Johnny Carpenter was an American film actor, screenwriter and producer. He was known mostly for his work in Westerns and for his association with filmmaker Edward D. Wood Jr.. He used the stage names John, Johnny, Josh, and John Forbes.

Film career

Johnny began working in Hollywood in the mid-1940s, mostly in bit parts in B-Westerns. By 1950, Johnny had graduated to larger roles in films produced by Jack Schwarz, including Border Outlaws and Cattle Queen, his breakout film. He starred in several more B-westerns, all the while continuing to do stunt work in higher profile films.

From 1953 to 1956, Carpenter produced four movies independently; Son of the Renegade

Son of the Renegade

- Cast :*Johnny Carpenter as Red River Johnny *Lori Irving as Lori Masters*Joan McKellen as Valley, the vamp*Valley Keene as Dusty, Indian girl*Jack Ingram as Three-Finger Jack*Vern Teters as Sheriff Bat Masters Jr....

(1953), The Lawless Rider (1954), Outlaw Treasure (1955) and I Killed Wild Bill Hickok (1956). These four films have drawn comparisons between Carpenter and his friend Ed Wood, who actually helped produce The Lawless Rider and may have worked on Son of the Renegade, as well. Carpenter would also make a featured appearance in Wood's 1959 film, Night of the Ghouls

Night of the Ghouls

Night of the Ghouls is a 1959 horror film written and directed by Ed Wood. It is a sequel of sorts to the 1955 film Bride of the Monster...

.

By the 1960s, western film work had dried up and Carpenter's output decreased, with his last film role being in 1961's Tomboy and the Champ.

Heaven on Earth

Besides his work in westerns, Carpenter had a great love of horses and tried to share his enthusiasm with all who cared. One way in which he spread his love of the outdoors was through his "Heaven on Earth" ranch. First located in Glendale, California (later moved Lake View Terrace), the ranch was available for handicapped children (mostly from Los Angeles) to come and spend a day with the horses and enjoy the mock western town that served as the ranch's backdrop. The ranch began in the mid-1940s and ran until Carpenter was evicted in 1994, having run for around fifty years.

External links

• Johnny Carpenter at the Old Corral Web Site. New URL as of May 10, 2006: http://www.b-westerns.com/johnnyc.htm. This website, and every other one I've reviewed, lists his birthplace as "Debinsville" -- that is incorrect; he was born in Dardanelle, Yell County, Arkansas
  Yell County, Arkansas
  Yell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 22,185. The county has two county seats, Dardanelle and Danville...
  
  .