Lights, Camera, Cowboy

Rich Robbins leans against the corral fence and scuffs a boot toe in the powdery dirt as he surveys the celebrities on his Colorado ranch. Those four-footed extras were the cowboy’s unexpected ticket to Hollywood.

Robbins, who runs a ranch with his father near the town of Mancos (pop. 1,119), figured cattle ranching and farming were his future. Then Tinseltown came calling. It all started when Robbins’ cattle (the four-footed celebrities) were hired in 1989 for some of the cowpunching scenes in the movie City Slickers.

A friend who was a member of the Durango Film Commission had telephoned to ask if Robbins would allow his cattle to be used in the new movie starring Billy Crystal and Jack Palance.

‘‘When they came to the ranch, Billy (Crystal) wanted to see the cows cross the river. At the time, it was swollen pretty deep and swift. I said, ‘They’re not going to do that with the water like it is.’ He still wanted to see something cross the river, so I rode my horse in. We went completely under and had a heck of a ride across, but we made it,’’ says Robbins, whose speech is as relaxed as his well-worn jeans and hat.

The pair made quite an impression on Crystal, who hired Robbins and several of his horses to work alongside his cattle for the movie. ‘‘I also ended up doubling for Billy in a number of scenes,’’ Robbins says.

After the movie, Robbins went on to join the Los Angeles’ Local No. 399 of the Wranglers Union, a prestigious organization of professional movie cowpunchers and became a card-carrying member of the Screen Actors Guild.

It was an undreamed-of second career.

‘‘City Slickers opened a lot of doors for me,’’ Robbins nods. ‘‘I’ve had the opportunity to work with so many incredible film stars, including Drew Barrymore, Tom Selleck, Will Smith, and Sam Elliott. In addition to Billy Crystal, I’ve doubled for Mickey Rourke and Dermot Mulroney.’’ Other movies he’s worked on include Bad Girls with Barrymore, Tombstone with Val Kilmer, and the television series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.

‘‘I grew up ranching right here. When I was a kid, I thought the smartest thing I could ever do was to put some distance between me and this kind of hard labor. So I went to work in the oil fields,’’ he laughs. ‘‘But by 1985, I’d grown older and wiser; I came back—it’s what I love.’’

He and his parents, Eddie and Dixie Robbins, have about 600 head of cattle and farm 400 acres of the 1,200-acre Robbins Ranch spread, with its breathtaking views of the San Juan National Forest and Mesa Verde National Park. Rich Robbins’ Tumbling T’s property adjoins his father’s and the two work both places together, with Rich also running a horseback-riding stable in the summer.

Friends say the experience with Hollywood hasn’t changed Robbins.

“Rich is probably one of the better cowboys in the Four Corners area,” says Jeff Mannix, who operates the Durango Pro Rodeo and works a ranch raising longhorn cattle. “His folks were homesteaders here. His roots go back a long way. In this ranching community we network pretty seriously. When things go wrong, it can be a pretty big problem. Rich is one of the guys people around here know they can count on to help.”

Despite enjoying his movie work, Robbins says his heart remains in Colorado.

‘‘My dad was one of 10 children who grew up on this land,’’ he says, and when Rich Robbins says the word land, it’s clear that he’s referring to a living, breathing identity.

‘‘It was sometimes hard—and still is—to know whether you owned the land or it owned you. It gets in your blood and becomes a little of both, I think. I couldn’t imagine not being a part of all this,’’ he spreads his callused hands toward the soaring mountains.

At his feet, his mix-breed shepherd dog gazes up in total devotion and contentment.

‘‘Yep,’’ he affirms. ‘‘This is the life.”

Judy Woodward Bates is a frequent contributor to American Profile.

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