Ex-Cowboy Star Treats : Disabled Get Taste of Old West

John Carpenter’s 3 1/2-acre ranch in the foothills of Lake View Terrace looks like a Hollywood replica of an old Western town. Down the dusty main street are the Mangy Dog Saloon, a rickety post office and enough covered wagons to conquer the West again.

A perfect setting for a crusty cowboy who produced and starred in such 1950s low-budget Westerns as “Trail of Kit Carson,” “In Old Wyoming” and “Santa Fe Saddle Mates.”

But Carpenter, 72, has long since traded in his acting career for the real-life role of humanitarian, and his Heaven on Earth Ranch is the stage he uses to entertain thousands of physically and emotionally handicapped children and adults.

On Saturday, under blue skies and whipped by occasional wind gusts, Carpenter’s annual Thanksgiving party for several hundred handicapped people--a 47-year-old tradition--took place.

Hanko the Clown passed out balloons; stunt men staged a mock fight using guns with blanks, and a musician played “Love Me Tender” on an accordion as the crowd ate 60 turkeys, 200 pounds of stuffing and 40 gallons of gravy. The food was donated by Francois Studer, owner of Measured Meals, a Burbank catering firm.

Experiences a Lift

“I get a spiritual lift that you can’t get with money,” said Carpenter, who comes from a wealthy Arkansas family. Except for an occasional contribution, he pays all the expenses of running the ranch himself, from $48,000 to $60,000 a year.

A few other spirits were also lifted Saturday.

Dixie Henrikson, executive director of Activities for Retarded Children, said she has been taking handicapped youngsters to Carpenter’s ranch for 10 years. “The kids like it because they see moving around them what they usually see in the cowboy movies,” she said.

Greg Butchko, a 20-year-old with Down’s syndrome, said it was the first time he had been to the ranch since he went with his brother years ago. “It makes me happy to see Johnny having fun with all the kids,” he said, watching Carpenter with his guests.

There was one hitch in what was an otherwise perfect day. Two sky divers who had planned to float to earth dressed as a holiday turkey and a Pilgrim had to cancel because of the gusting winds.

‘We’ll Be Back’

“We’re terribly disappointed,” said Jim Papke of the California City Parachute Club, who, like the other performers, was volunteering his time. “We just didn’t want to risk it. But we’ll be back.”

Carpenter, chewing on a lighted cigar, took it all in stride. The idea for the ranch came to him after he was seriously injured in an automobile accident more than 40 years ago--one week after he began spring training as a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox. He suffered a fractured left leg and right arm and a concussion, ending his hopes for a baseball career.

“I was in a body cast for 119 days,” he recalled.

While on the mend, Carpenter began teaching blind children to ride horses at a stable at Los Feliz Boulevard and Riverside Drive. He has been helping the handicapped ever since.

Carpenter’s efforts have been acknowledged in letters and commendations from Mayor Tom Bradley, Gov. George Deukmejian and President Reagan.

“It takes all the money I have now to keep this place going,” he said. “But I’m going to keep at it as long as the Lord lets me live.”