Company of Heroes [Hardcover]

Harry, Jr. Carey (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0810828650 | ISBN-13: 978-0810828650 | Publication Date: June 1994 | Edition: 1st

When Harry Carey, Sr. died in 1947, director John Ford cast Carey's 26-year-old son, Harry, Jr. in the role of The Abilene Kid in 3 Godfathers. Ford and the elder Carey had filmed an earlier version of the story, and Ford dedicated the Technicolor remake to his memory.

Company of Heroes is the story of the making of that film, as well as the eight subsequent Ford classics. In it, Harry Carey, Jr. casts a remarkably observant eye on the process of filming Westerns by one of the true masters of the form. From She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Wagonmaster to The Searchers and Cheyenne Autumn, he shows the care, tedium, challenge, and exhilaration of movie-making at its highest level. Carey's portrayal of John Ford at work is the most intimate ever written. He also gives us insightful and original portraits of the men and women who were part of Ford's vision of America: John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, Maureen O'Hara, Ward Bond, Victor McLaglen, and Ben Johnson.

Funny, insightful, and brutally honest, Company of Heroes is a rip-roaring good read that presents the remarkable life story of Harry Carey, Jr. and his many continuing fine performances.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...the best personal picture of Ford and one of the best of any director at work.... (Movie Collectors World )

...absolutely wonderful...immense warmth...an unforgettable read.... (The Hollywood Reporter )

...couldn't be better.... (The Los Angeles Times )

...a treat from start to finish.... (The (Los Angeles) Daily News )

...filled with laughs, film lore, care, love, and insight to the motion picture business that few can aptly express....Company of Heroes deserves to be a huge best seller because it delivers! But even more, it deserves to be read and re-read.... (Trail Dust Magazine )

...Reads so fluidly almost as if Carey is sitting in your living room narrating the story and you don't have to be a western fan to appreciate this... (Brave New World )

...unlike other Hollywood people. A brilliant raconteur....By the end of the book, one feels one has lived in the surreal conditions of a Ford set on location, where grown men were treated like children. (Gary Wills )

Carey shows the care, tedium, challenge, and exhiliration of filmmaking, and provides an intimate portrait of the great director at work and the actors and actresses, such as John Wayne, Henry Fonda, and Maureen O'Hara, who were part of Ford's vision of America. Includes a filmography and numerous b&w photos. (Reference And Research Book News )

Since Ford remains the most honored U.S. picturemaker, arguably its finest as well, Carey's book is both a valuable treasure and a complete delight. (Peter Bogdanovich )

About the Author

Harry Carey, Jr. was born in Saugus, California. He has appeared in over 100 feature films and scores of television shows. His screen credits include, 3 Godfathers, the Searchers, Wagonmaster, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and five other John Ford films. His recent films include The Long Riders, The Whales of August, Crossroads, and Tombstone.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: The Scarecrow Press; 1st edition (June 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810828650
• ISBN-13: 978-0810828650
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #759,954 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!, July 15, 1998

By 

Hope for the Best "Hope for the Best" (California USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Company of Heroes: My Life as an Actor in the John Ford Stock Company (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series) (Paperback)

A really fine book by someone who has a true appreciation for the giants he worked with. Mr. Carey is a wonderful story teller, sensitive with a good sense of humor. His observations make for what may be the best book about John Ford ever written. But it is Dobe Carey's depiction of all the greats who worked for Ford that makes this book special indeed. They were unique and wonderful screen icons, the likes of which we will never see again. Mr. Carey brings them to life again in a way I shall never forget. Do not miss this book!

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun book to read, July 23, 2004

By 

Richard A Schauer "Jack Shadow" (Kent,, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Company of Heroes: My Life as an Actor in the John Ford Stock Company (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series) (Paperback)

The value in this book is not just that it paints an interesting picture of the great John Ford, but that it also shows sides of the Ford stock actors we have not seen. Did you know that Ward Bond loved the ladies and had the hots for Vera Ralston when they were filming The Searchers? That Ford and Richard Widmark got along like gangbusters? That Ken Curtis's strange accent in The Searchers came about by accident and got him the part of Festus on Gunsmoke years later? Or that Victor Jory was a tough old bird?

The book is full of interesting little tidbits of information like this about actors I have known and loved. It even gave me an understanding of why The Long Grey Line - one of my favorite Ford films - was not well received. All the details of the problems, the ends and outs, the stuntmen, the jokes, the hard work of making each film made me want to pull all those films off the shelf and watch them again.

If you love old these truly classic films you will not want to miss this book.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive Stuff!, December 30, 1997

By 

Daryl R. Gibson "Writer, Editor, Technology Geek" (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Company of Heroes: My Life as an Actor in the John Ford Stock Company (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series) (Paperback)

This is a heartwarming biographical sketch of not only the film work of John Ford, but of John Wayne, Ward Bond, and others. I've read other books about Ford, but this ranks tops in my estimation. He tells the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, but does it in a human way.