Susan Harber, The Daily News Journal, August 13, 2016
Lights! Camera! Action! Today’s story centers on glamour, sophistication and the lure of Hollywood. Lascassas was home to one of the greatest character actors to grace the big screen. This performer was cast by his original name, John Pickard, and attained an enduring stardom over 40 active years in the movie industry. He was an overachiever on an enhanced level within his profession.
John Marion Pickard, Jr. was born in his historical Lascassas home on June 25, 1913, to John and Rosaline Pickard. His familial home place was built in 1829 on East Jefferson Pike. He was the great-grandson of Samuel Reade Rucker (1794-1862), who served in the War of 1812 and was a prominent attorney. Samuel was also a Murfreesboro mayor in 1826, as well as a senator from 1827-1829. The actor’s great-great-grandfather was the Rev. James Rucker, who was a very important early settler in this area then known as Davidson County. Pickard’s great-aunt was Willie Betty Newman, who was born at Maple Shade, a thriving plantation before the Civil War. Willie was a world-renowned painter, portrait artist and an owner of a prosperous studio in Nashville. Her genius in the arts was an early testament to Pickard’s success.
Pickard was a Lascassas High School graduate and studied music at the Nashville Conservatory where John Lewis was his meticulous vocal instructor. He briefly attended Middle Tennessee Normal School.
Pickard’s wife, Ann, and son John III stayed home on their ancestral Lascassas estate, while John lived in Los Angeles, making multiple movies as early as 1936. Pickard was an attractive man over 6 feet tall with a deep, resonating voice. By 1939, he was in New York City, modeling on a war bond poster for the U.S. Navy. From 1942-1946, Pickard served in the Navy and was stationed at Guam. Upon his return home, he pursued drama in a rigorous way and would move within the realm of supporting actor in hundreds of key roles. Pickard was well known for his gift in horsemanship and his incredible skill with a gun. He starred in primarily popular Western and action dramas.
One of Pickard’s earliest roles was in the moving picture “Mary of Scotland” in 1936 at the age of 23. He moved on to appear in 38 episodes of “Boots
and Saddles” filmed in Kanab, Utah, airing in 1957 and 1958. He starred as Capt. Shank Adams in this series featuring Confederate and Union rivalries, Indian raids and pioneer survival. From 1960-1975, he had a leading role in 12 episodes of “Gunsmoke.” Pickard had a screen test for the role of Marshal Dillon, yet his scene with Miss Kitty did not go well; and James Arness was chosen for the role. Just a few of the numerous shows he was a prime actor include: “Rawhide,” “Wild Wild West,” “Death Valley Days,” “The Virginian,” “How the West Was Won,” “The High Chaparral,” “Daniel Boone,” “The Big Valley,” “Hopalong Cassidy,” “The Lone Ranger,” “Rin Tin Tin,” “Rifleman, “Wyatt Earp,” “Bonanza” and “Little House on the Prairie.”
Pickard moved into dramas and excelled further into shows including: “My Friend Flicka,” “Dragnet,” “Lassie,” “Perry Mason,” “Ben Casey,” “Ironside,” “Mission Impossible,” “Land of the Giants,” “Tarzan,” “Kojak,” “Twilight Zone,” “Mannix” and “Father Murphy.” Pickard was cast in three John Wayne western films: “Wake of Red Witch,” “Chisum” and “True Grit.” The detective series “Simon and Simon” was his final on-screen appearance in 1987. Two of Pickard’s critically acclaimed appearances were in “Hellgate” (1952) and “Badlands of Montana” (1957), in which he played an inmate in a frontier prison and a corrupt frontier mayor in the latter. His resume was all-consuming; and his expertise and talent was highly sought. He was a quick learner and could adapt with ease to any role he pursued.
Disturbingly, Pickard was killed by a bull at the age of 80 at a family picnic on his farm in Lascassas in 1993. The bull had been rented from a Smyrna family to breed livestock on Pickard’s estate. He was survived by his wife, Ann, son John, and three grandchildren at the time. Pickard is buried in a family cemetery near his beloved home in Lascassas. No other individual from Rutherford County achieved greater heights in the film industry than John Pickard, a man who embraced the world of acting and ran hard with a spectacular career.
Contact Susan Harber at [email protected].