Slim Pickens in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, 1964
Slim Pickens, the rodeo performer and film and television actor who epitomized the profane, tough, sardonic cowboy, was born 103 years ago today.
Pickens is remembered for his comic roles, notably in Dr. Strangelove and Blazing Saddles.
Born Louis Burton Lindley, Jr. in Kingsburg, California, he was an excellent rider from age four. After graduating from school, he joined the rodeo. He was told that working in the rodeo would be "slim pickings" (very little money), giving him his name. Yet, he did well and eventually became a well-known rodeo clown.
After twenty years on the rodeo circuit, his distinctive Oklahoma-Texas drawl (even though he was a lifelong Californian), his wide eyes, moon face and strong physical presence gained him a role in the western film, Rocky Mountain (1950) starring Errol Flynn. He appeared in many more westerns, playing both villains and comic sidekicks to the likes of Rex Allen.
Pickens appeared in dozens of films, including Old Oklahoma Plains (1952), Down Laredo Way (1953), One-Eyed Jacks (1961) with Marlon Brando, Dr. Strangelove (1964) and Major Dundee (1965) with Charlton Heston.
He performed in the the remake of Stagecoach (1966), playing a part made famous in the 1939 film by Andy Devine. He was also in Never a Dull Moment (1968) and The Cowboys (1972) with John Wayne.
He also performed in Ginger in the Morning (1974) with Fred Ward, Blazing Saddles (1974), Poor Pretty Eddie (1975), Rancho Deluxe (1975), The Getaway with Steve McQueen, Tom Horn (1980), also with McQueen, An Eye for an Eye (1966) and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) in a small but memorable role.
Pickens played B-52 pilot Major T. J. "King" Kong in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove. Kubrick cast Pickens after Peter Sellers, who played three other roles in the film, sprained his ankle and was unable to perform in the role due to having to work in the cramped cockpit set.
Pickens was chosen because his accent and comic sense were perfect for the role of Kong, a cartoonishly patriotic and gung-ho B-52 commander. He was not given the script to the entire film, but only those portions in which he played a part.
His best known scene is riding a dropped H-bomb to a certain death, whooping and waving his cowboy hat (in the manner of a rodeo performer bronc riding or bull riding), not knowing its detonation will trigger a Russian doomsday device.
Pickens credited Dr. Strangelove as a turning point in his career. Previously, he said he was "Hey you" on sets. Afterward, he was addressed as Mr. Pickens. "After Dr. Strangelove the roles, the dressing rooms and the checks all started gettin' bigger."
Pickens said he was amazed at the difference a single movie could make. However, working with Kubrick proved too difficult, especially the more than 100 takes of the H-bomb riding scene.
In the late 1970s, Pickens was offered the part of Dick Hallorann in Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining. However, Pickens stipulated that he would appear in the film only if Kubrick was required to shoot Pickens' scenes in fewer than 100 takes. Instead, Pickens' agent showed the script to Don Schwartz, the agent of Scatman Crothers. Crothers accepted the role.
In his last years, Pickens lived with his wife, Margaret, in Columbia, California. He was a civilian pilot with a multi-engine rating and enjoyed flying in a green U.S. Air Force flight suit while wearing a cowboy hat, similar to the wardrobe worn in Dr. Strangelove.
He died on December 8, 1983 after surgery for a brain tumor. He was 64.