Ben Johnson, Academy Award Winning Actor

In the late 70's  I$ was the head of sales for an older Hilton  hotel in Tucson. Shooting westerns in our town was fairly common back then, and movie cowboys hanging around the lobby was a daily event.
      The "extras" were guys from town who driften in to the hotel. They seemed to know when a director of location manager would be around in advance of production, scouting out the place. We would be up to our hips in cowboys with guns, spurs tinkling, leather everywhere - even horses tied outside.
      One afternoon, I had a client or two in for lunch - I don't remember who, but coming out into the lobby for lunch, I bumped into a couple of cowboys by accident. They were a real nuisance by the second year, I grew impatient sometimes. Looking over my shoulder, I blurted out an " scuse me' as I shot past, and the guy was really sorry.
      He ran up to me, asking if he could do anything to make it up to me. It was Kurt Russell, the actor. I was non-plussed, glad to meet him, and bought him lunch. I can't remember who I left standing in the lobby, but one of my assistants took care of it. Russell was very pleasant. We talked movies, kids, life, stuff. I never saw him again. He was back years later shooting Tombstone, and that made him a huge star.
      One of my all-time friends, not stars was actor Ben Johnson. He won an Oscar for the Last Pictures Show as the movie theatre manager. I went to my office one "cowboy day" and found one of them on my office phone. I really lost it. He had his head down, had low over his forehead while he talked, I couldn't see who it was.
      I said, " hey, buster, can't you use one of the phones in the lobby? This is my office!!"
      Ben pulled his head up, a look of surprise and kind of chagrin on his face. " Oh, Gosh I'm sorry, I'll git rite off, " he said. I was floored.
      " Oh NO, Mr. Johnson, " I was flummoxed. " I didn't realize it was you - take ALL TIME YOU WANT....IT'S OK WITH ME....I'LL WAIT IN THE HALL.  And then, I withdrew until he was done.
     I bought him lunch, too. We talked for a little while. What a great guy he was. I told him about and the movie " One Eyed Jacks" in which he co-starred with Brando. There was a part there when
Brando says, " I'm gonna rip your arms off,"  and I told Ben, " you really looked like you believed him.
     Johnson said, " I did."
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