Arthur Hunnicutt 1910 – 1979

 Arthur was a man “old” before his time. In fact, this lean and lanky actor was probably one of the youngest old codgers in show business history until his age finally caught up with him.

Arthur was born on February 17 th, 1911 in Gravelly, a small town in the southwest corner of Arkansas (not to be confused with Young Gravelly to the northeast). He attended local schools through high school and then entered Arkansas State Teachers College in Conway . Funds ran out during his junior year and he had to leave although he did teach school for awhile to save tuition money for the Phidela School of voice in Cleveland , Ohio . Thankfully the course didn’t erase that distinctive country accent that served him so well on the screen.

He joined a theatrical stock company in Martha’s Vineyard , Massachusetts before heading to

New York and the Broadway stage. The Theatre Guild’s production of “Love’s Old Sweet Song” was his first big hit followed by “Green Grow the Lilacs”. He developed the country character that was the keystone of his career while playing the lead in a stage production of “Tobacco Road”. In 1942, Art took a short hop to Hollywood for “Wildcat” with Richard Arlen and Arline Judge and then trekked right back to Broadway to continue his stage career. But Columbia Pictures soon called him back a few months later for “Riding Through Nevada” so he decided to quit traveling for a while and see what the big screen had in store for him. Somewhere along the way, Art married Pebble Pauline Lile but not much is written about their marriage.

Art was listed in the credits as Arthur “ Arkansas ” Hunnicutt for many of his early movies attesting to his perfect persona for grizzled sidekick parts and humorous, wise-cracking old timers of an era gone by. He was only 41 when he played Uncle Zeb Calloway, a trapper just out of prison and leading the French to trade furs with the Blackfoot Indians in “The Big Sky” in 1952. Art won a best Supporting Actor nomination for that role. In 1956 he took over the role vacated by Percy Kilbride playing Sedgewick Kettle , Pa Kettle’s brother opposite Marjorie Main in the popular film series even though he was 20 years younger than his leading lady! And when they couldn’t get Walter Brennan for “ El Dorado ” in 1966 Art took his place and did a great job as Bull Harris the jailkeeper/caretaker for drunken sheriff Robert Mitchum.

Arthur Hunnicutt made over 50 films but he was also a regular on the small screen as well often guesting on the popular television series of the late 50s, 60s and early 70s…..”Gunsmoke”, The Virginian”, “The Wonderful World of Disney”, “Bonanza” and even “The Twilight Zone. His last feature film was “Winterhawk” in 1975 just before he entered the Motion Picture and Television Country Home and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. He died there of tongue cancer on September 26 th, 1979. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Sebastian County, Arkansas.

Arthur's gravestone

Films also include: “Broken Arrow” (1950), “The Red Badge of Courage” (1951). “She Couldn’t Say No” (1954), “The Cardinal” (1963), “Cat Ballou” (1965) and “Harry and Tonto” (1974)