I think it's about time I told you a Denver Pyle story. Some Today's Farmer readers might remember that long ago I was a member of the Darling family on the old Andy Griffith Show. The Darlings were musical mountaineers. Denver Pyle played the father, Maggie Peterson was sister Charlene, and my bunch, a Missouri bluegrass band called "The Dillards," played the sons.

Denver was the real pro among us (with over 100 movies to his credit, most of them westerns, with old timers like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers) and we were in awe of him. Luckily, Denver took us under his wing, and found time to explain how TV shows were made, and the functions of all the people who milled around on a set. To make us feel comfortable he would tell us stories, mostly on himself.

My favorite was about the first time he worked with John Wayne in a movie called "The Horse Soldiers." Denver said the idea of working with "Duke" Wayne scared him to death. Wayne was not only a huge man, and a big star, but he tended to dominate a set, even telling directors what to do, and he was famous for chewing out bumbling actors who didn't know their parts.

Denver's role was a southern outlaw and his first scene began with a "stunt" calling for him to pile out of a barn loft when Wayne's platoon rides up. Denver said he was nervous, caught his foot on the loft door, "fell like a cow pie" and ended up facing away from the camera, minus his hat. John Wayne walked up and looked him over and said: "You're Mr. Pyle?" When Denver nodded, Wayne said, "Mr. Pyle there's about a dozen ways to bail out of a barn and that's the worst one I've ever seen!" "Sorry, Mr. Wayne," said Denver, who did the scene again and got it right.

But this spooked him for the next scene where Wayne gives him and his two cohorts cigars, then when they make an off color remark to a passing lady, knocks each of them down. Denver said John Wayne dealt him a "movie punch" that missed his chin, but drove the cigar halfway down his throat. He made it 'til the director said 'cut!' but then started coughing and gagging and was mad enough to fight. Telling us about it, Denver said, "Wayne watched me spitting and almost grinned. He said. 'Son, let that be a lesson to you. Any time you smoke a cigar, be ready for somebody to hit you in the mouth. And besides watchin' you flop around with that thing almost made up for that piece of crap stunt.' "

Turning away, the big man added, "By the way, Denver, join the club. Just call me Duke."