A while back I ran a section of the above photo as a banner on the site, and identified it as one of Ben Johnson competing in a rodeo before he entered movies. In fact, it’s a picture of Ben’s father, a noted rodeo champion in his day. Thanks to Paula Vitaris, expert on all things Ben Johnson, for this info, who also notes that Ben, Jr. didn’t start entering rodeos until after he’d worked in the movies and had money for the entrance fees. She further notes that he remains (and I’m sure will always remain) the only man to win both a rodeo world championship and an Oscar.

You can find Paula’s excellent Ben Johnson site here.