Search the Western Clippings Site

An Interview With…
        - Archives

Will "Sugarfoot" Hutchins
    - July 2023
    - April 2023
    - January 2023
    - October 2021
    - January 2021
    - November 2020
    - June 2020
    - April 2020
    - December 2019
    - November 2019
    - September 2019
    - August 2019
    - July 2019
    - May 2019
    - March 2019
    - September 2018
    - August 2018
    - March 2018
    - February 2018
    - January 2018
    - September 2017
    - August 2017
    - July 2017
    - May 2017
    - April 2017
    - January 2017
    - December 2016
    - October 2016
    - September 2016
    - August 2016
    - July 2016
    - May 2016
    - March 2016
    - February 2016
    - January 2016
    - December 2015
    - November 2015
    - September 2015
    - August 2015
    - July 2015
    - May 2015
    - April 2015
    - March 2015
    - February 2015
    - January 2015
    - December 2014
    - November 2014
    - October 2014
    - September 2014
    - August 2014
    - July 2014
    - May 2014
    - April 2014
    - March 2014
    - February 2014
    - January 2014
    - December 2013
    - November 2013
    - October 2013
    - September 2013
    - August 2013
    - July 2013
    - June 2013
    - May 2013
    - April 2013
    - March 2013
    - February 2013
    - January 2013
    - December 2012
    - November 2012
    - October 2012
    - September 2012
    - August 2012
    - July 2012
    - June 2012
    - May 2012
    - April 2012
    - March 2012
    - February 2012
    - January 2012
    - December 2011
    - November 2011
    - October 2011
    - August 2011
    - July 2011
    - June 2011
    - May 2011
    - April 2011
    - March 2011
    - February 2011
    - January 2011
    - December 2010
    - November 2010
    - October 2010
    - September 2010
    - August 2010
    - July 2010
    - June 2010
    - May 2010
    - April 2010
    - March 2010
    - February 2010
    - January 2010
    - November 2009
    - October 2009
    - September 2009
    - August 2009
    - July 2009
    - June 2009
    - May 2009
    - April 2009
    - March 2009
    - February 2009
    - January 2009
    - December 2008
    - November 2008
    - September 2008
    - August 2008
    - June 2008
    - April 2008
    - March 2008
    - February 2008

Do You Remember?
    - Archives

Comic Book Cowboys
    - Archives

Westerns of...
    - Archives

Heavies and Characters
      - Archives

The Stuntmen - Neil Summers
    - Archives

Western Treasures
    - Archives

Circus Cowboys
    - Archives

Radio Range Riders
    - Archives

Rangeland Elegance
    - Archives

Western Artifacts
    - Archives

Film Festival Fotos
    - Archives

Silent Western Reviews
    - Archives

Serial Report
    - Archives

Subscribe to Western Clippings

COLLECTIBLES FOR SALE:

Western Clippings Back Issues

Daily Comic Strips
    - Page 1 (1910-1949)
    - Page 2 (1950-1979)

Sunday Comic Strips
    - 1907-1990

Books

Miscellaneous Collectibles

Autographs

Lobby Cards

Movie Posters

Home

DECEMBER 2012

Howdy! Hutch’s handy household hint for harried hubbies: Gents, never let your wife watch an Audrey Hepburn flick on the telly if there’s a woman’s fashion catalog on the premises—T’other day Babs and I were taking a gander at “Two For the Road” when Audrey appeared in her 77th change of wardrobe, Babs hustled to the phone and ordered a retro red canvas cowgal jacket. “The all-over design of cowboys at work on the prairie is embellished with beads, sequins, and chain accents”, etc. Harrumph! But don’t get me wrong. I love Audrey Hepburn! She gets my Oscar vote for “Roman Holiday”—now and
Audrey Hepburn. forever. I met her loveliness back in the ‘50s at Col. Warner’s Honor Ranch. She cuddled a poodle in her arms—lucky dog! Audrey smiled, said hello. That’s all there was. I floated on air. Suddenly, I became a much nicer guy. I gave my hoss Penny extra carrots. I doffed my Stetson in grain elevators. I helped girl scouts cross the street. After two weeks I returned to earth.

Before Audrey there was Gene—Tierney, not Autry. I hated Oleg Cassini when she chose to marry him. Couldn’t she have waited til I got out of Junior High? Listen! It’s her laugh that floats on a summer night, her footsteps I hear down the hall, her face in the misty light.

Before Gene there was Phyllis Welch. She hit the happy highway with Harold Lloyd in the road comedy “Professor Beware”. I was a little feller. I wanted to cry out, “Hey, wait for me! I’ll get my beanie and go with you!” She kept on movin’ down the road. She vanished beyond the horizon.

Ah! Audrey, Gene, Phyllis—Phantoms of Delight. Babs tolerates my flights of femme fatale fantasy. After all, she’s pals for real with her favorite cowpoke (and I ain’t talkin’ Sugarfoot). Her idol is Golden Boot honoree Robert Horton. Babs is a lifetime member
Robert Horton. of “Wagon Train”’s Flint McCullough Fan Club. Stacks of vintage movie magazines featuring guess who cluttered our house (until they mysteriously disappeared). There’s a framed photo of Bob astride his faithful steed Stormy Night in our living room. Upstairs in Babs’ childhood bedroom rests a life-sized pasteboard cut-out of (yep) Sweet ol’ Bob—Dogies! If it weren’t for the lovely and talented Mrs. Robert Horton, Marilynn, I’d most likely be livin’ in a big cardboard box ‘neath a bridge in beautiful downtown Palookaville, USA.

Listen! THWACK—A package lands on our porch. From the unfathomably generous Neil Summers, it contains still pictures from my TV cowboy heyday, re-kindling fond memories. THWACK—another package. Our mailman’s arm is more accurate than our paperboy’s. Where Neil digs up this bottomless treasure trove of 8x10s beats me—he won’t take my happy lettuce. OK, never argue with stunt folks. So blamed many! Where’d I find time to pose for ‘em? Didn’t I ever just lounge in my canvas chair (with the sugar cube and boot on back), sippin’ mocha Java, learnin’ lines, chattin’-up the ladies, nappin’? What about lunch and port-a-potty breaks? What went on? Non-stop monkey faces for those F-stop hombres with their speed-graphics and Leicas? “Just one more,” they’d say, makin’ us come up with authentic smiles when they told us feelthy jokes.

Lookee here at this dandy. The ever lovely Nina Shipman on horseback with some whippersnapper, young enough to be my grandson—ouch! It’s me. The years run away like wild horses. Nina looks born to the saddle. Great gal. She played a photographer (of all things) in an epic titled “Shadow Catcher”. Her dad Barry Shipman and our wonderful director Pete Adreon helped create some of Republic’s most rousing cliffhangers. Jason Robards Sr. played an Indian chief, his first gig in 12 years. He’d gone blind and refused an operation because of his religious beliefs. Then, one day he regained his vision—he saw the light! After 12 years he agreed to an operation.

THWACK. More oldies but goodies from good ol’ Neil. Here’s a famous puppy. From left to right, all in a row, guns drawn, lookin’ mighty grim: Hutch, Pete Brown, Jack Kelly, Ty Hardeen the Turkish cowboy, Jim Garner, Wayde Preston, John Russell—dangerous dudes ready for action on the now defunct WB western street. (Ain’t progress grand? One step forward, two steps backward).

Will ("Sugarfoot") Hutchins, Peter ("Lawman") Brown, Jack ("Maverick") Kelly, Ty ("Bronco") Hardin, James ("Maverick") Garner, Wayde ("Colt .45") Preston, John ("Lawman") Russell. All the Warner Bros. cowboys except for Clint Walker.

Wow! Who’s the cute Cherokee maiden playin’ kissie face with me? Why, she’s Grace Raynor, fresh from a theatrical engagement with Tallulah Bankhead. Grace was wild and woolly—Me too! Honk! Never once did I catch sight of her in civvies without dark make-up and black pigtailed wig. Word was out she was a blonde. The show was an adaptation of a south seas story by Robert Louis Stevenson. Strictly fun time working with Grace and John Carradine. He was a script girl’s dream. He was a master at matching his actions from shot-to-shot in a scene.

One day Jacques Tati visited our set. I was too awe-struck to say Howdy to the great French screen comic. Instead, I tossed a handful of trading post dried beans high in the air. They landed on our director Lee ‘Rollem’ Sholem’s head. Lee angrily looked up at a grip on a catwalk and yelled, “Cut it out!” That one was for you, Monsieur Hulot.

Jimmy Stewart once declared he fell in love with all of his leading ladies. I believe it. He was that great an actor, delving deep into his characters’ souls. Me? I was a mite shy. I tended more toward secret crushes. I didn’t need makeup.  I  blushed  a lot.  Here  they  all are,  one more time, a passing paper parade of pretties from my past, my gal pals o’ the saddle—Diane McBain, Merry Anders, Luana Anders (no relation), Fay Spain, Madlyn Rhue, Olive Sturgess, Erin O’Brien, Dan Blocker (how’d he get in there?), Lori Nelson, Judy Nugent, Janet Lake, Jan Chaney, Mari Blanchard, Lisa Gaye, Judy Dan, Cathy O’Donnell—what devine deputies, damsels in denim!

Anita Gordon and Will Hutchins on "Sugarfoot: Hideout".Which picture is my favorite? Let’s see—Ah! Here! Yeah! Anita Gordon and I lockin’ lips. Remember her as the little girl singer on the Bergen-McCarthy radio show? Her hit records with Buddy Clark? Anita Gordon. On our episode, “Hideout”, she loved another. On the outside world she was hitched. Never saw her again—except for our picture. Thanks, Neil.

On a 4th of July long ago fellow UCLA Bruin Susan Riskin invited me to accompany her and her family to the L.A. Coliseum for the fireworks extravaganza. There we sat in the rockets’ red glare. Sue and I, her sister Victoria, her brother Robert, and her Mom Fay Wray—Fay Wray! The girl in the monkey’s paw. The director of “King Kong” said her co-star was Hollywood’s tallest, darkest and strongest. Fay thought he meant Clark Gable. Imagine her surprise. The spire lights of the Empire State Building were dimmed in her honor. Why not? She helped make it famous—Fay Wray! One of the 20th Century’s great beauties. Kong was smitten. He fell for her. So did I. So did we all…

 

Adios