Nos Degraus da Glória

This is not JUNIOR BONNER, in matter of modern western drama or comedy, it may be lousy, run of the mill but agreeable if you watch closely and interesting enough to keep you in the theater or in your coach. It shows things not so far from reality, actually. Jock Mahoney is good in this unusual role for him and Julie Adams brings her charm to the whole. The relation between the cow boy and the young orphan is also worth watching. But not on the same scale as SHANE.

While this film has a wonderful supporting cast of familiar Western and TV regulars (including Oscar-winning Ben Johnson and Paul Drake of the TV "Perry Mason", William Hopper), the most entertaining part of it is watching Jock Mahoney playing a singing cowboy and REALLY singing the songs. It goes without saying - although the credits do list it - that the master did his own stunts. Don't expect the next Citizen Kane or plan on hearing Jocko compete with Caruso, but get a kick out of the sappy plotline and watching the star display his varied abilities. You have to find it on TV, it's not on video to my knowledge.

I was Timmy Hovey's stunt double in the movie. It was filmed at Universal International studios and I had the time of my life working on that picture. I was only 8 years old and I was chosen to do the riding for the child star of the movie. I did what was called a "Crouper" running up behind the horse and jumping on from the rear. They actually did a screen test with me, but I had no idea what was going on so I had a very short career in the movies. I never saw the movie when it came out, but about 15 years later I caught it on the late show on TV. If you sneeze you will miss me so watch closely for the kid jumping on the back of the horse, riding up a hill and then back down again. That's me, the anonymous stunt boy.

This is one of my mom's favorite Westerns..and she doesn't like too much gunsmoke, but this was a great movie as you watched a man change because of a kid. I looked up Tim Hovey and am so sorry that that kid died of drugs. I have seen him in other movies, another of Jock's and he was a great little actor. I learned later in life that old Jock was a great stuntman and did the stunts for the Durango Kid before his face was ever seen. I first saw him in "Hoedown" with Eddie Arnold in 1950, where he played a broken down cowboy actor who couldn't even drive a car. In Slim Carter, he played a movie cowboy afraid of heights. I don't think Jock Mahoney was really afraid of anything. He worked with Dick Jones and they could fall off a horse at full gallop and not get hurt. Impossible to say enough about this great star.