes the danger seem manageable. We enjoyed the riding more than we expected, because he looks comfortable doing something that would leave most of us needing assistance. That assurance matters in an actor so often cast as a callow soldier or an earnest young frontiersman. He can seem inexperienced without looking helpless. We rate him for that unforced presence, particularly among John Ford’s regular players.
Red River (1948), directed by Howard Hawks, gave him his first major film role as Dan Latimer. Ford then cast him as the Abilene Kid in 3 Godfathers (1948), a leading part that began his long association with the director’s company. His vulnerability there shows how much feeling that plain manner can carry. In She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), Lieutenant Ross Pennell puts his boyishness to a more familiar use as a callow officer. Carey makes the young man’s inexperience easy to believe without labouring the point.
There is more room for him in Wagon Master (1950), which pairs him with Ben Johnson as likeable horse traders. Carey’s natural manner makes their company a pleasure, without the need for a conspicuous acting turn. The limitation is that his straight-ahead young westerners can feel much alike. He also lacks John Wayne’s dominating presence, which matters less when a film gives the supporting players something useful to do.
The later work offers fewer opportunities to see that skill developed. The saloon old-timer in Back to the Future Part III (1990) is the sort of nostalgic cameo that asks recognition to do much of the work. Marshal Fred White in Tombstone (1993) belongs to his final stretch of western roles. For an introduction, we would leave the nostalgic cameos until later. Start with Wagon Master, where he has room to be more than a familiar face.
Biography
Harry Carey Jr. was an American actor. Born Henry George Carey Jr. on 16 May 1921 in Saugus, California, he was the son of actors Harry Carey and Olive Carey. He died on 27 December 2012 in Santa Barbara, California.
Carey appeared in more than ninety films, many of them westerns directed by John Ford, including 3 Godfathers (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), The Searchers (1956) and Cheyenne Autumn (1964). He played Stefanowski in Mister Roberts (1955) and had roles in Rio Bravo (1959), Gremlins (1984), Back to the Future Part III (1990) and Tombstone (1993). He also worked with directors Howard Hawks and appeared in the Disney serial Spin and Marty (1955–1957).
He frequently co-starred with John Wayne and was a member of the John Ford stock company of actors.
