We talked with real-life cowboy and 1883 stunt double Ora Brown about the documentary celebrating Black heroes of The American West.
Five legendary Black cowboys who helped tame the Old West — Nat Love, Bose Ikard, Bass Reeves, Bill Pickett, and George McJunkin — are celebrated by historians, commentators and modern-day African-American cowpunchers in Freedom on the Range, the hour-long docudrama produced by Al Roker Entertainment and scheduled to premiere at 7 pm ET Saturday on INSP.
“The significant contributions of African American cowboys in the shaping of America have largely gone unnoticed,” says Craig Miller, Vice-President of Original Programming & Development for INSP. “In Freedom on the Range, we pay tribute to these unsung groundbreakers by telling the true stories of some of the most courageous trailblazers that helped tame the American West. While these are not household names to most of us, their stories are fascinating and need to be told as part of our nation’s history. This is a show that audiences don’t want to miss.”
Among the contemporary cowboys featured in on-screen interviews: Ora Brown, an Oklahoma ranch manager and cowpuncher who has also worked in movies and television as a wrangler, bit player, Ultimate Cowboy Showdown competitor — and stunt man for series regular LaMonica Garrett on the popular Paramount+ drama 1883.
The casting of Garrett (pictured to left of Brown) in the prominent role of Thomas, friend and companion to fellow Pinkerton agent Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott) “really hit home for me,” Brown told Fox23 News of Tulsa, “because it was something I could look up to. Like, man, he’s setting the stage for more westerns that are going to have a lot more African American guys in it.
“Now children, even grown adults like myself, black African American men or women that grew up wanting to have an image of a cowboy in their life — we have one now. And what’s to say how many more might be put in western movies here down the road to give us all somebody to look up to.”
The heroes profiled in Freedom on the Range have long provided inspiration for generations of African-American cowboys — and people of all colors — with their real-life exploits. Nat Love penned a best-selling autobiography recalling his roping and riding adventures; Bose Ikard became the inspiration for the Joshua Deets character in Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove; Bass Reeves transformed himself into one of the West’s greatest lawmen, and likely was the historical model for the fictional Lone Ranger; Bill Pickett became an iconic rodeo star who introduced a unique method of bulldogging; and George McJunkin made what turned out to be one of the country’s most significant archeological discoveries.
“It’s been a pleasure working with Al Roker’s team on this project,” says Craig Miller. “They really dug into the material, researched this little-known part or our nation’s history, and made sure the stories were told with accuracy, authenticity, and impact.”
Roker, best known as the trusted and personable weather anchor on NBC’s Today, describes Freedom on the Range as less a docudrama than a dream project. “I grew up in an era when westerns ruled TV,” he explains. “Bonanza and Gunsmoke were must-watch TV, and then later, films like Buck and the Preacher, with the late Sidney Poitier. Since then, I’ve been captivated by the role African Americans played in shaping this country, post-Civil War. When I was approached to have my team at Al Roker Entertainment tell the true stories of America’s Black cowboys, I jumped at the opportunity to set the record straight and give accurate historical context to these courageous pioneers.”
We recently spoke with Ora Brown about Freedom on the Range and his passion for all things cowboy. And yes, rest assured, LaMonica Garrett figured into the conversation.