Hank Worden
Encyclopedia
Hank Worden was an American cowboy-turned-character-actor who appeared in many Western
s.
. He was educated at Stanford University
and the University of Nevada
as an engineer. He enlisted in the U.S. Army hoping to become an Army pilot, but washed out of flight school. An expert horseman, he toured the country in rodeos as a saddle bronc rider. During one ride, his horse landed atop him and broke his neck, but aside from a temporarily sore neck, Worden didn't know of the break until x-ray
ed twenty years later. While appearing in a rodeo at Madison Square Garden in New York, he and fellow cowboy Tex Ritter
were chosen to appear in the Broadway play Green Grow the Lilacs
, the play from which the musical Oklahoma!
was later derived. Following the run of the play, he drove a cab in New York, then worked on dude ranch
es as a wrangler and as a guide on the Bright Angel trail of the Grand Canyon.
A chance encounter with actress Billie Burke
at a dude ranch led her to recommend him to several movie producers. Worden made his film debut as an extra in Cecil B. DeMille
's The Plainsman
, (though a few later films were released prior to The Plainsman). By this time, Tex Ritter had become a star, and Worden played sidekick roles in a number of Ritter's Westerns. A small part in Howard Hawks
's Come and Get It
led to a number of later appearances for that director, who also recommended him to director John Ford
.
Worden eventually became a member of the John Ford Stock Company
, and was directed by Ford twelve times in films and television. The connection with Ford led to an association with actor John Wayne
, and Worden appeared in 17 of Wayne's films. Foremost among his collaborations with Wayne and Ford is The Searchers
, the 1956
classic Western
in which Worden portrayed his most memorable role, that of "Mose Harper," the Shakespearean fool who only longed for "a roof over [his] head and a rocking chair by the fire."
Worden's best performances were given for demanding directors. He had a striking appearance: tall, thin, bald, his voice and mannerisms unforgettable to anyone who saw him. He worked steadily in television as well as films, long outliving Hawks, Ford, and Wayne, and achieving some late notice as the World's Oldest Room-Service Waiter in David Lynch
's Twin Peaks
TV series.
In 1992, Worden hosted and co-produced with director Clyde Lucas an independent special shown on the Nostalgia Channel and some PBS stations entitled Thank Ya, Thank Ya Kindly. The special looked back on Worden's career and featured guests Clint Eastwood
, Paul Hogan
, Harry Carey Jr., Ben Johnson
, Frankie Avalon
, Burt Kennedy
and stuntman Dean Smith.
Widowed by his wife of 37 years (the former Emma Louise Caton) in 1977, he later shared his house for several years with actor Jim Beaver
. In good health through his 91st year, he died peacefully during a nap at his home in Los Angeles on December 6, 1992 and was entombed in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery
. He was survived by his daughter Dawn Henry, whom he and his wife had adopted as an adult.
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
s.
Biography
He was raised on a cattle ranch near Glendive, MontanaGlendive, Montana
Glendive is a city in and the county seat of Dawson County, Montana, United States. The population was 4,935 at the 2010 census.The town of Glendive is located in South Eastern Montana and is considered by many as an agricultural hub of Eastern Montana...
. He was educated at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and the University of Nevada
University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
as an engineer. He enlisted in the U.S. Army hoping to become an Army pilot, but washed out of flight school. An expert horseman, he toured the country in rodeos as a saddle bronc rider. During one ride, his horse landed atop him and broke his neck, but aside from a temporarily sore neck, Worden didn't know of the break until x-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
ed twenty years later. While appearing in a rodeo at Madison Square Garden in New York, he and fellow cowboy Tex Ritter
Tex Ritter
Woodward Maurice Ritter , better known as Tex Ritter, was an American country music singer and movie actor popular from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the patriarch of the Ritter family in acting...
were chosen to appear in the Broadway play Green Grow the Lilacs
Green Grow the Lilacs (play)
Green Grow the Lilacs is a 1930 play by Lynn Riggs named for the popular folk song of the same name. It was performed 64 times on Broadway, opening on January 26, 1931 and closing March 21, 1931. It also played January 19, 1931 through January 24, 1931 at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. It...
, the play from which the musical Oklahoma!
Oklahoma!
Oklahoma! is the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance...
was later derived. Following the run of the play, he drove a cab in New York, then worked on dude ranch
Dude ranch
The guest ranch, also known as a dude ranch, is a type of ranch oriented towards visitors or tourism. It is considered a form of agritourism.-History:...
es as a wrangler and as a guide on the Bright Angel trail of the Grand Canyon.
A chance encounter with actress Billie Burke
Billie Burke
Mary William Ethelbert Appleton "Billie" Burke was an American actress. She is primarily known to modern audiences as Glinda the Good Witch of the North in the musical film The Wizard of Oz. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance as Emily Kilbourne in Merrily We Live...
at a dude ranch led her to recommend him to several movie producers. Worden made his film debut as an extra in Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
's The Plainsman
The Plainsman
The Plainsman is a 1936 American Western film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and starring Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur. The film presents a highly fictionalized account of the adventures and relationships between Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill Cody, and General George Custer, with a...
, (though a few later films were released prior to The Plainsman). By this time, Tex Ritter had become a star, and Worden played sidekick roles in a number of Ritter's Westerns. A small part in Howard Hawks
Howard Hawks
Howard Winchester Hawks was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era...
's Come and Get It
Come and Get It (film)
Come and Get It is a 1936 American drama film directed by Howard Hawks and William Wyler. The screenplay by Jane Murfin and Jules Furthman is based on the 1935 novel of the same title by Edna Ferber.-Plot:...
led to a number of later appearances for that director, who also recommended him to director John Ford
John Ford
John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
.
Worden eventually became a member of the John Ford Stock Company
John Ford Stock Company
The John Ford Stock Company is the name given to the large collection of actors used repeatedly in the films of American director John Ford. Most famous among these was John Wayne, who appeared in twenty-four films and three television episodes for the director...
, and was directed by Ford twelve times in films and television. The connection with Ford led to an association with actor John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
, and Worden appeared in 17 of Wayne's films. Foremost among his collaborations with Wayne and Ford is The Searchers
The Searchers (film)
The Searchers is a 1956 American Western film directed by John Ford, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May, and set during the Texas–Indian Wars...
, the 1956
1956 in film
The year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 5 - The Ten Commandments opens in cinemas and becomes one of the most successful and popular movies of all time, currently ranking 5th on the list of all time moneymakers * February 5 - First showing of documentary films by...
classic Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
in which Worden portrayed his most memorable role, that of "Mose Harper," the Shakespearean fool who only longed for "a roof over [his] head and a rocking chair by the fire."
Worden's best performances were given for demanding directors. He had a striking appearance: tall, thin, bald, his voice and mannerisms unforgettable to anyone who saw him. He worked steadily in television as well as films, long outliving Hawks, Ford, and Wayne, and achieving some late notice as the World's Oldest Room-Service Waiter in David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
's Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks is an American television serial drama created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. The series follows the investigation headed by FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper , of the murder of a popular teenager and homecoming queen, Laura Palmer...
TV series.
In 1992, Worden hosted and co-produced with director Clyde Lucas an independent special shown on the Nostalgia Channel and some PBS stations entitled Thank Ya, Thank Ya Kindly. The special looked back on Worden's career and featured guests Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
, Paul Hogan
Paul Hogan
Paul Hogan, AM is an Australian actor best known for his role as Michael "Crocodile" Dundee from the Crocodile Dundee film series, for which he won a Golden Globe award.-Early life and career:...
, Harry Carey Jr., Ben Johnson
Ben Johnson (actor)
Ben "Son" Johnson, Jr. was an American motion picture actor who was mainly cast in Westerns. He was also a rodeo cowboy, stuntman, and rancher.-Personal life:...
, Frankie Avalon
Frankie Avalon
Frankie Avalon is an American actor, singer, playwright, and former teen idol.-Career:By the time he was 12, Avalon was on U.S. television playing his trumpet. As a teenager he played with Bobby Rydell in Rocco and the Saints...
, Burt Kennedy
Burt Kennedy
Burt Kennedy was an American screenwriter and director known for mainly directing film Westerns.After World War II service in the 1st Cavalry Division, Muskegon, Michigan-born Kennedy found work writing for radio, then used his training as a cavalry officer to secure a job as a fencing trainer and...
and stuntman Dean Smith.
Widowed by his wife of 37 years (the former Emma Louise Caton) in 1977, he later shared his house for several years with actor Jim Beaver
Jim Beaver
James Norman "Jim" Beaver, Jr. is an American stage, film, and television actor, playwright, screenwriter, and film historian...
. In good health through his 91st year, he died peacefully during a nap at his home in Los Angeles on December 6, 1992 and was entombed in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a privately owned cemetery in Glendale, California. It is the original location of Forest Lawn, a chain of cemeteries in Southern California. The land was formerly part of Providencia Ranch.-History:...
. He was survived by his daughter Dawn Henry, whom he and his wife had adopted as an adult.
John Wayne films
- The Night RidersThe Night Riders (1939 film)The Night Riders is a 1939 Three Mesquiteers film starring John Wayne, Ray "Crash" Corrigan, and Max Terhune. Wayne played the lead in eight of the fifty-one films in the popular series...
(1939) - Stagecoach (1939)
- Angel and the BadmanAngel and the BadmanAngel and the Badman is a 1947 black-and-white Western film, starring John Wayne, Gail Russell, Harry Carey and Bruce Cabot which examines the ability of a gunman to renounce violence. This film, which was the first one Wayne produced as well as starred in, was a departure for this genre at the...
(1947) - Fort ApacheFort Apache (film)Fort Apache is a 1948 Western film directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne and Henry Fonda. The film was the first of the director's "cavalry trilogy" and was followed by She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Rio Grande , both also starring Wayne...
(1948) - 3 Godfathers (1948)
- Red River (1948)
- The Fighting KentuckianThe Fighting KentuckianThe Fighting Kentuckian American comedy action film starring John Wayne and Oliver Hardy. The movie was written and directed by George Waggner and made by Republic Pictures...
(1949) - The SearchersThe Searchers (film)The Searchers is a 1956 American Western film directed by John Ford, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May, and set during the Texas–Indian Wars...
(1956) - The Horse SoldiersThe Horse SoldiersThe Horse Soldiers is a 1959 DeLuxe Color war film, set in the American Civil War, directed by John Ford, starring John Wayne, William Holden and Constance Towers...
(1959) - The AlamoThe Alamo (1960 film)The Alamo is a 1960 American historical epic released by United Artists. The film was directed by John Wayne, who also starred as Davy Crockett. The cast also includes Richard Widmark as Jim Bowie and Laurence Harvey as William B...
(1960) - McLintock!McLintock!McLintock! is a 1963 comedy Western starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, and loosely based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The film is notable, perhaps even infamous, for its two spanking scenes, in which mother and daughter are each paddled with coal shovels: the daughter by her...
(1963) - True Grit (1969)
- ChisumChisumChisum is a 1970 Warner Bros. Technicolor western motion picture starring John Wayne, Forrest Tucker, Christopher George, Ben Johnson, Glenn Corbett, Geoffrey Deuel, Andrew Prine, Bruce Cabot, Patric Knowles, and Richard Jaeckel....
(1970) - Rio LoboRio LoboRio Lobo is a 1970 Western movie starring John Wayne. The film was the last film directed by Howard Hawks, from a script by Leigh Brackett. The film was shot in Technicolor with a running time of 114 minutes...
(1970) - Big JakeBig Jake (film)Big Jake is a 1971 Western film, filmed on location in Durango, Mexico, starring John Wayne and directed by George Sherman.Big Jake was released to box-office success and generally-positive critical reviews, despite a mixed reaction by John Wayne fans....
(1971) - Cahill U.S. MarshalCahill U.S. MarshalCahill U.S. Marshal is a 1973 American Western film in Technicolor. It stars John Wayne as a driven lawman in a black hat. The movie was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and filmed on location in Durango, Mexico.-Plot:...
(1973)
Other appearances
- The BullfightersThe BullfightersThe Bullfighters is a late Laurel and Hardy feature film. The plot involves the team working as private detectives who've come to Mexico City hot on the trail of Hattie Blake, a.k.a. Larceny Nell. Meanwhile, Stan Laurel is found to resemble a famous matador, Don Sebastian...
(1945) - Wagon MasterWagon MasterWagon Master is a 1950 Western film directed by John Ford and starring Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr., Joanne Dru, and Ward Bond.-Plot:Learning of their ability as experienced horsemen, Mormon Elder Wiggs , hires Travis Blue and Sandy Owens to guide a small group of Mormons across the West to the...
(1950) - When Willie Comes Marching HomeWhen Willie Comes Marching HomeWhen Willie Comes Marching Home is a 1950 World War II comedy film directed by John Ford and starring Dan Dailey and Corinne Calvet. It is based on the 1945 short story When Leo Comes Marching Home by Sy Gomberg.-Plot:...
(1950) - SugarfootSugarfoot (1951 film)Sugarfoot is a 1951 western film starring Randolph Scott as Jackson 'Sugarfoot' Redan and featuring Adele Jergens and Raymond Massey.Aside from the title, the movie has nothing to do with the 1957 television series of the same name...
(1951) - The Big SkyThe Big Sky (film)The Big Sky is a 1952 Western film directed by Howard Hawks, based on the novel of the same name. The cast includes Kirk Douglas, Arthur Hunnicutt, Dewey Martin and Elizabeth Threatt....
(1952) - Davy Crockett and the River PiratesDavy Crockett and the River PiratesDavy Crockett and the River Pirates is a 1956 live-action Walt Disney adventure film starring Fess Parker as Davy Crockett. It was shot in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois...
(1956) - Sergeant RutledgeSergeant RutledgeSergeant Rutledge is a 1960 Western and military courtroom drama starring Woody Strode and Jeffrey Hunter. It was directed by John Ford and shot on location in Monument Valley, Utah....
(1960) - One-Eyed JacksOne-Eyed JacksOne-Eyed Jacks, a 1961 Western, is the only film directed by actor Marlon Brando, who also played its lead character, Rio.The film was originally to be directed by Stanley Kubrick and Sam Peckinpah...
(1961) - The Music Man (film) (1962)
- Big DaddyBig Daddy (1969 film)Big Daddy is a horror film directed, produced and written by Carl K. Hittleman. It was filmed in 1965 under the title Paradise Road, but not released until 1969.-Plot:...
(1969) - Black NoonBlack NoonBlack Noon is an American made-for-TV horror western feature film that debuted in 1971. It was written and produced by Andrew J. Fenady and directed by Bernard L...
(1971 made-for-TV ) - Smokey and the BanditSmokey and the BanditSmokey and the Bandit is a 1977 American film starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams, and Mike Henry. It inspired several other trucking films, including two sequels, Smokey and the Bandit II, and Smokey and the Bandit Part 3...
(1977) - Big WednesdayBig WednesdayBig Wednesday is an American coming of age film directed by John Milius. Milius co-wrote Big Wednesday with Denny Aaberg, and it is loosely based on their own experiences at Malibu and a short story Aaberg had published in a 1974 Surfer Magazine entitled "No Pants Mance." The picture stars...
(1977) - Every Which Way But Loose (1978)
- Bronco BillyBronco BillyBronco Billy is a 1980 American film starring Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke. It was directed by Eastwood and written by Dennis Hackin.-Plot:...
(1980) - Hammett (1982)
- The Ice PiratesThe Ice PiratesThe Ice Pirates is a 1984 comedy/science-fiction film. It was directed by Stewart Raffill , who co-wrote the screenplay with Krull author Stanford Sherman. The movie stars Robert Urich and Mary Crosby...
(1984) - Runaway TrainRunaway Train (film)Runaway Train is a 1985 film about two escaped convicts and a female train worker who are stuck on a runaway train as it barrels through snowy desolate Alaska. It stars Jon Voight as Oscar "Manny" Manheim, Eric Roberts as Buck, John P. Ryan as Associate Warden Ranken and Rebecca De Mornay as Sara...
(1985) - Almost an AngelAlmost an AngelAlmost an Angel is a 1990 comedy film directed by John Cornell and starring Paul Hogan. The original music score was composed by Maurice Jarre. The film's tagline is: "The guy from down under is working for the man upstairs."...
(1990) - Twin PeaksTwin PeaksTwin Peaks is an American television serial drama created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. The series follows the investigation headed by FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper , of the murder of a popular teenager and homecoming queen, Laura Palmer...
(TV) (1991) - Thank Ya, Thank Ya Kindly (TV) (1992)