Ben Johnson's acting (as Bob Amory) was stellar

Ben Johnson did a fine job playing Bob Amory. Too bad he didn't have more screen time. I looked him up and found out he won an Oscar for his role as Sam the Lion in The Last Picture Show.

His story is interesting. He was born on a ranch in Oklahoma and was a rodeo performer. He had no interest in acting but Howard Hughes hired him to take care of his horses for a short time and had him play some small part in one of his movies. When Ben Johnson get his check, for $300, his interest perked up because he was only paid about $25 in the rodeo.

He was content to play small roles -- he said, there are many more versatile actors in this town, but no one can play Ben Johnson as well as me!