Don Collier, the ruggedly handsome American actor known
for his work in western movies and television shows, died this
week at his home in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. He was 92.
May he rest in peace.
An accomplished actor whose films include, "Eldorado"
"The Undefeated" "Tombstone" and "The War Wagon"
Don is perhaps best remembered as the tough-as-nails ranch foreman
Sam Butler on the NBC-TV western "The High Chaparral".
Don appeared in almost every episode of this popular weekly series,
starting with the show's pilot, "Destination Tucson" in 1967
and ending with the final two part episode,
"The New Lion Of The Sonora" in 1971.
I remember Don as the bubble gum chewing cowboy "The Gum Fighter"
in a series of commercials for Hubba Bubba bubble gum in the 1970's.
He and fellow actor Robert Hoy, who played his younger
brother "Joe Butler" on "The High Chaparral" later made
an appearance together in "The Runaway Caboose"
a second season episode of another hit NBC-TV
western series, "Little House On The Prairie".
Don played a hard-edged engineer of a passenger train on a collision
course with a caboose on the loose carrying Mary and Laura Ingalls
and their friend and neighbor Carl Edwards.
Bob Hoy was cast as the train's fireman who ended up in a fight with
Pa Ingalls after the latter jumped into the engine cab demanding
that the train be stopped before it runs head-on into the caboose.
(1976)
the tracks towards them, Don the engineer brings the train
to a screeching halt and starts backing her down the line.
Once he gets the train to match the speed of the runaway
caboose, the car hits the front of the train twice before
hooking to the engine's coupler and bringing a
successful ending to the children's wild ride!
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