Chubby Johnson

'Chubby Johnson' (qv) was born Charles Rutledge Johnson on August 13, 1903, in Terre Haute, Indiana. He made a living as a journalist and did not become a movie actor until he was in his 40s, making his debut in the 'Randolph Scott' (qv) oater _Abilene Town (1946)_ (qv) in support of Scott, 'Ann Dvorak' (qv) and 'Edgar Buchanan' (qv). He continued to practice his craft as a member of the press, serving as a radio announcer as well as pounding the keys as a columnist, until he was nearly 50. Chubby appeared in the 'Errol Flynn' (qv) horse opera _Rocky Mountain (1950)_ (qv) as part of an army of quirky character actors, including 'Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams' (qv) and 'Slim Pickens' (qv). Chubby then quit the Fourth Estate for a Hollywood career.When Republic Pictures sought a replacement for 'Eddy Waller' (qv) to play sidekick to B-movie cowboy star 'Allan Lane' (qv) in the Rocky Lane series, Chubby filled in for most of 1951-52. He also starred in the TV series _Sky King (1951)_ (qv) as ranch foreman Jim Bell. The low-budget series, a spin-off from a five-year-old radio show in which individual episodes were made for approximately $9,000 each, ran on NBC from Sept 16, 1951, until Oct 26, 1952. The series was then picked up by ABC, which ran the same NBC episodes from November 8, 1952, until September 12, 1954. A season of new episodes was aired in 1955.Chubby freelanced as a character actor after these stints on the TV, appearing in support of 'James Stewart' (qv) in the 'Anthony Mann' (qv) classic _Bend of the River (1952)_ (qv), and in their _The Far Country (1954)_ (qv), which also featured character actor par excellence 'Walter Brennan' (qv), the movies' first triple-Oscar threat. Chubby then went on to appear in support of 'Doris Day' (qv) in _Calamity Jane (1953)_ (qv), 'Audie Murphy' (qv) in _Gunsmoke (1953)_ (qv), 'Ronald Reagan' (qv) in _Law and Order (1953)_ (qv), 'Barbara Stanwyck' (qv) and Ronnie again in _Cattle Queen of Montana (1954)_ (qv) and 'James Cagney' (qv) in _Tribute to a Bad Man (1956)_ (qv), one of the legend's rare forays into the western.Other stars Chubby supported were 'Richard Chamberlain' (qv) and 'Claude Rains' (qv) in _Twilight of Honor (1963)_ (qv), the 1963 courtroom drama that won the ill-fated 'Nick Adams' (qv) a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination; 'James Garner' (qv) in _Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969)_ (qv); and 'Burt Reynolds' (qv) in his audacious debut as a big-screen star as the eponymous _Sam Whiskey (1969)_ (qv). He also appeared uncredited in the classic _High Noon (1952)_ (qv).After appearing as a regular in the short-lived series _Frontier Doctor (1956)_ (qv), Chubby appeared as Concho on another TV western, _Temple Houston (1963)_ (qv), which starred 'Jeffrey Hunter' (qv). He also guested on many other TV westerns, including _Bonanza (1959)_ (qv), _Gunsmoke (1955)_ (qv) and _The Rifleman (1958)_ (qv).Chubby continued to appear in films until 1969, with _Sam Whiskey (1969)_ (qv) serving as the nightcap to his career. He died on Halloween Day 1974 from complications from a leg infection.::Jon C. Hopwood (qv's & corrections by A. Nonymous)