Slim Pickens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Slim Pickens
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Pickens in a publicity photo for Custer (1967)
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| Born |
Louis Burton Lindley Jr.
June 29, 1919 Kingsburg, California, U.S.
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| Died | December 8, 1983 (aged 64) Modesto, California, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actor, rodeo performer |
| Years active | 1946–1983 |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret (née Harmon) Lindley (m. 1950) |
| Children | 3 |
Louis Burton Lindley Jr. (born June 29, 1919 – died December 8, 1983) was an American actor and rodeo performer. He was much better known by his stage name, Slim Pickens. Slim started his career in the rodeo, then became a famous actor. He appeared in many movies and TV shows.
For most of his acting career, Slim Pickens played cowboy characters. People remember him best for his funny roles in movies like Dr. Strangelove, Blazing Saddles, and 1941. He also played a bad guy in One-Eyed Jacks with Marlon Brando.
Contents
Early Life and Rodeo Star
Louis Burton Lindley Jr. was born in Kingsburg, California. His father, Louis Bert Lindley Sr., was a dairy farmer from Texas. Young Louis was amazing at riding horses from a very young age.
His family and friends called him "Burt." He didn't like dairy farming much. As a teenager, he started earning money by riding wild horses called broncos and roping steers (young bulls).
His father found out and told him to stop. But Louis didn't listen! He went to compete in a rodeo anyway. The rodeo manager wasn't sure he would win anything. He told Louis there would be "slim pickins" for him, meaning little chance of prize money. To keep his father from finding out, Louis entered the rodeo under the name "Slim Pickens." That afternoon, he won $400!
Louis graduated from Hanford High School in Hanford, California. He was part of the Future Farmers of America. After school, he joined the rodeo full-time as Slim Pickens. He became a well-known rodeo clown, who entertains the crowd and helps protect riders.
During World War II, he joined the United States Army Air Forces. When a recruiter asked about his job, he said "rodeo." But the person wrote it down wrong as "radio." So, Slim spent his entire time in the army working at a radio station in the middle of the United States!
Movie Career
After almost 20 years of rodeo work, Slim Pickens started acting. His wide eyes, round face, strong look, and unique country voice helped him get a role in the Western movie Rocky Mountain (1950). This movie starred Errol Flynn. After that, he appeared in many more Westerns. He played both bad guys and funny friends (called sidekicks) to actors like Rex Allen.
Hollywood loved that Slim had a rodeo background. He didn't need a stunt double for scenes on horseback. He could ride his own Appaloosa horses fast across the desert. He could even drive a stagecoach pulled by six horses!
Slim Pickens was in dozens of movies. Some of them include Tonka (1959), One-Eyed Jacks (1961) with Marlon Brando, and Major Dundee (1965) with Charlton Heston. He also appeared in a new version of Stagecoach (1966), playing the driver. Later, he was in The Cowboys (1972) with John Wayne and The Getaway (1972) with Steve McQueen.
In 1975, Pickens played a limping bank robber in Walt Disney's The Apple Dumpling Gang. He also gave his voice to the character B.O.B. in the 1979 Disney science-fiction movie The Black Hole. His last movie was Pink Motel (1982).
Dr. Strangelove
One of Slim Pickens' most famous roles was Major T. J. "King" Kong in the 1964 movie Dr. Strangelove. He played a B-52 pilot. The director, Stanley Kubrick, chose Pickens for the role. Another actor, Peter Sellers, was supposed to play the part but hurt his ankle.
Pickens was perfect for the role because of his accent and funny style. He played Major Kong as a very patriotic and enthusiastic B-52 commander. He was only given the parts of the script that involved his character.
Three famous scenes with Slim Pickens are:
- He gave a speech to his crew to prepare them for their mission. They had to bomb a target in the USSR.
- He read out loud the items in their survival kits. After listing everything, he said, "Shoot, a fella could have a pretty good time in Big D [Dallas] with all this stuff." This line had to be changed to "weekend in Vegas" because President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas shortly before the movie was released.
- The most famous scene of all shows Pickens riding a dropped H-bomb towards certain doom. He is whooping and waving his cowboy hat, like a rodeo performer riding a bronco. He doesn't know that the bomb's explosion will set off a Soviet doomsday device. This image is a famous part of American-Soviet Cold War history.
Slim Pickens said that Dr. Strangelove changed his career. Before that movie, people on set would just call him "Hey you." After it, they called him "Mr. Pickens." He once said, "After Dr. Strangelove, the roles, the dressing rooms, and the checks all started gettin' bigger." He was amazed at how much one movie could change things.
However, working with Stanley Kubrick was hard for him. Kubrick was a perfectionist and often asked for more than 100 takes for a single scene. The H-bomb riding scene, for example, took over 100 tries! Later, Kubrick offered Pickens a role in his movie The Shining. But Pickens said he would only do it if Kubrick promised to shoot his scenes in fewer than 100 takes. Kubrick didn't agree, so another actor, Scatman Crothers, got the role.
Voice Work and Music
Slim Pickens also used his voice for other projects. In 1975, he narrated part of a collection of Western songs called A Ballad of the West. In 1977, he released his own country music album called Slim Pickens. The album had 12 songs, including two that he wrote himself. The album cover showed him in his famous Dr. Strangelove pilot uniform.
Television Roles
Slim Pickens appeared in many TV shows. In 1954, he played the Sundance Kid in an episode of Stories of the Century. He was also in four episodes of the Western series Annie Oakley (1956). He appeared in The Lone Ranger in 1956 and three episodes of Wide Country (1962), a rodeo show.
In 1961, he had a regular role as Johnson in the NBC series The Americans. This show was about how the American Civil War divided families. He also appeared in an early episode of the spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E..
He was a guest star on many popular shows, including Mannix, Cheyenne, Gunsmoke, Route 66, The Fugitive, Daniel Boone, and The Virginian.
Pickens had recurring roles in Custer, Bonanza, and Hee Haw. He was a regular on Hee Haw from 1981 until he passed away. He also played Wild Jack Monroe in CBS's The Mary Tyler Moore Show. In 1980, he played Grandpa Shoenfield in a two-part episode of ABC's The Love Boat.
Awards and Recognition
In 1982, Slim Pickens was honored by being added to the Hall of Great Western Performers. This is at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. In 1986, after his death, he was also added to the Rodeo Hall of Fame at the same museum.
In 2005, Pickens was added to the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs. This was for his important work as a rodeo clown. He was also inducted into the Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2020.
Later Years and Passing
In his final years, Slim Pickens lived with his wife in Columbia, California. He passed away in a hospital in Modesto on December 8, 1983. He had surgery for a brain tumor.
He was survived by his wife, Margaret, and his children, Thomas Michael Lindley and Margaret Louise Wittman. He also had a stepdaughter, Daryle Ann Giardino, whom he raised as his own. His funeral was held at a church in Columbia, California. His ashes were scattered over his favorite trails. His wife passed away in 2011.
Personal Life
Slim Pickens had a brother named Samuel (1921–2001) who was also an actor. His brother's stage name was Easy Pickens. Slim was a strong supporter of the National Rifle Association of America (NRA). He loved being outdoors and appeared in several episodes of The American Sportsman.
Images for kids
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Pickens in a publicity photo for Custer (1967)
