"Back when I worked with Ben Johnson on The Sacketts, he told me that the great director John Fords dying words to him were, Johnson, always stay real. Well . . . that was never gonna be a problem. Ben was as real as daylight. But that being said, I have to admit that gravity seemed to take a holiday when Ben Johnson was around. And while I know hed be embarrassed if he knew I called him a mentor, the fact is, I went to the school of Uncle Ben. Honesty and respect were his watchwords, and he was never afraid of modesty. In the very best sense, he was an ordinary man who did extraordinary things. He was a world champion roper, he earned an Academy Award, and nobody sat a horse like Ben Johnson." - Tom Selleck
"It has all the fixings of a tall taleyoung cowboy/grammar-school dropout from small Oklahoma town rises to heights far above the Hollywood Signs Mount Leebut in Kathryn Joness Tall in the Saddle, its genuine. Rife with apt quotes, varied sources, and fresh interviews, the book is a living, breathing document of Johnsons remarkable career. Joness campfire storytelling is delightful, each chapter ending with a virtual cliffhanger practically atop a Monument Valley spire. Plus, her personal background informs a look at Johnsons gap year as he strove to win rodeos world championship (Sam Shepard would have traded his Pulitzer for that accolade), and her understanding of Johnsons ethos never waivers." - Susan Compo, author of Warren Oates: A Wild Life and other works
"Kathryn Joness Tall in the Saddle: The Life of Ben Johnson, Hollywoods Real Cowboy is an instant classic. Jones spent years employing her great skills as a researcher and reporter to piece together the complicated life of a complex man, then used her sublime gift as a storyteller to produce this compelling, exquisitely written book. Even people who think they know everything about the Oscar-winning actor and world-champion rodeo cowboy will come away from Tall in the Saddle with a much deeper understanding of Johnson. I highly recommend it." - W. K. Stratton, author of The Wild Bunch: Sam Peckinpah, a Revolution in Hollywood, and the Making of a Legendary Film
"Be warned: this book will seduce you. Thats a promise. I was hooked before I reached the second page. Thanks to Kathryn Joness thorough research and skillful writing, Tall in the Saddle satisfies readers who devour this life story of Ben Johnson, an authentic cowboy who became a world champion rodeo roper and snagged an Academy Award. Im not an actor, he once said. Im a cowboy who got lucky. Grab a handful of mane and enjoy the ride." - Michael Wallis, author of The Real Wild West: The 101 Ranch and the Creation of the American West
"Kathryn Joness treatment of the actors life history and comprehensive discussion of all of Johnsons films, television productions, and related professional and philanthropic work is impressive. Tall in the Saddle cements Johnsons contribution to the Western genre as well as twentieth-century film and Oklahoma history." - Jennifer L. McMahon, coeditor of The Philosophy of the Western
"Tall in the Saddle: The Life of Ben Johnson, Hollywoods Real Cowboy is rich with research by the author, interviews, and telling, behind-the-scenes detail about the making of key movies in Johnsons career, as well as his other career as a world-champion roper." - Joseph B. Atkins, author of Harry Dean Stanton: Hollywoods Zen Rebel
