BARRY CORBIN | “ROSCOE BROWN”

I read the book when it first came out. I knew it was going to be a miniseries, and I knew that I wanted to be involved. I was one of the first ones to shoot my scenes and I shot all my stuff in Texas over the first two weeks. Everybody else was there, too, but nobody else was shooting yet. I remember they were all so optimistic and cheerful and happy.

I finished my part and went away to do two other movies during the interim, and then came back to film my death scene [where Roscoe is killed by Blue Duck]. By the time I came back, everyone was all stressed out and upset. I asked Tim Scott [Pea Eye Parker] what happened, and he simply said, “cattle drive.” …I think that took a toll on a lot of people.

It was just a joy to work on. It was so much fun that it was almost like a vacation. They were all wonderful, and there’s not a false note in that film.

Corbin, an accomplished character actor from state and screen, is also an accomplished horseman. He says he had to forget everything that he ever knew to play the bumbling Roscoe Brown, July Johnson’s deputy, but that the experience ranks as a highlight of his career.

RICK SCHRODER | “NEWT DOBBS”

I’d done Silver Spoons from ages 12 to 17, and turned 18 while making Lonesome Dove. I hadn’t read the novel—I was more into PacMan at that time. I kind of just showed up in South Texas and got a crash course in the cowboy lifestyle. I went on trail rides with the crew so I could get comfortable in the saddle, but I was pretty much a city kid.

The wranglers taught me so much, and being around Duvall, Tommy Lee, Diane Lane, Danny Glover, and all those people was just a wonderful experience. Lonesome Dove changed the course of my life. That’s when I fell in love with the West and with the lifestyle, and what prompted me to move to Colorado and buy a ranch a few years later. It was a great time in my life.

Many more behind-the-scenes interviews—including an inside look with Anjelica Huston and Writer/Executive Producer Bill Wittliff—can be found in the American Cowboy Lonesome Dove Collector’s Issue. Purchase your copy HERE.

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