Golden Globe–winning actress Karen Sharpe—famed for The High and the Mighty and TV’s Johnny Ringo—joins Rob and RJ Word on A Word on Westerns for a heartfelt trip down memory lane. She explains how John Wayne took her under his wing after The High and the Mighty and—at her urging—released her from his film contract so she could saddle up for the booming world of television. That leap landed her on dusty sets from Gunsmoke to Rawhide, The Range Rider, Trackdown, and The Wild Wild West, where she sparred with James Arness, Clint Eastwood, Eric Fleming, and a young Burt Reynolds. She laughs about Eastwood teasing her during a Rawhide scene and reveals how starring in Aaron Spelling’s first Western series, Johnny Ringo, shaped her career. The conversation also touches on her Golden Globe win, her early jungle-girl days, and her love story with director Stanley Kramer. Tune in, and if you enjoy the conversation, follow and share A Word on Westerns with fellow lovers of cinema history.