Harry Carey, Jr.

Saugus, Santa Clarita, California, USA

Biography

Henry George "Harry" Carey Jr. (May 16, 1921 - December 27, 2012) was an American actor. He appeared in more than ninety films including several John Ford westerns as well as numerous television series. The son of actors Harry Carey Sr. and Olive Carey, he attempted a singing career before beginning his acting career in the John Ford Stock Company. Director John Ford became a close friend and collaborator. Carey appeared in such notable Ford films as 3 Godfathers (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), The Searchers (1956), and Cheyenne Autumn (1964), some also featuring appearances by his parents. He became a respected character actor like his father. Carey made four films with director Howard Hawks: Red River (1948), Monkey Business (1952), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), and Rio Bravo (1959 - scenes cut). He also frequently co-starred with actors John Wayne and Ben Johnson, acting together in nine films each. Between 1955 -1957, Carey appeared as ranch counselor Bill Burnett in the serial Spin and Marty, seen on Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Club. In the 1960s, Carey appeared on such western series as Have Gun - Will Travel and The Legend of Jesse James. Later film roles include George Arthur in The Long Riders (1980), Mr. Anderson in Gremlins (1984), aging biker Red in Mask (1985), Joshua Brackett in The Whales of August (1987), saloon old-timer Zeke in Back to the Future Part III (1990), and Marshal Fred White in Tombstone (1993).

Movies

Matinee Theater is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from 1955 to 1958. The series, which ran daily in the afternoon, was frequently live. It was produced by Albert McCleery, Darrell Ross, George Cahan and Frank Price with executive producer George Lowther. McCleery had previously produced the live series Cameo Theatre which introduced to television the concept of theater-in-the-round, TV plays staged with minimal sets. Jim Buckley of the Pewter Plough Playhouse recalled: When Al McCleery got back to the States, he originated a most ambitious theatrical TV series for NBC called Matinee Theater: to televise five different stage plays per week live, airing around noon in order to promote color TV to the American housewife as she labored over her ironing. Al was the producer. He hired five directors and five art directors. Richard Bennett, one of our first early presidents of the Pewter Plough Corporation, was one of the directors and I was one of the art directors and, as soon as we were through televising one play, we had lunch and then met to plan next week’s show. That was over 50 years ago, and I’m trying to think; I believe the TV art director is his own set decorator —yes, of course! It had to be, since one of McCleery’s chief claims to favor with the producers was his elimination of the setting per se and simply decorating the scene with a minimum of props. It took a bit of ingenuity.

More info
Matinee Theater
1955