I’m a very lucky lady because I actually had the opportunity to meet and get to know one of my childhood heroes – James Child Drury, the actor best known for playing the title role in The Virginian (1962 – 71). It’s been five years since he “rode off into the sunset” to join the last round-up April 6, 2020. Born in New York (April 18, 1934), he spent his childhood between New York and his mother’s farm in Oregon. I guess that’s where he picked up the skills to become the cowboy with no name.
Sadly, though Drury had the lead role in the third longest running western (behind Gunsmoke and Bonanza) a lot of you do not know who he was. But for me – to borrow some lines from a Willie Nelson song – “My heroes have always been cowboys.”
“I grew up a-dreamin’ of bein’ a cowboy, And lovin’ the cowboy ways, Pursuin’ the life of my high ridin’ heroes, I burned up my childhood days …”
Watching the old westerns with my Dad was something we did together – and we watched them all. But now it’s decades later and so many of the cowboys have left this earthly range: Lorne Green, Michael Landon, Dan Blocker, Pernell Roberts, Ward Bond, Roy Rogers, Robert Fuller, John Smith, James Arness, Chuck Conners, James Garner, Doug McClure, Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne – and the list goes on. Say what you want, but the old westerns were little morality plays and each one taught a life lesson. I remember the first time I realized these shows were more than just entertaining story lines. They changed my life.
Growing up, I always wanted to have a cup of coffee and conversation with Jimmy Stewart, a dance with Gene Kelly, and meet the mysterious cowboy with no name, James Drury. The only fan letter I ever wrote was to the cast of The Virginian. I never got that dance with Gene Kelly or the coffee and conversation with Jimmy Stewart, but I got to meet – and later, work on a project – with James Drury.
Back when Roy and I were traveling all over Texas creating awareness for re-opening the San Bernard River, we met Debbie Pennington of the Brazoria County Economic Alliance and began volunteer work for Brazoria County Day so we could engage state officials regarding the plight of the river. At the time, James Drury was the spokesman for the event. He was featured in a video used to promote the event and he attended the shrimp cocktail event at Fiesta Gardens in Austin. Debbie discovered that Drury was a hero of mine and made sure I met him. I cannot tell you how excited I was to meet him up close and personal. Words failed me. I felt like an awkward teenager again. He signed my Brazoria County Day T-shirt, but Roy took the chance to speak with Drury about the river when things became quieter, and Drury became interested in what we were trying to do.
We didn’t see Drury again until the next Brazoria County Day two years later, but he remembered us and asked about the river. Wow, he remembered us. Again, during the shrimp cocktail portion of the event, we talked about the river. I got his autographed picture then.
Roy and I continued to work with Brazoria County Day and in 2013, I got the opportunity of a lifetime to work on a project with Drury. The Brazoria County Day committee asked me to update the script for the promotional video for BC Day – add new events and change the ending. I did, and once the BC Day committee approved the script, they had to find a place to film it. I suggested Dona and Tommy Worrell’s place on the Poole Ranch, since James and Tommy knew each other from their acting days. (Tommy’s brother was in some of The Virginian episodes).
The Poole Ranch was approved, and I was asked to coordinate the filming. The film crew, James Drury and the Worrells set a date, and I was ready to sit back and watch. But for some reason, the Worrells got tied up in San Antonio and couldn’t be there. So, Roy and I were given a key to the house, a combination to the ranch gates and when everyone showed up, we led them to the filming site.
Drury was amazing. Even though there were script changes, nothing fazed him. He took 10 minutes while the crew set up to memorize his dialog. We shot the video in two takes – mainly because he did not like the change to the end of the script that I wrote. He was adamant we use the previous ending. I wasn’t about to argue with my hero, so he read the new script as I had written – with the previous ending. It was magic.
I will always be glad I got to know James Drury. “My heroes have always been cowboys, and still are it seems.”
Happy trails, James Drury.
“Happy trails to you, ‘til we meet again. Some trails are happy ones, others are blue. It’s the way you ride the trail that counts, Here’s a happy one for you. Happy trails to you, until we meet again. Happy trails …” – Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
