Tombstone was naturally chock-full of Western icons, but one holds a special sort of legacy that none of the others can compete with – Harry Carey Jr. Remembered as one of the best Westerns of the 1990s, Tombstone surrounded its leads – Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer with a star-studded cast, that included the likes of Bill Paxton, Michael Biehn, and Billy Boy Thornton. What’s more, it also boasted appearances – both major and minor – from actors closely ᴀssociated with the Western genre. Chief among them was Sam Elliott, who had a key role as Virgil Earp.
Tombstone also paid homage to other Hollywood icons with Western connections through much smaller roles. Such was the case with its utilization of Charlton Heston and Robert Mitchum, who had both featured in Westerns as early as the 1950s and 1940s, respectively. Another familiar face from old Westerns was on hand as well in the form of Harry Carey, Jr., whose list of Western credits goes deeper than any other character in Tombstone’s entire cast.
Harry Carey, Jr.’s Character In Tombstone Explained
Harrey Carey, Jr. Had A Small Cameo As A Lawman
In Tombstone, Powers Boothe’s character, William “Curly Bill” Brocius goes on a shooting spree in the middle of the street, prompting a lawman to step up and attempt to stop him. The character in question is Marshal Fred White, a real-life figure in American history and the marshal of Tombstone during the notorious Gunfight at O.K. Corral that the film depicts. Much like the real-life Fred White, he was gunned down accidentally by Brocius.
Marshal Fred White is not on screen for long, as a result of his quick demise, but his role is memorable regardless, given the idenтιтy of the actor playing him. White is portrayed by Harry Carey, Jr., who was 72 years old at the time. The veteran Western actor had already retired from acting by this point, as he had been inactive since the late 1990s. Yet, the actor was seemingly convinced to return for Tombstone, albeit only for a cameo.
Harry Carey, Jr. Has Been In More Westerns Than Any Other Actor In Tombstone
Harry Carey, Jr. Is One Of The Best Character Actors In The Western Genre
Efforts to put Harry Carey, Jr. in Tombstone despite his retirement make sense, considering the actor’s history. Given that Tombstone was clearly meant to be an all-star Western, it’s only logical that a film aspiring to be an epic Western for the ages featured someone from one of the defining eras of the genre. Harry Carey, Jr. symbolically filled this role, in that he was a recurring collaborator of John Wayne himself. Much like his father before him, the actor was a popular character actor with well over 100 movie credits, some being with John Wayne. The pair’s shared appearances ultimately totaled up to nine films between 1948 and 1973.
Harry Carey. Jr.’s father – Harry Carey – made four Westerns with John Wayne, including Red River and Angel and the Badman. Red River notably featured both Careys in supporting roles.
Appearing in several John Wayne movies on its own isn’t what defines Carey’s legacy as a Western legend. More important than that is the specific movies that Carey made with Wayne. Carey’s first collaboration with Wayne was Red River, the 1948 Howard Hawks Western that received critical acclaim and became one of the most celebrated films of John Wayne’s entire career. He also appeared in The Searchers, a movie that is often included in discussions regarding the greatest Westerns of all time.
What’s more, Carey’s significance to the Western medium goes beyond his work in John Wayne’s Westerns. He lent his talents as a character actor to the films of several other Western stars, and even featured prominently in a slew of James Stewart Westerns. He even dabbled in Spaghetti Westerns, making a number of them in the 1970s. When looking at the shadow he’s cast on the genre for decades, bringing back Harry Carey, Jr. for one last hurrah in Tombstone had to have been a no-brainer.
