Monday, December 07, 2009

A cowboy's tale

Will Rogers had sage advice for friend and co-star Joel McCrea: The best way to get perspective on Hollywood is on the back of a horse while herding cattle. McCrea, who appeared in 90 films, heeded his mentor’s suggestion and bought an expanse of land in Thousand Oaks. The working ranch served as a home for himself and his wife, actress Frances Dee, and their sons, and became a rural refuge for friends Gary Cooper, Katherine Hepburn and Alfred Hitchcock. The public will have the chance in a year to explore part of the 76-year-old ranch, where Hollywood intersected with the Old West. “This ranch is a great piece of California history, and that’s what we want people to be exposed to,” said Wyatt McCrea, the grandson of Joel McCrea and Dee. “This is just our little effort to keep that pioneering spirit alive.” Sitting in an office with his cowboy hat hanging from a chair back and a signed portrait of Will Rogers behind him, McCrea said in a recent interview his grandfather acted in order to ranch. The elder McCrea, born in south Pasadena, starred in “Sullivan’s Travels,” “The Virginian” and “Foreign Correspondent.” One year he listed his profession as rancher on his income tax returns, prompting the Internal Revenue Service to audit him. Joel McCrea, who bought his first horse at age 10, held out his calloused hands to the auditor and asked if an actor would have hands like that. The IRS dropped the audit...read more

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