For some, country music is the life-blood of hard-working Americans, and who better exemplifies the country spirit than Johnny Cash? The Man in Black (as he was often called) was an American icon, one who wore his heartstrings on his sleeve and sung about any and everything he was passionate about. While many people are familiar with the biopic Walk the Line, which starred Joaquin Phoenix as Cash and Reese Witherspoon as his second wife June Carter Cash, others might not know that the country legend had a strange filmography alongside his musical success, much like his Million Dollar Quartet partner Elvis Presley.
Born J.R. Cash, the country legend rambled onto the music scene in the early 1950s singing gospel tunes and soulful ballads that quickly made him a household name. In the last stretch of his career, he had completely re-invented himself as a singer-songwriter, with his American Recordings being some of the most influential albums of the 20th and 21st centuries. His appeal to a vast number of audiences eventually saw him introduced into the County Music, Gospel Music, and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame.
Be it his own talk show or a starring role in a feature film, there was more to Johnny Cash than met the eye.
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Wagon Train - "The C.L. Harding Story" (1959)
Cash's first-ever on-screen role was as a guest star in the hit black-and-white TV Western series Wagon Train as a member of the party named Frank Hoag, a newly married man. Honestly, there isn't much to say about Cash's role in this episode because he doesn't really get to do much other than react to the woman's suffrage movement, but it's neat to see a young Cash in his first-ever acting appearance. This wouldn't be Cash's only guest-starring role, nor would it be his only Western, but it would certainly be his most brief appearance in any of his dramatic works.
Five Minutes to Live (1961)
It wouldn't be long before Johnny Cash would be a real country star, and not just behind the microphone but in front of the camera as well. Playing the leading role of Johnny Cabot, Cash takes his criminal persona to the limit as he kidnaps, terrorizes, and even makes some unrequited sexual advances towards his hostage (Cay Forrester, who also wrote the screenplay), after shooting at her of course. Five Minutes to Live, which is also the name of the titular track written and performed by Cash, is a pretty crazy crime noir that seems pretty out of character for the most Western-influenced country star, yet the film has become a cult classic in more recent years.
The Johnny Cash Show (1969-1971)
Did you know that Johnny Cash hosted a music variety show? Well, now you do! For 58 episodes, Cash hosted The Johnny Cash Show for ABC, which featured countless musical, comedic, and acting talents such as Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, Kirk Douglas, Neil Young, Merle Haggard, Louis Armstrong (months before his death), Bob Hope, the Carter Family, and a host of others. An instrumental version of Cash's most popular and signature tune "Folsom Prison Blues" played as the show's intro, and Cash himself seemed to have a blast hosting his own series. Unfortunately, the show was canceled during the "rural purge," though it was revived by CBS twice: first in the form of Johnny Cash and Friends and lastly in the annual Johnny Cash Christmas Specials series, which ran for nearly a decade.
A Gunfight (1971)
Cash's second starring role in a feature film, this time opposite Kirk Douglas, A Gunfight is, naturally, a Western set in Bajo Rio that follows Will Tenneray (Douglas) and Abe Cross (Cash) as they face one another in mortal combat. What's interesting about their roles here is that Tenneray and Cross don't hate one another at all, in fact, they kind of become friends, only for the Man in Black to be the only one to make it out of the ring, which was a huge departure from traditional Western conventions. The gunfight doesn't take long either, only a few split seconds actually, which could easily be seen as the film's commentary on how quickly a life can end.
Gospel Road: A Story of Jesus (1973)
Not only did Johnny Cash sing gospel, but he believed the good news wholeheartedly. As a devout Christian, Cash wrote and produced Gospel Road: A Story of Jesus, which was filmed completely on-location in Israel. Retelling the biblical story, Cash narrates and sings the "greatest story ever told" opposite Robert Elfstrom, who both directed the film and played the role of Jesus Christ. While in the Holy Land, Cash and company also produced "The Gospel Road," a "double album" about the life of Christ that simultaneously served as the film's official soundtrack. Many of the songs can be heard in the film. While Cash no doubt had his own troubles in life, be it in love, with the law, or with substance abuse, there's no doubt that he clung tightly to his Savior's cross.
The Little House on the Prairie - "The Collection" (1976)
The perfect sort of show for Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash to guest-star on together, The Little House on the Prairie was one of the most popular shows of its day that followed the Ingalls family as they settled the Midwest. In this Season 3 premiere, Cash played Caleb Hodgekiss, an ex-con who decides to take up the role of preacher after Walnut Grove's minister is rendered unconscious, all with the goal of earning a bucket of change for himself and his wife, played by his real-life wife. Michael Landon is the real MVP here though, as he both starred as Charles Ingalls and directed this episode, and the Man in Black himself. Of course, by the end Hodgekiss has a change of heart, something pretty reflective of Cash's own life and experience.
The Muppet Show - "Johnny Cash" (1981)
Yes, Johnny Cash did indeed appear on The Muppet Show, and even sung a few songs while there. In zany Muppet fashion, the show gets a bit crazy. While some hillbilly Muppets sing "The Martins and the Coys," the song ends prematurely, and a firefight takes it place. Cash handles the craziness well, though, and remains a good sport while singing an "Orange Blossom Special"/"Jackson" duet with Miss Piggy, the only person he's been recorded singing "Jackson" with other than his wife. But the "Dirty Old Egg Sucking Dog" performance has got to be one of the funniest, as Rowlf goes completely bonkers after hearing Cash's "anti-canine" tune.
Saturday Night Live - "Johnny Cash/Elton John" (1982)
If the Muppets weren't out-of-bounds for the Johnny Cash, then Saturday Night Live certainly wasn't either. Cash appeared on SNL on April 17, 1982, as the host. A part of several bits, Cash spent one of them singing "Man in Black" to Tim Kazurinsky's "younger" version of himself, and eventually played a medley of "I Walk the Line," "Folsom Prison Blues," and "Ring of Fire." Of course, the most outlandish thing the country legend did on camera was dress up as musical guest Elton John, which was pretty spectacular in its own right. Johnny may have only appeared once on SNL, but when he did, it was in his traditional "Man in Black" style.
North and South (1985)
Cash's only work on a televised miniseries, North and South told the story of the friendship between a Northern boy George Hazzard (James Read) and Southerner Orry Main (Patrick Swayze) during the backdrop of the American Civil War. Cash appeared in all six episodes of the original miniseries as the historic figure John Brown, an abolitionist who was eventually executed after inciting a slave rebellion in West Virginia just prior to the Civil War. Cash brings an elegance and intensity to the historical figure here, and his work opposite Patrick Swayze is some of his best work on camera. While Cash wouldn't work on another miniseries again, North and South remains some of his most important work as an actor.
Stagecoach (1986)
Not that anyone could or should remake the 1930s John Wayne classic, but in the mid-1980s, Johnny Cash and his band of Highwaymen decided to give it a shot anyway. This version of Stagecoach starred Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and future Dukes of Hazzard and Smallville star John Schneider with a cameo by June Carter Cash, naturally, and even with all that star power it couldn't compare to the original. Of course, this was a made-for-TV feature rather than a John Ford studio film, so a dip in quality was to be expected. But still, it's no small feat getting all four members of the Highwaymen back together, especially for iconic Western roles like Ringo Kid (Kristofferson), Doc Holiday (Nelson), and Marshal Curly Wilcox (Cash).
The Simpsons - "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer" (1997)
If you thought his stint on The Muppet Show was weird, try watching The Simpsons episode where Johnny shows up as a "Space Coyote" to help a semi-drugged and confused Homer (Dan Castellaneta), who has eaten way too many hot peppers, find his way back to his soulmate. Cash has often been cited as one of the best guest performers on the show, and "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer" (which translates to "The Mysterious Voyage of Homer") has been said to include some of the best animation in the whole series. He's not in this episode long, but Cash's is profound as the Space Coyote's words help Homer return to Marge (Julie Kavner) by the episode's end.
The Hunted (2003)
Like his role on The Simpsons, Cash's final film role (outside countless documentaries and his final batch of music videos) is a voiceover role in The Hunted as he opens and closes the bloody struggle between expert tracker L.T. Bonham (Tommy Lee Jones) and former FBI assassin Aaron Hallam (Benicio Del Toro) in the Oregon wilderness. Released only six months prior to Cash's death, the film opens with him reciting part of Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited," only to end the film with another reading of Dylan's work before transitioning into his famous "American IV" tune "The Man Comes Around."
