Cactus Pryor Interviews Dan Blocker (1965)

Duration: 0:10:32

Year Published: 1965

Format: 16mm

Sound: sound

Description: Austin broadcast personality Richard “Cactus” Pryor interviews actor Dan Blocker, best known for his portrayal of Hoss Cartwright on the television program “Bonanza.” Conversation ranges over a variety of topics including Blocker’s political views and involvement, his Texas roots, and the future of “Bonanza.”Richard “Cactus” Pryor began his career in radio in 1944 and has remained a prominent broadcasting personality well into the twenty first century. Pryor was first heard on Lady Bird Johnson’s radio station 590 KLBJ, though his face became as well known as his voice once he moved to television broadcasting on KTBC. Beyond his work on radio and television Pryor has also appeared in the movies “Hellfighters” and “The Green Berets,” published several books, and earned a reputation as a witty speaker. Pryor, a native Austenite, received the nickname “Cactus” in reference to “The Cactus,” one of the first motion picture theaters in Austin owned by his father. Pryor’s allegiance to Austin is reflected by the city which named February 4, 1982, “Cactus Pryor Day.”